Ladies and Gentlemen, we are back with yet another chapter of "A Quincy's Fairy Tail" and one I've been wanting to share with you all for quite some time. The "whys" of it all will make themselves evident as you read, but I eagerly look forward to your input for this 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!


"No! Not that! Anything but that!"

The scream of dread came from Natsu who was currently being dragged across the ground by his scarf by Erza Scarlet walking across the train station platform, earning plenty of confused stares from bystanders. Despite his flailing about and terrified pleas to avoid using the train, Erza effortlessly carried her guildmate towards the train. Eventually, she had enough and yanked him up, promptly punching him in his stomach to knock the wind out of him before then slinging him over her shoulder. "Natsu, I understand that this is going to be uncomfortable for you, but you're acting unbecoming as a mage of the guild. Now please, try to bear it for just a while."

"She says after slugging him in the stomach," Happy snarked.

Everyone else followed behind, some amused at what they witnessed, some nervously uncertain with Erza's display of strength, and some unfazed at all. Jade was one such person in the latter category. "It amazes me how he can face some of the most deadly opponents with no care in the world, but when it comes to vehicles, he loses his mind."

Ulquiorra walked next to her as he replied, "Everyone has strengths and weaknesses."

"He needs to do something about his weakness with motion sickness," Gray stated, having only a pair of boxer briefs on. "'Cause Erza's right, making a display like that is just plain humiliating to everyone."

Even though she wasn't looking directly at him, Levy could see his state of undress from the corner of her eyes and answered with her own teasing remark, "You don't have room to talk since you're currently walking around in nothing but your skippy's. That's your weakness," causing the ice mage to panic Gray as he noticed his lack of clothing rushed back to where he saw a pile of his clothes before trying to dress up right away and quickly joined up with everyone else by the time they had already purchased their tickets.

"You going to be ok with that missing eye of your's?" Liltotto whispered to Erza. The others hadn't noticed yet, given Erza had decided to cover it with her hair, but even so, she couldn't help but wonder.

Erza nodded her head. "I'll be fine. It's only temporary after all. I'll be sure to see Porlyusica once we arrive."

"Aw, crap!" Bambietta exclaimed, stopping right in her tracks. "I almost forgot I wanted to get some of the ice cream they have here! I've heard it's some of the best out there!." She may not have had Liltotto's endless appetite, but the brunette always could appreciate a good dessert.

Wendy's eyes lit up as she looked at Bambietta with glee. "Oh yeah, I've heard that too! It's a special brand, they don't make it anywhere else but here!"

"I've been meaning to get some, too. Lucy, you wanna join?" Rukia asked.

"Well… um… maybe?" Lucy said, looking at Erza since she knew they had a schedule to keep. "Do you think we have time?"

Uncertain at first, Erza looked at one of the clocks at the station before she made her decision. "Alright. I suppose there's enough time for a snack. But be quick. The train will leave in about five minutes."

Glad to have been given permission, the four went to the ice cream shop across the street, and thankfully the line only consisted of one person. However, something about this person caught the Soul Reaper's eyes. Their clothing consisted of what appeared to be similar to a Soul Reaperi's "Hold on… a shihakusho? And a zanpakutō?" She muttered to herself before stepping up to the woman and grabbing her shoulder. "Excuse me, miss?"

The woman turned her head, giving Rukia a curious look. Her skin was fair, her eyes were brown, and her black hair had most of her bangs swept to her left side with two strands at her temples going past her chin while the rest was pulled into a bun held in tied cloth. She almost dropped the ice cream cone in her hand when her eyes met with Rukia. "Ms. Kuchiki? You're here too?"

Rukia almost needed a moment to process who it was she was seeing. "Lieutenant Hinamori?" She shook her head, still surprised it was a fellow Soul Reaperi. "Well, actually, you should know I'm not the 'real' Rukia Kuchiki. I'm a reigai. But how are you here?"

"Oh, well, I'm actually a reigai, too," the woman named Momo said with an upbeat yet easy-going demeanor. "I've been in Earth Land for almost two years now actually. Ever since I came here, I've learned all about the kind of world this is. The fact it has magic, similar to kido in some ways, but radically different in others, really fascinated me. So, I learned all kinds at a magic university in Oak Town. I like to think I've grown into a capable enough practitioner with it and be even more capable in a fight than I already was."

Bambietta's attention was on Momo the whole time, her eyes wandering over the reigai's form. Her fighting ability is not all she's grown. Her reiatsu is higher than I last remember. Not exactly sure by how much, but it's definitely higher. But even more noticeable than that, she thought when looking at Momo's chest and waist. I feel like I would have noticed if she had been that stacked when I last saw her. I know for a fact her breasts weren't that big before, and her hips weren't that curvy, either. Two years couldn't do that much, could it? Just…damn.

The sound of the train whistle went off with Liltotto at the caboose rail shouting, "Hey dumbasses! You guys need to get on the train, now!"

Bambietta nearly swore before she, Lucy, and Wendy took off running, the last one frantically scooping her feline friend into her arms. Rukia was just about to join them before the reigai looked over at Momo, "I'm so sorry! We'll have to catch up later! Our train is about to leave and our friends are waiting for us!"

Just as Rukia caught up to the others with flashstep, Momo appeared beside her. "I'm actually supposed to be heading on that train to the next town too! I'm sorry to have kept you!"

"You needn't worry," Rukia said as they got on the station platform. "But I'd rather we make it on time instead of making this a short chase!"

Bambietta moved right away with her Hirenkyaku to scoop Lucy up in her arms and came to the caboose platform of the train. Momo and Rukia simply used Flash Step to close the distance. Seeing the train begin to pick up speed, Carla quickly escaped Wendy's grasp and grabbed onto her dress before flying her over to the train.

"Goodness, child! I don't know what you'd do without me," the white cat said with a sigh.

"Sorry Carla," Wendy murmured.

"Cutting it kind of close, weren't you?" Liltotto said with a disapproving glare before raking note of the newest member of the party. "Say, aren't you one of those lieutenants from the Thirteen Court Guard Squads? Hinamori, right?" She was almost tempted to make a snarky comment about her being Aizen's vice captain… but she thought against it. There was no need to start something that could cause an issue.

"Not exactly. I'm a reigai like Miss Kuchiki," Momo said to her with a soft smile. "Still, it's nice to meet you."

Lucy was just about to properly introduce herself when she noticed that she was still being carried bridal-style. Face instantly lighting up, she began fiddling with her hair as she nervously smiled at her carrier. "Um, Bambi? You can let me down, now."

Lucy's behavior only emboldened Bambietta , giving her reason to reply with her own coy grin. "Aw, come on. You don't want me to carry you like the princess you are?"

"Get a room, you too," Liltotto said as she opened the door to the cart. "The others are waiting, so let's get inside where it's nice and cozy. I hope that was worth your ice cream."

Remembering why they were almost late in the first place, Wendy almost bawled. "Oh no! We didn't get any!"

"You just spent a whole week at a resort. More ice cream is the last thing you need, you'll get cavities!" Carla chastised her best friend as she settled back into her arms.

Rukia felt bad, trying to cheer her up as she patted Wendy's head and walked with her into the cart. "Oh, there, there. Maybe next time? Besides, they have ice cream inside on the trolley?"

Just as the seven of them made their way inside of the cart and within view of the others, the unseen member of the party within Jade's mind found his attention grabbed. I see. A reigai of my former vice captain, hmm? How… nostalgic. He'd never admit it out loud, but in his ten-thousand years of isolation in the Muken, he had found he actually missed her company.

Should I introduce you? Jade couldn't help but ask him in her own mind.

No, that would result in something quite unfortunate, Aizen informed her. I'll elaborate on it once we arrive back home.

Soon afterwards, Momo was quickly introduced to the rest of the party once they found seats in the last cart. Finding a common ground, the others from Momo's old world began detailing their adventures since they had arrived in Earth Land. There was much to tell, probably more than a million words' worth. While she had initially been understandably uneasy at Ulquiorra's presence, the other's had quickly reassured her that he was entirely trustworthy, allowing for more pleasant conversation…For most.

Natsu, however, could hardly enjoy the retold exploits of his friends due to lying in a slump by the open window with a sickened face, like he was gonna throw up at any moment. While Momo had expressed concern, the others had reassured her that this was quite natural for him.

"So, you're all wizards of Fairy Tail. I've heard about you all! It's great I finally get to meet you. What kind of magic do you use?" Momo asked, sitting at the edge of her seat with eagerness. Finding new magic in this world was a sort of pastime for her now.

"Well, when the pink-haired guy over there isn't in such a sad state, he's able to use Fire Dragon Slayer Magic." Gray pointed at Natsu before opening the palm of his other hand which created a small magic circle, causing an ice sculpture of a tiny bird to emerge. "As for me, I have Ice-Make Magic."

"Mine is Water Body Magic," Juvia said when waving her hand around, causing droplets of water to waft in motion with her movement. "I can produce water for attacks, but most notable of all, I can even turn any part of my body into water. It makes physical attacks entirely useless against me, and even most magic doesn't harm me."

Erza smiled, brushing some of her hair aside when looking around her end of the seat and getting Momo's attention. "I don't have elemental magic like those three but my requip magic is known as 'The Knight'. Weapons, armor and even regular clothing are all able to be called at my will and when not in use, I have most of them stored within my own personal space and my spares at my room in Fairy Hills."

"Aye sir! She can even change armors while fighting!" Happy added.

"Wow, that's so amazing," Momo said before laughing as though she were embarrassed. "Unfortunately, I've been so invested in learning about so much magic since I got here, I haven't taken the time to master just one. Rather, I've decided to learn a variety of them. If I find a spell I find interesting, I can't help but pick it up."

"I know what you mean," Levy said as she looked behind her seat before using her magic to spell out the words 'FIRE', 'STONE', 'WIND', and 'WATER', all of which were made of the element she had written, before vanishing. "My Solid Script Magic lets me create something when I spell it out. I have to study the use of it though by reading and writing about it. Good thing reading and writing are my hobbies!"

"Oh, you're an avid reader?" Momo asked as she looked at Levy with an exuberant expression, her eyes beaming with joy. "Me too! I can find myself lost in a good novel for hours. Though that tends to also happen when I'm in the mood to draw something!"

Levy's own joy increased, happy to have found a fellow book lover. She responded in kind. "Oh, I think you and I are gonna get along just fine! It's always great meeting somebody else who shares your interests! Heck, Lucy over there is an aspiring writer!"

Lucy blushed from the praise. "Well, I'm trying to be one. I'm still not happy with how my first novel is coming out."

"It takes time to get it right, sometimes even years. I'm sure you'll get it where you want it eventually though," Momo encouraged her. "There's no rushing perfection."

"Yeah Lucy, ya just gotta give it some time," Bambietta said as she put a hand around her girlfriend's waist. Lucy smiled in thanks before giving Bambietta a quick kiss on the check.

"You're right. Thanks everyone."


Meanwhile, in another cart near the front of the train one loan man walked out. He was a tall, broad-shouldered, and bulky muscled man with a shaved head and a cleanly trimmed black mustache and wore brown pants and a black shirt. The most distinguishable feature was the tattoo on his forehead that looked like a vertical, slanted, red eye. Lastly was the green fist shaped guild mark adorned on his chest

He wasn't alone either, as he was accompanied by a fair-skinned swordsman with black hair and eyes, and a muscular brown-skinned, blonde-haired woman along with countless other people dressed in purple and black clothing.

He walked to the next cart where the conductor and other train staff normally were. As expected, there was a sign on the door with a warning that only authorized personnel were allowed beyond that point but he ignored it, slamming the door open. Just as he entered, an alarm went off with light flashing throughout the room. Four people with ID tags around their necks approached him, one of them growling with anger, "Hey, you're not allowed to enter back here! We're mages from the Dwarf Gear wizard's guild and we've been hired to keep this train safe! So you'd better turn around before we make you, got it!?"

The sizable man only narrowed his eyes at them before purposefully inhaling through his nose, clenching his abdominal muscles as he did so. In a forward lunge of his upper body, the man exhaled, and from the tattoo on his forehead emerged a thin beam of superheated air. Upon coming into contact with one of the four guards, a fiery explosion engulfed and shook the entire cart, the 4 mages charred corpses littering the floor.. The mysterious man walked down the rest of the cart and quickly switched the alarm off. Just then, more people entered the cart after him, each sharing a guild mark resembling a green fist on their chests. "We're in. The train is ours," he told them before he looked at his two strongest mages.

"Mabry, Brenda, go stand guard while I make the broadcast. I'll have the others join you soon." He was certain they were more than up to the task. They were the most powerful subordinates under his command after all, having proven themselves in the past as being capable of besting the average guild's B-Class wizard in a single blow.

Mabry, the dark-haired swordsman, nodded his head. "Whatever you say, boss."

Brenda slammed her fist into her palm in agreement. "Here's hoping some dumbass tries to save the day. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to bash some skulls in!"


Meanwhile, a few moments earlier, back in the cart where the Fairy Tail guild members were, Bambietta had just finished telling the newest addition to their group about the time she saved the guild masters of Fiore from a demonic flute. Enjoying the generally peaceful atmosphere, Wendy looked out the window with a smile. "This train ride is so relaxing. It's nice we can take it easy and enjoy ourselves after everything that's happened, even if it is only for a little while."

Natsu gurgled, still leaning a bit out the window wailing as though he was in agonizing pain, "Speak for yourself, I feel like I'll die any moment!"

Candice, bored out of her mind with nothing to do, quickly noticed the way Natsu almost leaned towards her where she sat and scooted back in disgust as much as she could. "Oh no! You'd better not fucking puke on me, or I swear I'm going to shock you into a damn crisp! I mean it!"

Just then, before Bambietta could chastise Candice over her language in front of Wendy once again, an alarm went off for a few seconds before it suddenly stopped.

"What was that?" Happy asked.

Bambietta shrugged. "Who knows? Someone probably just tripped and caused the alarm to go off. It happens."

Everyone cringed at the sound of the speakers making static before somebody spoke from them.

"Attention all passengers. This is the leader of Vulcan's Fist. My guild and I have boarded the train and have taken control. If you all fully cooperate, you'll be able to leave it with your lives. All we wish for is for you to hand over your valuables to my guild mates as they enter your train car and you'll be free to go. However, any mages on this train who wish to play the role of the hero should know that the members of Dwarf Gear who were assigned to protect this train have been killed, and we've taken the conductor and the crew hostage. If I hear any sort of commotion, they die. Understood? I do hope so, because if not... you'll have a lot of blood on your hands."

All the guild members turned pale, Natsu momentarily overcoming his motion sickness, while Ulquiorra kept his composure and quickly noticed the passengers were starting to panic. "So much for taking it easy and having a relaxing train ride back to Magnolia."

Juvia, however, was the most worried before she spoke up. "He said he was the leader of Vulcan's Fist, a mercenary guild. It must be Conleth Tacito."

"Sounds like you know the guy. Ex-boyfriend?" Bambietta asked.

Juvia shook her head. "No. but I tried to apprehend him once a year ago, back when I was in the Phantom Lord guild. When we battled, he completely overpowered me. None of my water spells were strong enough at the time. Honestly, if Aria hadn't arrived in time…I don't know if I'd be here at all."

Totomaru could remember the day he heard about that back when he was also in Phantom Lord. She looked disheveled when Aria brought her back and a little bit scared. To see one of his closest friends like that was…infuriating. At the time, he simply chose another mission because of the pay it offered, but now… He looked back at Juvia before he spoke." I should have been there with you Juvia. I'm sorry."

Juvia only smiled back weakly, giving a nod to silently say she accepted his regretful acknowledgment before looking back to the others. "Now what do we do about the hostages?"

"Isn't it obvious? I say we get over there and kick all their butts!"

Natsu's bravado immediately vanished as he realized he was standing again, making the motion of the train more easily felt and thus he toppled over on his side. "Ugggggggghhhhh."

"Don't be stupid!" Lucy chastised the dragon slayer, looking down at him. "They just said if we try anything the hostages will be killed!"

"That's right. Doing something like that is risky for the innocent people on this train," Levy said before looking at Jade. "Say, what if you used your illusions to make a more subtle approach?"

Before Jade could answer however, Aizen spoke with her mentally. I'd advise against that. Your powers currently aren't anywhere near full capacity.

Whyyyyyy? Jade asked with annoyance.

Your body is still recovering from when I took over at the Tower of Heaven. Using them now would likely result in your illusions fading without your permission and risk being found, putting every one of the normal passengers on board in mortal danger.

Jade sighed before she finally responded, speaking apologetically. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'm still a bit worn out from the fight with Dyspute, and if I'm not in optimal condition, I could mess it up for everyone."

"Well, what about you? Think you could go in there and save them?" Bambietta asked the arrancar. "You're a real fast son of a gun."

"At this moment it's difficult to tell." The arrancar answered. "Most of their members are nothing more than trash. However, without having any more information to work off of, I'm not certain that I could render them all unconscious in time in my current state. The Underbelly's effects are still lingering even now."

Things seemed to be getting worse and worse. As strong as the Fairy Tail guild members were, pushing through wasn't going to work this time. Not with the chance of the hostages being killed. As the lot of them began to think of a strategy as quickly as possible, Rukia noticed an absence "Hey, has anyone seen Lieutenant Hinamori? She was sitting near me, just a second ago…"

Bambietta promptly looked around and closed her eyes, sensing for her energy before she quickly sensed it. The quincy couldn't help but smirk. Oh you cheeky little sneak.


Now all by herself and making her way through the train at a slow pace, Momo began to head towards the front of the train as carefully as possible. While she suspected none of the members of Fairy Tail had a means of successfully sneaking up on the hijackers, she herself had the perfect means of which to close the distance. It was all thanks to her kido, specifically Bakudo #26: Kyokkō, allowing her to bend the light around her, practically making her invisible.

Just as she arrived at the semi-final cart, she took extra care to move at a slower pace and silenced her breath. The door to the front of the train had a small window and Momo carefully peered in it, giving her a view of the crew in charge of the train. The lot of them were all tied and gathered in the middle of the room while other Vulcan Fist members stood around them. More troubling though was something else she saw in the room. A handy little thing she learned about in her time in Earthland for the university security….but a complete determinate to her rescue efforts. Motion sensing lacrima.

Darn it, they've set up the motion-sensing security. Even with Kyokkō, I wouldn't be able to just stroll in there. I'll need to come up with a change of plans. The clone of the lieutenant thought for about a minute about how to proceed before she finally came up with a plan. It was a bit risky, but it was the best she could come up with on short notice.

Momo stepped back, undoing her kido to initiate her plan. "Can't say I'm a big fan of this idea, but I'll just have to be carefuMMRF!"

The reigai soon found a cloth of fabric coming down over her head and beginning to secure itself over her mouth. She tried to pull forward, but there was a force to it that prevented her escape.

"What do we have here, some kind of wannabe samurai?" A man with black hair and eyes with a sword strapped to his back asked as he pulled tight on the gag, tying it together behind Momo's head. "No, I'm thinking it's a new hostage!"

She stomped down, catching her attacker off guard as her heel smashed into his foot. Not giving him a moment, she flipped him over her shoulder and down onto his back.

He grunted as he hit the floor hard, dazed. Satisfied, Momo reached up to her face to rip the cloth gag off of her, but that arm was ensnared in the grip of another Vulcan Fist guild member. Irritated, Momo reared back her non-dominant hand, intent on incapacitating the mercenary. Unfortunately, her assailant grabbed that arm, who turned out to be a surprisingly tall and well-muscled woman with dark skin and blonde hair

"Nah ah ah, cutie," she said rather brusquely. "We won't be having any swordplay here tonight. Weapons are a total no-no on the train except for my friend, don't ya know? So let's get rid of that and remove the temptation right and proper!"

As Momo struggled, the Vulcan Fist woman grabbed her obi, ripping it off and taking both sword and sheath with it. Incidentally, without her belt, her hakama grew too slack, falling down around her hips and legs to the floor, her top falling open as well to reveal a lacy turquoise bra.

"Oh, look at that!" The swordsman on the other side whistled in appreciation. "Pretty fancy for a samurai girlie!"

"Let's see some more!" the woman shouted, pulling Momo's top back over her arms. She used the black fabric to tie it around Momo's arms from elbow to wrist, binding it so tightly and efficiently that the Reigai had to imagine this was not the first time she had done such a trick.

"Look at that," the Vulcan Fist lady said, peering over Momo's shoulder. "The boss is gonna love this present!"

Momo tried to pull away, the reigai trying her best to resist. The woman pushed her forward then, forcing her into a stumble, Momo looked back at her in frustration then, and charged at her in defiance. "Cursph phmyou!"

"I don't think so!" the swordsmen said, tripping Momo in mid stride. In one swift move, he had caught her ankles with his foot and slipped around her, grabbing Momo by the head and forcing her to the floor.

"Hey, don't go damaging my present! Mabry," the woman hissed. "I want to enjoy torturing her before we dispose of her!

"You always had a thing for that sort of thing, Brenda," Mabry said, tossing Momo up over his shoulder so that she was left looking backward as he walked through the train car. "Personally I think its a waste."

"Mrrrf! Munphand phme, you bigph oxph!"

"Now, now, be quiet," Brenda said as she walked behind her cohort, gently tickling Momo's chin. "This is what you get for trying to play the part of the hero, you foolish little cutie."

Momo's eyes glared at the woman, making the reigai wish that looks could at least cause great harm if not kill. Being stripped down to her underwear bound and gagged was not how this plan was supposed to go! "Dmph ymph!" She said with a glare.

"What? You trying to set me on fire with your mind or somethin'?" Brenda laughed. "Sorry, cutie, but you'll have to take a picture! It'll last longer!"

"Hey, boss, we've got a present!" Mabry said as he unceremoniously dumped Momo down on her backside.

"Mmmmooofph!" Momo grunted as she landed hard, Brenda walking past her and dropping her belt and hakama on the floor towards the front. "She was armed with only this, Conleth."

Mabry took the sheathed Zanpakuto and looked it over for a moment, beginning to draw the sword just enough to see the blade. "This is some fine craftsmanship. A lovely sword..." He looked at Momo then, the reigai glancing at him with fear as she felt lust practically ooze from his eyes."... for a lovely lady." His eyes took it all in, the delightfully perky curves contained with lacy turquoise underwear.

Momo blushed, not ever considering anyone would ever see her rather daring choice in what she wore beneath. 'Why did I ever think listening to Rangiku's old suggestion's was a good idea!?"

"Like we said earlier, pretty nice undergarments for a samurai girl," Mabry said as he knelt down in front of Momo, one knee up so as to prop his arm as he leaned in close to look her in the eyes.

He could see the blushing evident on Momo's cheeks, but it was her eyes that caught Conleth's attention. They were not looking into his own, but at the sword in his hands.

"Oh, you want this?" Mabry stood then, holding the Zanpakuto above his head. "That hurts, samurai. To be disregarded for a sword and its sheath! How naughty you must be if that's what you want over a man's man like me!" He then looked back at his boss. "Brenda want's to torture her for fun, but I say we sell her off to some slave traders. I think we could get a pretty good price for her. Don't ya think Boss?"

Conleth was quiet, still looking down at Momo with indifference. Despite her current bound position and rattled behavior, something told him there was more to this woman than met the eye. "No, just kill her. Now. We warned her and everyone else on this train and we'll make her an example in case anyone else tries. Besides, we're on a job, no time for pleasantries."

"That's a shame. Oh well." Malbry said as he drew his sword. "Well beautiful, I'll try to make it quick at lea-

Just then, the reigai managed to fire a crackling yellow rope from her hands that lashed out towards the mercenaries. Conleth dodged beneath the energy just in time, while Malbry and Brenda managed to move to the left and right to avoid the spell. The other mages had no such luck however and were all gathered into a jumbled pile, bound by the kido-made construct. Now seeing an opening, Momo took the chance to use Flash Step and grabbed not only her weapon but also her clothing to leave the cart and got dressed as quickly as possible. Just as she finished, the door to the front cart opened with Conleth, Mabry and Brenda strolling in.

"Did you really think you could escape?" Conleth asked.

"Yeah, I only let you off easy because of your looks. You won't get off so easy this time." Monte added.

"Oh no, you don't," Brenda added. "I want to kill this bitch myself!"

"You're misunderstanding. I wasn't trying to escape. I just needed my clothes back on," Momo said as she faced the trio. "The fact of the matter is that you two only managed to capture me because I wanted to be captured."

"You expect us to buy that!?" Malbry screamed at her. "You're just trying to intimidate us, that's all!"

Momo narrowed her eyes. "Believe what you want. Far as I was concerned, it was the best way I could deal with all of you and get past the motion sensing lacrima without endangering the hostages or taking the chance you'd take more." She then frowned and blushed with embarrassment. "But stripping me down to my lingerie was entirely unnecessary! You have absolutely no shame!"

"Yeah yeah, you can talk about shame all you want in the afterlife!" Malbry said as he drew the sword at his side. "But I'm one of the best magic swordsmen out there! I'm known as Malbry of the speed cut because I killed over 30 mages in the blink of an eye and you'll be no different!" He took off then, faster than the eye could see, blade drawn and fully intent on cutting Momo completely in two...only for Momo to place a hand on her zanpaktou's hilt and drew her sword faster than he could perceive, his own blade cleaved in two before she brought the flat of her blade against the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious as he slammed against nearby wall before slumping onto the floor.

"Sorry but you're not exactly much of a swordsman in my eyes," Momo told him, the disgust from his lechery earlier still on her mind.

"Damn you!" Brenda screamed as her body quickly became more and more muscular by the second until she was eight feet tall and took a single step, shaking the entire train car. "I'll make sure to pulverize you into a pulp! With my Muscle Magic, I can lift over one hundred tons with just one hand! You'll be nothing more than a pulp on the floor by the time I'm-URK!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Momo had used Flash Step to close the distance, her sword's hilt jamming against Brenda's toned stomach. The dark mage let out some bile as she fell over, her eyes completely white from the overwhelming power she was hit with before she completely crashed to the floor.

"Impressive," Conleth stated as he looked at his defeated henchmen. "But my strength far surpasses theirs. If you think that I'll go down just as easily, then you'll be in for a world of hurt."

"I suspected that would be the case," Momo said as she looked at him. This one's a lot stronger than the others. He's at least as powerful as a Gillian level arrancar. Probably even an Adjuchas. This isn't good., I can't use anything too powerful while on this train or else I might cause it to derail. I'll have to proceed with caution. She then pointed a finger at him before narrowing her eyes. "Hado #4: Byakurai!"

(Song of choice: Against Magic. Fairy Tail OST)

A quick bolt of lightning came out of Momo's fingertip towards Conleth, the man quickly moved to the left before charging at her with his fist reeled back. Momo jumped back to barely avoid the hit, but as it made contact with the floor, a massive hole was left in its wake, causing several seats to fall through. "Well well, not a bad dodge, but I haven't even begun to use my mag-"

"Bakudo #30: Shitotsu Sansen!"

Out of one of Momo's palms came a burst of crackling yellow energy which she used to draw an inverted yellow triangle generating solidified energy in the shape of smaller triangles from its three points. The smaller triangles fired forth and hit Conleth, pinning him against the wall as the kido spell pieces slammed into his wrists and his stomach in a perfect triangle shape. "Sorry, but you'll find something like this can't-" But just as he tried to move his hands in an attempt to break free, he found that his arms couldn't budge. Try as he might, Conleth could barely move, like he was paralyzed. "What!? What kind of spell is this!?"

"Water Ray!" Instead of using kido again, Momo cast a magic circle from her left palm that released a concentrated beam of water right at Conleth, dousing him all over. "Plâtre Sonata!" Another magic circle came from her right hand, this time creating a giant fist from plaster that punched right into Conleth, causing him to cry out in pain. However, with a burst of power emitting from his body, the kido completely shattered, with Conleth charging straight at the reigai.

He's fast! Opting to get some distance, Momo decided to use her Flash Step to vanish from his sight before appearing behind him, preparing a more powerful kido spell. I don't like escalating this fast, but I'm not being left with much of a choice! "Hado #31: Shakkaho!"

A fireball fired from both of her hands and crashed into his body, covering it with flames. Momo narrowed her eyes as she sensed his power hadn't diminished nearly as much as she hoped, as when the dust cleared, Coneleth was not only unharmed but he now also had his arms, legs and chest covered in iron. He smirked.

"Iron Body Magic. Sorry lady, but you're leaving me with no choice but to take things up a notch!" After announcing his spell, Conleth inhaled deeply to begin his counterattack. "Combustion shot!"

Sensing his power rising and seeing the area around her quickly deteriorating as an invisible attack of some sort hurtled towards her, Momo placed both of her hands in front of her to cast her next spell. "Guard Shadow!"

Erupting from her own shadow, several shadowy hands formed into a protective dome around her. However, while she had successfully managed to cast the spell just in time, the power of the blast was greater than she had expected, the invisible explosion shattering it and several windows throughout the train and sending her tumbling back to the end of the cart. Conleth sneered,as he walked toward Momo. She was battered, her clothes and hair slightly disheveled from the recent exchange as she panted. "Now then, I think it's time I finished you-"

However, Momo quickly got up and in a surprising move, tackled him through the nearest wall outside of the train car, and then through several tree's before he finally finally forced her off, rolling across the forrest floor before he slowly got up to his feet. "Why you little-"

"Storm Bringer!"

Not expecting her to launch such a powerful spell, Conleth felt a rush of wind beneath him before he was sent flying up, caught in a tornado that blasted him up high into the sky. Momo quickly stood up and quickly opened both her arms wide before she cast her next spell, "Prominence Typhoon!" A column of swirling fire quickly surrounded the tornado then, before the two elements seemingly combined, creating a massive explosion that would have leveled an entire city block.

The others heard all the noise from their cart and saw a massive explosion from their window, the members of Fairy Tail witnessing Conleth soar over the horizon after the large blast, Momo appearing to be jumping high in the air before she began to follow after him.

"That wind spell... that was one of that wannabe reaper's moves!" Bambietta spoke. "Shit, she really did learn magic alongside some kido huh?"

Not just Erigor. Bambi wouldn't know it, but that fire spell was one of that sleeze Bora's spells! Lucy thought internally.

"Bambi, Miss Hinamori is in trouble! We've got to help!" Wendy said, getting up from her seat and about to run until Erza stopped her.

"Hold on. We shouldn't all rush off this train. Some of the other members of Vulcan Fist might still be on board. You all stay here, I'll go after her."

"Count me in too," Bambi said when she stood. "If just two of us leave, the rest can keep this train safe. Besides..." Bambietta grinned. "I want to see what this Soul Reaper can really do!" Nodding in agreement, Erza and Bambi quickly headed to one of the exits of the cart and chased off in the direction Momo went. Erza quickly requipped into her flight armor with Bambietta using Hirenkyaku to keep up with her.


Conleth crashed out in a grassy field, deep into the forest and creating a small crater. He slowly stood up and groaned before he growled. "This damn bitch. Who does she think she is!? I've never been pushed around like this by anyone, not even those uppity mages from Phantom Lord's Element Four. If this keeps up, I'll have no choice but to use...that." That was the last thing he wanted, a method of last resort that, while certainly powerful, had certain side effects that were undesirable. Still, if it came down to it…

(Song of choice: Genichiro Ashina, Sekiro ost)

Before he could ponder any further though, his opponent soon appeared, her sword drawn. "I would yield if I were you," she spoke calmly. "Please, I'd rather not have to fight any more than nesses-'' But before she could finish speaking, Conleth used his Combustion Magic to propel himself forward, striking her across the cheek and through several trees. She quickly got up to her feet and managed to bring up her sword just in time to block an incoming strike from his iron-clad fists. The forest shook from the impact as the ground beneath crumbled into a large crater.

Conleth attempted to strike her again, and Momo, not having the time to prepare a spell, countered with her blade yet again, creating a shockwave that sliced through entire acres worth of trees. Again and again, the two clashed, each strike creating a similar shockwave. Conleth attempted to strike Momo's head then, but the Soul Reaper dodged underneath the strike and swung her sword, striking him across the chest. While the blade only managed to leave a shallow cut, the force of the blow was just strong enough to cause him to go back fifteen feet or so, giving her more than enough time to launch a proper counterattack.

At least, that was the plan. Conleth began to build up more and more power around him as the ground itself began to shake. "That's it, woman! You want to die so badly, then it's time I showed you what I can really do! Combustion Eruption!" A massive, powerful burst of explosive power built around him as he took a deep breath before he shouted out, creating a massive burst of power that shot out from all directions!

Sensing that an incredibly powerful attack was about to be unleashed, Momo quickly braced herself for the worse. "Bakudo#73: Tozansho!" Momo quickly surrounded herself in an inverted pyramid made of blue energy, the barrier shaking and shuddering from the blast as it destroyed well over fifty acres of forest.

When the attack faded, the land looked barren and devoid of life, with the exception of Conleth and Momo Hinamori, the protective barrier managing to hold out long enough to allow her to survive the blast.

The dark mage couldn't help but smirk. "Well well, I'm surprised that you managed to survive that. But I'm sure you understand exactly what you're dealing with now. I can use attacks like this for quite a while. But you? You look like you just barely had enough to withstand that! So how's about you stand down and let me get back to work, and I'll let you live."

Momo stared at the mage before she shook her head. "I can't do that. Whatever it is you are planning to do, innocent people will be hurt. I didn't gain these powers to show off, I gained these powers because I wanted to do good, to make a difference in the world! If I just ran away to save my own skin, then everything I've done will have been for nothing."

Conleth sneered. "Brave words, but what will bravado alone do for you? Surely you've realized by now that you don't have what it takes to win!"

"You're right, I don't...as I am now," Momo answered him. "I didn't want to use this because I wasn't sure you would survive, but after seeing that, I think it's time I stopped holding back as well." She pointed Tobiume at him before the sword began to change. The katana's blade straightened and became double-edged before it produced three jutte-like prongs along its length at various intervals. "I'm going to give you one last chance," Momo warned him. "Stand down. Now."

Conleth, though somewhat perplexed by Momo's blade changing shape, ultimately thought nothing of her sword's transformation. "So your sword's transformed, so what? It hardly changes a thing! Now, let me show you what true power really is! Combustion Eruption Shot!" Concentrating the power of his previous attack into a near-invisible projectile, the attack made its way toward her at incredible speed. However, just as the attack made its way towards her, Momo swung her zanpaktou, firing out a massive fireball that overpowered his attack and collided with his body, creating a massive explosion that shook the entire forest and left a giant smoldering crater even greater than the last one.

As the smoke cleared, Conleth stumbled out from the dust, his iron skin now damaged and destroyed, revealing the first-degree burns underneath. He fell to his knees then as Momo slowly made her way over to him. "You told me earlier that you can use attacks like that multiple times. I'm sure you could manage up to thirty or so on that level. But for me? I could use attacks like this for hours on end and still keep on fighting." She finally walked down to the bottom of the crater and she pointed her blade at him. "Well, do you want to keep going, or not?"

Bambietta and Erza could see the pair in the distance as Momo slowly made her way towards the dark mage. "Well shit. She's gotten way stronger than when I ran into her in the war," Bambietta said with a grin. "Renji and Sasakibe aside, I'd say she'd be the strongest lieutenant from what I saw!"

"She is rather impressive," Erza admitted. "It's clear that her array of skills is vast and varied, not to mention the power that she has to back them up. I believe that she'd make an excellent addition to any guild that would take her in."

"You...think this is over?" Conleth muttered as he slowly got to his feet as he stared at Momo. "You think that I'd surrender just like that!?" He ran towards her, firing blast after blast of his magical power, but each and every single one was countered by a casual swing of her zanpakutō, the dark mage just barely dodging through most of her fireballs before he got in close and tried to punch her right in the stomach, only for Tobiume to block his strike, and with a casual swing of the blade, he was sent tumbling away.

"Don't you understand now?" Momo said before she noticed him getting back up and sighed with annoyance before she cast another spell. "Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan." Creating a bluish-white hexagonal rod in her hand, Momo tossed the construct before it multiplied into several, pinning Conleth down to the ground before she sighed. "I've been holding back this entire time. I've never really had a chance to properly fight since I've come here, and the last thing I wanted to do was get the passengers caught up in our battle. Now please, just stop. I'd really hate to hurt you any more than I already have."

"No...damn...damn it all!" Conleth shouted as he struggled against the binding Kido that kept him pinned to the ground. "I refuse to let it end here, you understand?! I promised I'd bring ruin to the Heartfillia family if it was the last thing I did!"

"The fuck?" Bambietta uttered. "The hell does this guy have against Lucy...or her father for that matter?"

Yelling out as loud as he could, Conleth proceeded to generate enough power through his right arm to prepare a combustion blast, destroying the Kido and grievously injuring his arm in the process, his entire limb covered in burns. But before any of them could begin to ponder what on earth Conleth was attempting to achieve with such a brazen move, he reached into one of his pockets to reveal a small white pill.

Conleth briefly stared at the pill in his hands before his mind flashed to three weeks ago.


"I must admit, I never thought I'd find myself a volunteer for one of my experiments," a pink-haired man said, wearing all white, his yellow eyes clearly visible through the rectangular glasses he wore. "Not that I'm complaining, but surely my compatriots warned you of the risks involved."

Conleth couldn't help but find something about the scientist off, not to mention his entire guild. Las Noches was a relatively new addition to the dark guilds in Fiore, so much so that he'd wager that the Magic Council considered their mere existence anything more than a myth. But while the members of the guild were certainly unsettling, even for him, the powers they displayed when they offered to take Vulcan's Fist under their protection had been rather impressive, so much so that there was a rumor going around that they had enough power to become the fourth member of the Balam Alliance. If he could possess even a fraction of the power some of their stronger members possessed...

"I'm well aware of the risks," Conleth answered. "But with the Wizard Saints becoming more active as of late, I'd rather have as much power as I can under my disposal."

"Wise words, though I'm not so sure you'll feel that way after you take this." The scientist handed him a pill. "This will no doubt give you the power you're looking for, but I'll warn you now that if you take it, you'll more than likely go on a destructive rampage slaying enemies and allies alike. While I personally couldn't care less about your guild or its well being, Lord Baraggan wants to amass as many dark guilds as he can under his thrall, so I'd consider only using it as a last resort."

Conleth nodded as he looked down at the pill in his hands. "A last resort, huh? Let's see if the need ever arises then."


Shaking in fury, Conleth snarled and quickly swallowed the pill, eager to make the woman before him pay for his humiliation. At first, it seemed as if nothing would happen...but that theory was swiftly swept away when Conleth began to scream in absolute agony as a mysterious white substance began to cover his face, vile reiatsu pouring off of him.

Momo gasped, taking a step back at the sight before her eyes. "What...what is this!?"

Bambietta narrowed her eyes before they quickly widened with realization. "It's hollowfication! You have to stop him right now, Momo!"

Hearing the Quincy's words, Momo prepared a massive fireball on Tobiume's blade, but just before they could make contact, a pillar of reiatsu erupted from Conleth's body as his screams similarly peaked, the kido binding him shattering completely. As the pillar of reiatsu subsided, the three women could now see Conleth had completely transformed. His formerly-iron body was covered in a silver-like substance, and his face now obscured by a white mask. The mask held a toothy grin that stretched across its face, and a third eye-hole adorned its forehead. Orange lines similar in design to the lines surrounding his third-eye tattoo traveled up and down the mask.

Awwwww fuck, that's not good for her, Bambietta thought as she sensed the hollowfied mage's power.

Momo shuddered as she looked at the monstrosity before her eyes. This reiatsu… Right now, it feels as if I were facing Renji with his bankai, just more... sinister. The reigai couldn't help but bemoan her current predicament. Prior to this transformation, she was positive victory was in her grasp but now...Now she wasn't sure if she could win without resorting to more drastic measures.

(Song of choice: Emergence of the Haunted. Bleach OST)

Conleth slowly looked over his body, almost af if he was taking in his new form... right before he took off with such an incredible burst of speed that she was only just barely able to raise Tobiume up in time to block the blow, though she was quickly thrown through the air, the blow sending her flying. However, just as she stopped herself mid-air, she felt a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to turn around only for him to punch her hard on the stomach and send her crashing to the ground below. Momo repeatedly coughed, quickly shaking her head as she tried to get up, only to instinctively roll to the left as she sensed her opponent come crashing down. The ground quaked in the spot he punched, drilling through the rock with absolutely no resistance. That was too close for her liking; had she not thrown herself to the side at the last moment, her body would have met the same fate as that bit of rock.

He dashed at her again, Momo casting Bakudo #8: Seki in quick succession to help lessen each blow as he swung wildly at her. It wasn't enough to stop them completely, however, not nearly enough. In fact, rather than actually repelling his attacks, the light blue orbs she conjured were merely slowing down his fists before they ripped right through the constructs of reishi. Still, it was just enough to prevent the blows from inflicting mortal injuries, and Momo would take what she could get right now.

She soon used Flash Step to appear up in the air before she rained down fireballs with Tobiume, but while the fire was able to scorch his silver skin, Conleth soared through the barrage with little resistance . Before Momo could begin to contemplate her next move, she noticed a red light beginning to glow in the palm of his right hand.

A cero!? She realized before the ray of light fired from his palm. "Hado #58: Tenran!" Her zanpakutō floated in front of her before it began to spin rapidly, firing off a small cyclone in hopes of deflecting the spell; it was not to be, however, the cero barreling right through the spell and blasting Momo out of the sky.

The singed woman struggled to rise to her feet as Conleth floated down to the ground. "Incredible. So this is the power of hollowfication. I should have used this far sooner. With power like this, I could do anything I want." His eyes narrowed at the struggling Soul Reaper before he licked his lips beneath his mask. "I think I'll start with devouring your soul. After that… I suppose the next town over would make for a decent dessert!" He then blinked beneath his mask. Wait…what am I saying? And what is this insatiable hunger I'm feeling? I feel so… empty. Is this why I want to feast on the souls of others? It seemed that the scientist from Las Noches was right. This power was slowly eating away at his humanity. I'll have to finish this quickly before…whatever this power is takes over me.

"I…I won't…let you," Momo murmured as she took up a stance with her sword. "I've seen more than enough massacres in the Rukon districts at the hands of hollows. I can not- no, I will not let you bring that sort of evil to this land! Bakudo #-"

Tired of her spells, Conleth instinctively blasted Momo with a bala, the quick blow of reiatsu strong enough to make Momo fall to her hands and knees before Conleth picked her up by her hair and kneed her hard in the stomach, the reigai puking up blood right before he delivered a powerful blow to the side of her face, another four swiftly following before he used his enhanced Combustion Magic to send her flying through several trees.

"I've seen enough," Erza said as she prepared her swords. "Bambietta, let's-" But just before she could say anything else, she was surprised to see Bambi placing out her left hand to block her off. "What are you doing, Bambi?"

"Listen to me Erza. I know this might sound weird given how things are going, but...I think she can still win this," Bambietta told her.

"How can you say that, she's clearly-"

"Still fighting," Bambietta told her. "Look, I know how this looks, but...I can tell she still has more to give. Do you see that look on her face, Erza?" Bambietta mentioned just as Momo got up to her feet once more, the reigai glaring at the hollowfied mage, her determination evident. Battered and wounded as she was, there wasn't a single hint of fear to be seen.

"See that? That's not the face of someone who doesn't think she can't win. She still thinks she's got this. From what I remember, she's the kind of person more than willing to have someone else take over a fight if it's needed. But she's still fighting. If she was really, truly helpless, she'd come to us for help. This isn't just her fighting to save the people on the train. She's fighting to prove how much stronger she's gotten. Not to you or me, or that jackass, but to herself."

Erza's eyes narrowed. "So, you're saying we let her die to keep her pride? I never thought you'd suggest such a thing."

Bambietta shook her head. "No, not at all. That's the last thing I want right now. But I think we should really let her have a shot at this. It'll do her self-esteem some good, and trust me, after what she went through in our world, she needs it, reigai or not." Seeing Erza wasn't quite convinced yet, Bambietta continued. "Look, if things start looking really bad, I promise I'll step in. Okay?"

Erza looked back at Momo and then to Bambietta before she closed her eyes. "Very well. The Tower of Heaven has shown me that you are capable of making decisions like this. I've decided to trust your judgment on this matter, Bambi."

Momo was starting to sweat and pant from exhaustion as Conleth slowly floated towards her. If this keeps up...I'm not going to be able to win. I need to be able to think of something that can put him down, but what? I'd rather not use my trump card unless it's absolutely necessary, but if I use it, then Miss Basterbine and Miss Scarlet would get hurt too... Wait, what if I… Well, it's worth a shot!

Conleth appeared behind her and placed both of his hands in front of himself, reiatsu and magic charging within them. "I think it's time I finished this. Say goodbye, you worm! Combustion Cero!" The newly dubbed cero, now cloaked by the Combustion Magic from before, erupted outwards with cacophonous force that enveloped the reigai and even more of the once pristine landscape, wiping them away with enough power to destroy an entire town. The dark mage couldn't help but cackle at the destruction as he floated above the ground. "AHAHAHA! Now do you see what happens when you mess with the might of Vulcan's Fist!? You could have never hoped to have matched my...power?"

(Song of choice: Dark Magician theme, Japanese Yugioh OST)

However, just as the dust from the explosion cleared, while the landscape had become just as ruined as he had expected...what he didn't expect were the two tall, thin, black constructs that were now standing before him. They looked like a wardrobe with three cabinet doors lined in front with large yellow question marks on them. Almost like… a box used by a magician during a vanishing act! One of the boxes opened, revealing a charred and burned tree stump as it fell to the ground, while the other opened up, revealing the unharmed Momo Hinamori, who let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew! I wasn't so sure if that was going to work. I've never had to use Fate Swap so fast until now, but I'm glad it all worked out."

Conleth just glared at Momo as he clenched his fists. He knew that spell fairly well. When people had the capacity for magic, but not enough for the perils of guild work, many found themselves entering the entertainment business. They mostly consisted of simply taking rabbits out of a hat, minor illusions, and simply swapping places with other objects. For her to have used such a...such a low-level spell on him was beyond insulting! She evaded my most powerful attack...with a mere parlor trick!?

Beyond furious, he prepared yet another cero to fire at the reigai. That spell she had just used needed time to be prepared in order for it to be executed, such as having a proper substitution ready to take her place. There's no way she could hope to survive this next attack with that same spell!

Yet, with a mere wave of her hand, a giant red and white top hat with question marks emerged over Momo, quickly concealing her before moving side to side, afterimages of the large hat appearing until four were set in a row.

His eyes narrowed at seeing yet another low level spell. "You damn bitch! These parlor tricks are only delaying the inevitable!" He cried out as he blasted the hat farthest from the left with his cero. Unfortunately for him, underneath it, there was nothing but a ruptured pile of grass and dirt. Now even more furious, Conleth smashed the closest hat on his right side, but just like before, there was nothing. "I'll get you, you hear me?! And when I do, you're history!" He fired off one more blast at the last hat to the left before only one remained. "Looks like there's nowhere left for you to run now, you dumb-"

Just then, something fired from underneath the last hat. Yellow energy in the form of a very thick rope bound Conleth's upper body from his waist to his neck. Momo soon emerged from the last hat with her zanpakutō drawn back and smiled.

"You're correct that normally these kinds of spells are just simple parlor tricks, but I've found uses for them in battle as well. They may not hit hard, but they're more than good enough in buying time. While you were blindly blasting away at me, I was preparing a full incantation of Bakudo #63. You're not going to be able to muscle your way out of Sajō Sabaku easily, even with all the power you have. Now… I think it's time I finally end this," Momo declared with a fierce look in her eyes.

Conleth began to struggle with all his might, doing whatever he could to try to break free, but his Combustion Magic could only make small cracks in the fully enchanted bakudo. Still, he was certain that he could break free eventually. All he needed was a little more time, and then he would be able to rip her to shreds!

However, he'd never get the chance, as she quickly took a stance, preparing to swing her zanpakutō in her right hand and her sheath in her left as the pair began to slowly envelop in light. "O, sword of God! Bloom in glory! Gleam with blood! Blade of the ring, cast off the light of heaven! Ring of light, unbound by metal, spread to the horizon and lay prostrate my headless foes!"

As the light reached its zenith, she cried out, "Hado #78: Zangerin!"

Just as Conleth broke free and fired off his most powerful cero yet, fueled by desperation and anger, Momo released a giant ringed blade of golden reishi with a swing of her sword and sheath, the golden ring clashing with his blast before quickly cleaving it and every nearby tree in twain. Bambietta and Erza ducked underneath the attack just in time to avoid the hado, but the mercenary had no such luck. The spell struck Conleth straight in the chest, cutting through his iron skin, and nearly cutting him in half, the remnants of the blast shooting off to a nearby mountain, carving a deep cut into it before fading away. Choking in pain as blood erupted from his mouth, Conleth fell back as his mask shattered just before he hit the ground, unable to rise. Momo panted heavily before she too fell to her knees, exhausted.

Bambietta and Erza came to her side quickly, the Quincy having a smile on her face. "Man, that was awesome! You really showed him a thing or two, huh?"

"I'll admit that you showed some truly admirable skill back there. Even so, are you going to be alright?" Erza asked.

Momo smiled back at them. "I'm... fine. I just… need a moment to…catch my breath." Looking behind, the Soul Reaper could see just how badly hurt the mage really was before she slowly crawled over to him. "Oh no, it looks like I shouldn't have used a full incantation against him after all! I'll need to heal him real quickly if he's going to make it through this.

Bambietta looked at her like she was crazy. "Um, not that I'm going to complain, given my guild's policy and all, but I'm surprised you're willing to heal him after all that. You're a soldier first and foremost after all."

Momo looked back at Bambietta as she began to use kaido. "He's a mercenary, right? Odds are that he was hired by somebody to hijack that train. Given how many men he brought along and the strength he possessed, I don't think he and his group only wanted money," Momo said. "With this sort of power, he could have chosen a much more profitable target, like a bank. No, someone paid him for this, I'm certain of it. Best we take him in alive to get more information out of him."

"She's right. Something tells me this was a planned attack. Call it intuition," Erza said, thinking about who could be responsible and for what reason.

However, just as Momo reached out for Conleth, the man's eyes shot open. He pulled her down and clamped his free hand over her mouth, keeping her from being able to speak any more spells. Bambietta and Erza were momentarily stunned by his consciousness, let alone his actions, only to notice Conleth's body start to glow white with a magic circle rotating under where his body lay. "Sorry, but I'm afraid this is where we all die, once and for all!"

He had to do this. Not just for the client…but for his own pride.


"Well, well, well. Duke Junelle Suwarr, I never would have thought that someone of your social status would ever think of hiring mercenaries like us. So, tell me, what is it that you want?" Conleth said as he entered the Duke's office.

The man he spoke to had a short stature and a face only a mother could love. Conleth was certain that, were it not for the money he had inherited from his family, the man would have no place in higher society. Frankly, even looking at the man disgusted him.

"It's quite simple, Conleth," Junelle said with a jovial smile. "You see, I was promised to be wed to Lucy Heartfillia, the daughter of Jude Heartfilia, in exchange for helping the Heartfilia Railways expand southward. But for some reason, he went back on the deal. And I had my sights set on making that gorgeous young woman my bride." A more impish smile was displayed on Junelle's face as his voice became more salacious sounding. "That beautiful face, lovely hair and incredible body of hers was all so perfect. How I had my sights set on her."

Upon realizing how less formal he sounded, Junelle cleared his throat and spoke again. "So, to get back at him for spurning my generous offer to help him, I want you and your group to wreak havoc upon all the Heartfilia Railways. Be sure nobody else finds out about this, though. Not even your other guild mates. I can't afford possibly losing my reputation and influence by having it be known I was the core reason Jude's most renowned source of income. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Of course, Duke. It shall be done," Conleth said with a terse nod. With a quick turn, he left the office and took off into the air with successive bursts of Combustion Magic before finally finding his two adjutants, Mabry and Brenda, waiting for him outside of their guild hall. "Gather the men, we have a new mission in order."

"I still don't get why we're working for some rich asshole," Mabry asked the guild master. "Frankly, I don't like working with someone that'll let only the head honcho know who's even hired the lot of us. I mean, yeah I'm sure it's a lot of money, but we could be making a hell of a lot more if we just took everything right under this guy's nose. I don't get why you want to play nice with the guy."

"I agree," Brenda concurred. "I say we kill him and ransack the place, it'll be easy!"

Conleth however shook his head. "It's not about the money, not this time." As the trio finally exited the mansion, he looked at the pair. "My father was the only means my family had to get some real income. My mother was deadly sick, and I was just a child. He took any kind of guild work he had to pay the bills, even the more unsavory kind. When that bitch Layla Heartfillia put my father away, I lost everything. My home, my mother, it was all ripped away from me!. So I swore one day I'd get back at her. Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago, but now….well, now I have a chance to hurt her husband where it really hurts. Up until now I thought that attacking the railways would be too risky, but right now the Magic Council is too preoccupied with the betrayal of Crawford Seam to pay too much attention to something like this."

He then smirked. "This operation, it's only the beginning to help the Heartfilia's squirm. As long as we're on the same page…I see no reason to kill him."

"And if you get caught, then what?" Brenda asked. "I mean, I know that the last thing you want is to be caged up like some animal. Are you really willing to-"

Conleth quickly answered her. "I won't die in a cell like my father. Not in a million years. If I lose…I'll be sure to take that whole railway with me."


Momo panicked, trying desperately to escape Conleth's grip as his body was glowing with brighter light each moment. However as much as she bucked and struggled, his arms were simply too powerful to break free in her exhausted state.

Luckily, she wouldn't have to. Together, Bambietta and Erza moved in. The latter used her Heaven's Wheel Armor to cut across what remained of Conleth's armor while the former grabbed the freed Momo to use her Hirenkyaku so they could get away. Pitying that there was no time to save his life, Erza quickly requipped into her Giant's armor and tossed him high into the air.

"NO! DAMN YOU, TITANIA! DAMN-"

His body exploded in a mushroom cloud of light, the force of the explosion sending the three women gliding across the grassland and tumbling even at the distance they gained. Fortunately, thanks to Erza's quick thinking, they were out of the blast zone, seeing the last of the lingering explosions fill the horizon.

Bambietta let out a sigh of relief before she smirked. "Well, we may not have found out who hired him, but at least we won't have to deal with a guy like 'Sparky Sparky Boom Man' any time soon." Still, she had to admit, his magic had been rather powerful for a dark mage. Glad we didn't have to deal with that guy along with Death's Head's Caucus. She'd rather not imagine how a fight with Levy, or Wendy before obtaining her new power, going against that man would have gone.

Erza and Momo looked at her with raised eyebrows before the reigai Soul Reaper spoke up, "Um… I think 'Combustion Man' sounds more fitting."

"I agree," Erza said bluntly. "'Sparky Sparky Boom Man' just doesn't cut it."

Shrugging with a coy grin, Bambietta replied, "Cooler sounding? Yeah, I'll give you that. More fun to say? Not so much."

"Hey, you guys!"

The voice belonged to Natsu who was being carried by Happy as he flew. Beside him was Wendy carried by Carla, doing the same. Once they regrouped and Wendy began to heal Momo, the three quickly explained what transpired to the two dragon slayers before they went back to the train, much to Natsu's chagrin.


Meanwhile, back at Duke Suwarr's mansion, the proprietor of the humble abode clenched his fists at the events he had witnessed through his crystal ball.

"To think that my efforts to undermine the Heartfillia railways would be derailed by some unknown interloper." He took a long, deep sigh as he tried to compose himself. It was supposed to have been a simple operation. Steal the belongings of all the passengers aboard, then crash the train off a nearby cliff, killing everyone aboard.

While this alone would have hardly have been enough to cause the fall of the Heartfillia railways, it was merely meant to be nothing more than the opening act to a series of similar tragedies. Now? Well, now he'd have to hire a more competent guild to get the job done. But he'd have to be much more thorough as to whom he'd employ next time. Unfortunately, he'd need to spend at least the next few weeks narrowing it down.

However, that didn't mean that he didn't have…other options. "Well, I suppose I'll have to rely on plan B to make Jude suffer before I bring ruin to his fortune." He slowly turned around on his swivel chair then before looking at the other occupant in the room. "Do you believe you can bring her to me, Miss Gewelle?"

Giselle smiled as she laid down on a large sofa, looking at a photo of none other than Lucy Heartfillia before looking back at her new employer. "Oh, don't you worry 'bout a thing! I'll make sure she'll be more than willing to fulfill your every desire by the time I bring her back."

This may have had nothing to do with the mission old man August had entrusted to her, but at the moment it wasn't like she had anything else better to do until her superiors back in Alvarez informed her otherwise. The Quincy looked back at Lucy's photo then as her mind began to wander. Oh yes, you and I are going to have SO much fun, right Lucy?

After all…she had her own plans for the blonde.


Once they arrived at the next town over, Erza quickly explained to the authorities of the town what had happened mere moments ago. The Fiore Royal Military soon arrived and took the rest of Vulcan's First into custody. Fortunately, the passengers on the train were all safe with the exception of the Dwarf's Gear mages. Their passing would no doubt be mourned by their guild once news arrived.

With everything said and done, Bambietta looked over at Momo with a huge grin. "Hey, I got an idea. Why don't you join Fairy Tail? Everything you did on the train was really impressive!" She then looked at Liltotto. "I mean kido like hers could come in real handy with stuff down the line, you know?"

"Um… Are you sure about that?" Liltotto asked Bambietta as she gave a subtle side glance over to Jade. "I mean, I think she's got more than enough power and skill for what we need, but there may be a certain problem in the guild to deal with down the line."

Quick on the uptake of what Liltotto was implying, Bambietta answered, while trying to cover her tracks. "You mean Laxus? That's just one jackass out of the whole guild. Not like the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was full of saints anyways. Besides with the rest of us here I think it'll all work out fine. Besides with what's coming, we can't be too picky, ya know?"

"Well, I suppose you got a point there," Liltotto responded. While Liltotto had initially hoped for someone of a captain's power or equivalent to join their side next, she knew that Bambietta was right. They couldn't be too picky with whom they allied themselves. Besides, Momo wasn't that far behind her captain-level standard anyways. She would catch up, sooner or later.

"I think that's a great idea. You've always been a good kido practitioner, but the way you described using your kido to rescue the hostages is easily greater than any of the other lieutenants. You'd be such a valued member," Rukia said in delighted agreement. "You'll probably be able to learn more magic at the guild, too. All kinds you wouldn't get at a university or just roaming the land."

"Really?" Momo asked, almost speechless at the prospect of not only learning more magic, but also being able to spend time with people she had come to enjoy the company of. She quickly turned around to get a view of the other Fairy Tail members to see what they thought. They all seemed to agree with the expressions they shared. Even Ulquiorra nodded tersely. "Well, alright! In that case, I'll come with you all to the guild. I enjoyed our time together anyway."

Nobody seemed happier than Natsu, always eager to welcome a new member to the guild, who offered a hand to her when stepping up. "Well, alright! Looking forward to working with ya! Welcome to Fairy Tail, Momo!"

"Thanks," Momo said, accepting the handshake. "But I'm not in yet. At least officially. Let's get to your guild, first. I can't wait to meet everyone!"

"It's going to be a bit if a wait I think." Levy spoke up. "Odds are the Rune Knights are going to want to carefully inspect the train before we take off, so we'll likely have at least an hour or two of waiting till we can get back aboard. Still, glad to have you with us!"

Rukia looked like she was about to say something once more, but it was only now that she finally noticed Momo was much more endowed. It was kind of hard to miss given all of the damage her shihakusho had sustained throughout the whole ordeal, the garment not doing nearly as much to hide her figure as it usually did. Rukia couldn't help but scowl a bit as she placed her hands over her own chest.

"What in the world? How is that fair?! Even Lieutenant Hinamori is bustier than I am," the petite Soul Reaper quietly ranted to herself.

Not quietly enough, apparently, as a certain Quincy took notice. "Well hey, you've got a nice ass at least. Who doesn't love peaches, am I right?" Candice said with a sly grin, putting her hand around the Soul Reaper's waist before she yelped in pain from having her foot stomped by Rukia. "Agh, FUCK! Seriously, again!?"

Everyone minus Candice couldn't help but chuckle before Bambietta began to chastise her for her language in front of Wendy. As this was going on, Sosuke Aizen couldn't help but smirk at the recent turn of events from within Jade's mind. "You've grown quite a bit now haven't you, Hinamori? I never would have imagined that you had what it takes to become stronger than most of my Privaron Espada, yet here we are. I wonder, will you eventually reach a captain's level of strength? I suppose only time will tell."

Regardless, things had gotten much more interesting.


Just as things were wrapping up in the realm of mortals, little did Momo Hinamori realize that she was being watched from afar. For up in the divine realm was a goddess, the one who chose the Soul Reaper as her champion, watching her progress with great interest.

The goddess in question had short black hair, brown eyes, and wore a simple white dress. Her name was Iris, the goddess of devotion. But whereas Sylphia and Ankhseram stood at nearly the top of the deity hierarchy, Iris was more around the norm of what was to be expected of a deity. In layman's terms, one could equate her power with that of the average captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It was for this reason that she and many other gods had been unable to choose the more powerful warriors available, as the gods were allowed to choose simply by order of strength.

But while Iris did have the potential to choose warriors more powerful than Momo Hinamori by the time she was able to choose, the goddess had found a kindred spirit with the woman. Both of them were compassionate individuals with a desire to learn more, and both dearly valued their comrades, but more than anything else, they had incredibly powerful levels of devotion...which had led the both of them down a path of heartache and despair.

With Momo, it had been the betrayal and two near-death experiences at the hand of Sosuke Aizen that had nearly broken her. For Iris...it had been her former lover and mentor, the God of knowledge, Orez.

For the first few centuries that she had known him, Orez was a kind, patient and inspiring mentor. What had started as mere mentorship on how to do her duties as a goddess quickly turned into an intimate relationship. Those 400 years had been the best of her life.

But Orez had one thing, despite all of his vast knowledge, that he could never solve. When he was created into the world, he had been born without sight. For hundreds of years, he had tried to cure his blindness, and while the setbacks at first were initially seen as minor annoyances, as hundreds of years passed, he became more and more desperate to gain sight.

Yet no spells of healing, or even creation, had been successful. And as he experienced failure after failure, his madness began to slowly rear its ugly head, resulting in more and more desperate measures, until he came upon a potential solution...to take the eyes of a god for himself. Or in this case... her's. Had it not been for Sylphia's timely arrival...she most likely would have died.

Sealed away within his divine palace, Iris was unable to see her former lover ever again. At first it seemed impossible, and she nearly lost the will to live...but with Sylphia's company, she persevered, and eventually moved on with her life.

Now...it was her turn to return the favor, even if it was for a clone of the original.

She smiled then as she looked down at her warrior. "I was worried that you'd spend too much time learning new magic that you'd find yourself unable to ally yourself with new comradery, but it seems that I needn't worry. You've found the best place possible for your future. Now...go and thrive, my champion of devotion."

"Ah, so she's the one you chose as your warrior Iris. A fine choice indeed, if I do say so myself."

Iris turned around and smiled, knowing that voice very well. "Well, of course you approve, Sylphia. If I recall correctly, she was among your other choices for our champion along with Masaki Kurosaki, Nozomi Kujo, and the Shinenju, Senna."

"They were the ones most compatible with the divine power of our champion after Miss Basterbine," Sylphia admitted. "But I'm glad to see that Miss Hinamori ended up in good hands. Although, I have to wonder…"

"You seem confused," Iris spoke. "What troubles you?"

"If I recall correctly when you chose Momo, you were only able to boost her power by a little bit. Yet from what I saw, her power was at least double what she should normally be capable of. Not to mention her changed… physique. I'm merely wondering how this was done."

The goddess smirked. "Oh it's really simple, Sylphia. I found a loophole."

Sylphia couldn't help but smile at her friend's revelation. "Oh? Do tell."

"Most of the reigai were simply repaired by Kageroza after they were defeated in battle. In most cases, he never made more than just one. But Momo Hinamori was one of the few to have two of her in existence. Thus, since they are essentially the same person, I decided to fuse the two together, resulting in what you've seen today. But while her power has increased drastically, the most important aspect of this fusion is that her potential for growth has also skyrocketed. She already had the potential to become vice captain. But now? Heh, I think it's safe to say she'll eventually become capable of rivaling a captain's power."

"I see. As for her body?"

"Just a side effect of my fusing the two of them together, nothing more," Iris innocently answered her. "So, what brings you here? I doubt you just came by to see whom I chose as my warrior."

Sylphia's happy smile quickly faded as her face took on a more somber expression. "I'm afraid that I don't come bearing good news. This morning, I decided to pay Orez a visit-"

"You what?" Iris spat. "He's forbidden from interacting with any of us, and for good reason! Even someone with your power has no business breaking his punishment of solitary-"

"Make no mistake, Iris, I didn't go see him out of some sort of misplaced compassion." Sylphia quickly corrected her. "Were it up to me, I'd rather he spend the rest of his days all alone for what he tried to do to you. However, given his vast knowledge, I unfortunately felt that his assistance would have been necessary in discovering Yhwach's whereabouts and how he came to this world, but-"

"But what? Did he ask for his freedom in exchange for his cooperation?" Iris asked bitterly. "Well forget it, he can rot in that castle for the rest of eternity for all I-'"

"Orez is dead, Iris."

In a fraction of a second, her demeanor changed from bitter to utter shock, his eyes widening like saucers. "He's...what?"

"He's dead. Or to be more specific, he's been dead for about twenty years," Sylphia informed Iris. "When I went inside of his castle, I found the inside in utter desrepair and his decaying body sprawled across the ground. I went to speak with Chronos to see if I could get him to use his power to play back the events of the past to find out what happened. After going back twenty years...we saw it."

The goddess took out a crystal ball then, replaying the events that took place over twenty years ago...


"Finally, after all these centuries, I'll finally be able to see the world with my own two eyes. I just never suspected that the answer would lie in a realm outside of our own."

The one speaking was none other than the God of Knowledge, Orez. Despite this, he almost looked like an ordinary man, with short purple hair, pale skin and wore a red cloak with metal pauldrons on his shoulders. The only thing that really stood out about him was how his eyes seemed permanently closed.

The god had to resist the urge to laugh out in glee. There would be plenty of time for that later. Nevertheless, however, he couldn't help but find himself filled with joy. For so many centuries he had spent his existence, with all of his vast knowledge, trying to come up with some manner of giving himself the one thing that had been robbed of him since the start of his existence: his sight.

For centuries, he had performed all sorts of experiments on himself, from forcibly growing eyes onto his body, to transplanting the eyes of humans or demons into his own, but each result ended with his own body rejecting the implants. So desperate to achieve his sight, he had even tried to take the eyes of his former lover.

Now banished to his own castle for that last attempt for the last 50 years, Orez had thought the rest of his existence would be spent alone and blind. But as luck would have it, his fellow deities had found themselves in a conflict for the sake of humanity, and thus, not wanting to throw away even the slightest chance of victory away, he had been approached by the gods who wished to imprison humanity and to siphon off of their essence to maintain their own.

Orez, having lost his sense of morality over 80 years ago, easily agreed to these terms, unbeknownst to the other side of the conflict. He had quickly been made aware of the situation and the rules involved...as well as the one being he had to avoid at all costs.

Supposedly, this being had enough power to threaten them all. A being whose ambition knew no bounds. At first, he had heeded their warming. After all, he was quite certain that he could find a warrior more than fit to be his representative...But then, one day, he had heard just why exactly this Yhwach was feared.

It was his eyes. Eyes that could allow him to see any and every possible future and to control them at will. With eyes like that...Orez was beyond certain that he could at long last achieve his goal.

Of course, he didn't proceed with reckless abandon. No, he knew that with how much the gods feared this man that every possible precaution would have to be taken. Thus, Orez had summoned this supposed "god killer" into his castle abode before casting a barrage of spells. The most powerful of sleep spells which would cause its caster to dream for thousands of years; countless magical chains that could each easily bind a dragon; a spell that conjured gravity ten times greater than that of Earth Land's; and finally, a spell that weakened its target to less than a quarter of their total strength.

"It seems that the summoning was indeed a success," Orez muttered as he sensed the unconscious being's presence. He had luckily been able to sever the Quincy Kaiser's connection with the being known as the Soul King. Had he not, then he knew that even all of the spells he had just cast would not have been enough to hold him for even a mere two seconds, let alone enough time for him to extract his eyes. Thankfully, it seemed that Ichigo Kurosaki's final blow, along with the Still Silver arrow, had weakened the bond just enough for it to be possible. The mad god sneered as he began to walk towards the being he had summoned.

"To think all of the others feared you so much, yet here you are powerless as an ant in the palm of my hand." His right hand reached out, inches away from ripping out the emperor's eyes. "But fear not. You won't feel a thing as I send you to oblivion yet aga-GURK!"

Orez immediately lurched forward, a searing pain emanating from his torso. The god moved his hands to his chest only to feel cold steel protruding from his front and back, rivulets of what must be his blood running down the blade to his hand. "What? B-but how could you..."

"Did you really believe that you could steal my eyes after sealing away only three fourths of my power? How foolish."

If he had the sight he so strongly desired, Orez would have been able to see Yhwach wide awake, a perpetual frown in his face before he narrowed his eyes and kicked the god away. He easily snapped the chains that held him and casually overpowered the gravity spell placed on him, these restrictions nothing before the progenitor of Quincy.

"I know not how it is that I still breathe, nor why you have decided to steal my eyes. At this point, it is irrelevant. Though you errored greatly in your efforts to use me for your own benefit, it seems that I owe you for my resurrection. Thus, I shall show you my thanks with a swift death."

Orez weakly got up to his feet before snarling. "Don't...get...so cocky. You're nothing… nothing more than… an emperor without a kingdom… while I am a god! Darkness Stream!"

(Song of choice: One Hundred years. Berserk OST)

A massive collection of dark energy coalesced and fired from Orez's hand before rushing to engulf its target, the Quincy Kaiser simply bringing up his sword to block the attack. His feet were initially pushed back, but a swift flick of his wrist cleaved the beam in two, along with emitting a powerful shockwave which burst through and shot off one of Orez's hands.

"Graaaaagghhhh!" The god howled in pain as Yhwach slowly made his way towards him.

"How interesting. That attack wasn't compromised of reiatsu at all. It seems this world you've summoned me to uses a different power all together." He then closed his eyes, preparing to access his Almighty eyes...only to find, to his immense shock, that his eyes remained the same. His eyes widened briefly in surprise before he smirked. "I see. So, it seems that I am unable to access my power while I have less than half of my strength. Your powers truly are intriguing. It seems I'll have much to learn before I-"

"Abyss Typhoon!"

A dark blue cyclone burst around the emperor, blasting out beyond the castle's wall and stretching out farther than the eye could see. Orez smirked before he began to gloat. "I'm no ordinary deity. I'm the god of knowledge! While I may not possess the ability to cast every spell in existence, my knowledge of them all still gives me a vast array of abilities, the likes of which you could never-"

An arrow of light burst through the cyclone, dispersing it and hurtling towards the deity. Orez was just barely able to dodge underneath the arrow's trajectory, using the sound the attack emitted as a guide, only to feel a powerful slash across his back. He fell to the floor in a swiftly growing puddle of his own blood, groaning. He slowly turned his head once he heard Yhwach's footsteps before they stopped, the god-killer presumably right behind him.

"My apologies. It seems with the amount of strength that you've taken from me that I won't be able to give you the swift death I had promised. How unfortunate, for a supposed god."

Orez tried to get up only for Yhwach to kick him on the side of his stomach, sending him across the room and breaking through one of its many pillars.

He struggled to even breathe, let alone stand, gasping for breath before he heard Yhwach speak up once more. "Hmm… If you truly are considered a god in this world, then it seems that I have little to fear. Your power is just barely that of the average captains. There is little doubt in my mind that most of my Sternritter would have been more than capable of dealing with the likes of you."

Orez staggered to his feet and created a purple magical blade, swinging it at the emperor, but every one of his swings was deflected with casual ease by Yhwach's own blade. Orez prepared to cast yet another spell before Yhwach grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall, destroying it as he impaled the god with his blade once more. The god yelled out in torment before Yhwach squeezed his throat, silencing him before the veins in his hand glowed and began to spread throughout Orez's body.

"Now then, given how you tried to rip away my eyes with your bare hands, I believe that it's only fair that I take from you all of your power and knowledge." As the veins continued to spread throughout Orez's body, causing immeasurable pain to the once haughty deity, Yhwach gazed deeply into his sightless eyes. "Now sleep, God of Knowledge."

Choking on his own blood, Orez futilely tried to remove the Quincy's hand from his throat, but it was no use. Every spell he cast simply did not have the firepower to remove Yhwach from his death grip. As his arms began to slacken, Orez knew that this was the end. There was nothing he could do that could save himself, no spell that would vanquish this foe.

No, that wasn't quite true… There was one last spell that he could use. One that could work on beings vastly more powerful than its caster. A spell that used up its caster's own life force and usually resulted in their deaths. At least, for the humans who used it. There was little doubt in his mind that casting this spell in his current state was risky, but he was positive he could at least survive the attempt. He was far beyond the mere humans who had died casting it after all. Sure, he would likely be without power for about a century ...but at least with this, his assailant would no longer be a threat.

"A...A... ABYSSAL REMOVAL!"

As soon as he choked out the words, a massive, black sphere surrounded the two, Yhwach simply narrowing his eyes in response. "A last ditch effort, hmm? Admirable, but ultimately useless." He flared up his reiatsu, preparing to disperse the energy surrounding them...only for it to fade into the darkness as the sphere grew!

Yhwach's eyes widened in surprise as he sensed his power being siphoned from him. "What!? What is this!? What have you done!?" He demanded.

Orez weakly chuckled. "Abyssal removal. It's a spell of the dark arts that siphons away the strength of its target to less than a thousandth of what it once was. Of course...it also has a significant drawback...my own life force is required to cast the spell. I have no doubt that I'll be severely weakened after casting it. But you...you will soon be no more powerful than a mere Quincy!"

Infuriated, Yhwach attempted to stab him through the heart before the spell was fully completed, but just before he could land the lethal blow, Orez blasted him right on the chest with Darkness Stream, blasting his attacker across the room. The weakened Quincy swayed upon getting to his feet as his body was now covered in blood from the many lacerations his body received from the attack. Not wasting any time, Orez pressed his remaining hand to the floor as Yhwach's power continued to diminish.

"Now...to send you to the mortal realm...where you will never be able to achieve your dream of controlling the divine!" A circle formed below the Quincy as his strength neared that of a simple Soldat. Furious, he refused to let this so-called god have the last laugh. As the portal began swallowing his body, Yhwach summoned up his bow and let loose as powerful an arrow as his wrathful yet weakened form could manage, the arrow escaping its drawstring just as his body vanished to the mortal realm.

Weak as Orez was now, the arrow pierced right through his heart, embedding him into the wall of his once pristine castle before he left out a cough of blood. "N-no...damn it all. Not...like this. I can't perish...like this. I...am the great...Orez. I-" His head slumped forward as the wall gave way, his body crashing down to the floor below, sprawled out in a pool of his own blood.


Iris clenched her fists and spoke through gritted teeth. "That…damn…fool! The reason all of the gods were informed that Yhwach was off limits to be chosen as a warrior was because he was a threat to us all! How could he have been so half-witted to have thought things would have gone his way!?"

"His wealth of knowledge always did give him a greater sense of superiority than was deserved…" Sylphia said with a shake of her head. "At least now we know how he arrived in Earth Land, even if it was in a much weaker state than he is now. Nevertheless, it's dealing with him now that concerns me." Not to mention the fact that the Quincy had clearly managed to siphon off at least some of Orez's knowledge of their world. How much, however, had yet to be ascertained. She doubted it was much, given how quickly he had been pushed away…but even the tiniest amount could prove deadly depending on what knowledge he had acquired.

"I'm more concerned with how he survived at all," Iris told Sylphia. "You saw his injuries. With the power he had left, those wounds should have undoubtedly been fatal. Yet he still roams Earth Land. How is it possible!? He has no means to heal himself!"

"That is a rather perplexing question," Sylphia agreed. "But right now we must focus on finding his location. With the sole exception of when he had emerged in Fiore for the first time to confront Siegrain, I have yet to sense his pressure since. Perhaps he has created another Schatten Bereich to hide his presence from us like he did with the Soul Reapers a thousand years ago."

"Well, once you do find him, I say we gather up all of the gods and take him out right now!" Iris demanded, tears falling from her eyes. Even though she had grown to hate the deity that Orez had become, it didn't change the fact that, for several hundred years, she had still loved him. It seemed she hadn't moved on quite as much as she had hoped. "If we attack him all at once-"

"It'll cause irreparable damage to the human world, killing us all in the long run," Sylphia finished for her. "No, a direct confrontation must be avoided with him at all costs. Furthermore, upon seeing how easily he dealt with Orez, I believe that only the strongest of us hope to stand even a chance at defeating him in battle, even without the powers of the Soul King. Were it not for that last spell Orez used…I believe Yhwach would have conquered all of Earth Land already. Right now, we simply have to hope that Aizen will be able to fulfill the task we've asked of him."

"Sosuke Aizen," Iris growled as she clenched her fists. "If he tries to do anything to Hinamori, I'll-"

"He won't," Sylphia informed her. "Right now, he needs to play his cards right, and hurting her would irrevocably damage what little good will the members of Fairy Tail that are aware of his existence have in him. Besides, he said it himself; their assistance is quite necessary to defeating Yhwach. Not to mention the fact that there's nothing to truly gain by hurting her. I agree that the way he treated her original counterpart was absolutely unacceptable, but the fact remains most of it was only done to further his plans. I see no benefit in him trying to hurt her ever again."

"I pray that you're right, Sylphia," Iris said as she looked back down at the smiling Momo. "For her sake, I truly hope you are."


Well now, we certainly had a lot go on this time, didn't we? For those of you who have read my other story, "The Death and Life of Erza Scarlet", it should come to little surprise that I found a way to work Momo into the story. She is, after all, my favorite character in all of Bleach.

Allow me to quell some potential fears however. No, she's not here purely just for that reason, as I do have plans for her down the line. Nor by any means will she be taking over the roles that belong to Bambietta, Liltotto, Candice and the major Fairy Tail character. She will simply become another member of the main cast. Nothing more.

Also, we now finally know how and why Yhwach is in this world in the first place. Ah, the arrogance of the gods in Earthland truly knows no bounds. Now the rest of Earthland will have to pay the price for Orez's arrogance.

I have several more chapters on the way in regards to AQFT, though I do plan to eventually take a break of some sort down the line. It's needed to avoid burnout I feel. So I can't promise a monthly update schedule from this point onwards. I will try to continue to update the first of every month, but I can make no promises from this point on.

I'm super excited for Bleach's anime return though. Here's hoping it'll be simulcasted though. I've waited 10 years to see this story continue in animated form, and I don't want to wait much longer.

Oh, and for those wondering, yes, those two "parlor tricks" Momo used were based on Magical Hats and Mystic box from Yugioh, just a small way for me to pay tribute to Kazuki Takahashi. It was the very least I could do to honor his memory for all the hours of fun his creation had given me and so many other fans. Rest in peace.

Also, Conleth is based on "Sparky Sparky boom man" but that's rather obvious.

Well, that's all I have to say this time around. Take care!

MPFs

Reigai Momo/Original Momo with shikai (Base): 1550

Conleth: 1600

Reigai Momo (Shikai): 3000

Renji (Bankai, Soul Society/Arrancar arc): 3500

Conleth (Hollow Mask): 3550

Reigai Momo (Hado #78, full incantation): 4500