Greetings, dear readers of "A Quincys Fairy Tail!" and Happy 2024! I hope that you all managed to enjoy the two chapters of Redemption V that I put out earlier this month. If you haven't had a chance to read them, I suggest doing so, as they give minor hints of things to come while being spoiler free, and a chance to see more of the characters.
However, back to AQFT proper, when we last left our hero's, they were all left in a horrible predicament, only for some unexpected help to show up at the last second, much like it happened during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, and even Bleach's own Hueco Mundo arc.
But will they be strong enough for the job? We are, after all, talking about the Espada with the fastest sonido, the strongest Espada (Supposedly at least) and the sixth Kenpachi, who was dethroned by one of the current Four Gods of Ishgar.
Well, there's only one way to find out!
Many thanks to Soratherocks531 for editting this chapter and CallousGuardian for writing a huge chunk of Mystogan vs Zommari
Erza couldn't believe her own eyes. In one moment she had believed that her life was about to come to a violent end, yet in the next not only was she whisked away from her would-be killer, but also reunited with a dear friend she had considered taken away from her in a cruel twist of fate. She clenched onto his shoulder with her remaining hand as her eyes began to well with tears. "Jellal…Is that….really you Jellal?" Erza asked as her voice shook from a partial shock, and overwhelming joy.
The former master of the Tower of Heaven nodded his head. "Yes, it's really me Erza." He replied. His eyes narrowed at the one responsible for all of this, as his mind began to recall just who it was standing before him. While his memories hadn't fully returned by any stretch of the imagination, bits and pieces had begun to return to him over the course of time. From what he could recall, Slipstream Scott, or his true name, Kenpachi Hirata, was a powerful foe that he couldn't afford to take his eyes off of for even a moment.
Hirata smiled as he looked over at the pair. "Well, well, well, this is certainly a surprise. Everyone in the Balam Alliance considered you a dead man. So tell me, what brings you here all the way to Magnolia?"
"Some friends of mine wanted to come and see the Harvest Festival, as well as pay the Fairy Tail guild hall a visit. One of them is looking for a close friend of hers. I simply decided it was best that I followed along," Jellal answered. "But I never suspected I'd be reunited with Erza, especially like this."
That caused Erza to raise an eye out of confusion. Why on earth would he be surprised to run into me here? He knows that I'm from Fairy Tail. There's no way in that time in the Magic Council that he wouldn't have found out our guild was in Magnolia either. That's practically common knowledge. Had something happened to his memories? The fact that he was even alive at all was a mystery, but this just brought up even more questions.
"Jellal…How are you still alive?" Erza asked him.
"To be honest, I'm not sure myself," Jellal answered. "All I know is that when I came to, I woke up on a beach all by myself until my new friends found me and nursed me back to health."
He could only suspect that this meant one thing. His attempt to revive Liltotto Lampard had failed. Even though he had been willing to pay the ultimate price to atone for his sin, it seemed all for naught. I suppose the tower was nothing more than the dream of madmen after all. To think Erza and I were forced to finish its construction for something it could have never hoped to achieve.
Erza could see Jellal's face twisting into one of slight sorrow, but before she could inquire as to what the source of his distress was, Hirata called out to them.
"Well, I hate to be the one to interrupt a reunion between two friends, but Scarlet and I were in the middle of something. So unless you wish to stand aside-"
"Five Stars: Heavenly Flame Assault!"
Five massive balls of fire formed around Jellal and shot out towards Hirata, forcing the Kenpachi to jump back to avoid the first two before he sliced through the remaining three fireballs, Hirata smirking at Jellal.
"I will do no such thing," Jellal declared as he glared at the former Captain. "I won't allow you to so much as hurt another hair on her head. From this moment on, I shall be your opponent."
Erza gasped as she clenched onto his arm. "No! Jellal you don't understand! Hirata's too dangerous to fight alone! Let me-"
Jellal shook his head. "I know how much you want to lend me a hand but in your current condition you'd only just get in the way. I've already let you get hurt from my own inability to protect you far too many times. This time….This time I'll be sure to set things right. Mary!"
Just then a child with pink hair and bizzare star shaped eyes stepped out from a nearby tree as she gave Jellal a smile. "You called, Jellal?"
He nodded. "Yes. I need you to take Erza away from here as far as you can. That guild hall at the top of Fiore should have someone who should be able to patch her up enough so that she doesn't die! She's…very important to me."
Mary nodded her head enthusiastically. "Mmmhmmmmmm! Roger! I'll be sure to get her up there lickity split!"
Erza looked like she was about to protest some more but before she had the chance, Jellal placed his hand in front of her face before he calmly muttered "Slēp."
Erza's eyelids suddenly began to feel heavy as her mind placed two and two together. That was a sleeping spell! "Jellal no I…I can't…lose you…again." She weakly protested as she felt her strength begin to leave her body. "Please…let…me…." But it was too little too late, and before she knew it, Erza had fallen into a deep slumber.
Jellal carefully handed the unconscious redhead to Mary, the young child surprisingly able to hold Erza up with one hand despite the vast difference in size between them as her other had grabbed onto her discarded limb. "I'm counting on you Mary. Please…make sure she gets there safe and sound." Jellal told her.
Mary beamed. "Don't worry about a thing, Jellal! I'll be sure to get her there in a jiffy! You just need to make sure you kick this guy's butt!"
Jellal shot Mary a brief but comfortable smile. "I'll be sure to do that. I'm counting on you."
Mary then took off in a hurry, moving far faster than she should have been able to under the current circumstances. Jellal looked over towards Hirata then, his face filled with rage. "Now it's just you and me."
Hirata could only smirk. "Oh well that suits me just fine. I already got as much as I could out of her at her current level anyways. Fighting you should be even more entertaining than she was!"
"You're just lucky Erza didn't have the opportunity to fight you with her full strength." Jellal spat at him. "If not for how close you were to Magnolia, I have no doubt she would haved used her full might to crush you. I couldn't even hold a candle to it."
"Ah yes, that new armor of hers. I was hoping I'd get a chance to witness its strength for myself. Such a shame really." Hirata responded as he took up a stance with his sword. "But I suppose you'll have to be a worthwhile replacement!"
(Song of choice: Enchantment Raid, Fairy Tail OST)
Hirata vanished from Jellal's sight before he appeared right behind him with flash step, his sword swinging down towards Jellal's neck, but just as the blade was about to make contact, Jellal's body glowed a golden hue before he ducked underneath the strike and kicked him hard on the chin. The attack sent him high into the air before Jellal soared above him and slammed the heel of his foot into Hirata's back, slamming the Kenpachi to the ground. Jellal then held his hands in a familiar pose as seven magical circles formed behind him, each shining a golden yellow.
"May the seven stars bring judgment upon you! Grand Chariot!"
Seven bursts of light shot down towards Hirata, and while the sixth Kenpachi was able to deflect the first three rays of light, the remaining four slammed into him, creating an explosion which obscured Jellal's vision. I doubt that'll be enough to end the fight, but it should be a good start at lea–
Jellal's eyes widened when Hirata burst out of the dust cloud with a bleeding forehead and several bruises throughout his body as he went in for a slash. He came far closer than Jellal would have liked, his blade only a few inches away from him before Jellal soared out of the way and flew around him, delivering a kick in Hirata's back, forcing him to skid across the air. He looked over at Jellal, and gave him his characteristic smirk.
"Well, aren't you a fast one?" Hirata spoke. "I guess I'll have my work cut out for me this time."
"I know fairly well what your abilities are thanks to my time as the pawn of the Balam Alliance." Jellal responded. "As long as I avoid contact with your blade's edge, then I'll have nothing to fear."
Hirata's smirk didn't lessen in the slightest however. "Well, that's a fair assessment. But if you really think it's going to be easy, then you're in for a nasty surprise. Jinsoku Kaze!" (Swift Breeze)
A series of cuts shot out towards Jellal at lightning speed. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to fully dodge the attack with speed alone, Jellal decided to create a buffer between them. "Six Stars, Pillars of Padma!" Six pillars of ice formed in front of him, and just as expected, the series of cuts slashed away at it with ease. However, the precious few extra seconds it brought allow him to rocket down to the ground before he placed both of his hands on the ground.
"Gia's Deliverance!"
A massive, gargantuan piece of earth, about a mile large in diameter shot out from the ground and fired off towards Hirata. The sixth Kenpachi was ready however and slashed at the massive boulder multiple times with Ramusama's edge several times a second until the massive rock was slashed into several pieces.
"You'll have to do better than that, pretty boy!"
Jellal dashed away from where he was as Hirata slammed his sword into the ground where he once stood as he prepared his next spell. "Six Stars: Wrath of Neptune!"
Six intense bursts of water shot off from their own deep blue magical circle as they slammed into Hirata, taking him off of his feet and slamming him into the ground. However, this was only the start of Jellal's counter offensive.
"Six Stars: Mar's Flames of War!"
Six large flaming vortex's surrounded Hirata before they all quickly converged onto him and formed into one large massive tornado of fire, the earth itself began to scotch from it's heat.
Jellal narrowed his eyes at the massive vortex as he debated his next move, but the burning tornado soon dissipated, with Hirata nowhere to be seen…and hole where he once stood.
Shit!
Jellal swore as he took up into the sky, but it was too late as Ramusama's shot out from the earth and managed to deliver a shallow cut across Jellal's chest, the mage hissing in pain as he finished soaring into the sky.
"Seems like I managed to land a hit after all" Hirata said with a cheeky grin as he looked up towards Jellal. "So, what was that about an easy victory?"
"... I'll admit you're more formidable than I expected. A foolish mistake on my part," Jellal admitted before he glared at Hirata once. "But it doesn't change the fact that I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Erza!"
"Oh? Let's see if you still feel that way after I cut you a few more times with my blade!"
Then, without warning Hirata seemingly sped off towards Jellal far faster than before. Jellal was just barely able to move his head back in time to avoid a slash to his throat, only for Hirata to slam his foot into Jellal's stomach, sending him back a few meters. Jellal coughed and wheezed from the kick but before he could properly catch his breath, Hirata was already on him as he dashed towards him and swung his sword down.
However, Jellal kicked at Hirata's feet, causing him to lose his balance and fall right into a Meteor enhanced punch before Jellal began to unleash a rapid onslaught of punches. Hirata's head was battered to and fro as Jellal relentlessly pounded away at him, and with one last powerful punch, his opponent was sent back, his face covered with various bruises and a black eye.
Hirata took several step backs before he began to swing his sword at Jellal, the blue haired mage forced back into defense as he struggled to side Hirata's strikes as each blow got closer and closer to slicing through his skin.
Jellal quickly spotted an opening and slammed his left knee into Hirata's stomach, but the Kenpachi was quick to retaliate and attempted to swing his sword down Jellal's chest. The former wizard saint was able to flow back enough to avoid most of the damage, though its edge still managed to slice slightly into him, forcing Jellal to win in pain.
"Flame Bullet!" Jellal cried out as he blasted Hirata almost point blank in the face, forcing him to cry out before Jellal continued to float back as he began to prepare for his next spell. "Five Star:-"
But Hirata had appeared right before Jellal mid incantation and thrust his blade through Jellal's left shoulder. Jellal cried out in pain before his fist glowed with power. "Heavenly Fist of the North Star!"
Jellal's fist slammed into Hirata's nose, breaking it and forcing the Kenpachi to cry out as he tried to slash at Jellal, but Jellal had quickly flown back and raised a hand up in the air.
"Heavenly Body Magic: Pleiades!"
Six rays of light shot down from the sky and began to fire down on Hirata. Hirata's brilliant red blade slashed through each of the attacks, but Jellal was far from finished.
"Dark Rondo!"
Several dark ghosts shot from Jellal's hands and slammed into Hirata's chest, forcing him to grunt out in pain from each strike, but Hirata began to slash his way through the horde of artificial spector's, and he began to slowly yet surely gain ground towards Jellal. However, as he began to gain more ground did the ghouls begin to swirl around him, obscuring Hirata's vision as he tried to slice away at the twisting mass. However, with such a constant stream of ghosts swirling around at high speeds, it made his shikai's primary ability next to useless.
This was exactly what Jellal had been hoping for as he prepared what would be his final attack. Crossing his arms above his head, a massive bright magic circle began to form above his head.
"Altairis!"
All of the nearby shadows began to bend towards his direction as a black orb began to form above his head. This is it, Hirata! Jellal thought as he watched the sixth Kenpachi finally managed to cut himself free from the swirling vortex of ghosts. This end's right here, right no–
There stood Liltotto Lamperd, the Quincy's arms outstretched just as Erza had done moment's prior, though hers were shaking violently. Her body was covered in lacerations and bruises, far worse than what she already had before from Jellal.
"It...looks like...I made it...Just...in time." Liltotto weakly stammered out as her body began to tremble like a leaf, Ransotengai finally giving out.
Almost instantly did Jellal lurch forward as an intense sensation of dread, guilt, and nausea began to overload his senses as the memory of his last and final victim faded from his mind. The same death that hurt Erza so much. The death that he failed to ultimately reverse. His spell began to dissipate as he tried to recompose himself. That's…that's right. This is the technique that I used to–
Only for Hirata to appear right in front of Jellal, his sword poised to strike him right down the middle. Thinking quickly, Jellal created nine blades made of lightning behind him before he had the lot of them fire towards Hirata. The Kenpachi was able to cut through each of them with ease, but the maneuver allowed Jellal enough time to dash back several dozen feet. With one eye still on his opponent, he brought one hand to his face in an effort to recompose himself.
"What's wrong? You were just standing there," Hirata asked as he frowned at Jellal. "Don't tell me you're starting to run out of steam. The fun's only just begun."
Jellal lowered his hand. "Not even close!" He answered, though his hands and arms still shook from his earlier experience. It was a moment of weakness, allowing that brief memory to overcome him like that, but even so… it didn't change the fact that his heart felt heavy with the weight of guilt once more. How will Erza ever be able to look at me again? He couldn't help but think to himself. He wanted nothing more than to spend more time with her, to make up for everything that had happened between them… But…
How could he possibly hope to do so after taking the life of one of her friends?
No! Jellal shouted to himself as he shook his head. Right now, none of that matters! What I have to do right now is simple! Defeat this man, and make sure he never harms Erza ever again!
"Done with your own internal pep talk?" Hirata asked as he slowly approached him. "I'd like to make sure when I defeat you, it'll be when you're at your best. It's no fun defeating a foe when their mind's not in the game."
"You seem quite confident in your chances," Jellal retorted. "So far, the fight's been rather even. I wouldn't get too far ahead of yourself if I were you."
Hirata simply wagged a finger at Jellal. "Ah, but you see, if I was already using my full might, you'd have a point there. But the fact of the matter is that I have much, much more power at my disposal than you could hope to handle." His smirk began to grow slightly then as a fire lit in his eyes. "I know that you studied quincies after the defeat your thought projection suffered at the hands of the new emperor of Bosco, and I'm sure that also gave you credence to study arrancar and shinigami as well."
"What's your point?" Jellal asked angrily.
"It's simple," Hirata said with a smirk. "I still have the use of my bankai. In fact, perhaps I should try it now and show yo–"
(Song of choice: Erza Advent. Fairy Tail OST)
"Seven Stars: Planetarium!"
A large ray of light shot out from the ground and formed into a massive dome around Hirata. The Kenpachi simply smirked. "Did you really think something like this can hold me after all that!? You should know better!"
However, mere seconds after Hirata made his bold declaration did seven gigantic magical circles form inside of the dome of light, each its own unique color before they blasted a powerful laser from each, forcing Hirata down to the ground as the ground cratered beneath him. They continuously blasted away at him, leaving Hirata with no choice but to constantly be on the defensive as Hirata tried to deflect each and every single blast as best as he could with Ramusama.
Jellal was not idle outside of the dome though as he began preparations for his most powerful spell. Back at the Tower of Heaven, it had taken every single ounce of his willpower to prevent his corrupted self from using it during his battle with Erza. But now, with his friends far from danger, and Magnolia a good distance away, he could use it with no hesitation.
Jellal extended the middle and index fingers of both hands, forcing them to touch the ground below. His right hand then shot up and the clouds above him began to part, revealing a massive, gigantic meteor that soared down from the heavens themselves.
"SEMA!"
Off in the distance, the massive dome of light which held Hirata shattered into a thousand pieces as a series of cuts ran throughout the dome. The Sixth Kenpachi panted and wheezed, looking much worse for wear than he had before. "Is that… all you… got?"
His eyes widened as he sensed an enormous amount of power heading right towards him in the form of a large meteor. His expression quickly changed from it's usual cocky self to one of worry, he attempted to block the oncoming meteor as best he could with Ramusama's blade. However, the attack was simply too strong and too fast for him to cut through, as a massive explosion rocked the entire town of Magnolia and the surrounding forest. Dust and debris filled the air, and when it all finally settled, there was a giant crater several dozen feet deep and spanning almost a mile wide.
Hirata still stood, but he was a mess. His left arm was completely limp, and he was bleeding all over, panting with exhaustion. Yet even still did he shoot Jellal a weak grin. "You… cheeky bastard. That was some move you have there. Even with Ramusama I couldn't block it completely."
Jellal could scarcely believe that the man was still standing. Yes, he had a reputation as one of the most powerful mages in all of the Balam Alliance, but for him to still be on his feet despite all of that? It was nothing short of madness!
It was also extremely bad news. Sema was a spell that took up a good chunk of his magic. If he were to use his bankai now…
"Very well. I suppose I'll yield for today."
Jellal blinked, surprised that the man would simply surrender. "You're… giving up?" He couldn't help but ask.
Hirata weakly chuckled. "Not much I can do with a broken arm. My zanpakuto works at its best when I can use both of my arms. Even if I could use bankai, there'd be no point. Besides, we're both spent given how much damage we've taken. I'll just have to report back to Master Hades to inform him that you're still alive and well."
Hirata slowly turned his back as he began to walk away, but just as he jumped out of the crater, he turned around to face him. "Oh, one more thing. Do tell Scarlet that I fully intend to challenge her once again, so she should take what time she has after she recovers to become as strong as she can! Because next time, I won't be so merciful."
And then, with a single use of Flash Step, he was gone.
With his foe now gone, Jellal couldn't help but collapse to the ground, smiling. "Finally…finally. I've done something right." He said to himself. As far as he was concerned, his debt to Erza was far from fully repaid. How could it be, after he took the life of Liltotto? But there was one thing that he was absolutely certain about. He would spend the rest of his days with her trying to fulfill his debt and to ensure her happiness.
As far as he was concerned, there was simply nothing more important.
"I see. So, you are one of Fairy Tail's Legendary S-Class wizards, are you?" Zommari asked as he slowly turned around to face the new arrival. "Then it would seem as if I've finally found myself a worthy opponent."
"A worthy opponent you say?" Mystogan asked as he narrowed his eyes at the 6th Espada. "That's a pretty bold statement to make about someone you know little about."
"What's there to know?" Zommari replied. "You are an S-class wizard of what is mostly considered the strongest guild in Fiore, while I am an Espada, one of the strongest warriors within my own 'guild'. As far as I'm concerned, that places each of us in an equal stature."
"If you believe that one's mere rank is enough to judge an opponent's strength, then you've already lost," Mystogan stated before he slammed two of his stave's down to the ground. "Allow me to educate you then, on the difference between your guild's greatest mages, and ours."
"Will you now? Ironic…I was thinking the exact same thing."
(Song of choice: Phenomena, Bleach OST 2)
Then, right before Mystogan's eyes, Zommari vanished from his line of sight. However, the S-Class mage quickly spun around before he pulled out one of his stave's, blocking a downward swung from Zommaris sword.
Zommari's eyes widened, but only momentarily. "Well blocked. You're the first wizard I've run into who could react to my sonido."
"I'll certainly admit you moved much faster than I expected," Mystogan replied. "Had I been a second slower, you might have actually cut me."
"A second slower you say?" Zommari asked, his eyes narrowing. "How unfortunate for you then…That this isn't anywhere near my full capacity for speed."
Before Mystogan could ponder what he meant, he sensed a presence to the right, forcing him to jump up into the air as he avoiding another strike, as another Zommari had seemingly appeared into existence.
What, a clone!? Mystogan shouted internally, surprised at its sudden appearance. How could he have made one without my noticing!? Did he make it before the battle began?
"To think you were able to dodge Gelemos Sonidos' first strike. It seems Fairy Tail's S class is indeed worthy of its reputation."
His eyes widening, Mystogan turned around to block an unexpected third strike from Zommari, as a third one suddenly appeared right before him. However, his reaction time wasn't fast enough, the tip of his sword piercing into Mystogan's shoulder.
Grunting slightly in pain, Mystogan pointed his right hand at Zommari's face before a blue ball of energy shot out from the palm of his hand, forcing the Espada off of him before he landed on his feet, and the 'clone' faded into the either. He quickly glanced over towards the Espada, the initial clone also fading away.
I see. So that's what it is. Mystogan thought as he narrowed his eyes. "That's quite the spell you have there." Mystogan admitted, narrowing his eyes at the three bodies of the Espada. "But I've already figured out your little trick."
"Oh? Have you now?" Zommari inquired, the Espada's expression remaining as stone faced as ever.
"At first I was wondering how you were able to create clones so fast without my notice. Nor did they seem to possess any of the drawbacks of most clone spells," Mystogan answered. "Clone magic either halves the strength of its caster, generates multiple clones in a vastly weaker state than the original, or creates multiple of equal power with varying personalities. Yours didn't appear to possess any of those weaknesses…But that's because they're not truly clones to begin with. They're simply solid afterimages. They have enough form and shape to attack and to be thrown back, but they only exist for a moment."
"An impressive deduction despite having only seen my technique once," Zommari admitted. "But if you truly believe that simply knowing information will change the course of this battle, you'll be sorely disappointed."
"Seeing it once was more than enough," Mystogan replied before he narrowed his eyes at the Espada. "If they are simply generated by speed, then all I'll have to do is just move faster than you can use that technique of yours."
"A sound theory," Zommari admitted. "But it has one fatal flaw."
"And just what would that be?" Mystogan asked.
"Because amongst all of the Espada…None possess a faster Sonido than my own."
Just like before, Zommari vanished from Mystogan's vision. However, just as Zommari materialized right behind him and attempted to strike him, Mystogan himself appeared right behind Zommari, greatly surprising the arrancar. Mystogan swung one of his staff's at Zommari, hitting the arrancar on the back of his head.
However, a second Zommari appeared to his right, forcing Mystogan to duck under the strike and aim the palm of his hand hand at the afterimages stomach, blasting it away through a tree. Finally, the third clone appeared from the left, thrusting his sword down at the kneeling mage. However, just as the sword was about to thrust through Mystogan's chest, he managed to disappear yet again, and appeared a dozen feet away from the Espada.
"Impressive. I didn't think humans possessed high speed movement techniques," Zommari admitted as he glanced behind him.
"Most don't. However, I've found a need for such spells after I found myself in a similar situation to this one. It's quite handy when dealing with multiple powerful opponents," Mystogan told him. "But as you can see, that technique of yours can no longer touch me. Your three-pronged attack won't avail you any more hits."
"Is that so? How unfortunate for you then-"
Before Mystogan knew it, three more clones of Zommari struck at him in multiple directions, their swords impaling him through the chest and back.
"I can create more than just three afterimages with Gelemos Sonido," One of the clones told Mystogan.
"That's what you get for not taking your opponent seriously," The second one added.
"For Arrogance such as this, is exactly what brought about your own downfall," The last one spoke.
"You're… right. I…underestimated you," Mystogan wheezed out. "It's a good thing then that I took precautions from the very beginning."
The three Zommari's eyes shot wide open as the Mystogan impaled on their blades faded into a burst of light, each one quickly turning their attention towards the sound of their voice, Mystogan standing right between the two staffs he had placed at the very beginning of the fight.
The espada thought back to their encounter trying to figure out when he could have possibly prepared such a spell, only to briefly recall the moment where the mage glowed for but a moment. "I see. Back then, was it?" He then turned his attention back towards his opponent. "A clever diversion. However, I won't allow you to use such tricks ever again."
Mystogan didn't bother to reply as he slammed his remaining staff to the ground as magic began to burst from around him and the other staves that he had spread out from the beginning of their encounter.
Zommari narrowed his eyes, then disappeared with a burst of static. As interesting as this encounter with one of Fairy Tail's S-class mages had been, it was best he put an end to this battle before Mystogan could cast whatever spell he was preparing. However, as Zommari attempted his approach, he was blown back along with his sword as geysers of power burst forth from each staff, the corner staves transforming into sakaki branches several meters tall while the middle staff previously held by Mystogan turned into an enormous sakaki tree. Near the top of each corner branch, white cords of power wrapped around the wood before reaching for another branch, forming a square enclosure around Mystogan and Zommari. Along the magical ropes were draped several of what appeared to be white zigzags made of paper.
Having spent some time in Los Noches library, something Lord Aizen had created for himself and any arrancar invested in such things, the Espada was able to identify them as shide, used in a certain human religion for demarcating the boundaries of sacred spaces. If that was correct, then that meant those ropes were shimenawa, used for a similar purpose.
Sweat trickled down the back of Zommari's neck. Given his own dependency on spiritual techniques, this could not be a coincidence. He had to get out of here as soon as possible. Yet, upon reaching the boundary furthest from where he remembered the girl to be, he encountered an invisible barrier stretching from branch to branch. So, he was being prohibited in both his abilities and his movement…
Damn.
"Do you know what this is?"
Zommari turned and looked up to see Mystogan standing atop a branch, one hand against the trunk, eyes burning into his. Gaze briefly darting back to the barrier, Zommari was about to respond when he realized the masked man was no longer standing on the branch. He was gone? Within that briefest of moments Zommari had looked away? Zommari readied his blade, though that did little to soothe his anxiety. Especially not when his opponent's voice seemed to echo throughout the spiritual enclosure. He retreated to the middle, keeping his back to the tree in order to have at least one direction accounted for.
For a split second, Zommari had to wonder if they had made a fatal mistake in targeting the girl.
For the sake of his nerves, Zommari deigned to respond. "I believe this is called a himorogi, correct? An enclosure of purified space that is typically used for worship by certain groups of humans. Forgive me; I am afraid that is the extent of my knowledge on the subject."
Mystogan's voice thrummed through the air. "Earlier you proclaimed that you were looking forward to this battle of ours. You seemed to think this would be some sort of contest between equals, a battle of sorts. What appalling arrogance. This is no battle."
Zommari looked around himself but could still find no evidence of Mystogan's whereabouts. Up, down, left, right, front: nothing. He circled around the tree, still nothing. Where was he? It was only just as his mind was beginning to process a possible answer that his opponent decided to answer both of their questions at once, Mystogan's voice resounding from directly behind Zommari.
"This is an execution."
(Song of choice: Ultimate Secrets, Naruto OST)
Zommari turned around at the sound of Mystogan's voice, the S class Wizard of Fairy Tail already poised to strike as he knelt down and prepared an upwards kick.
I don't know how you managed to sneak up behind me, but it's a useless endeavor, Zommari thought. I'll simply use Gemelos Sonido to avoid his attack before I finish him off.
However, as Zommari went to mold his reiatsu to attempt the technique he was proud of, he found that his own energy wouldn't respond to his command. It was almost as if his own power was kept contained within his own body.
What!? What kind of sorcery is this!? Zommari panicked just before the heel of Mystogan's foot slammed into his chin, forcing the arrancar to fly through the air.
However, Mystogan had only landed the initial attack of what was to be the finishing blow of this battle, as he quickly leapt up into the air right next to the ascending Espada. Then, as if commanded by his thoughts alone did the wrappings around his arms release themselves from his body, only to then latch onto Zommari Rureaux own.
His stone-cold facade fading to one of panic, the Espada looked back towards Mystogan and shouted. "Foolish human, it'll take far more than a mere kick and cloth to finish our battle!"
"On the contrary, that's all I need to finish this battle!" Mystogan replied before he grabbed onto Zommari's arms and spun the two around till their heads pointed downwards to the ground. The pair began to fall then, though as they descended, a bright yellow magical circle formed right before them.
"Heaven's Descent!"
As Mystogan and Zommari passed through the Magical circle, their speed increased tenfold as they began to plummet towards the ground. Zommari's struggles intensified, but it was pointless, as Mystogan's wrappings held firm around his arms.
N-no! I can't break free!
Then, mere moments before the pair descended to the ground, Mystogan released the wrappings around Zommari's arms and pushed back, as Zommari crashed to the ground headfirst, shattering the very earth and forming a crater in the ground that shook the entire iron mill.
Mystogan rolled across the ground as he landed, his body coming to a complete stop only once he reached out with one of his hands and gripped the very earth. The S class mage glanced towards the smoking crater as he slowly stood back up. At the moment, there was nothing but silence, but was it truly over?
"He did it!" Wendy cheered. She had, admittedly, been more than a little worried when Zommari had Jellal on the back foot. Horrified actually. But now it seemed that her nightmare had finally come to an abrupt end.
Gajeel Redfox, however, was completely gob smacked. He had heard about how Mystogan had managed to single handedly defeat all of Phantom Lord's sub divisions, but the dragon slayer had thought it nothing more than an exaggerated rumor. But after seeing this...he was more than inclined to believe there was some truth to the matter after all.
Jose really thought we could win a war against a guild like this?! Gajeel couldn't help but wonder incredulously. We really didn't stand a chance, did we?
Little did Gajeel know, however, that he was not the only Dragon Slayer who was in a state of disbelief.
(Song of choice: I am Here, My Hero Academia OST)
Natsu Dragneel was dumbfounded, no, stupefied at what he was seeing. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him or something, they just had to be. He was mere seconds away from being crushed into a bloody paste by Yammy's gigantic fist…only for a lone, pink haired woman to have arrived at the last second to stop the attack, holding up the massive hand with merely one of her own. Most mind bogglingly of all, however, was the sheer ease of which she held it back, her body not seeming to be under any strain at all whatsoever. Not even Erza would have been capable of such a feat.
"We really must stop meeting like this, Mr. Dragneel," The woman said as she glanced over towards him and gave him a slight smile. "It's not good for your health to be beaten up like this after all."
Natsu almost immediately recognized her. It was the same woman who had saved him once before, the day prior to their vacation to the Akane Resort. Meninas!
"W-what the hell!?" Yammy swore as he tried to force his hand down harder and harder to the ground below, but despite his best efforts, his hand simply wouldn't slam all the way down. Something, or someone was holding him back! It was absurd! Not even that bastard who helped kill him, Kenpachi Zaraki, was able to take one of his punches without budging! Just who or what on earth was doing this!?
"Meninas…what are you doing here?" Natsu couldn't help but ask, unable to believe just how lucky he was to still be breathing at the moment.
Meninas was quick to answer as she still casually held back Yammy's hand despite the Espada's best attempt to crush her. "Oh, that's easy! My friends and I wanted to check out the Harvest Festival! I've heard so many good things about it on my travels and I simply had to check it out! Besides, I've also heard some quincy's have joined the guild, and I'm hoping they might be good friends of mine."
Natsu was quick to remember the brief conversation the female quincy's had before they left on their vacation before he quickly answered her question. "Yeah, now that you mention it, Bambi, Lil and Candi did talk about wanting to go look for you after we finished things up with our time at Akane Resort and the Harvest Festival."
Meninas beamed at the mention of her friends, her expression one of pure joy. "So they did join Fairy Tail! Oh, you have no idea how happy that makes me feel Mr. Dragneel. I'll have to joi-"
"ERRAGH!"
Just then, Yammy's other fist slammed down onto the ground before the gargantuan Espada began to pound away at the ground over and over. The ground below cracked and shattered as it quickly formed into a large crater. Ten feet. Twenty. Fourty. The crater's depth only continued to deepen with each blow. Magnolia itself shook as if it were experiencing a small earthquake as its citizens felt the distant rumble traverse throughout their entire town.
"Die, die, die! Diiiiiiieeeeeeee!"
Yammy proclaimed before he slammed his right hand down one last time, filling the air with dust and debris. The Zero Espada smirked. "Heh, I don't know what exactly got in my way, but whatever it was is history now. Now I'll just have to-"
"Now that wasn't very polite. I was in the middle of a pleasant conversation until you came bumbling in and rudely interrupted us."
Yammy glanced down as he felt a surge of reiatsu as the dust around them quickly parted. There stood Meninas, completely unharmed and none the worse for wear as she held the injured Natsu and Happy around her left hand. Her eyes narrowed at the gigantic Espada as she clenched her right hand.
"I think it's about time someone taught you some manners."
Yammy's eyes widened, his mind completely filled with disbelief that this woman was capable of withstanding so many of his punches unharmed. He let out a roar of anger then as he opened up his mouth and unleashed a massive cero from his jaw.
"DIE!"
Only for Meninas to soar through the blast, Natsu and Happy in tow, before she then slammed her right hand against Yammy's face, completely breaking his nose and shattering the mask fragment on his lower jaw. The force of the blow sent the enormous Arrancar back about half a mile away where he lay down on the ground, his jaw broken with several missing teeth on his right side.
Natsu couldn't believe it as he gaped at the defeated arrancar. He knew Meninas was strong, that much had been made abundantly clear when she had saved his life over two weeks ago and when she had stopped Yammy's attack. But for her to have defeated him in a single blow!? Simply punching Yammy had proven to have been difficult, yet here she was, having defeated him so easily. As far as he was concerned, only Gildarts could have been capable of such a thing.
She…She's amazing! Natsu couldn't help but think. For as long as he could remember, Natsu had always wanted to prove himself as one of the strongest people around. While he has always had competition for that goal, with the likes of Erza, Laxus, and even Bambietta, he felt that he was never too far behind from reaching it. But here and now…it made things abundantly clear that he had a long way to go.
Meninas, meanwhile, smiled as she observed her handy work. It looks like I was able to keep destruction of the surrounding area to a minimum. That's a relief. She was also relieved, admittedly to a much lesser extent, that the arrancar had survived. While she cared little for the lives of hollows, just like all Quincy did, she knew that if she were to properly join an official guild, it would be best to keep her hands as clean as possible.
Fairy Tail in particular was known for its policy for abstaining from taking the lives of its foes, and right now, nothing mattered more than reuniting with her friends and making proper amends to what she had done to Bambietta.
Not to mention, it wasn't very heroic.
A groan from Natsu quickly broke her out of her thoughts before she looked down at the battered and beaten dragon slayer. "Oh my, you're in rather bad shape aren't you?
Natsu chuckled weakly at her question. "Yeah…I guess you could say that.". Truth be told, he had never been so injured in his entire life, and it was taking everything in him to not scream in agony. "But…At least I managed to keep him from wrecking the town."
Meninas gave him a small smile. "That was rather impressive of you. Most people back where I came from couldn't have even hoped to have forced him to transform. You must be a very strong mage indeed."
Natsu frowned. "Not strong enough. I couldn't do a thing after he transformed. He just….beat the tar out of me. No matter what I tried, I just couldn't hurt him."
"I don't think you need to be so hard on yourself," Meninas replied. "Honestly, the fact that you even bothered to fight him at all after he used resurrección tells me that you're quite the brave man. Not a lot of people would have been willing to risk their lives the way you did."
She then smiled. "The real heroes aren't the ones who go in without any worry about whether they'll win or lose, nor are they the strongest people. If you ask me, the real heroes are those who put their lives on the line to do what's right despite the fact that they might get hurt in the process. Sure, you may have lost this time, but that just means that next time you'll have to be stronger than you were last time. As long as you do the right thing and survive..then I consider that a victory."
Natsu's eyes widened as her words managed to sooth his troubled thoughts. She's right. As long as I make it through this, it just gives me an opportunity to get even stronger! Next time I run into someone like that, they'll be history! He shot her a smile of his own then, and looked like he was about to say something, when a loud and furious yell filled the air.
(Song of choice: Enemy unseen, Bleach OST)
"EEEEEAAAAARRRRRRAAAAAGGGHHHH!"
The pink haired duo turned their heads towards the direction of the screaming as Yammy's body began to bubble and wrap until a massive pillar of red reiatsu shot up into the sky and emitted a powerful shockwave. Meninas narrowed her eyes at the pillar as she sensed the Espada's power skyrocketed.
Finally, the dust cleared and when it did, Natsu's heart nearly skipped a beat. Somehow, Yammy had become even bigger than he already was! He now stood tall with two stubby legs covered in a dark red fur along with a tail covered in similar fur. Two large, massive spikes had now grown out of his neck, and his arms looked far more muscular than before. He had a new mask now, covering his head with multiple horns along his forehead and jaw, and razor-sharp fangs and a portly belly.
"Hehehehe. Now you've really gone on and pissed me off," Yammy declared as he glared down at Meninas. "That was the worst and last mistake you could have made. My Zanpaktous name is Ira, and I'm a beast of rage! So, the more angry I get, the stronger I'll become! So go ahead, piss me off some more! It'll only make your deaths all the more pathetic!"
Meninas for her part simply looked up at her new foe before she turned her attention back towards Natsu. "Forgive me Natsu, but it looks like you're going to have to wait a bit to get those injuries of yours treated," she told the Dragon Slayer as she gently sat him down to the ground against a nearby tree before she turned around and faced Yammy. "But right now, I have to take this monster down before he hurts anyone else."
Natsu gaped at her, before his look of surprise turned into a grin. "Yeah, I getcha. Go get him, and when you're done, I'll introduce you to the whole guild!"
Meninas shot him a smile. "I think I'd like that. Now rest well and sit tight." She said as she faced the massive Espada. "I've got a town to save."
(Song of choice: Battle of Deku, My Hero Academia OST)
Using Hirenkyaku, Meninas rushed over towards Yammy. The gargantua arrancar raised his left fist up before he swung it down far faster than one would have expected. Meninas threw a punch with her own left hand in return, forcing the two fists to clash and creating a shockwave that shook all of the trees in the forest. However, Meninas recovered quickly and leapt through the air and delivered a punch to Yammy's cheek. The Espada cried out in pain before he grabbed Meninas and threw her to the ground before he began to step on her, cracking the ground beneath her as he continued to stomp on the ground.
However, as he was about to slam his foot into the ground for the seventh time, Meninas rose up the ground and caught his foot mid decent before she tossed him forward, sending Yammy up into the air before she jumped up high into the air and soared right past him and landed a punch on the back of the head, forcing him to crash to the ground.
But as Yammy lay down on the ground, his tail shot up into the air and slammed into Meninas, the former Stern Ritter blocking the attack with both hands and she fell to the ground, her feet skidding across the ground.
Yammy had already risen up to his feet and began to stomp over towards her. However, Meninas was the faster of the two as she quickly closed the distance as she took off with a powerful jump towards Yammy and slammed her right hand against his right cheek. This forced the arrancar to take several steps back before she used Hirenkyaku to punch him right in the stomach, causing Yammy to kneel over and giving Meninas the proper chance to deliver a strong uppercut to his chin, forcing the arrancar to bite his tongue mid scream.
"Stupid fucking bitch!" Yammy swore right before he grabbed Meninas and tossed her as hard as he could at the nearest mountain. The pink haired woman crashed against the rocky terrain but just as she was about to rise up to her feet, a blast of red energy managed to collide into her and send her deep into the mountain just before countless more followed, each one burrowing her further and further into the earth.
Yammy continued to unleash a deadly barrage of Balas as he punched towards her direction seemingly without end. He couldn't believe that this woman was actually putting up a fight against him in his new transformed state, it was beyond ridiculous and really starting to piss him off!
"You stupid human, nobody fights Ira and lives to talk about it! You got that! No one!"
Then, after having blasted away at the mountain for a solid minute did Yammy finally cease his assault. He smirked at the destroyed terrain as crater's littered the mountain dude, with the pink haired woman's body sprawled on the ground, completely unmoving. Yammy couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of it.
"Hehehe. See? What did I tell you? Nobody fights my resurreccion and lives to talk about it." He then turned around as he began to make his treck back towards Magnolia. "Now, where did she put that other gnat down? I oughta crush him for that beating he gave me earli-"
"Turning your back on your opponent? I feel insulted."
Yammy's eyes shot wide open before he quickly turned around to see none other than Meninas Mcallon standing right in front of him, standing in the middle of the air. Her pristine white uniform was scuffed in places, but the woman herself seemed completely fine.
"W-what!? But how!? All of those balas hit you, I'm sure of it!" Yammy shouted at her.
Meninas gave him a slight smile. "Oh, they did. Actually, you managed to get rid of this really annoying crick in the back of my neck that's been bothering me for the last day or two! So, if anything I really should thank you," She then smiled. *Oh, I know! How's about you leave Magnolia alone and we'll call it even!"
Yammy's eye began to twitch as his anger began to rise. "Even!? I'll consider us even when you're dead!" Yammy shouted before he cocked his right hand back and slammed it into Meninas…. only for the woman to simply catch it with one arm as she used Blutr Aterie to enhance her already immense strength.
She sighed. "Oh, and here I had hoped for a second we could have come to a peaceful arrangement. What a pity."
Yammy cocked his arm back before he fired off a massive cero at Meninas, but the woman quickly took out her quincy cross and transformed the weapon into a bow before she fired off her heilig pfeil with a trademarked heart shaped arrowhead, causing the blast to explode before it could make contact. She then quickly zoomed in with Hirenkyaku and cocked back her left hand as she prepared to deliver a powerful punch of her own with her left hand.
"Smallville Smash!"
Meninas's fist slammed against Yammy's massive nose, completely demolishing it into a broken bloody mess and shattering his boney mask fragment on his jaw and forehead, forcing the arrancar to crash to the ground as the earth beneath him gave way and formed into a crater about a few a hundred feet and almost equally deep. His face was completely filled with blood and a nasty black eye on his right eye from the mere shockwave of her punch.
Meninas simply glanced down at the arrancar with a look of disinterest, her hand's on her hips. "Well, have you learned your lesson yet? Or am I going to have to shatter every bone in your body to get you to listen?" She asked with a tone that had a hint of annoyance, almost as if she was a disappointed mother scolding her own child. As far as she was concerned, the sooner she put this Arrancar down, the sooner she could meet up with Bambietta and make appropriate amends.
Yammy however, was far from being 'annoyed.' If anything, he was absolutely livid. The pain of his nose being broken. The humiliation from the ease of which this woman was defeating him, the demeaning attitude she constantly used towards him, and now, her attempts to get him to surrender peacefully…It was infuriating.
(Song of choice: Invasion, Bleach OST)
"How…dare…you!" Yammy proclaimed as he rose up back to his feet as his entire body glowed red with his own reiatsu. "I'm going to make your death as slow and painful as possible. You'll pay, do you hear me!?" Yammy shouted as his power began to rise more and more.
"You'll pay!"
His portly belly began to shrink then as it quickly took on a more muscular tone, and his legs began to become thinner as the fat transformed into muscle, and his mask fragment, nose and eye began to quickly heal and he began to shrink down slightly. He couldn't recall the last time he had gotten this angry, nor this powerful. Not even the two captain's had ever forced this out of him.
Meninas simply raised an eyebrow at his transformation. "Oh, well, at least now you're starting to lose all that extra fat. Honestly you should-"
He struck then, moving much faster than he had before and slammed his fist against Meninas. The pink haired woman attempted to block the attack with her left arm, but the attack sent her crashing to the ground as her body impacted into the earth.
Meninas slowly shook her head. Oh…that one actually hurt. She thought as she glanced at her arm. There was a nasty bruise where she had attempted to block the attack, her eyes narrowing at the injury. Looks like I'll have to use Blut Vene from here on out.
However, just as she switched to her defensive blut Yammy's left foot slammed into the ground as he attempted to step on her, but Meninas had already taken to the air. She tried to punch him in the face once more, but Yammy was able to move his right arm just in time to block the attack, and while he took a step back or two, his heiro managed to withstand the blow. He threw a punch of his own then, forcing Meninas to counter with a punch of her own before the two fists connected, creating a massive shock wave that shook the entire forest and sent Meninas flying back a few feet, while Yammy took several steps back.
Meninas was quick to stop herself mid air however as she glanced back at her foe. He's starting to catch up to me in strength. That's not good. It looks as if I have no choice but to beat him to a pulp. She formed her bow once more and let loose a large heilig pfeil while Yammy quickly fired off a cero, the two attacks canceling one another out as a large explosion filled the sky. However, before the dust could clear, Yammy had already taken off into a run and punched Meninas with his right hand, the quincy blocking the attack with both of her hands, only for the massive arrancar to grab her with his left hand before he tossed her to the ground.
Meninas was able to stop herself before she hit the ground and used Hirenkyaku to appear right behind the Espada before she fired off several more arrows into his back, forcing the arrancar to cry out in pain as he attempted to swing his left hand at her, forcing her to evade with hirenkyaku yet again….Only for Yammy's tail smack into her side, sending her hurtling away and through several trees as her feet skid against the ground.
"What's wrong? Weren't you talking all that tough shit a moment or two ago?!" Yammy declared before he fired off yet another massive cero at Meninas. Not having enough time to dodge, Meninas tried to hold back the massive wave of red reshi that had been blasted towards her. But despite her best efforts, her feet began to slowly skid back more and more, the quincy beginning to lose her footing.
No…it's….too much! Meninas realized before the blast completely enveloped her and created a large explosion that shook off into the sky and could be felt for miles. As the dust cleared, Meninas emerged from the attack, but she had taken some damage, her once pristine skin was now covered with various small burns and bruises.
Meninas glared up at the massive arrancar. The longer this fight drag's on the stronger he'll get. I can see now why he was given the rank of zero. It's not his starting strength that's the issue…it's the level of power he'll eventually reach! One thing was certain, she needed to end this fight as soon as she could.
Yet just as she took off into a sprint, the quincy was slammed into the ground by a quick blast of red energy as Yammy had fired off a bala before he began to unleash a barrage of the projectiles. Meninas managed to get up to her feet despite the onslaught as she ran through the barrage, hoping to get close enough to Yammy to land a blow powerful enough to end the battle.
Yet as she jumped into the air, Yammy had punched Meninas with his right hand, sending her crashing to the ground before he slammed his left fist down on top of her body, each blow sending the woman deeper and deeper into the ground. After a dozen or so punches, Yammy picked up the quincy, the woman laying limp in his arms before he sneered.
"Now then…I think it's time I finish you off!"
He tossed the woman away from him as hard as he could before he lightly bit onto his tongue and began to charge a cero, the reiatsu forming in his mouth beginning to swirl and bend the space surrounding his head as a mass of power formed around it.
"GRAN REY CERO!"
Somehow, this cero made all the ones prior pale in comparison to its sheer size as it blasted towards Meninas as she fell to the ground and created a powerful explosion several times greater than that of his normal ceros as the attack devastated the surrounding area, disintegrating all of the trees, and even mountains. As the dust cleared, the land was revealed to be nothing more than a barren wasteland, filled with smoke and fire.
Natsu couldn't believe his eyes. There was nothing left. Nothing. He couldn't even feel her magic anymore. It was like her very existence had been erased along with the surrounding landscape. Meninas, the woman who had saved him back in CedarTown from that chimera, had just saved Natsu again, and she had paid the price for it. All because he had bitten off more than he could handle. Again.
White-hot fury coursed through Natsu, but as the giant arrancar turned back towards the boy and his cat, any shouts of defiant anger died in his throat. Instead, Natsu became increasingly aware of how much his legs wouldn't move despite how desperately he wished them to. He could feel himself go cold at the sight of such an unstoppable monstrosity taking its time lumbering towards him and his little buddy. Rather than anger, Natsu was being overtaken by something unfamiliar. He couldn't even think, he... He was...
He was afraid. This guy had just killed Meninas, and she had to have been stronger than Erza or Laxus, maybe even as strong as Gildarts, and Natsu was stuck cradling his best bud's unconscious form while the monster smirked down at him, invisible pressure still overbearing.
"Well, that's one piece of trash out of the way. Time to go three for three!"
As the giant readied his fist, Natsu held Happy closer to him and bowed his head. "Sorry, Lisanna. Guess we'll be seeing you a little sooner than we thought."
The fist was just to slam down, preparing to crush the pair of them….before a familiar voice called out to them.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on him."
(Song of choice: Seigi Shikkou, One Punch Man OST)
Natsu and Yammy's eyes widened before the massive arrancar slowly turned around to the direction of the voice. There stood Meninas Mcallon, emerging from the smokey and fiery wasteland. The right side of her forehead was bleeding profusely, and the left side her uniform in tatters, revealing a lacy white bra. However, her modesty didn't deter her in the slightest as she took a step forward, then another as Yammy's eyes continued to widen even further with each step she took.
"You…Just what the hell are you!?" Yammy demanded.
"What am I?" Meninas asked as she clenched both of her fists. "I'm a hero. And that young man, and all of Magnolia-" She slammed her right hand against her heart as her eyes began to burn with passion. "Is under my protection!"
Meninas then took off into a sprint before she leapt up into the air and slammed her fist into Yammy's right cheek, breaking his jawbone as he crashed to the ground. However, before he had the chance to properly get up, Meninas had already grabbed his tail and tossed him high into the air before she formed her bow and fired a Heilig Pfeil at the large arrancar, Yammy firing off a cero to block the attack.
The attacks canceled each other out as Yammy fell to the ground, but just as he did, Meninas had already leapt at him again. Yammy threw a punch with his right hand at the woman, but as their fists clashed Yammy cried out in pain as he felt the muscles in his arm shred and his bones shattered from the exchange. The arrancar stepped backwards several times before Meninas punched him hard in the gut, forcing the arrancar to cough out blood as he knelt over.
But as far as Meninas was concerned, there was no such thing as rest for the wicked, and she proceeded to uppercut the arrancar under his chin, shattering his mask and jawbone once more before she kicked him in the chest, shattering his ribs and rupturing his internal organs. Yammy gasped and wheezed as he tried to remain on his feet, but Meninas soared in for another punch, slamming his entire body to the ground as the ground beneath gave way, and created a crater a mile wide and several hundred feet deep.
His anger swelled up once more as he grabbed the woman with his left and tossed her away before he snarled and began to charge up yet another Gran Ray Cero. "Damn you, why won't you just die already!?" The Espada demanded as the Gran Rey Cero began to build up more and more, the Espada fusing as much power into this one in particular as he could. He didn't care if he would be out of energy after this, he just wanted her dead.
"GRAN REY CERO!"
The massive blast fired towards Meninas, but despite the large mass of reishi that had fired towards her, she stood her ground, her fists clenched as her eyes filled up with a fire of determination. "You want to know why I won't die?" She cocked back her right hand as she focused her reiatsu into this next attack, with Blut Arterie fueling her next strike.
"Because a real hero always finds a way for justice to be served! Metropolis Smash!"
Just as the Gran Rey Cero was about to make contact, Meninas punched the attack with all her might, dispersing the attack completely. However, her attack did more than just that as the shockwave of the attack was so powerful, so intense, that its aftereffects smashed into the 0 Espada, proceeding to clobber his body and sent him hurtling into the sky and destroyed all clouds across the entirety of Fiore's sky as Yammy soared past them and became nothing more than a twinkling light until he faded from sight.
Meninas panted and wheezed before she weakly looked towards Natsu's location. She proceeded to use Hirenkyaku to appear right in front of him, before she gave him a weak smile. "My…apologies for taking so long to win…Mr Dragneel. He was…much more formidable than I had anticipated."
Natsu shot her a weak grin right back at her. "Hey, don't worry about it. You won, and as far as I'm concerned, that's what matters." Truth be told, her strength baffled him. For her to have managed to win despite all of that was…well, awe inspiring.
"I suppose you make a good point." She said as she knelt down next to him. "I'm afraid that I won't be able to participate in any more battles as I am right now. I've used too much of my power with that last attack."
Natsu nodded weakly in understanding. "Yeah, I can believe it after all of that." While it was a shame that she wouldn't be able to deal with Laxus, he was just grateful that she had shown up at all.
"Still, there is one thing that needs to be done," She then proceeded to lift up the dragon slayer, along with his feline companion with one hand before she began to make her way over towards the guild. "I very well can't just leave you laying on the ground after all. Besides, the sooner I meet with Bambi and the others the better."
"Well, you might have to wait a bit on that," Natsu told her as she began her trek back to Magnolia. "We've kinda got something big going on right now, so they're kinda busy."
"You mean the Harvest Festival?" Meninas inquired. "I already know about that but I'm sure they'd be willing to spare a few-"
"No it's…more complicated than that," Natsu interrupted her. "Right now, the whole guild's being forced to fight each other so Laxus can try to become Guild Master. He had Freed set up all of the weird kind of runes throughout the town to force people to fight each other. You might want to be careful, so you don't get caught up in any of them."
Meninas gasped as she covered her mouth with her spare hand. "Oh dear. It looks like things are certainly more complicated than I suspected. I just thought that Espada was trying to destroy your town."
Natsu chuckled. "Yeah, I wish that was all we were dealing with. I'll explain more on the way there."
Meninas nodded. "Understood. In the meantime I'll see to it that you're treated properly back at your guild, Mr Dragneel."
Natsu shot her a weak smile. "Hey, far as I'm concerned you don't need to be so formal after everything you just did. Just call me Natsu from now on, Ok?"
Meninas smiled at him. "Very well. I look forward to working with you once I join the guild…Natsu."
With the battle seemingly over, Mystogan began to make his way back towards Wendy. He had no doubt in his mind that the young dragon slayer wanted nothing more than to catch up on old times. While he certainly wasn't averse to such a thing, it simply would have to wait. With the battle of Fairy Tail still going strong, Wendy's healing would no doubt play a critical role in the battles yet to come to ensure that their comrades were in tip top shape. Their reunion would simply have to wait for another-
"That was a rather impressive technique. I see now that you truly are as powerful as they claim, Mystogan of Fairy Tail."
(Song of choice: Confrontation, Bleach OST)
Mystogan stopped dead in his tracks as the unexpected voice of Zommari called out to him. Slowly, he turned around to face his foe…and what he saw was quite disturbing.
Zommari Rureaux was back up on his feet, but he was far from unharmed. While his dark skin was covered in various cuts and bruises, the most telling injury of them all was the arrancars neck. It was snapped entirely to the right side of his body. Yet, somehow, even despite this crippling injury, the Espada was standing as if nothing had happened.
"Were you battling an Espada of a lesser caliber, I have no doubt that you would have emerged victorious. Unfortunately for you, however-"
Then, as he placed both of his hands around his neck and with a sickening sound Zommari somehow managed to snap his neck right back into place. "I am not so easily dispatched of. Now, shall we continue this little bout of ours?"
I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself, Mystogan thought. I know arrancar aren't human, but even so, to see that they're capable of fighting despite such an injury… He quickly shook his head, and mind, of any lingering doubts. No, it's nothing. I'll simply have to make sure that with my next attack, there will be nothing left of him.
"You should have stayed down and slinked away while you still had the chance," Mystogan warned him. "I won't be so merciful with my next attack."
"Nor will I," Zommari replied before he gave the palm of his hand a slight cut, taking Mystogan, Wendy and Gajeel completely off guard. "Now then, let's see how you handle an Espada's ultimate technique. Gran Ray Ce-"
However, before Zommari could finish with his attack, the enormous Sakaki tree and Shide that surrounded them abruptly shattered as a tall man with medium length brown hair and blueish gray eyes, and faded goatee with a jawbone of some sort rested a hand on Zommari's right shoulder. "Sorry, it looks like you're really getting into this, but we gotta go."
Damn it, I was careless! Mystogan berated himself. Seirei no ki was a spell he had specifically created to deal with beings that relied on spiritual power. During his many travels, he had come across many strange warriors whose ability differed from the normal magic of Earthland. Knowing that sooner or later such an individual would prove to be a threat to the guild, he had devised the technique.
However, it had considerable drawbacks. The first was that it drained a considerable amount of magic from his Staves. There was little to nothing he could do if he wound up finding himself engaged in battle shortly after using the technique.
The second however, was what was more pertinent. The staves that created the barrier that enshrouded them were covered in powerful magical barriers that made destroying them next to impossible. As long as they stood, the spell would remain until he decided to end it himself. However, should any one of them wind up destroyed...The spell would cease to be.
A quick glance across the battlefield had proven this had been the case, as one of his staffs had been sliced right in half. Mystogan narrowed his eyes at the new arrival as he took a slight step back. Destroying the barriers around the staves so easily is no small feat. To be able to accomplish such a thing...he must be incredibly powerful.
He could only thank his luck that the man seemed more intent on leaving rather than continuing the fight.
"Leave? Surely you jest?" Zommari replied, his eyes gazing into Stark's. While he may have had a modicum of respect for the primera Espada for his overwhelming strength, Zommari was well aware of his lazy attitude when it came to battling. "If you wish to leave and face Lord Barragan's wrath then so be it. I, however, have no intentions of-"
"Zommari, stop with the grandstanding," Stark interrupted, his tone of voice making his irritation evident. "Haven't you noticed it yet? Grimmjow and Yammy have lost."
That grabbed Zommari's attention. As much as he loathed to admit it, between himself and the Quinta Espada, Grimmjow was stronger than him in all areas except for speed. Him losing was plenty unexpected as it was. But Yammy? Depending on how he lost...
"Did the Cero Espada have a chance to unleash his Resurrección?" Zommari asked.
Stark nodded. "Yeah, and he got a pretty big anger boost from it too. Look, I know Lord Barragan has given us orders, but if they managed to take down Yammy..."
"Then it would be best if we retrieved our fallen comrades and made a hasty retreat," Zommari grumbled. "Yes, if they truly have someone capable of such a feat, it's best we don't take our chances."
As Stark went to go and pick up Edorad, Zommari turned to face Mystogan. "Consider yourself fortunate, Mystogan. Had this battle continued, I would have had little choice but to eventually use my true strength. If you believed I was a challenge now...then you would have stood no chance."
Mystogan simply stared back at the arrancar, not bothering to give Zommari any sort of response. While he hadn't come close to unleashing his full power either, there was no need to drag out this confrontation any further. If they wanted to collect their guildmates and retreat, that was fine by him. It would allow him more time to assist the rest of the guild as best as he could.
Though to be entirely honest... I'm not sure if I could stop them even if I wanted to. Mystogan thought as he looked at Stark. That one... He's on a completely different level than the one I was trying to face. Were we to fight... I'm almost certain I'd lose.
Then, without so much as another word, the three arrancar vanished, leaving the Fairy Tail mages all to themselves. Gajeel let out a silent sigh of relief. Man, for a second or two I thought I was a goner. This is the last time I ever do that crazy lady any favors!
"Jellal!"
Wendy, however, had a different response all together. Almost as soon as the arrancar had left did she cease her healing of her fellow Dragon Slayer and ran towards Mystogan before she embraced him in as tight as a hug as she could,tears streaming down her eyes.
"I never thought I'd see you again!" Wendy cried out as she clutched onto his clothes. "I..I…I missed you so much!"
Mystogan couldn't help but smile from underneath his clothes mask. Leaving Wendy behind with Roball hadn't been an easy choice by any means. Her company had been one of the very few highlights of his life ever since he was expelled from his kingdom. However, a life constantly on the run dealing with Anima was simply too dangerous for her to bring along. One simple mistake would have been all that was needed for her to end up as yet another casualty from his father's madness.
"Wendy, I…"
Only for his eyes to snap wide open as he sensed a powerful swirl of magic of in the outskirts of Magnolia. He snapped his head towards it's direction as he noticed the clouds beginning to swirl. What!? An Anima, now of all times!? He couldn't believe his rotten luck. This was the worse possible time! And worst of all…it was right where Mirajane was.
As much as a part of him wanted to comfort Wendy in this moment, time was of the essence as he gently moved her back. "Wendy, as much as I'd love to catch up with you on everything that's happened, I'm afraid we're short on time."
Wendy looked at him, confused. "Really? What's going on?"
"To make matters as simple as possible, Laxus is forcing the guild into a battle royale. Only a few of us remain. Furthermore, we're on a time limit. If we don't defeat Laxus soon, then all of Magnolia will be wiped out by the Thunder Palace.
Wendy let out a horrified gasp. "Oh no! What should we do Jellal!?"
"I have to go and save Mirajane. Right now she's in very big trouble," Mystogan told her as he looked Wendy in the eyes. "But you have a very important role to play if we're to stop this. I need you to go find Bambietta right now. If she's heading where I think she is, she's going to need healing as soon as possible. Right now she's our best chance at defeating Laxus. Can you do that for me, Wendy?"
Wendy nodded. "No problem! Anything to help out Bambi and everyone else!"
Mystogan ruffled Wendy's hair slightly before he glanced towards the other dragon slayer. "You're Black Steel Gajeel, correct?"
"Yeah, that'd be me," Gajeel admitted. "Why do you ask?"
"On my way over here, I ran into Liltotto. She said that if I found you to ask you to come over to the park to help her prepare for a contingency plan in case the thunder palace is unleashed. Do you have any magic left to use?"
Gajeel nodded. "Yeah, I got a bit left. Not sure if I'll be able to make something that can stop all of that, but I can try. That said, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it over there in time with how beat up I am, even with the squirts healing."
"Don't worry," Mystogan said as he stretched out his hand before one of his staves came floating back towards him and grasped it in the palm of his hand. "I have a spell that should reduce the travel time quite considerably."
A small black circle formed on the ground, which Gajeel promptly stood over. "Ok, I getcha. What, this some sorta teleportation circle or something?"
"Not quite."
Mystogan then slammed the bottom of the staff on the ground, before the circle around Gajeel began to glow…before a loud booming sound resounded through the air as Gajeel was sent hurtling through the sky.
"Assssssshhhhooooollllllleeeeeeee!"
Wendy couldn't help but look at the soaring Gajeel with some concern. "Um…is he going to be alright?" She asked.
Mystogan nodded. "He'll be fine. The landing may be a little rough, but he should be alright."
That seemed to be all Wendy needed to hear to be convinced. "Oh, ok then!"
Of the many things Freed Justin had expected of the Battle of Fairy Tail, a close back and forth 'war' was certainly not one of them. How could it be? Gildarts had been missing for over two years, Mystogan hardly ever showed up in Magnolia let alone the guild and Erza was to be turned into a stone statue, alongside the vast majority of Fairy Tail's female mages. Add in his Jutsu Shiki to force the guilds own members to face one another, and their overwhelming might, and it should have been over in less than two hours. Why, they even had the assistance of multiple dark guilds, including one full of arrancar, admittedly much to his own dismay. But regardless, victory should have been well within their grasp.
Except for the glaring fact that it simply wasn't. Freed wasn't foolish enough to have expected no losses, or for the plan to go without a hitch. After all, no plan survives first contact with an enemy and stayed on course. But as things stood right now…They were losing.
I had expected Natsu and Gray to be the ones to give us our biggest challenges, but these Quincy and Shinigami have proven to be far more formidable than initially expected, Freed spoke to himself internally as he walked near Magnolias border.. Not to mention Erza and the others breaking free has certainly put a wrench in things. That wasn't even considering the fact that Mirajane had regained her drive as a mage, and Mystogan made an unexpected return. Still, from what he could surmise through his runes, the both of them had seemed to have taken enough damage from their respective arrancar does to take them out of the fight, alongside Erza, Natsu and one of the shinigami.
The only real threats that remain now are Bambietta Basterbine, Liltotto Lampard, Candice Catnipp, Rukia Kuchiki, Lucy Heartfilia and Juvia Lockser. If I play my cards right by luring them to the right trap, I should be able to deal with the rest of them. Freed thought. But even if the rest of them were to band together, I doubt they'd have what it would take to defeat Laxus.
Laxus had already been considered the strongest member of the guild outside of Gildarts and Makarov before the incident with Phantom Lord. But after that incident Laxus had trained himself long and hard and reached a level of power considerably higher than what it had been.
Still, it's best I deal with them as soon as possible, Freed told himself. The longer this goes on, the more likely the magic council will discover what's transpired. I-
Freed was broken out of his thoughts as he heard a shot fired off from his left, the leader of the Thunder Legion drawing his sword and batting away a magical bullet with ease.
"Damn it, I was hoping I'd catch him off guard!" A voice shouted out. Freed glanced towards its direction to see his assailant was none other than the green haired gun's mage, Bisca.
"Do you really think you have a chance at defeating me, Bisca?" Freed chastised her. "I beat Alzack without so much as touching him. I somehow doubt you'll fare any better."
Bisca's eyes widened before she snarled. "That was you!?" She fired out as she prepared another shot with her gun. "I'll make sure you'll pay for that you bastard!"
Bisca pulled her trigger over and over as she tried to hit Freed, but it was completely futile, as he proceeded to party each and every single shot that came his way. It didn't matter what element she chose for each shot, or its overall strength, he was simply in a far greater league than she was.
"I told you, there's nothing you can do to defeat me," Freed told her. "So you may as well just -"
"Water Ray!"
Freed leapt up into the air just narrowly avoiding the stream of water that had been fired at him. Freed had a strong inkling as to who was responsible for that attack, and sure enough he spotted Juvia Lockser out of the corner of his eye.
Well, this complicates things, Freed thought. Juvia has been part of the Element Four and was one of Phantom Lords S class. While their S class wasn't nearly in par with Fairy Tail's, her power was nothing to scoff at. After all, Totomaru, another former member of the four, had given him a hard time without his magic. To take on her and Bisca at the same time…
I'm certain that I could defeat them in a proper fight as things stand, even if they did work together. But with the battles that remain ahead….no, I can't afford to risk it.
Freed seemed to vanish out of thin air then, his body beginning to disabate into a series of runes. Fortunately for him, his destination wasn't far off. Bisca and Juvia proceeded to chase after him, unleashing a barrage of bullets and water respectively.
"What's wrong? Too much of a coward to fight us at the same time!?" Bisca demanded as she took another shot as the pair tried to locate him.
Juvia wasn't so cocky, nor filled with anger. "Bisca, listen. I know that he hurt your beloved, but it's more than likely that right now he intends to lead us into some sort of trap. We need to be careful."
"Oh, don't worry, I don't plan on giving him the chance!" Bisca spat as she ran headlong into battle. Knowing there was little she could do to calm her ally down in the heat of the moment, Juvia followed along.
The pair quickly spotted him by a nearby river as his body began to materialize, right in front of a large river. Bisca smirked as she took a few steps forward. "So, you decided to man up enough to face us? Big mistake!" She proclaimed as she cocked her gun. "I don't care how strong you are, there's no way you'll defeat the both of us!"
"I suppose you're correct. I won't be defeating the both of you," Freed commented as Juvia carefully followed behind Bisca as the Gun's mage prepared her next shot. "Because your next opponent…is each other."
Before the two women knew it, a series of runes shot up from the ground and surrounded the pair. Bisca and Juvia's eyes widened before the gun's mage slammed his fist against the newly formed barrier. "Damn you Freed! Are you too much of a coward to face the both of us at once!?"
Freed shook his head. "Not at all. I'm simply considering the battles to come. I have plenty more members of the guild that I need to deal with, with half of them being stronger than the both of you. So I can't afford to waste too much magic. Fight smarter, not harder."
"You bastard!" Bisca screamed as she continued to slam her fist against the barrier.
"There's no point trying to break through the barrier with brute force," Freed chastised her. "Not even Master Makarov could hope to shatter the barrier. The only way for you two to escape is for one of you to emerge the victor. The victor will then go on to battle me. You may begin."
"You're a coward!" Bisca screamed at him. "You know your stupid little plan wouldn't work if it weren't for these damn traps of yours! Come on, admit it!"
Freed simply rolled his eyes. "Are you going to waste your time with pointless chatter and keep yourselves trapped, or are you going to fight one another?"
"I can't believe you'd make your friends fight each other like this." Juvia spoke disheartenedly.
"Friends you say?" Freed responded. "To be perfectly candid with you, I'd rather see Bisca emerge the victor. As far as I'm concerned, you, Totomaru and Gajeel still bear the stain of Phantom Lord. You can't be trusted."
"That's a load of bullshit!" Bisca screamed at him. "Juvia and Totomaru chose to help us over Phantom Lord during our time of need! They didn't have to come to help us when they attacked the guild but they did it because it was the right thing to do!"
"You think so?" Freed spoke. "I think it was the two of them simply knowing they were getting involved in a war they couldn't win once the magic council would inevitably be dragged into this, so they simply switched sides out of convenience. The moment either of you find a better opportunity you'll leave Fairy Tail for your own gain. And that's not even mentioning Gajeel. As far as I'm concerned it's only a matter of time until he decides to take up arms against us."
"You're talking like you're any different!" Bisca retorted. "Right now, you're just forcing us to fight each other so that Laxus can take over the guild! Don't talk like this is about the guild! You're only doing what you are to please that dickhead you call a leader! I swear when I get out of here, I'm gonna-"
(Song of choice: Eternal Friends, Fairy Tail OST)
"Forgive me, I don't have another choice."
Hearing her ally's words as she witnessed Juvia's body transforming into a watery vortex, Bisca feared the worst as she prepared to defend herself. "Juvia, wait, what are you doing!? Don't tell me you plan on actually following along with this guy's plan!?""
"Tell me something, Mr Justine," Juvia asked him, appearing to ignore Bisca's pleas. "To be absolutely certain, if one of us falls, then you will keep your word and fight the one that remains?"
I knew it. Freed thought. The minute any of you Phantom Lord mages see us as a hindrance, you'll betray us for your own gain. "I assure you, I'll stand by my word." He answered her.
Juvia nodded. "That's good to hear."
Bisca felt dread spread itself throughout her body. "Juvia, please, you don't -"
Then, to the surprise of the both of them, Juvia's liquid form sprang upwards, continuing to slam itself against the walls of the barrier.
Freed scoffed at her actions. "Go as high as you want! The only way to escape is by defeating Bisca! You'll never be able to break free like that!"
More and more did Juvia soar up into the air, and as she continued to climb, Freed quickly took note of the direction she was going. It wasn't a simple dash towards the sky…She was heading towards the Thunder Palace!
She-She wouldn't! Freed told himself. If she were to do that, the. She'd be placing her own life at risk!
Yet Juvia's next words made it very clear what she had intended to do. "If one of us must fall for this spell to be lifted, I will be the one to make it so!"
"She's…she's bluffing, she wouldn't dare!" Freed shouted. "There's no possible way!"
"Juvia no!" Bisca screamed at her. "You can beat me, just please, don't do it!"
"No, I refuse!" Juvia replied as she soared closer and closer to the Lightning Lacrima. "Even if it's for my own benefit, I'll never harm a friend!"
Juvia's body smashed into the lacrima, completely shattering the orb. However, just as Bisca had feared, the former S class mage was then blasted by an intense bolt of lightning, forcing her to scream out in pain!
"Eeeeeyyyyyyaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhh!"
"Juvia, no!" Bisca screamed as the blue haired woman crashed to the ground, completely covered in burns and bruises, the runes surrounding them fading once she hit the ground.
Juvia weakly glanced over towards Bisca as she got down onto her knees. "I managed to make the Jutsu Shiki spell fade away. You should be free now."
"But why Juvia, why?!" Bisca demanded. "You didn't have to do that, I should have been the one to take the fall, not you!"
"I…wanted to prove to you…no, the whole guild that there's no reason to doubt me," Juvia answered as tears began to flow from her eyes. "I…cherish each and every one of you. Because this is the first place where I've ever been so happy. The Fairy Tail guild…will always be my home."
"We never felt like we couldn't trust you." Bisca told her as tears of her own began to well up in her eyes. "You helped us when we needed it the most. As far as I'm concerned…no, as far as everyone else in the guild is concerned, your part of the family! We couldn't ask for a better person to join the guild!"
Juvia smiled weakly as her eyes began to close. "You…really mean that? That makes me…so…happy."
With her eyes fully closed, Juvia fell silent, forcing Bisca to try to shake her awake. "No, no Juvia! Juvia!"
Freed could only watch on, stunned into silence from Juvia's sacrifice. I can't believe this. She chose to risk her own life in order to save Bisca? Every single accusation he had thrown her way had been completely thrown out the window by her selfless act. Laxus had told him that all of the newest members of the guild since the Thunder Legion had departed had become nothing more than a hindrance to the guild, that the old Phantom Lord mages weren't to be trusted. Up until now he had taken Laxus's word at face value.
Yet here and now, Freed couldn't help the doubt that began to fill his mind. We're supposed to be trying to make the guild as best as it can be. But here we are, taking our own guildmates hostage and working alongside monsters and dark guilds! Laxus….Just what is it that we're doing?!
"FREED!"
(Song of choice: Fairy Tails counterattack)
The leader of the Thunder Legion was quickly taken out of his moment of self doubt as Bisca began to unleash a hail of bullets as she requipped a pair of submachine guns into her hands. However, what she had in quantity, Bisca's attacks lacked in quality as Freed began to deflect each of her shots.
"Did you really believe that something like this would be enough to defeat me?" Freed asked as he began to slowly encroach onto her as he continued to deflect her shots. "You can fire as many bullets as you'd like, but it'll all be for naught."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Bisca screamed as she continued to fire hundreds of bullets at Freed. "I don't give a damn how strong you are, or what kind of magic you've got, I swear I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Juvia and Alzack!"
Freed sighed. "Fine, be stubborn. It changes nothing," Then, before Bisca knew what had happened, Freed had dashed through her barrage of bullets before he pointed his index finger at her as some runes swirled around his finger. "Dark Écriture: Pain."
Bisca let out a scream of complete and utter agony as she fell onto her hands and knees. It felt as if her entire body was being stabbed with a knife over and over again. Never before had she felt with such unbelievable pain, her body quacking and shivering as she tried to stop herself from screaming any further. Weakly, she attempted to get up to her feet as the pain began to recede, but Freed had other plans.
"Dark Écriture: Pain."
This time, two spells shot off from his fingertips, and the pain from before had returned twice as intense as it was before. Bisca couldn't help but scream her lungs out, tears trickling out of her eyes from the sheer intensity of the pain. Sfe weakly tried to aim her guns at Freed, but before she could even attempt to aim.a shit, Freed had already kicked her hard in the stomach, forcing her screams to intensify.
Freed pointed his finger at Bisca and released one more dark Dark Écriture of pain, her eyes going wide before she fell silent. Letting out a sigh, he turned his back on the guns mage before he began to make his way back to Magnolia.
Well, now that that's done, only the Quincy and Shinigami remain. If I play my card right then the rest should fall without any difficulty. Now it's only a matter of finding -
"Just…Where the hell…do you think you're going, huh!?"
Freed's eyes snapped open as he turned around. Against any and all expectations he had, Bisca was standing on her feet, though her breathing was labored as her body shook.
"We're…We're not finished yet, you hear me?" She gasped out weakly.
Freed couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Do you really think you have a chance at defeating me after all that? You barely look like you can stand, let alone fight."
"You think…I give a shit…about any of that!?" Bisca snarled. "You hurt my boyfriend! You made Juvia almost kill herself! You've forced all of us to fight each other for Laxus's stupid little game!"
The green haired woman requipped a bazooka in her right hand as she placed it into her shoulders before she continued to speak. "And I swear, I'm going to make you pay!"
Bisca grit her teeth before she pulled the trigger, the rocket firing off towards Freed. At first, the leader of the Thunder Legion didn't do much as bat an eye, this was little more than a last-ditch hail mary. It was of little threat as far as he was concerned. Yet as the rocket came in closer, Freed's eyes widened as he was able to perceive just how strong this attack was!
Oh no!
A powerful explosion rocked the earth as dust and debris blew upward, Bisca managing a weak grin as she stared at the cloud of dust. "Hah….hah…How…did you like that…you bastard?"
However, before she could get any sort of reply, she heard the distinct sound of Freed's runes materialize behind her. She turned around as Freed emerged from the runes and tried to fire off another shot, but it was all for naught. Freed's blade slashed against Bisca's stomach, the woman letting out a silent cry before she collapsed onto the ground, finally unconscious.
Freed glanced down at the gunsmage as he sheathed his sword. "I must admit, that last attack of yours was rather impressive. If I hadn't dodged that one that would have caused some considerable damage."
She had proven to be much more dangerous than he would have ever imagined. Truly, this day had been filled with countless surprises. I'll see if I can convince Laxus to allow the two of them to stay. Freed thought as he glanced down at the two female mages. As far as he was concerned, the two had shown more than enough strength of conviction to remain in the guild.
Still, I have a lot of work ahead of me if Laxus is to be victorious. No matter, I'll simply have to-
KARACKABOOM!
(Song of choice: Battle Ignition, Bleach OST)
The very earth behind him shook and shuddered as rocks blasted out into the sky, with a flaming smoldering crater forming before him. A trail of dust filled the air, preventing him from seeing just who, or what had caused such an explosion. He turned around to see if Bisca had somehow risen back up to her feet and had simply missed her next shot…but she was nowhere to be seen where she once lay.
"Where did she…".
However, as his eyes trailed upwards, he was finally able to identify the culprit as a woman placed both the unconscious Juvia and Bisca next to a nearby tree. She looked down at the pair of them, and though her expression was soft, her fists clenching with rage.
"I saw everything. You two did great...No, fantastic," The woman said to her fellow Fairy Tail comrades as she smiled at them. "You guys can rest now. I've got this. When this is over, maybe we can hang out sometime? Yeah…Yeah I'd like that. Because I'm honored to call people like you my guildmates!"
Slowly, she turned around as her eyes bore into Freed's, the man almost taking a step back from the malice he could sense from her. The woman's lips curled upward, giving the leader of the Thunder Legion a terrifying sneer.
"Hello there…Freed."
Bambietta Basterbine had arrived.
That's right, ladies and gentlemen, next time, we finally get to the battle I've been hyping up since chapter 77. Bambietta Basterbine vs Freed Justine! I can safely say, having finished it, that it'll be a battle well worth the wait.
Anyways, in regard to this chapter, it was actually a lot of fun writing these fights.
Well, actually, you can thank Callous Guardian a lot for his assistance in helping out with the Zommari fight, and in all honesty, I should give a shout-out to Ankoholic for playing a huge part on Mirajane vs Grimmjow's success. So, feel free to give both of them a helping hand.
Now, let's Talk about Yammy, since the other battles are honestly pretty straightforward. Why did Meninas struggle as much as she did, given her MPF of 40,000?
Well, that number has honestly been retconned. I realize now that I simply went way too far with her MPF level back then. It's honestly more akin to what it is in this chapter, which will be revealed later.
Oh, and yes, I DID have Bambietta quote Obi wan from Revenge of the Sith at the end of the chapter, what of it? XD
Anyways, here are the MPFs:
Juvia: 2540
Bisca: 1700 (Bazooka shot at 2770)
Zommari: 3000 (Sonido at 9000)
Mystogan: 8000
Jellal: 9350
Yammy: 10'000 (Initial resurreccion)
Meninas: 15'000 (start of fight)
Yammy: 13'000 and climbing (second form)
Yammy: 17'000 and climbing (improved second state)
Meninas: 20'000 (end of fight)
Anyways, thank you for reading. Really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the battles displayed her and what's comng up next. Till next time!
