Ladies and Gentlemen, we're back with another chapter of "A Quincy's Fairy Tail!" However, we're going to start things off in a place I'm sure that most of you probably didn't expect. In what regard? Well, I'd rather not spoil the surprise. I'm really interested in seeing what you all think of it though. Anyways, that's enough on me babbling on, onto the chapter!
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!
Meifon Long, guild master of the illustrious Celestial Blade Guild, and former S-Class of Fairy Tail, had just finished walking down one of the many hallways in the Magic Council's Fiore headquarters. Currently, she found herself outside the door to her metaphorical destiny. No, not simply hers, but that of Erza Scarlet and the Magic Council itself. The recent discovery of the last remaining R-System, more well known as the Tower of Heaven, the very one that her dear Erza Scarlet barely escaped from… It couldn't have been a coincidence. The past several months since Jose's actions in Magnolia and the discovery of one of their former members having been controlled with some sort of mental manipulation magic had led Meifon to the idea that the council had been infiltrated by a traitor, one rather high in its ranks. How else could two Wizard Saints have fallen to the side of darkness in such a short period of time?
Her investigation had led her to the massive dark guild Dark Stallion, and with its fall came a plethora of information on dark guilds as a whole… including the identity of the one she had been searching for. It had taken some time to repair the communication lacrima used by the traitor to communicate with the guild master of the dark guild. No doubt the one behind all of this had placed the self-destruct spell on it to prevent it from being traced back to them. But, while the process was lengthy, Meifon Long had eventually found someone who could repair the lacrima. He had charged her quite the fee, but in the end, the eccentric man had managed to fulfill his end of the bargain, allowing her to discover the identity of the snake amongst their midst and finally bring him to justice.
Why then did she hesitate? Meifon couldn't help but find herself locked in place, her body acting against her will. Why... why am I afraid? I've spent this life and another looking to change the world... I've fallen so far and picked myself back up, so... why? Why am I afraid?
Meifon had an inkling. She wanted change, yes, but that change could only be facilitated through the Magic Council and Wizard Saints. Already the latter was breaking apart in light of Jose Porla's madness and disappearance. Now, the Magic Council itself is on the verge of change if Meifon went through with this. No doubt, if she went through this...
No! She grit her teeth then, forcing herself to step forward. If the Magic Council has any chance of surviving the traitor, then he must be exposed now. And if it cannot survive his black heart, then... it will be no different than the organization that 'Strings' and I first met through. It will fall and things will begin anew. A magic council for the people, not for the ones who seek to use it for themselves! There will be no more monsters hiding in the dark and playing god.
She had wished she at least had the luxury of informing Yajima of what she was about to do, but it was a risk she simply couldn't afford. If the likes of two Wizard Saints could be controlled through some sort of magic, then the odds that some members of the magic council were under his sway was one that she could not ignore. Informing Yajima had the risk of informing the traitor enough to either try and control more members of the council than he already had under his sway, or attempt to flee. No, it was best she attempted to catch him as off-guard as possible. Then, once she was certain that any possible mind control over the council had been lifted, could she properly bring forth her evidence. As things were now, however, it was quite possible he could turn the situation on her had she just gone up to the Magic Council directly. While she doubted he had the entire council under his control since the Balam Alliance would act much more freely if they were, if he had at least 40% of them under his control… She shuddered to think how he could easily turn the situation to his favor and try to pin the blame on her. No, she had to get him now and force him to undo any mind control spell he had on the others before she made her next move.
Fortunately for her, the one she needed to confront was busy conducting his own business in his office while the rest of the council was deliberating what actions needed to be taken to appropriately deal with the Tower of Heaven. Word had been that he was simply getting some important documentation to bring to the proceedings, but Meifon suspected he was actually up to something much more sinister in nature.
Finally, she walked closer to the door before quickly glancing at the two lacrima in her hands and pocketing away each into one of her elegant dress's pockets. She raised her right hand up and lightly knocked on the door. "Crawford! It's Meifon Long. I'd like to have a word with you for a moment, it's quite urgent."
"Oh yes, please, come in, Meifon." The Wizard Saint could hear the elderly old man call out to her. "It'll have to be quick, however. I have an important decision we need to reach in regards to the R-System."
"Worry not, this won't take long at all," Meifon said as she opened the door and walked inside. "Normally, I wouldn't come to see you during such an occasion, but this simply can't be delayed any longer."
"Yes yes, you've always been quick and to the point." The chairman said as he just finished putting away a stack of papers into his personal handbag. "So, what is it that you needed to speak to me about so urgently?"
"Well, you see the thing is that I've been conducting a secret investigation over the last few months," Meifon said as she stood right in front of his desk. "With the recent events of the fall of two of our nation's greatest wizards, I felt it was necessary to see if there was some sort of underlying cause. Needless to say, I've come here today with the results I've worked so hard to find. You see, Chairman Seam… We have a traitor among us."
"Good heavens!" The chairman cried out as his eyes widened. "This is quite the revelation you've managed to uncover. I'll be sure to bring this to the other members of the council once we-"
Meifon quickly shook her head before she spoke. "There won't be any need for that, chairman. I've already taken precautions into my own hands." She simply snapped her fingers then, and in the next instant, the chairman of the Magic Council found his hands had been bound together by some sort of solid energy cuffs.
"W-what is the meaning of this, Miss Long!?" Crawford demanded. "Have you gone mad!?"
"Oh, not at all, Chairman Seam," Mefion said with a smile before she glared. "Or should I call you, Crawford the traitor?"
"Y-you dare to take such actions against the Head Chairman of the Magic Council!? What proof could you possibly have for such a ludicrous claim!?" The chairman demanded. "I'll have you know I've done nothing but provide for the very best of this country in my time in office!"
"Oh, there's plenty of evidence, Crawford," Meifon said as she took out one of the lacrima from her pockets. The chairman's eyes widened with fear then as she smirked. "Oh yes, you recognize it, don't you? It's the very same lacrima that you used to communicate with Dark Stallion. I bet you never imagined that I'd have the means of repairing it after the spell you placed on it. It was quite a challenge to find someone who could fix it I'll admit. But, thanks to his help, I was able to not only repair the lacrima, but also gain access to all of your previous conversations with the dark guild. Money laundering, illegal substances, and providing information on the most ideal times and places to strike while the Rune Knights were kept busy. That's not even getting into the human trafficking you mentioned once or twice."
The chairman attempted to back away from the desk only for the Wizard Saint to simply point her index finger at the ground and fire a small laser at his feet, piercing through the ground below. "There's no use trying to run away. You've never been a strong mage. You've only gotten as far as you have in life because you know how to play the game of politics. Unfortunately for you, however, none of that is going to help you now. You've been outplayed. Now, on behalf of the Magic Council of Fiore, I hereby place you under arrest."
"Are you threatening me, Wizard Saint?" Crawford demanded.
"The Magic Council will decide your fate," Meifon replied.
Crawford merely took a step back before he glared at Meifon with a look of pure malice. "I am the Magic Council."
"Not yet," Meifon said as she took a step further. "I'm sure you liked to fancy yourself as some sort of schemer who would have one day taken over the entire council for himself with the help of the dark guilds you enlisted. But the fact of the matter remains that all you are in the end is a greedy, egotistical, and delusional old man who's held onto power for far longer than you ever should have had the right to." She then rested her right hand on her hip before she continued to speak. "Now, depending on your next actions, I can simply take you away on the charges of corruption and the various crimes I have recorded evidence of, or-"
"Did you think I was alone here?" Crawford said, smiling beneath his thick beard, as eyes that shined like gold began to appear in the darkness that festered in his home.
Meifon stood her ground, not even giving an inch. "Oh. Good. More wizards I can take in for questioning and imprisonment."
"Foolish young lass!" Crawford began to cackle. "Do you believe I would settle for mere dark mages to act as my last line of defense? Behold!"
From the very shadows themselves did the eyes move out from, revealing form and terror. They were not what one would call human. Oh, their form was rooted in that, but they were not all the same. The eyes that shined like gold, fangs that protruded from their extended jaws, talons that hung from their elongated arms, spikes that burst out from their shoulders, elbows and knees...
"Demons?" Even Meifon herself was surprised. She had come here to find a corrupt politician, possibly in league with Oración Seis or Grimoire Heart, but she had not expected to come across this. "You sold out the Magic Council to demons?" She narrowed her eyes then, glaring at Crawford. "It's treason then." She wasn't merely referring to the Magic Council in this instance, but to all of humanity.
"To demons?" Crawford shook his head. "I'm afraid that would debase my standing in this world. No, not just any demons. I've sold out the Magic Council to one part of the Balam Alliance. To Tartaros itself! The prestige they shall honor me with will far eclipse anything the world of wizards could give me! They've promised me so!"
Meifon stood there, taking a deep breath. She had heard the rumors through the underworld, her informants bringing all information to her, but she had considered them just that: rumors. The Oración Seis. Grimoire Heart. Tartaros. Each of them was one part of the unholy trinity that made up the Balam Alliance, dark guilds that had pooled their resources for nefarious ends. Few had met their top wizards and lived to tell about it. Fewer still had gazed upon their guild masters. Thus were rumors a frequent source of discussions involving them all. Tall tales, Meifon had told herself when she had heard it all. Why, if she had accepted them all at face value, she would have had to believe that one of Fairy Tail's own had formed Grimoire Heart itself!
Now, though, seeing the proof of Tartaros' demonic connections, she had to wonder.
No, not now! Must investigate further... later. Meifon grit her teeth, though she kept her mouth closed to hide her irritation and concerns. She would not give Crawford any of it. "You've debased yourself still, you fool. Look at this. The Magic Council was to serve man. And yet you side with the very demons that wish for nothing more than to bathe in the world's blood?"
"Oh, don't be like that, Meifon." Crawford smiled broadly, his teeth peeking out from beneath his bristling mustache. "I think these ones will be content with your blood and nothing more. For now."
Meifon could see the demons charging her then, leaving her to at last bare her fangs and frustrations. "They won't see a single drop of it!"
Raising her right hand up, fingers outstretched, Meifon formed green light around their tips. They continued to charge before firing off, emerald streaks of magic cutting through the dark and through five demons. Others remained, however, none of them batting any single one of their many eyes as some of their comrades collapsed, bloody holes bored through them all.
Meifon did not care. She simply swiped her hand to the left, the five beams forming into one, and cut down the remaining monsters.
Still, Crawford smiled even as Meifon began to approach him. For behind her was another demon, the last remaining bodyguard and yet the one he could count on most now. She could not even detect it, and the azure beast was within striking distance. He wasn;t like the others, he was a powerful demon, one that had made easy work of A class mages in the past. Soon she would-
Then a burst of green light split the darkness asunder, firing from down above and through the demon, cutting it in half.
"H-how!" Crawford screamed. "You... you didn't even turn or use your hands..."
"My magic is more than that," Meifon hissed, her right hand grabbing Crawford around the jaw, "but if you want me to use my hands, I'm willing to oblige."
Meifon could see the fear in Crawford's eyes, his arrogance long since faded. It delighted her, the smug snake before her having reminded Meifon of another she had known in two lives and had brought down in the second. Worse, it had reminded her of something else. Of something much more personal.
"All the power you had as the Chairman of the Magic Council," Meifon hissed. "All that power you could use to change the world for the better, but you threw away everything to work with monsters!? You damned fool!"
Meifon's magic began to glow around her fingers, the light reflecting off her rage-filled eyes even as they shone in Crawford's own, terrified as they were.
"Where is your promised prestige now, Crawford? Will you beg it to save you?"
The moments wore on, Meifon not following through on her attack. No, instead, her magic began to fade away, her hand letting go of Crawford.
"Your fate is in the hands of the Magic Council's full membership," Meifon hissed. "It's for them to decide. I will not solely be the judge, jury, and executioner. But..." Meifon glared at him, eyes piercing with self-hatred. She saw not Crawford, but someone else from a lifetime ago. "This time... this time I am sorely tempted to do it myself."
Crawford began to shake and shudder in place then as he fell to his knees. "Wait, p-please! We can work something out, work for me and-"
"I'd rather die than sully myself with betrayal ever again." Meifon, her glare intensifying. "Face it, Crawford… You're finished."
Crawford then got on his hands and knees, bowing. "In that case… Please…allow me to repent."
Meifon couldn't help but scoff. "You can repent all you want inside your cell."
"Please...Please...YOU FOOL!" Crawford yelled out before quickly drawing out a small seal from within his jacket and placing it on the ground. The room was quickly engulfed in shadow, the Wizard Saint unable to see anything for the moment. When the shadows vanished, Meifon's eyes widened as she quickly noticed the room was filled with four more individuals than before.
One was a fair-skinned young man wearing a sleeveless skin tight green shirt, white baggy pants, and a leopard-print scarf. He had dark, shoulder-length, blond hair with ear-like protrusions, yellow eyes, serrated teeth, and a long furry tail. Most notable were his pitch-black hands whose coloring faded into diamond-like markings up his forearm.
Another was a dark-skinned muscular man with long shaggy dark blond hair and a beard that covered his entire jawline. The only clothes he wore were a pair of black pants and brown boots.
The next was the least human looking of the bunch. Like the one before, he was very bulky, but that was where the similarities ended. He looked more like a lizard than a man, his face lacking a nose and his entire body being covered with dark pink skin. He also had a large, sharp, red fin protruding from his forehead while his chin was covered by a golden plate resembling a shark tooth. He wore a long, dark brown coat with fur on its trim and white shorts.
The last one by far looked the most normal, but Meifon could sense something sinister about her. She wore a tight purple leotard and detached long purple sleeves that mostly covered her arms save for her massive claws. Her legs resembled that of a bird's, and she wore an intricate helmet that covered up her face with the exception of her mouth, blue eyes, and green bird-like ears.
The female demon rolled her eyes in annoyance as she looked over at Crawford. "My, what a mess you've managed to get yourself into Crawford. You're quite fortunate that we have much need of you in the future. Otherwise, your head would already be rolling on the floor."
Crawford got on his hands and knees, bowing before the demoness. "Please forgive me for having to summon you so suddenly Lady Kyoka, but I had no choice, this woman is-"
"One of the Wizard Saints, I'm quite aware," Kyoka said as she glared at Meifon. "Yes...you've been a thorn in the Balam alliance for quite some time with how many of our lesser guilds you've disbanded. Disposing of you will be of great benefit to our future goals."
"Oh, the Balam Alliance considers me a threat. I'm honored," Meifon replied with a mocking wave.
"Pft, I don't care if she is one of the Wizard Saints, you're nothing before us demons!" The blond one yelled before he looked at Kyoka. "Permission to wipe her out, Lady Kyoka?"
"Now, hold on! Since when was it said that you would be the one to wipe her out?" The shaggy-looking replied. "I believe that I would be far more suited to the task than you."
"Enough, both of you." The aquatic one interrupted. "Both of you are members of the 9 Demon Gates of Tartaros. Bickering amongst ourselves is unbecoming."
Kyoka simply took a step before the three of them before she spoke. "Quite true, Torafuzar. Jackal, Tempester, the last thing we need to do is take time to enjoy ourselves. The quicker we slay this human, the better. We cannot afford to take risks of someone from the council realizing what's going on and reporting Crawford as our informant or our existence as demons. Dispose of her, now."
Jackal gave Meifon a sadistic grin before he swung his hand forward, creating a large, powerful explosion that engulfed Meifon's entire side of the room. The explosion rattled the entire building, causing it to shake and shudder before Jackal looked at Kyoka as the dust slowly began to fade. "See, what did I tell you? It doesn't matter how strong they are. Humans are no match for us!"
"Rather impressive firepower you have. If you had tried that on a normal mage, they would have certainly died."
Jackal's eyes widened in surprise as he turned around, the smoke finally clearing to reveal a massive wall of diamond right in front of Meifon. It was covered in scorch marks, slightly melted in places, and even a bit cracked, but otherwise intact. The Wizard Saint smirked as she walked to the left of the wall and looked at Jackal. "However, you'll find that we Wizard Saints are much more hardy than your average mage. My Diamond-Make Magic is one of the sturdiest in the country, you'll need much more than that if you wish to kill me."
"I figured you wouldn't have died so easily," Kyoka said as she smirked. "Yes, you Wizard Saints are among the few humans that Mard Geer told us to be wary of. To underestimate your lot would be quite foolish indeed." She then quickly glanced at Torafuzar and Tempester. "Unfortunately for you, however..."
Just then, Tempester burst forward with a cyclone of sorts forming around him. Meifon quickly placed her hands to the ground, calling out "Diamond-Make: Geyser!" creating various diamonds that burst before her on the floor and raced towards Tempester, only for the demon to jump over the diamonds and land a powerful wind-augmented punch to Meifon's cheek. She felt her heels skid against the floor before she looked at Tempester, small bits of energy forming on her fingertips as she pointed them at the demon. "Photon-" Before she could finish speaking, however, she was quickly hit from behind by a massive wave of black water, causing her to roll across the ground. She slowly got up to her feet before she glared at Torafuzar.
"You may be a powerful wizard, yes, but you're still only one woman," Torafuzar spoke. "Had this been a one-on-one battle, perhaps you would have been able to emerge victorious. On your own, you're simply outclassed."
"Sink."
Hearing Tempester's voice, Meifon looked down at the ground and saw that she was quickly sinking deep into the ground. Instantly, she slammed her hand into the ground. "Diamond-Make: Pillar!" A massive pillar made of diamond burst out from the ground below the Wizard Saint, raising Meifon high up into the air. She let out a breath of relief only to turn around when she noticed a shadow appear on her pillar. Turning around just in time, Meifon looked up to see Jackal above her before his attempt to crash down on her. Meifon somersaulted off of her pillar just in time, for as soon as Jackal made contact, the diamond construct exploded into millions of pieces.
Meifon landed on her feet then, only to sense Kyoka attacking her from behind. Quickly taking her photon blades out from her dress, Meifon's blades clashed with Kyoka's claws, sparks coming off her blade as she held off Kyoka's attacks. "Not bad at all, human, but let's see how long you can last against me!" Kyoka began to attack in a frenzy, her hands moving about faster than any human could hope to keep up with, each of her strikes only barely being parried by Meifon's blades. However, with each slice of her claws did the demoness get closer to cutting her down, small cuts appearing on the Wizard Saint's elegant dress. Finally, Meifon decided to take a risk and strike back, but as she did, Kyoka moved to the right and slashed Meifon across the back, causing her to cry out in pain. She swung one of her blades at the demoness, but the unholy creature merely jumped backwards. "See, as things stand right now, your demise is inevitable. Give up now, and perhaps we'll decide to make this quick and painless."
Meifon let out several heavy gasps as she looked at the four demons before she pointed her blades at the group. "I would never sully the title of Wizard Saint by allowing such a thing. Do you think that the title of Wizard Saint is given out simply for the power of the wizard? No, the title is much more than that. It is a title given out not just to those who are the most powerful mages, but also to those that exemplify traits worthy of that of a saint. Kindness, courage, wisdom, patience, passion, and influence. These and so much more are what is needed to be considered to be one of the Ten Wizard Saints. If I died here...then the people of Fiore and the next generation of mages would lose one of their role models to tragedy. I will not allow myself to be used as a weapon against the morale of the people of this country! To simply die a quick death in exchange for less pain? You insult me with your offer."
Kyoka sighed as she glanced at Jackal and Tempester. "Fine, be that way. You two...finish her off, quickly."
The two demons gave each other a passing glance before they burst into a run, closing in on Meifon with great speed! Jackal's fist was covered in sparks while Tempesters had one engulfed with wind and the other with water. The two were just about to hit the mage then with their attacks before she smirked.
"Three-layered Magic Circle: Mirror Water!"
Just then, before the moment of impact, three magical circles of different colors appeared before Meifon and blocked the oncoming attacks before reflecting them right back at the demons, causing them to roll across the ground as Meifon slowly turned her head to look at her savior. "I was wondering when you were going to show up, Mystogan."
The cloth-covered man slowly waltzed into the room then, various magical staffs carried on his back, before he slowly turned to look at Meifon. "Apologies for my tardiness, but I was preoccupied with a dark mage attack on a village on my way down. I couldn't just ignore that."
"It's quite alright," Meifon said as she slowly dusted off her dress. "You're here now, that's what matters."
"Oi, who's the mummy!?" Jackal yelled out before he pointed at Mystogan. "Hey, if you want to live, then stay out of this, alright!? Lady Kyoka wants us to kill this bitch before things get out of hand! You better get out of the way if you don't want to die!"
"I'm afraid I can't sit by while a comrade's life is in danger. From this moment on, your opponents shall be the both of us." Mystogan explained as he took out one of the staffs from behind his back.
"Enough of this nonsense," Kyoka said as she stood before her three underlings. "This farce has already gone on long enough. Jackal, Tempester, Torafuzar, remove this interloper from my sight. I wish to deal with this woman personally."
"Are you quite sure about that, Lady Kyoka?" Torafuzar asked Kyoka. "I was under the impression you wanted to settle things quickly. If we split this up two-per-wizard, we'll be likely to finish this faster."
"Perhaps," Kyoka said with a shrug. "But we don't know what this new wizard before us is capable of. It would be best if the 3 of you dealt with him as quickly as possible. As for this woman-" Kyoka slowly licked her lips as she eyed the Wizard Saint before her. "I think I'm going to take her back to Cube as my pet."
Torafuzar looked like he wanted to say something, but he simply glared at Mystogan. Orders were orders after all. "What do you say, mysterious wizard? Would you like for us to take this battle elsewhere?"
Mystogan looked back at Meifon before she gave him a nod before he replied. "Very well, I'll take on all 3 of you as you wish. Yes, let's take the battle elsewhere. I'd rather not get people caught up in it."
"That suits us just fine, human," Tempester said with a grin. "That way we won't have to keep holding back either."
The four combatants then vanished from the room as Kyoka slowly made her way over to Meifon, slowly snipping her long sharp claws against each other as she approached. "You honestly thought that having him fight the three of them at once was the best course of action? You mustn't value his life very much if you made that decision. How heartless."
"Not at all," Meifon said with a smile as she prepared both of her photon blades and took a stance. "Mystogan is far more suited for fighting multiple powerful foes than I am. In fact, there are few people I would trust more to handle the situation than him."
Kyoka grinned as she closed the distance between the two. "My, quite confident, aren't we?...I'll enjoy breaking that spirit of yours once I take you back home." Kyoka then took a stance of her own as she grinned.
Meifon simply glared back. "You will try." The two rushed forward then, claws clashing with photon blades, creating a powerful explosion that engulfed the room. Thus, a battle that would decide the very fate of the Magic Council soon began.
Mystogan found himself facing down three demons of immeasurable terror. In all his time in Fairy Tail, he had never come across beings such as this. Not even before that! Still, the S-Class wizard kept his composure, not even giving them an inch on a psychological level. Fear was the destroyer of minds and hope, and he was unwilling to allow them that victory.
Or any victory at all.
Still, he knew that in a straight-up battle that victory was impossible. Each of the demons before him was his equal, he could tell that much from what little he saw with their battle with Meifon. No, if he was going to win, he'd need to use one of his aces in the hole. A powerful, forbidden spell that Makarov had told him to only use as a last-ditch effort. Well, this was about as last-ditch of an effort as things could get. It lacked the destructive power of Fairy Law… but it made up for it in it's own way.
Removing one of many staffs from the harness upon his back, Mystogan slammed its end into the ground, his piercing eyes glaring out from his mask. "I give you this one chance to surrender. I advise you to take it."
"Surrender?" Jackal laughed. "Do you have even the slightest idea of who you're speaking to?"
"We could just as easily offer you that as well, wizard," Tempester said, Torafuzar by his side, simply nodding in agreement.
"The hell we could!" Jackal hissed, turning on his allies and pointing at them as his voice raised. "You know damn well and good that if he were to surrender, I'd just start blowing him up again and again and again and again until he was just charred meat!"
"Then I suppose my objective is clear," Mystogan said calmly. "You'll need to fall first."
More of the staffs flew out from behind Mystogan's back, embedding themselves into the ground before him. The staffs began to glow with magic, leaving the Tartaros demons surprised, Jackal voicing it.
"The hell kind of magic is tha-?"
The demon did not get the chance to finish that query, the world around him and his own exploding in a brilliant light.
"Such power!" Torafuzar exclaimed, the blast throwing the trio up into the sky with its sheer force. "This wizard is more than a worthy foe!"
"Wh-what the fuck is that?!"
Torafuzar could hear Jackal's voice, the demon noting the sheer terror pervading it. That was not in his comrade's repertoire, leaving him concerned. Turning his whole body around in midair, Torafuzar saw both Jackal and Tempester staring upwards in horror.
And then he saw what had brought it upon them.
The sky was cracking apart, a gargantuan rift forming and leading into a realm of darkness. And through that realm, he could see twin eyes crackling with a golden aura. The rift began to widen still, allowing a clawed, jagged hand to extend through, one that belonged to a demon like none he had ever known.
And it was reaching towards them. That was enough to make even Torafuzar cry out in fear.
"The first step is complete."
Mystogan stood looking upon the still forms of the demons of Tartaros. They were each unmoving, saving for their eyes, which wavered greatly. It was a vicious spell he had inflicted upon them, even in spite of its inability to cause physical damage of any sort. Though he had never used it before on demons, Mystogan had to imagine being dragged into the underworld by a demon itself that greatly eclipsed them in size and power would keep them occupied.
Fear of eternal damnation, suffering, and torment was the trinity of mind-breaking despair, both for those who may well have deserved it as well as for those who did not. And while Mystogan knew the spell's weakness was the strength of character and intellect to see through the illusion and shatter it, it was only his opening move.
Grabbing two of his magic staffs, one in each hand, he pointed them both at the trio of demons, a magic circle forming on the ground beneath his feet.
"I shall bring this to an end with my spell of spells," Mystogan said calmly. "Six Layered Magic Circle: Collapsing Trichiliochosm!"
However, much to Mystogan's surprise, the magic circle around him shattered. "The demons, did they...?"
"Not quite," said a voice distinctly familiar and yet, at the same time, unfamiliar to Mystogan.
Turning, the Fairy Tail wizard could see someone standing at the edge of the fragment of magical light that had once been the circle itself, his right hand pressing against the ground. "Siegrain."
"That's the problem with spells such as this," Siegrain said, standing back up to his full height. "They require the target to be incapacitated long enough for the enchantment to proceed uninterrupted. Otherwise, such magnificent power is so easily disrupted."
"You dishonor both the Magic Council and the title of Wizard Saint with your actions," Mystogan spoke beneath his mask. "So you're working along with Crawford as a part of Tartaros all this time?"
"Is that supposed to wound me, oh great wizard of Fairy Tail?" Siegrain asked with a shrug. "But no, I'm no pawn like Crawford. The dream I have sacrificed so much for is worth it all. My rank, my title, my accomplishments... There is no price too great."
"Even your own death?" Mystogan countered, another magical staff in his hands.
"Even that," Siegrain hissed. "But you are neither worthy nor capable of taking it."
"We shall see."
Magic circle after magic circle appeared above Siegrain, each of them a different color, energy flowing out from them. A beam then burst forth from the one at the height of its creation. It shot through each of the rings, growing in power and elemental force.
"Impressive, yes, but not enough!" Siegrain's own body became alive with magic all its own, leaving it encased in light. He moved quickly then, though his arm was still left to bear the brunt of the attack for a moment as he slipped away.
"You are a fast one," Mystogan quietly said, not perturbed in the least.
"Not again..." Seigrain hissed, appearing behind Mystogan as he held an arm at the shoulder in pain. "Though I suppose at least this time it's intact."
"What the devil are you talking about?" Mystogan asked, slamming the end of his staff against the ground.
"Nothing you need be privy to," Seigrain spoke up, standing to his full height again as he moved the fingers of his injured arm. "Though I would so enjoy seeing you face such overwhelming power as I did. But... oh yes, you will face another form of it now!"
Mystogan saw golden light fly up around him, the wizard glancing down to see a crest made of up to seven points all around him.
"May you face the judgment of the seven stars!" Siegrain roared, his hands held before him. "Grand Chariot!"
Orbs of light, energy streaking from them, came down upon Mystogan, reigning destruction around his form. He felt pain then, pain like he had never known. And though he remained standing, his cloak and robes were in tatters.
"Even with my strength split as it is, that spell is no different than being struck by a falling meteor," Siegrain said, grinning. "It's any wonder you can remain on your feet, Mysto-"
Siegrain furrowed his brow then, seeing Mystogan's cloth mask and hood begin to fall away, the smoke around him clearing.
"That's... impossible!" Siegrain shouted, his own face consumed with shock. "What manner of trickery is this!?"
Siegrain knew there had to be a secret behind Mystogan's mask. Few men of his stature and prestige would keep their faces hidden if there were no secrets to be had. However, all Siegrain had expected was a revelation of mundane order. He was a member of the Magic Council. He was a man who had dealings with demons. There was no great surprise for him, surely not! At most, he expected to find himself not even recognizing Mystogan's face. But this... Before Siegrain was a face that was intimately familiar to him, the Wizard Saint feeling as if he were staring into a mirror.
"No, it is not possible..." Siegrain took a step back... before halting his retreat. "No, this is just another of your tricks! You know you can't hope to fight me as you are, so you hope to confuse me."
Mystogan remained stoic, even as he looked up at Siegrain with his own face, the very same face Jellal had himself. "It is no trick. Not at all. Though I hoped this day would never come, to meet my other self."
"Other... self?" Siegrain cocked his head to the side. "Oh, I see... My trick's up, is it? You know of my secret and are using another of your petty illusions to throw me off. Well, it won't work!"
"I told you, this is no mere trick, no careless product of wild fantasy," Mystogan continued. "There are forces in this world and the next that transcend your imagination, Siegrain. Forces at play that will upend this world if I do not stop it. However... you too will upend this world and that is why I will stop you."
"Still you persist in this perverse game you play," Siegrain hissed, his whole body becoming enveloped in golden light. "Then I will simply have you dissected to reveal your secrets. Perhaps with my bare hands! Meteor!"
Siegrain moved at unbelievable speed once more, a fist throwing Mystogan off his feet. The S-Class wizard stumbled back, spitting up blood.
"I suppose I should feel guilty for causing such pain to a face that crosses the uncanny valley so much... but I'll get over it!" Siegrain lunged at Mystogan again, flying across the space between them as a golden blur. "My dream for this world is so very close to reaching fruition, and I won't let you, whoever you truly are, or anyone else stop it!"
Mystogan was unsteady on his feet, but he could just barely perceive the attack coming regardless. Flicking his right finger, there was a spark of magic that emanated from it, a magic circle forming in front of him, one of silver energy.
"Another trick, eh?" Siegrain shouted as his knuckles crashed against the shield, golden magic arcing off it like so much lightning as he pushed against it harder. "My, oh my, where do you get such wonderful toys I wonder..."
"That's not for you to know," Mystogan retorted, a ring on his other hand crackling with power. He pushed his fist forward then, emerald magic encasing it. His attack became one with the shield, his infused knuckles colliding with Siegrain's own, magic exploding all around them.
Then did the destruction fade, the two wizards standing in place, taking deep breaths.
"So your baubles make you... a physical threat as well..." Siegrain said, his body feeling the strain of the battle. "Still, it seems we are perfectly even..."
"Oh, is that what you believe?"
Siegrain watched then as Mystogan stood up to his full height, not allowing himself to remain hunched over in pain any longer.
"You lack what it would take to win this, Wizard Saint," Mystogan said. "And you will pay for your deceit of this country. And... for the part you've played in Erza Scarlet's pain."
"No!" Siegrain at last truly snapped. "I will not... can not... lose! Not to you! You who mock me with my own face! This country, that woman, they are nothing to me! Only the dream! And if... if I had everything that was mine here..."
Siegrain pointed a finger of accusation at Mystogan.
"I would slay you where you stand with everything that I truly am, Mystogan!"
Mystogan shook his head, grabbing a staff. "Perhaps, but it does not matter in the least. This contest is at an end, Siegrain. You've lost."
Mystogan raised his weapon on high then, preparing an enchantment, when he was suddenly felled by an explosion from behind.
"Damn it all..." the S-Class wizard dropped to one knee then, looking over his shoulder.
"That was a nice trick, don't get me wrong," Jackal growled, Tempester and Torafuzar by his side. "Thought I was gonna piss myself before I caught on. But we did-"
Torafuzar spoke up. "I believe it was I that alerted you."
"Sh-shut the hell up!" Jackal shouted, turning to look at his fellow demon. "I was catching on! You just had to tell me before I did is all!"
"Come on, now, no fighting," Tempestra interjected. "Not amongst ourselves. "We've still got this wizard to deal with."
"Oh, that's not going to be a fight," Jackal said as he reached towards Mystogan. "This is just going to be some straight-up killin' time."
"As much fun as that would be to watch," Siegrain said, dusting himself off, "not to mention how I would love to dissect you down to the core to learn who you really are, I have engagements to keep and I can't be late."
"About that," Jackal said, "see that you get this done and over with."
"You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," Siegrain said as he began to fade away from sight. "May we meet again in a more perfect world."
Mystogan reached for Siegrain, even as the last vestige of his appearance vanished. "Don't you think you can just walk awa-ARGH!"
"And don't you think you can just walk away from us!" Jackal rasped, pegging Mystogan with another explosion. "You've got a lot of nerve, thinking you can just waltz away after putting us through such hell!"
Mystogan turned, intent on using his offensive ring, but was suddenly struck by a blow from Tempestra, sending him back. Before he could right himself, however, Mystogan was ensnared in a torrent of water. He clawed his way to the surface, some blood falling from his mouth. "Such... monsters...!"
"Ain't that compliment the truth!" Jackal put his hand in the water, filling it with his power. As he turned to look away, the water generated by Torafuzar began to detonate all around Mystogan. His cries echoed outwards then, leaving Jackal to smile from ear to ear. "Yes, that's it! The cries of a victim and the ringing in my ears from explosions! Nobody can top me when it comes to bringing the boom! I am the king of my kind!"
Mystogan could feel nothing but pain then, the wizard struggling to get back up, only to fall and lay still.
"That's one down," Torafuzar said, bowing a bit to Mystogan's still body. "Now all that remains is the one Kyoka is fighting."
"I'm sure she can handle it," Tempester said.
"Yeah, but..." Jackal grinned savagely still. "Why let her have all the bloody fun?"
"I suppose he has a point. Besides, the sooner we return to Lady Kyoka's side, the sooner we can return back to CUBE," Torafuzar said. The three demons left then, leaving the mage to die in the crater Jackal had created.
At least, that's what they thought. Slowly, Mystogan managed to get to his feet, his body crying out in pain as he did so. I was quite fortunate that playing dead for a moment was enough to trick them. However, if Meifon tries to fight against the four of them at once... He shook his head before he began to take off in their direction. He knew full well that he likely stood no chance against them, even with Meifon's assistance… but as short as his time with Fairy Tail had been, as briefly he had spent inside of the guildhall itself, Fairy Tail's motto was one that he truly believed in.
"Just hang in there, Meifon, I'm coming!"
Meifon Long couldn't help but pant heavily, the Wizard Saint already on her knees on the ground in the forest that surrounded the outskirts of Era as she looked up at her foe. She had known full well that fighting one of the higher-ranked members of Tartaros was going to be no simple matter, but the skill and power of her foe was far greater than she had anticipated. The demon was quick and agile, more than enough to dodge out of the way of her Photon Magic, and her claws...they had managed to slice through her Diamond-Make Magic with ease!
"I suppose I should be giving you some credit," Kyoka said as she looked down at Meifon. "Had you been fighting any of the 9 Gates of Tartaros that I had brought along with me, you'd probably be the one who emerged the victor...but as their leader, you'll find such strength entirely lacking compared to my own."
"This...isn't...over." Meifon gasped out before she placed her right hand on the floor. "Diamond-Make: Geyser!" Below Kyoka's feet shot out a towering spire of diamond, the demoness simply jumping backward before slashing with her claws, cutting the structure into many pieces. The demoness ran forward then, Meifon forming a bow made out of diamond before shouting "Diamond-Make: Arrow!" The weapon burst into many arrows which raced towards Kyoka, only for each of the projectiles to be swatted away by the demon with ease.
"You'll find your diamond's to be absolutely useless!" Kyoka called out as she jumped into the air and attempted to crash down on Meifon. Taking out her twin photon blades, Meifon countered a strike aimed for her head with her right hand before using her other hand to block a strike coming for her stomach. Photon blade clashed against claw then, sparks flaring out with each strike, and while Meifon was able to keep the demon from landing any sort of fatal injury, each of her strikes caused her to lose her footing, the Wizard Saint feeling like she was about to lose her balance with every strike she barely managed to defend.
Kyoka hit Meifon's left hand with the side of her claw, causing her photon blade to go spiraling out into the distance. Not wanting to lose any advantage to this already one-sided brawl, Meifon pointed her left hand at Kyoka, each of her fingertips firing a laser at the demon, only for Kyoka to dodge and weave through the strikes with ease. She gave Meifon a sadistic glare before rushing forward, Meifon barely stopping the demoness from impaling her stomach with her right hand. Kyoka attempted to strike her with her left, only for Meifon to create a sword made out of diamond in her spare hand to block the attack. For a few seconds, her weapon held firm, but soon Kyoka's claws sliced through it, slicing into Meifon's shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain.
Now finding an opening to exploit, Kyoka sliced at Meifon with gleeful abandon, her claws slicing into the former Titania's chest, stomach, arms, and hips, before she delivered a powerful straight kick, causing Meifon to tumble across the ground before she looked down at her. "Haven't you seen by now, human? You can't hope to possibly defeat me. Your defenses are no match for mine, and your attacks are far too predictable. Give up now, and I might just take you back as my pet."
"Go...to Hell," Meifon said as she got to her feet. "I am...a proud member of the Wizard Saints...and a former member of Fairy Tail." She stumbled forward then, creating yet another diamond blade as she took a stance. "My old family taught me a very valuable lesson. That the only sure way to ensure defeat is by giving up. I can not...and will not become the plaything of some demon. You wish to protect Crawford for your own evil gains? Then you'll have to kill me first!"
Kyoka sighed as she looked at the Wizard Saint. "Still prideful, hmmm? Well… Let's see how you feel about that after I start taking this more seriously."
Meifon was about to inquire just what Kyoka meant by her words before she doubled over in pain, falling to her knees as she felt an intense agony unlike any she had felt in her entire life. She began to scream then, tears pouring out of her eyes as her body writhed from the intensity of it all. There were no words to describe how immense this pain was. It was all-encompassing, and it seemed to somehow worsen by the second. " What...is...this!?"
"Oh? Still coherent enough to speak despite my curse? I must admit, I am impressed." Kyoka said as she slowly waltzed over to Meifon. "As to what this is? We demons don't use magic like you humans. Rather, what we use are referred to as 'curses.' Like magic, there are many kinds, though, unlike magic, demons are simply born with their curse ability. Mine is the ability to enchant the body of myself, or my opponent. In your case, I've simply decided to increase your sensitivity to pain. At the moment, it's already fifty times that of normal. Why, I could poke you with a pen and you'd feel as if your own arm was severed." She slowly walked over to the twitching wizard then before kicking her, causing her to wail in pain as she fell to her side. "Look at how pathetic you are now. But given all of the trouble you've caused us until now...yes, I think I'll make sure to hang your body in Crocus so that the world will know the true might of Tartaros."
"You will...never break...the will of the people." Meifon stammered as she tried to get to her feet. "Even if you were to kill me...my successor would be sure to slay you."
Kyoka couldn't help but chuckle at Meifon's determination. "You mean Erza Scarlet? I hate for you to find this out while you're already in such misery, but your dear Titania is already dead."
Meifon's eyes widened as she struggled to look at Kyoka. "What...did you just say?"
Kyoka took a step forward before she spoke. "As you lie there on the ground, Erza Scarlet has been taken away to the Tower of Heaven. The rest of the Balam Alliance seems to think that this will revive Lord Zeref. The truth of the matter isn't important. What does matter is that your precious Erza is about to die, in the very same tower she was a slave in all those years ago, and there is nothing you can do to save her." She then smirked at Meifon "How tragic, to die in the place she despised more than any other."
Meifon panted heavily as her body was wracked with pain, but she still found it in her nonetheless to glare at Kyoka as best she could. "You dare...you dare to take her back to that hellhole!?"
"It was not my doing," Kyoka answered with a mere shrug. "If you wish to truly blame someone, then Grimoire Heart is the one you should despise from the bottom of your heart." She silently gasped at Meifon then, as she slowly managed to get to her feet, the demon raising her right eye in surprise. "Are you still going to fight me? In your current condition? My, you must have a death wish."
"Whenever I live or die...is entirely irrelevant for why I fight anymore." Meifon panted out as she reached into one of her dress pockets. "That woman...has gone through far more pain than anyone else ever should. Yet despite it all, she's grown so much. She's been my light, my hope for the future of not just the guild, but for all of Fiore. If you damn demons will get in my way of ensuring her safety...then I'll do whatever it takes to annihilate you."
Lyoka could only stare at Meifon before she broke out into a burst of maniacal laughter. "You seriously believe that you can defeat me? You were no match for me when you started this battle, and yet you still claim to have what it takes to win? You are truly a fool, Meifon Long."
"It's true...as things stand...I've reached my limit," Meifon said as she took out a small orb from her pocket. "But that simply means I'll have to surpass that limit, even if it costs me my life." She then looked at the small orb in her hand and closed her eyes. "And transcend Humanity."
Kyoka raised one of her eyes in confusion. "Transcend...your humanity? And just what is that orb supposed to be?"
"It's a gift from the divine realm," Meifon said as she held it close to her chest. "From the Goddess of Comradery, Sylphia." She could recall then, the warning that the goddess had given her about the object in her hands.
"This, my dear Meifon, is my own attempt at creating something from another world. I had hoped I could use it to usher in a new age of peace and prosperity, but my attempt only ended up creating a flawed copy. It's not even a 10th as capable as the original one I sought to create. However...I believe that you may be able to make better use of it. But be wary, Meifon Long. With great power comes great risk to your own well-being. Never use it, unless you absolutely find it necessary."
Meifon opened up her eyes then, as she held the object close to her chest. "It's name is...the Hogyoku."
Light burst forth from the imperfect Hogyoku then, becoming a column that developed Meifon. The wizard screamed in agony then, her every cell on fire. However, she simply did not care. This pain was nothing in comparison to what she was going to unleash upon Kyoka. In comparison, it was not even worthy of the word pain!
"What's that?" Kyoka taunted, feeling no fear. That would come later. "Have you instead chosen death to be with your successor? I dare say you could have chosen a far less painful way to go, but I'm glad you didn't hold back on my account. The sounds of another's agony are far too sweet!"
"Not... my death..." Meifon said as she grit her teeth to bear it all, the transformation tearing across her body. Bladed tendrils burst forth, blood splattering out through the column of light. She could not hold herself back then, crying out once more as a trail of blood slid down her face, moving aside her nose and past her lips, a crown of silver thorns moving out from her brow in a V shape pattern.
Then the light faded, leaving Meifon hovering in the air before Kyoka. All her blood had vanished, her wounds having healed in the end. Her dress had morphed into something between red fabric and a carapace, blue light emanating from it. Multiple tendrils of a matching color extended from her back, silver blades that shone with a golden light floated about as if possessing a mind of their own.
However, it was the very same golden light that glowed from Meifon's eyes that Kyoka took the most notice of, the member of Tartaros taking a step back. "Were you...a demon among the fairies?"
(Song of choice, Successor from Code Vein.)
"I am neither demon nor fairy," Meifon said, her eyes narrowing as they gazed upon Kyoka. "I am the Celestial Blade of Earth Land, and I shall cut you down!"
Kyoka could only scoff. "A mere wizard should not be making threats she can't possibly kee-"
Four blasts of emerald energy slammed into Kyoka, piercing through her belly with ease, each of them generated from the tips of Meifon's blades.
"I had not finished speaking, demon. I will cut you down, shatter your soul to pieces, and smash you out of existence itself for the part you've played in Titania's fall!"
"Ah ha..." Kyoka pulled herself up then, wiping a taloned hand across her masked face as she shrugged off the wounds thanks to her demon biology. "Struck a nerve, did I? That's to be expected of me. I found nerves and the pain they elicit such... tender and fun playthings. However, emotional pain alone can only go so far. You see..." Kyoka lunged for Meifon then with savage recklessness. "It needs that gentle touch as well!"
A bladed hand reached for Meifon then... only to be cut short when one of the scarlet tendrils wrapped around its wrist, a simple flick sending the demon flinging into a far wall. As she hit, another emerald beam struck her then, causing the wall itself to explode. Kyoka got up to her feet, bleeding all over and charged forward, her claws ready to impale the Wizard Saint, only for a pillar of diamond to come up from the ground and slammed into her, causing her to tumble and roll across the floor. She slowly got up, only to see countless energy beams coming her way. Kyoka dodged out of the way, jumping back from each laser just in time, only for her to bump into something. She slowly turned around then to see none other than Meifon Long. Kyoka struck with her claw, only for her claw to phase through Meifon Long's body!
"What!?" The demoness cried out before she was slapped across the face, causing her to roll across the ground as Meifon gave Kyoka a cold stare.
"Was that gentle enough for you?" Meifon snapped, glaring at the devastation she was bringing about, losing herself in the power. "You all... have done nothing for this world's future. Nothing! Erza could have! Erza would have! And you... you took it all away! This world needs to change! For the better! And I... I truly do have that power now." Meifon paused for a moment, eyes closing. "I... I do indeed. Power I'd never dreamed of in this life or the next. The gift of the goddess..."
"Oh, once I'm done tearing you limb from blood limb, you'll see only one goddess ask for salvation from, and that's me!" Kyoka screamed, bloodied as she charged the distracted Meifon. "I'll make you suffer and scream! And the ensuing cries of your pain will give me the greatest of pleasures, you foolish wiza-"
Meifon vanished from sight then, seemingly teleporting behind Kyoka. The demoness turned around then in an attempt to strike, only for Meifon to knee her hard in the stomach. The demoness felt herself spew out blood from her mouth then, and tried to strike Meifon, the former member of Fairy Tail simply moving from one side to the next to dodge the oncoming strikes, only for the wizard said to then teleport behind Kyoka once again, her bladed tendrils slashing into Kyoka's back, causing her to scream out in pain before the Wizard Saint delivered a powerful jab at Kyoka's head, smacking the demoness to the ground as a crater formed around her. Kyoka slowly began to try to get to her feet, looking up at Meifon and glaring at her before she spoke. "I'll admit, you've gained great power, but I've yet to use my full mi-"
Kyoka was stopped in mid sentence yet again, a tendril wrapping not around her throat tightly. And it only grew tighter still.
"You offer the future no change worth keeping," Meifon hissed, golden eyes snapping open. "You... you're merely a distortion. Nothing more! And with this power, I...I can cut out the distortions plaguing this world! Yes, I only have the power and the strength to see the strings that control... everyone... The strings..."
Meifon paused again, lost in thought, words of a time long since past coming to her mind's forefront.
Sylphia was standing before Meifon Long, the goddess wishing to speak to Meifon now that the war she had been brought over to had finally finished. "This probably isn't the right thing to do as a goddess, giving a playing piece on the board such a gift now that the war is over. In fact, you probably won't even ever need it against anyone in your new home. But I... I honestly do believe you deserve a second chance and I... I want to give that chance to you. Just in case."
"Some would say I don't deserve it," Meifon replied. "Power and responsibility such as this... I would squander it all again. Let it take hold of me in the worst way. That I... would just be another twisted distortion in the world."
"We can all fall, Wang Liu Mei," Syplhia replied. "Some more than others. The abyss calls out to so many, but I earnestly believe that even those who have fallen can still see the light. They may choose to ignore it, to cast themselves deeper down, but I... I do believe you still want to reach for that light. And after you've fallen so far once before, I don't think you'll allow any power to bring you back down into the dark. Not without a fight."
The golden sheen began to fade from Meifon's eyes.
"Sylphia..."
Seeing her chance, Kyoka lunged for Meifon's face then, intent on scarring it at the very least, killing her at the most. However, much to her dissatisfaction, she was backhanded away once more, the tendril unwinding from her neck as she was thrown aside.
Meifon watched on as the demon hit the ground hard, skidding across it, and floated towards her.
"I will disgrace no one with what happens next," Meifon said. "Not myself, nor Sylphia, nor Erza. I will not disgrace her legacy with your murder, Kyoka Etherious, not in such a cold-blooded manner, but neither will I let you walk away from here free, either. The schemes of the Balam Alliance will end here and now."
Her four tendrils raised above her head then, each one charging up a powerful blast of energy. "I'll just use extreme force to knock you out and then interrogate you for information regarding your guild once you're awake in our custody. Should you cooperate, you'll be treated hospitably-GAHHHHHHH!"
The Wizard Saint fell to her knees then, coughing up blood as she felt intense agony all over her body. Slowly, her body's state of beginning to recess then, turning back what it was prior to her using the power of the orb. No...this can't be...Was my body in such terrible condition that I couldn't handle this much power!? Meifon wondered as she shuddered with pain. Or perhaps...was it due to the nature of this Hogyoku being incomplete!? The tendrils on her back soon faded away and before she knew it, she was simply a normal wizard once more. "No...I...I-"
Before she could do anything, however, she felt herself being lifted up by her hair as Kyoka stared into Meifon's eyes with an angry glare. "What's wrong, did your hour of power run out faster than you expected?" Kyoka then backhanded Meifon, causing her to fall to the ground as Kyoka's curse once more caused her pain beyond imagination. "I'll admit that the power you displayed momentarily was quite impressive. Even if I had transformed, I'm not so sure I'd have emerged victorious, but as things stand now..." Her claws then struck Meifon's back, cutting deep into her skin as the Wizard Saint wailed in pain. "You're nothing more than a nuisance to me now."
"It would appear that things are going quite well, Lady Kyoka."
The leader of the Nine Demon Gates turned around then to see a skeleton wearing form-fitting rodes with a high collar and an ornate golden headpiece. She smiled then as he approached. "Ah, Keyes. Yes, while Crawford being discovered by this wretch certainly wasn't according to plan, her power is certainly quite something. I do believe she'll work perfectly for that special project of yours."
"Yes, it appears she has more than enough magical power to become our Demon-slaying enforcer," Keyes said as he slowly walked over to her. "Once we kill her, reviving her as our slave should be easy enough."
"Not till I break her properly back in Tartaros," Kyoka told him. "I believe this human has much to answer for, and I fully intend to make her pay."
"Aw man, it's already over!? And here we were hoping to get a piece of some action before you killed the damn bitch!"
Kyoka didn't need to turn her head to know that Jackal, Tempester, and Torafuzar had succeeded in dealing with their little problem. "I'm surprised it took the 3 of you so long to deal with one mere wizard."
Torafuzar walked over as he began to speak. "He was much more capable than we initially thought. Had it not been for Siegrain's interference, we may very well have perished. We're lucky to have snuck such a capable mage under the noses of the Magic Council as long as we have."
Meifon's eyes widened as she heard his words. 'Siegrain's involved in this as well!?' The wording Torafuzar used implied this wasn't a recent development, but rather something that had been going on for quite some time, unlike Jose and Jack whose personalities seemed to have changed only recently. But for as long as she had known Siegrain, he had remained relatively the same. Certainly, the young man had always left her feeling a bit on edge, something about him never seeming quite… right with her, but she merely shrugged it off as his personality merely rubbing her the wrong way. He had, after all, saved the entire council once from a raid from a coalition of over ten dark guilds. Unless... 'Of course! It was all just a ploy to get himself the rank of Wizard Saint and a seat on the Magic Council! How could I have been so blind!?' The Wizard Saint cursed herself. If she had known they had another Wizard Saint on the inside, working with them of their own volition, she would have brought her whole guild with her. The only reason they had been left behind was to ensure that, if things had gone wrong with Crawford, that they would avoid prosecution. But this...this changed everything. There was now no telling who truly was friend and foe from within the council. Just who was corrupt and who wasn't. If word of this got out...Almost the entire Magic Council would no doubt be disbanded until new members were instated in their place!
Now… now, there was only one thing she could do. An ace in the hole. But would it work? She had invented this technique just for such an occasion, but she had never actually used it outside of practice. But she had no choice. As a Wizard Saint, Meifon Long knew that she had to at least try. All she needed now… was an opening.
"Meifon!" She heard a voice call out, Mystogan landing just before the demons. While she couldn't get a very good look at his face due to the mask, she could tell from what she could see in his eyes that he was quite concerned. 'Worried about me rather than yourself? You truly are worthy of Fairy Tail's S-Class, Mystogan.'
"Hey, you're still alive!?" Jackal said as he turned around to face him. "Didn't you learn your lesson last time? We won't fall for that same trick again you know, and this time it's five-on-one!"
"Truly, this human is quite foolish," Tempester added. "He has no chance of winning, and yet, he still shows himself."
Mystogan looked around trying to think of some sort of plan, anything at all to distract them for just a moment, but with the sheer number of foes before him and their overwhelming strength, as well as the element of surprise now lost to him, the wizard's options were… quite limited. 'Should I just grab her and make a run for it? As things stand right now, victory is impossible. Maybe, just maybe, we could retreat to fight another day. But, with this many opponents… Can I manage it?'
She struggled to get to her feet before Kyoka picked her up by her hair, causing her to groan out in pain as the demoness looked down at her. "Now then, I believe it's time we took this one back to Cube so we can-"
Finally seeing her opening, Meifon Long charged up a blast of energy into her right hand and fired it, Kyoka letting go of the wizard as she leapt back, the blast going up into the sky until it exploded into a massive bright light, filling the entire sky and letting out a blaring boom! Kyoka gaped before she sneered and delivered a bone-crunching kick to Meifon's stomach, cracking her ribs as she rolled across the ground. "Really? And what was that supposed to be? A desperate last-ditch effort to kill me? Please, that attack was practically nothing more than a glorified firework. At most you would have singed my hair. What were you hoping to accomplish with something like-"
The very world around the demons of Tartaros began to shake, an unholy roar suddenly interrupting their words, thoughts, and actions.
"Wh-what the hell is that?" Jackal cried out, covering his ears even as he raised his voice in a desperate attempt to be heard.
It fell on deafened ears, his allies unable to so much as make out a word of what he had said. All there was was the roar around them, Kyoka able to at least recognize it. "A dragon...?" It was impossible! Simply impossible! They were few and far between if not outright extinct at this point! The odds of one being here of all places were next to impossible. Unless... "No!" Kyoka began to realize it then, knowing the actions of the Balam Alliance were unprecedented and historical in their scope. "Did we... attract him...? Summon... him with our actions? The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse?"
Meifon began to chuckle then as she slowly got to her knees. "No, not quite. You're right to fear the Black Dragon. Why, even the gods themselves fear his power. But the one you heard is someone more than capable of annihilating almost every dark guild on this entire continent at the same time without even breaking a sweat. He is-"
"I've heard enough!" Jackal cried out before he flung an explosion at the Wizard Saint, the woman becoming eclipsed by the massive explosion. The demon cackled with glee then as the fires burned away in the crater he had created. "Not so tough now, are ya you bitch!? All that big talk, and for what!? You're probably nothing more than a charred corpse on the...the...the..." Jackal began to stammer then as the fire cleared, only to reveal a barren, empty crater. "What the hell!? Where's the blasted body!? There should have at least been a damn skeleton! Where the hell did she go!?"
"And just where are you looking!? We're right here! Right! Up! Here!" The demons of Tartaros and Mystogan turned around then and gazed upwards to see a lone man atop a tall tree carrying the battered, beaten, but now smiling Meifon Long as she looked longingly into the eyes of her fiancée. The one, the only...
"God Serena!" Mystogan cried out, both with surprise and belief. 'But...how did he know to-'
(Music of choice. The East Is Burning Red. G Gundam)
"ANSWER ME, DEMONS OF TARTAROS!" God Serena declared as he landed on his two feet with his fiancée in his left hand as he pointed his index finger at the demons with his right. "THE DRAGON OF THE UNDEFEATED OF THE WEST!" He pointed up to the sky with his right hand then as he declared, "THE WINGS OF A KING!" He then placed his right foot ahead as he bent his knees then as his right hand pointed to the ground. "THE DOMINION OF THE EMPEROR!" He then stretched both his arms outwards as his fiancée managed to stand on her two feet. "THE MAN FAVORED BY THE DRAGON GODS DESCENDS TO THE FIELD OF BATTLE!" A fire then erupted around him, spewing out into eight magnificent pillars that shot up into the sky. "LOOK, THE HEAVENS ARE BURNING RED!"
Meifon gave her betrothed a smile before she placed her hands on his shoulders and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "As theatrical as ever, I see. Just like our Sensei. I'm glad that you managed to see my signal. I wasn't sure if you would be able to see it all the way from the Pergrande Kingdom with the mission you had been assigned."
God Serena looked at Meifon as his right hand wrapped around her waist and he gave her a heartwarming smile. "I may not have been able to see the blast, but I could hear the sound of your blast from across the whole continent. I rushed over here as quickly as I could once I did. I'm just glad I was able to come here just in time." The two then looked into each other's eyes before sharing a quick kiss.
"God... Serena..." Mystogan said, approaching the two lovers. "I never expected you to be here, and-"
"Mmm?" Meifon's eyes opened, looking at Mystogan. She quickly pulled back from the kiss then, blushing. She brushed some of her hair nervously. "Yes, well, it's a god thing he's arrived, don't you think? I mean, good thing. Yes, a very good thing."
"Mystogan of Fairy Tail," God Serena said, looking upon him. "You fought beside my fiancée with honor. I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart. However, I ask that you take her away from here."
"The number one Wizard Saint you may be," Mystogan said, "but not even you can hope to fight these monsters all on your own."
"Oh, but I shall!" God Serena said, striking a pose, an explosion suddenly appearing behind him. He held his pose as it dissipated, not letting it shake him in the slightest. Once it did, he looked over his shoulder at Jackal. "After all, it seems they wish to fight me quite a bit."
Mystogan did not relent. "But-"
"It's all right," Meifon said as she moved beside Mystogan. "Let's not get in his way."
"And now!" God Serena turned to face the approaching Tartaros members. "I do believe it's time for you lot to go god-bye-bye!"
"He... is a rather interesting man," Mystogan said, his own calm shattering a bit.
"That's my husband-to-be," Meifon said, bringing a hand up to try and suppress a giggle. "And I love every bit of it... most of the time."
"God this, god that," Jackal hissed, his right hand raising to generate more power to unleash. "Don't you ever shut the hell up with that catchphrase!?"
"Godness, no, I don't believe I do!" God Serena answered.
"Oh my God, I'm gonna kill you if that's what it takes to make you shut it with that!" Jackal snapped then, bringing both hands up to increase the power of his Curse… only for Jackal to blink in befuddlement as he realized what he just did. "Oh god, now I'm doing it!? Aaaaahhh!"
"It is rather contagious," Meifon said as she and Mystogan began to depart, the Celestial Blade wizard looking over her shoulder one last time. "Just try to leave one of them alive for us to interrogate later. It could prove to be quite useful. God... good luck."
"Oh, he's gonna need it!" Jackal roared.
"Oh, that wasn't for my fiancé," Meifon replied, eyes narrowing as her sweet smile became a vicious grin. "It's for you."
As the pair vanished from sight thanks to one of Mystogan's spells, God Serena's expression completely changed, giving the demons an intense glare, the smiling, flamboyant, and passionate man from before now replaced with that of a man who was cold, focused, and filled with silent fury. "Members of Tartaros. For many years now, I had looked forward to our eventual battle. Word was that your guild was the 2nd most powerful amongst the Balam Alliance. For so long, I've been unable to find any foe, aside from the ace of my fiancée's guild and two of the other top ranked Gods of Ishgar, who can give me a decent challenge. To have all this great power, and yet have no enemy worthy of using it on, is truly a waste. I love to fight, you see, and I had relished the chance to do battle with you for so long. But… you had to go and make it personal by hurting the one person I care for more than anything else in this world. Thus, my enthusiasm for this battle has come to an end now that you've tormented and tortured my fiancée. No, all I feel now… is rage."
(Music of Choice: Three Times The Passion of Ordinary Flamenco: Gundam Build Fighters)
"Yeah, yeah, we get it, you're angry, but that's not gonna matter against the five of us!" Jackal yelled at the Wizard Saint. "Hey, Lady Kyoka, let's say we-" Jackal found himself unable to speak as he looked at his leader, the great and powerful Kyoka, staring at God Serena, not with anger or sadistic glee… but in fear. "Lady Kyoka?"
"God… Serena..." Kyoka sputtered as she took a step back. 'No. This is bad, this is really, really bad!'
"So, another pitiful human has decided to join the fray," Keyes said as he slowly walked ahead of the others. "I've waited long enough to get my new experiment, Kyoka. I'll be sure to finish this one off quickly so that we can grab the woman and-"
Before he could even finish speaking, however, God Serena had already appeared in front of him, grabbed the demon by his face, and cried out "CAVERN DRAGON'S CRUSHING FIST!" as he slammed Keyes' skull down to the ground, shattering both it and the rest of Keyes' entire body as God Serena now stood in a massive crater that the others had just barely managed to escape.
"W-what the fuck!?" Jackal yelled out as he stared into the deep cavern. "He just killed Keyes, and in one hit no less!"
"This human… is something else," Torafuzar stated. "He's more than earned his title as the strongest human, it seems."
"He just got Keyes off guard, nothing more. "Tempester added in. "It won't happen again. I'll wipe him out with my next attack."
"Hold on asshole, this guy's all mine!" Jackal barked at him. "I want to be the one who gets him killed!"
The trio rushed God Serena, their claws prepared to pierce his flesh in the most painful of ways, but as each made their approach, the dragon slayer simply smirked before he slammed his right elbow into Jackal's face, before turning on a dime to kick Torafuzar through several trees. The ground beneath him quickly burst as Tempester had dug a tunnel in the time the other two had attacked, only for God Serena to catch his right hand and proceeded to swing his body in the air before tossing him over towards Kyoka.
The two remaining demons tried to rush him once again, this time attempting to pelt him with their various curse powers, but it mattered little. As if he was dancing, God Serena dodged and weaved through the attacks with absolute ease, before finally punching Jackal hard in the stomach, his sternum almost shattering before he was grabbed by his tail and tossed over to the others before stopping water imbued tackle from Torafuzar with one hand. The mighty wizard grinned before he easily lifted the demon above his head and tossed him backward with the same casual ease one would with a sports ball.
"Damn you, this isn't over you piece of shit!" Jackal roared with rage. "Next time we'll-"
"Enough, all of you!"Kyoka yelled at her guildmates."This isn't a foe you can possibly hope to defeat on your own, attack him with everything you have, hold nothing back! Use your etherious forms, now!"
"Our etherious forms? You can't be serious, he's just one guy!" Jackal retorted. "We can-"
"JUST DO IT!" Kyoka demanded.
Sensing that their leader wasn't going to let this be up for debate, the demons all began to change their form, Jackal taking on the appearance of a yellow werewolf, Torafuzar adopting a much more muscular look with shark-like fangs and an additional fish fin atop his head, Tempesters hair becoming longer and wilder, and his arms and lower half of his body covered in a dark substance. Last was Kyoka, her form now covered in feathers, and her hair forming into a ponytail.
"Ah, so you're finally deciding to take things seriously now that you've lost one of your comrades, is that it?" God Serena spoke as he stared at his foes. "A wise choice on your part. If you hadn't, you'd likely be saying god-bye-bye to the world of the living far sooner than you'd like."
"WILL YOU STOP IT WITH THAT STUPID CATCHPHRASE!?" Jackal yelled at the Wizard Saint. Jackal leaped upon God Serena then, the demon striking out with his clawed fist, striking at the Wizard Saint. God Serena slid back a few feet but was otherwise fine. Irritated, Jackal rushed in to deliver more strikes with his claws, but much to his dismay, the number one Wizard Saint began to casually deflect each of the oncoming strikes with ease with his own bare hands. The demon kicked at him then with his right leg, but God Serena performed a somersault to dodge out of the way before landing on his feet.
"Did you really think you could defeat me with just your claws? You'll have to do much better than that if you wish to fight on the same battlefield as me!" God Serena boasted.
"Oh, don't you worry about a thing!" Jackal spoke as he grinned. "You're about to see what I'm really capable of soon enough!"
God Serena quickly noticed the sleeves of his uniform begin to glow before they detonated in a powerful explosion. Jackal let out a burst of maniacal laughter as he leered into the massive explosion he had just made. "Ha, you fool! With my curse, anything that I touch can be detonated with enough power to kill even S-Class wizards! I just hit you ten times, so there's no way you could possibly have… possibly... have..." Before Jackal could continue with his ranting, however, the smoke began to dissipate, revealing twin eyes piercing through the space between the wizard and the demon. "What!? NO WAY!"
"Really, was that the best you could do?" God Serena asked, a wave of his hand blowing away the remnants of the blast. "I'm seriously disappointed if so. I expected more from the 2nd strongest of the Balam Alliance. Now, I would like to ask if you demons feel fear..." God Serena looked deep into Jackal's eyes as the villain took a step back. "...but I feel I have my answer already, you damned coward."
Jackal flinched. "Coward? How... How dare you, you worthless conceited human!? I'll blow away you and that unearned title of yours!" Jackal roared then, Curse power flowing outwards from him and crackling all about. His veins began to bulge through his flesh, his eyes all but going white. "Maybe you can dodge this," Jackal said through clenched teeth, power sparking out from between them as well, "but that woman of yours and the man in the mask are headed back to the Magic Council, right? Dodge this and they'll go right up in smoke, along with the whole damn citty! But if you hold your ground, I promise that only you will die most painfully!"
"Is that what you think?" God Serena clenched his fists. "Show me your best then, monster. Let me break all that you are so you can die wallowing in the despair of how weak you really are."
Jackal then threw both of his hands together as he let out a powerful roar, a burst of his explosive power flying out of his clawed hands as it hurtled towards God Serena. The Wizard Saint didn't budge even an inch as the attack made contact, resulting in a massive explosion that created a massive mushroom cloud and shook the entire city of Era as if it were experiencing a level 8 earthquake. The ground shook and cracked, windows shattered, and several buildings fell as their structural support gave way. Jackal panted in exhaustion, smoke covering the air. He had placed everything he had into the attack, and it showed, the crater he had created spanned several miles deep and across. Had he actually used it in Era proper, the entire city would have been completely wiped off the map several times over. "How...did you like...that?" The demon panted out. There was no way, no conceivable way, that any mage could have survived that!
"Well, that was certainly more in line with what I had expected."
Jackal's eyes widened in fear then as he noticed a lone silhouette walk through the dust of his explosion before a powerful gust of wind blew away the smoke and debris, revealing God Serena. His clothes were a little scuffed in places, but the man himself was entirely fine. "You may have been able to kill some of the weaker members of the Wizard Saints with that attack, I'll grant you that. But if that's truly the best you have to offer, then you're nowhere near worthy enough to be my opponent."
"There's no way...THERE'S JUST NO WAY!" Jackal cried out. How on earth could he have survived that attack, let alone with nary a scratch!? Was he truly human!?
God Serena began to slowly make his way over to Jackal and exit the massive crater the demon had created, but before he could, a massive wave of black water had descended from the sky, crashing into him and filling up the large crater until it created a large lake. Torafuzar landed into the water as he looked down where the Wizard Saint once was. "You may have enough power to survive Jackal's most powerful explosion, but all mages, regardless of their might, will need air to breathe in order to survive!" He then shoved both of his arms into the water, the entire lake quickly becoming enveloped in a massive underwater vortex. "What's more, this water is filled with carbon, one of the most deadly substances to humans! Even if you could somehow breathe underwater, you'll just end up poisoned!"
Jackal smirked then as he looked at his partner. Thanks to that underwater vortex, there's no way in hell that guy's gonna give us any more trouble! However, as he glanced over to Kyoka, the demoness's face was still etched with concern. The hell's her deal!? We've practically won- Before he could continue with that line of thought, however, all of the demons quickly took notice of the black water that enveloped the Wizard Saint. It wasn't simply moving about rapidly thanks to the vortex that Torafusa had created, it was also..boiling! "Torafuzar, what the hell's going on!?" Jackal demanded.
"I don't know!" The aquatic demon yelled out before he jumped into the air, the water becoming too hot to the touch for him to swim in for much longer. As he looked down at the miniature lake he had created, however, he was quick to notice that the boiling was intensifying. Soon enough, his own water was beginning to evaporate! In less than thirty seconds, the entire lake vanished to reveal God Serena enveloped by an intense flame, much to Torafuzar's disbelief. 'Impossible! This man has flames hot enough to burn away my water!?'
God Serena's flames then concentrated into his right fist, the flamboyant man raising it behind his head before throwing it forward. "Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Inferno!" From his hands erupted a massive stream of flames, quickly encroaching on Torafuzar. The demon tried to counter with his black water once more, but the blaze was too powerful, evaporating the water on contact and engulfing Torafuzar in a massive sphere of flames that covered the sky. Torafuzar let out a mighty yell of intense pain and was quickly incinerated completely, leaving not even ash to fall from the sky.
"DAMN YOU!" Jackal yelled out as he charged towards the mightiest Wizard Saint, preparing to strike at him with his explosive fists once more. However, God Serena quickly turned on a dime to face Jackal. This time, moving his left fist behind his head, he quickly engulfed it in a torrent of water before he narrowed his eyes.
"Mighty Sea King Dragon's Water Vortex!" A massive wave of water emerged from his fist, forming into a gigantic water tornado that completely covered Jackal in the intense torrent, smashing his skin and bones with enough pressure to crush the demon entirely. When the water finally cleared, there was not a single trace of the explosive demon remaining. He slowly turned his attention to the last two demons as he leveled his contemptful gaze at them. "Three down, two pitiful demons remaining. Now, which one of you wishes to pass on next? The shaggy man?" God Serena asked as he looked at Tempester. "Or the one who tormented my fiancée?" He then looked over at Kyoka, who took a step back out of fear. "No answer? Then I suppose I'll just have to-"
"Sink."
Before God Serena could make his choice, however, the Wizard Saint found himself slowly sinking into the ground. Tempester jumped in front of him then as he gave him a blank stare. "I'll be the one to finish you off, human."
"Oh, you think so?" God Serena boasted as he continued to sink into the ground. "And what are you planning on doing next then? Hitting me with a giant rock?"
"No, it's clear now that you're immune to attacks that come from water, fire, and earth," Tempester stated. "But while you may be immune to earth-based thanks to your Cavern Dragon Slaying magic, attacks that simply submerge you in your element should hardly be a problem. Leaving me with more than enough opportunity to hit you with elements you're not immune to. Cyclone." Instantly, Tempester created a massive tornado that covered the Wizard Saint, before he raised up his arm in a throwing motion and spoke "Thunderbolt," blasting God Serena with a bolt of lightning.
"I see… so, you can use multiple elements as well?" God Serena grunted out as he was struck by the dual elements.
Tempester nodded his head as he watched on. "Indeed I can, but unlike you, who can only utilize three of the basic elements, I have control over all 5." Then, to his surprise, the demon could swear he could hear the mage laughing while he was hit with the two attacks. "What's so funny? Do you find your own death amusing?"
"Oh no, no such thing." God Serena chuckled as he shook his head before he sneered. "But I never recalled telling you that I only had three dragon slayer elements, now did I?"
Tempester's eyes widened as he quickly caught onto what God Serena was implying. "Don't tell me-"
With a mighty shout, God Serena burst free from his earthly bounds before opening up his mouth, both the tornado and lighting quickly subsiding into his mouth as he began to slowly inhale the elements. Finally, once they had fully dissipated, he ran towards Tempester with great speed as the demon tried to pelt him with each of the elements under his command, none of them doing any damage to the strongest mage of Ishgar. Quickly closing in, God Serena placed his right hand on Tempester's chest and looked him directly in the eyes before sneering, "Diamond Dragon's Draconic Impalement."
Before Tempester could even consider retreating, he felt a sharp, immense pain within his very body before a massive diamond exploded outside of his back. The demon coughed out blood as he was impaled, and before he knew it, more diamonds's pierced his body through his arms, legs, and even his head. The demon's eyes rolled back before he fell backward, dead long before he hit the ground.
God Serena then turned his attention to Kyoka and narrowed his eyes. "And then there was one."
Kyoka took several steps back then as the strongest mage on all of Ishgar strode over to her. She could remember it quite clearly now, what Mard Geer had told her about the top-ranked Wizard Saint two years ago.
"Kyoka, do you know why it is that despite joining the Balam Alliance, that we continue to operate in the shadows despite our great power?" Mard Geer asked his underling from atop his throne room. "It's not because of the Ethereon. While its destructive might is indeed threatening, its great power makes it far too dangerous for the Magic Council to even consider using it on their own territory. The humans value the lives of others of their kind far too much to use it as a weapon against us. No, it merely exists as deterrence for our lord's great army in Alvarez. The same can be said for Face, as it would leave their entire country without magic, while we, the superior race, would still have our full power intact. No, what we fear, Kyoka… is the 4 Gods of Ishgar."
"The 4 gods?" Kyoka asked. "Surely we have nothing to fear from a bunch of humans?"
"Normally, you would be correct." Mard Geer answered her. "Many of their S class mages don't even begin to compare to the 9 demon gates. Why, most of the Wizard Saint's are roughly their equal, but for the likes of you, me, and Seilah, they would be hardly a threat. But the 4 gods...are an entirely different story. The weakest amongst them, Robert Accutrone, has enough power to give the likes of Zero, Hades, and even myself some trouble in a one-on-one battle, while the 3rd most powerful, Retsu Unohana, could defeat any one of us outright. Jugram Haschwalth could take on the entirety of Oración Seis or Grimoire Heart single-handedly. And God Serena..."
Mard Geer closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them once more. "Even if Zero, Hades and myself were to face him in battle all at once… he would emerge victorious."
She hadn't fully believed Mard Geers's words back then, but she had known that the leader of Tartaros was not one to praise humans unless they were truly powerful individuals. She had known to approach any battle with him with caution, but this… this went far and beyond her wildest expectations! Her whole body continued to shake until she quickly grasped at her own shoulder and clenched on it hard with her claws, drawing blood. 'No, don't let yourself give into fear, Kyoka! This battle isn't over, not yet! He may be every bit as powerful as Mard Geer claimed…' She then let out a loud, terrified battle cry as she bared her claws before running at God Serena at top speed. 'But he's still only human!'
She attacked him wildly and with reckless abandon, her claws attempting to slice through the Wizard Saint. To her great dismay, each of her attacks missed their mark, the mightiest of Ishgar dodging and weaving through her swings with casual ease! She attempted to strike at him once more with her right talon only for God Serena to reach out with his own hand and grab her wrist before he glared into her eyes.
"Now then… I think it's time I paid you back for what you did to my beloved!" He kneed the demoness hard in the stomach, blood spewing from her mouth, before he then grabbed her head with his left hand, only to deliver a powerful punch with his right, hitting her in the face and sending her flying through various trees. She tried to stop her momentum with her claws as her hands dug into the ground, but she felt a hand on her left shoulder just as she managed to stop. She turned to see God Serena behind her before all she saw was his fist as he delivered another powerful punch, this time forcing her face to smash against the ground. She lashed out at the enraged dragon slayer once more only for him to grab her outstretched left hand with his own and bring down his right elbow on her arm, producing a loud SNAP that reverberated throughout the forest. Kyoka briefly cried out in pain at her broken arm before the Wizard Saint grabbed her face and slammed it down hard to the ground again, cracking the earth as she formed a human-sized hole in the ground.
"Get up on your feet." God Serena demanded. "We're not finished yet."
'This is impossible! He's throwing me around like a rag doll, and he's not even using any of his magic!' Kyoka thought before she managed to land a kick that pushed him off of her. She quickly got to her feet and sliced at him with her remaining claw. Her talons struck at him over and over, her jabs blurring together as they moved faster than lightning until she finally glanced over at him and began to cackle. "AHAHAHA! You let your guard down, you pompous mage! Now, feel pain more intense than any you've ever experienced in your entire life!"
God Serena fell down to his knees as his body was afflicted with indescribable pain as Kyoka slowly approached him, the Wizard Saint struggling to breathe as she did so. "Why, I bet the very air itself feels as if it's a sword stabbing into your skin. You may have far more power than me-" Kyoka then slashed at God Serena with one of her sharp claws. "But no human could possibly hope to withstand this level of pain!" The demoness smirked as she saw her sharp talons near her opponent's face. Soon enough, this entire fiasco would be behind her, and the strongest mage on the entire continent would be dead!
Only for him to quickly react and latch onto her claw with his right hand, giving her a glare so intensely hateful it gave even her pause.
"What!? But… How is that even possible!?" Kyoka shrieked, trying to pull her arm free only to discover that God Serena's grip on her was far greater than she had expected. "You've been exposed to more pain than the human body can possibly hope to handle! You should be finding it painful to just breathe, let alone move your arms!"
"It's true… this is indeed far greater pain than any I've ever experienced in battle," the kneeling wizard managed to pant out. "On this alone, I'm willing to praise you. However!" He slowly got to his feet, his gaze never leaving Kyoka's eyes. "Compared to the pain I felt when I lost my entire family to the Black Dragon, or the pain I feel when I remember you tortured the woman I loved, this pain is nothing!" The final word was punctuated by an immense pressure on her working claw before it was utterly crushed, leaving it a bloody, mangled mess.
Kyoka howled in pain as she took several steps back from the Wizard Saint. 'He… He can't be human!' The demoness screamed internally. 'He's a monster!' Her life was at an end now, this much was clear. Thankfully, Tartaros still had Hell's Core, meaning that she and the other 9 gates that had perished would be revived fairly soon… but it didn't mean the pain she was about to experience was going to be any less painful. Her eyes widened in shock then as she witnessed God Serena's right-hand crackle with electricity.
"Galvanic Dragon's Bolt of Ragnarok!"
A massive bolt of lightning, greater in size than any skyscraper in the world of the living that Bambietta and the others hailed from, crashed down from the sky and electrocuted Kyoka. The demoness let out a painful screech of pain as her body was fried by the electricity until her body completely disintegrated.
God Serena stared at the scorched earth before he looked over to where he could tell his fiancée ran off before shaking his head. "Oh my, looks like I overdid it yet again, didn't I, Meifon? Oh well, I suppose it can't be helped in the long run. As long as you're safe… that's all that matters."
He then fell onto one knee as he gasped. "It seems that the demon's power was a bit more potent than I thought. It seems I'll need more lacrima after all." The dragon slayer would need them after all, if he was to slay him.
Mystogan could hardly believe what he had just witnessed. He had heard many tales of God Serena's feats, from single handedly holding back the entirety of forces of Bosco, to defeating S-Class mages with one finger, but seeing this was another matter entirely. Other than Gildarts Clive, the masked mage couldn't think of anyone else who could have done what this living example of Hybrid Theory had done so casually. "I see that his reputation is more than earned," Mystogan said to Meifon. "To think he could deal with demons with such ease..."
"It shouldn't be a surprise, really," Meifon answered as the two arrived back at the Magic Council's headquarters. "He and I were trained by Master Ishgar, after all. It should be no surprise he's as powerful as he is."
"Master Ishgar? You mean the man who formerly held the title of the strongest on the continent?" Mystogan asked. He had certainly heard of the man, his reputation as "The Undefeated Of The East!" having spread itself far and wide, but beyond knowing he was considerably powerful, Mystogan knew next to nothing about him. "You both trained under him?"
"After the deaths of our families, the two of us vowed to get stronger so we could give them justice. So, we sought him out. It was a hard and rigorous task, but we both grew considerably under his tutelage. I eventually stopped once Master Makarov found me and took me in as a second father, but Serena insisted on finishing his training. Lo and behold, when I ran into him four years ago, he was the man you see now… for the most part."
"Most part?" Mystogan asked.
"When we first sought out training from Master Ishgar, Serena only had his Cavern Dragon Slaying magic. It was a gift my family had given to his as a product of my family acrima mining business," Meifon spoke. "Then, when I saw him again four years ago, he had obtained his Sea King, Purgatory, and Galvanic Dragon Slaying magic which made him the strongest mage in all of Ishgar. Now, it seems he's added a sixth to his arsenal." At this point, she was starting to wonder how he was coming across all these lacrima. Dragon, God, and Devil slaying lacrima were extremely hard to come by, even for her. Simply having more than one was already unheard of, but six!? 'Are you still obsessed over getting your revenge on Acnologia, Serena?' Meifon thought to herself. She planned on having a long conversation with her Fiance once this was all over.
She currently, however, had more pressing matters to attend to. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of her target. The soon-to-be-former chairman of the Magic Council was trying his damndest to get as far away from her as possible. A mere snap of her fingers did the trick as several diamonds protruded from the ground before Crawford, preventing his escape. She shook her head then as she slowly walked over to him. "Now, now, did you really think you had any chance to escape once your attack dogs were dealt with? I've always known you to be a greedy man, but I've never taken you for an idiot. Clearly, I've given you more respect than you deserve."
Getting onto his hands and knees, Crawford bowed profusely. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I...I had to do it, I had no choice, the demons-"
"Don't even think about trying to sell me some story about how you were forced to do all of this," Meifon interrupted as she glared at him. "I remember our earlier conversation quite well. You were looking forward to seeing me die, you corrupt piece of filth!" She quickly fired a photon laser from her fingertips as he tried to run once more. "No, no more running. Now you are going to sit and tell me what Siegrain's role is in all of this, and what any of this has to do with Erza, and so help me if anything happens to her-"
Before the Wizard Saint could properly begin her interrogation, however, her, Mystogan's, and Crawford's eyes were soon glued to the sky when they heard a massive and earth-shattering "BOOOOM" that echoed far louder than any thunder as a massive light was shot down from the heavens. As the two wizards stared at the massive laser coming down from the clouds, Crawford began to laugh. "Hehehehehe, AHAHAHAHA! IT'S POINTLESS NOW! SIEGRAIN'S ALREADY CONVINCED THE MAGIC COUNCIL TO FIRE THE ETHERION! ONCE IT HITS THE TOWER, LORD ZEREF WILL BE REVIVED AND NONE OF YOU SHALL-"
Before he could continue with his rant, Meifon promptly kicked him hard across the face, knocking out several of his teeth as he lay on the ground unconscious. Meifon didn't bother to look at him, however. Her eyes were glued to the Etherion's blast. Quickly, her mind had put together Crawford's words and Kyoka's earlier threat to allow her to realize the grand plan of the Balam Alliance...and the fate of Erza Scarlet. Her body shook with rage then as she clenched her fists hard enough to draw blood as she stared at the blast.
"Erza..."
Ok so before I give my closing statements, I have the following MPFs I want to leave. Know that as far as this story is concerned, Tartarous here is as strong as they were in the arc that introduced them despite it taking 7 years later. This isn't to say that they won't get stronger later as a result. Butterfly effect and all that.
MPFS:
Crawford: 14
Meifon: 5900
Siegrain: 6825
Mystogen: 7500
Jackel (base): 5700
Tempester (Base):5400
Keyes (Base) 5300
Torafuzar (base): 5600
Kyoka(Base): 7125
Meifon (Hogyoku amp): 11,000
Tempester (Ehterious form):14,300
Torafuzar: 14,700
Jackel (Ehterious form): 14,900
Kyoka: (Ehterious form) 16,000
God Serena (6 Dragonslayer lacrima): 70,000
I know that many of you were probably hoping that I'd be going into the Jellal fight, but I felt it was necessary to delve into just what had been going on at the Magic Council while all these battles had gone underway. I've been actually building up to the events that would take place here since chapters 39, and 47 with Meifon's suspicions of a traitor in the magic council. Well, she found him...Just probably not the one you were all expecting. XD
Now I'm sure you have some questions, so I'll try to answer the ones I know I'll get as best as I can below.
1. How didn't the magic council hear all of that? Wouldn't that have stopped the firing of the Etherion?
Oh, they heard all of the fighting to be sure, but Seigrain volunteered to check out the situation himself as they prepared the Etherion. The voting had already been completed by the time he arrived on the battlefield, he just wanted to maintain appearances till it was all over.
2. Was that a ressurecion Meifon used/How did Sylphia get a Hogyoku?
To answer the first part, no, it's not. Think of it less as a "hollowfication" and more akin to how Chad and Oirihme unlocked their powers. (Yes I know about the fullbring retcon, this is just an example). As we know, the Hogyoku is more than just a means to use hollowfication. It fullfiles the desire of the user. In this case, it changed her form into something that would give her the boost needed.
As for how Sylphia acquired one is simple. She made it. Given how Aizen and Kisuke did as such, it shouldn't be that hard to believe. However, the one she created is a far, far, cry from the ones Aizen ended up fusing with and is still quite a fair bit inferior to the ones Aizen and Kisuke made separately. Honestly, to compare it to Aizen and Kisuke's, it's only 25% as effective. The how's and why's will be reveled at a later date.
That's all that comes to my mind for now, but feel free to leave any questions you have in a review or PM, I promise you I'll try to get to them. Sorry for not being as responsive to prior questions, but I've been very busy with things and only now have spare time on my hands.
Don't worry though. The Jellal fight WILL be next, and I assure you it'll be worth the wait. Till next time!
