Chapter 48
Austin- Yes, they have to be Twilight Sisters approved before commencing dating.
Konsilisto- I'm not going to reveal Ceithin-Har yet. I've been thinking about it and I'm going with the original plan of revealing him then.
Oh, don't worry about that. These fanfics are nothing compared to what I have to do in college. I had to do multiple projects in college and be a student worker for twenty hours a week simultaneously. This is honestly nothing.
Alerx09- You underestimate the naivety of Natsu, I think. I could see him still doing it because he's that much of a ditz.
But joking aside, I not sure if I should reveal him earlier than planned or not. It's up in the air. Perhaps gradual reveal of him because he's still a dragon and he's bound to attract attention. Especially from Acnologia. Yes?
7/2022-Slight update
Magic Council
"I'm telling you all. This is the best option available to us." Said Siegrain as he looked at his fellow council members, trying to convince them that this was the best course of action for them. "We have to destroy the Tower of Heaven before my brother can activate it and only Etherion has the power to do so."
As they thought about what Siegrain was saying, many of the other council members saw reason in his brash statement but were still hesitant. Etherion was meant to be a deterrent weapon only. To use it in such a way would end their careers in the magic community as they knew it. But on the other hand, if the R-system was used to revive Zeref.
"We all know the implications of the R-System." Said Ultear, siding with Siegrain. "It's been forbidden since ancient times. The consequences that could occur if Jellal activates it are too dire to imagine."
"But using the Etherion will kill everyone in the Tower." Said Org, still in disagreement about using Etherion. "That includes innocent bystanders."
"If we're going to protect the balance of magic and prevent the potential resurrection of Zeref, then we have to make that sacrifice." Said Siegrain.
"Sacrifices for the greater good are not unprecedented." Said Leiji. "The history of magic is full of such actions. Both in recent days and in the past."
"But if the Etherion reaches Caelum soil, it'll not only stain the name of the magic council in blood for generations, but may also bring about war between Caelum and Fiore." Said Michello, another Magic Council member of short stature and possessed a cat tail and ears. Belno sighed as she thought long and hard about all this before coming to her decision.
"If blackening our name and be used as scapegoats to prevent war will be the consequence, then so be it." Said Belno before raising her hand. "I will vote for firing the Etherion as well."
"Belno, why!?" Demanded Org in shock.
"This isn't just about balance, it's about the impact on generations. How can we teach our children the value of life if madmen like Jellal can take away the importance of death?" Explained Belno as she looked at Org.
"Then we now have four votes in favor." Said Siegrain as he looked at the rest of the council members that were undecided. "We just need one more."
Tower of Heaven
"Dammit!" Cursed Simon while pressing his fingers to his temple. The group were currently running towards Millianna's room in the Tower of Heaven once Simon failed to contact both Wally and Millianna the first time. Now he was trying again to no avail. "Jellal must be blocking my link to Wally and Millianna!"
Currently, Simon was using Thought Transmission Magic, a type of magic that enabled him to speak to others telepathically. A useful magic that enables one to speak with others across large distances as well as hearing the thoughts of others. However, this type of magic can be blocked by those with the proper know-how and, unfortunately, Jellal knew how to do so.
"I have no idea where they are nor can I warn them that Jellal is our real enemy." Said Simon as he tried again. As Simon tried in vain to contact his friends, Erza was looking at Shô, having seemingly recovered from his breakdown, though Erza wasn't so sure.
"Are you alright, Shô" Asked Erza to her friend in concern as they ran. Upon hearing that, Shô looked at Erza before smiling.
"Yeah." Said Shô, trying to reassure her. "I'm fine now that you're here." Upon hearing that, Erza gave him a smile back, assured that her friend was alright now. Her other friends, however, weren't so assured, but for a different matter.
"Not to sound like a downer, but how do we know these guys are truly on our side?" Asked Gray as he looked at both Juvia and Diederick. "I admit that he could've killed us back at the casino yet he didn't, but how would he have kept Natsu, Daxter, and Lucy from being killed?" Simon must have heard all that because he spoke to answer that question.
"I don't plan on making excuses, so I'll tell you honestly." Said Simon as everyone looked at him. "I had no idea how resistant to death you wizards were. But I had faith that the Slayer and the Celestial Wizard were resilient and intelligent enough to survive."
"Hey, what about our friend and me?" Asked Diederick upon hearing that explanation. "We're not wizards and we were caught in the crossfire."
"You two were easy enough to deal with." Said Simon. "We simply just knock you out and that's it. We weren't supposed to kill you. Jellal must have thought you two were insignificant enough to not warrant attention." Diederick wasn't sure if he should be satisfied or offended when he heard that explanation. Because he was the son of the one that mentored Erza when she was young. Shouldn't that warrant something at least? Before he could speak, Lucy spoke up.
"You really think that Natsu can give us an edge against Jellal?" Asked Lucy, curious about this.
"Correct. I've heard about the power of Dragon Slayers. I know what they're capable of. None of you yet realize the true strength of Natsu. He's yet to unlock his magic's true power, and when he does, the darkness in his path will perish." Explained Simon, stunning a few of them. "That is if Wally doesn't take him out before he could. That's why we have to hurry! C'mon!" With that, Simon leads the group further up into the Tower of Heaven.
Later
Jellal
"Well isn't this all interesting." Said Jellal as he watched as Natsu defeated both Millianna and Wally. In addition, he was watching as Simon's group was making their way up the Tower of Heaven. Having watched Simon's revelations, Jellal knew that he betrayed him along with Shô. Unfortunate, but irrelevant. He already had everything in place in order to achieve his goals. There's nothing that will stop him from achieving them. Vidaldus, however, didn't share in his optimism.
"I hope you understand now, Jellal." Said Vidaldus as he glared at him. "We should capture Erza now and begin the ceremony before it's too late." Jellal just lightly smiled at that. Though they had time on their side, if Vidaldus was impatient and wanted the remaining pieces in their possession now, he'll indulge him. If nothing else, it'll give him the opportunity to see the power behind Fairy Tail's resident Dragon Slayer for himself. See if he's as powerful as the stories make him out to be.
"If you think so, Vidaldus, why don't you go and acquire her yourself." Said Jellal, causing Vidaldus to look at him in surprise.
"Are you sure?" Asked Vidaldus as he looked at Jellal with caution.
"Of course. I care little about how Erza is acquired, just that she is. If you wish to be the one to capture her, then so be it." Said Jellal with a wave of his hand.
Upon seeing this Vidaldus nodded before giving a malicious grin. He crossed his arms downward, and a blast of smoke surrounded him when he separated them. When it vanished, three figures stood in his place.
They were an odd bunch to be sure. One wore clothing and makeup found in a punk rock concert with long black hair and tight purple pants. This was Vidaldus' true self. Another was a big buff man with an owl head and owl feathers on his arms. The last one was a woman with long light pink hair in two large buns. She wore a white kimono that revealed her shoulders and a bit of cleavage. Upon seeing the three, Jellal spoke up.
"Trinity Raven, Death's Head Caucus' elite assassin squadron." Said Jellal as he looked at the trio of wizards. "It's time to show me if you're worth the money I spent on you."
"Ha ha ha!" Said Vidaldus with a crazed look on his face. "I'll show those fairies the depth of hell!"
"Hoo." Said the owl headed man in agreement. "Ho-hoo~"
"Hmm." Said the pink-haired woman as she pondered about her foes. "So these legal wizards are supposed to be fierce. Let's see if they can prove it."
Meanwhile
"C'mon, we need to move faster. There's no telling what will happen…" Simon was interrupted from speaking when they all heard a voice that both Simon and Erza was familiar with.
"Welcome to the Tower of Heaven, my guests." Said Jellal as his voice permeated throughout the tower.
"Jellal." Said Erza with a glare as she heard that voice in her head.
"He's projecting his words all over the tower." Simon realized. Shô was shuddering at the sound of his former friend. "He could be lurking anywhere here, so keep your guard up."
"It appears that an interesting team has emerged to confront me." Said Jellal. "My old friend Erza, the traitors Simon and Shô, an ex-elemental of Phantom Lord, an apprentice to Ur Milkovich, a Celestial Wizard, a blue cat, the son of the only two magicless people in Fairy Tail, and the son of Igneel himself." Upon hearing all that, Lucy gasped in shock.
"He knows about us." Said Lucy as she processed what he said. "He knows exactly who we are."
"Then he was observing us the entire time we were here." Said Juvia as she realized the same thing.
"Probably even longer." Said Gray with a frown. "He probably knew everything about us prior to us even coming here because of our affiliation with Erza."
"But how strong is this team?" Said Jellal with a fake tone of wonder. "You all succeeded in defeating or turning my compatriots one way or another. But I think to truly gauge your power a game is required. A game of strength and intelligence."
"What the hell are you blabbering about!?" Yelled Natsu from another location in the tower. Having defeated both Millianna and Wally, Natsu found Happy and was planning on leaving to find the others when he heard Jellal speak up. Wally, who was awake, but beaten up, voiced in agreement with Natsu.
"Yeah, what do you mean, Jellal?" Asked Wally. Rather than answering them, Jellal continued.
"It honestly quite simple. Here are the rules. I had Erza be brought back here so I can use her as a sacrifice to bring Zeref back from the dead." Said Jellal, shocking everyone. Everyone but Shô, who looked more angry than shocked.
"No, I won't let you!" Yelled Shô, causing Erza to look at him in concern along with Lucy.
"With this game, we both have a chance at victory." Said Jellal. "If I succeed, the gates of Heaven will open, crowning my victory. However, if manage to find a way to stop me, then you'll be the winners instead. However, in order to ensure that doesn't happen, I enlisted three knights from an assassins guild to help me in my goals."
"Three knights?" Asked Simon, uneasy about this. He never heard about these knights before. This will seriously complicate matters for them as he wanted to gang up on Jellal all at once in order to ensure their victory. Now that wasn't possible with these three knights.
"If you wish to reach me, you have to defeat them first." Continued Jellal. "In other words, it's a three to nine battle royal. Should be more than fair to you all. Finally, I suggest you all hurry. At this very moment, the Magic Council is voting whether or not to launch the Etherion upon us. I don't know for sure when they'll do so, but I guarantee it'll happen and when it does hit us. the whole Tower goes up in flames, and we perish with it."
"Hey, you crazy boss!" Yelled Vidaldus. "If Etherion goes and hits us, we all go bye-bye!" The pink-haired woman just smiled at that before looking at her compatriot.
"Come now, Vidaldus." Said the woman with a smile. "Are you having second thoughts on this?" Instead of voicing so, Vidaldus just gave wicked smile.
"No way, boss!" Yelled Vidaldus. "This is the exact kind of rush that I've wanted to have since I joined our guild. Oh yeah! This is going to be great!" Upon hearing that, Jellal let out a sadistic smile.
"I have no idea how much time we all have until the council fires Etherion. So I best hurry if I were you. Otherwise, we all lose." Said Jellal before finishing his announcement. Once he was done, Diederick voiced the thought of everyone around him.
"That guy is completely insane." Said Diederick with wide eyes. He knew about Etherion along with everyone else, and what it can do, yet Jellal sounded almost happy that the council was considering using Etherion on the tower. "He does know what Etherion can do, right?"
"He's not bluffing, I can tell you that." Said Gray with a glare. "Guy's completely off the rocker."
"This is one creepy game." Said Lucy. "And the worst thing about it, we can't back out of it."
"I don't understand." Said Erza as she processed everything that Jellal said. "Why would the magic council even think to use Etherion in such a manner. Are they that afraid of Zeref's return?" As everyone was trying to either adjust their plans, trying to process what Jellal told them or trying not to panic, Shô was starting to shake rapidly until eventually he snapped.
"No!" Shô shouted. He raised his hand, and aimed it at Erza, and the next moment scarlet-haired girl was trapped inside a playing card, which the young man quickly grabbed from the air.
"What are you doing, Shô!" Simon shouted in shock upon seeing this. While everyone else looked at Shô in shock, Shô yelled out his intentions.
"I'm not letting Jellal hurt Erza!" Yelled Shô before running down the hall. "I'll stop that bastard by myself if I have to!"
"Shô!" Yelled Erza as she pounded on the surface of the card in vain. "Let me out! All you're doing is making things easier for Jellal!"
"I need to keep you safe!" Yelled Shô as he ran. "I won't let Jellal hurt you anymore!"
"Shô, Stop! There's no way you can take him on your own!" Yelled Simon before going after Shô. "Shit! Change of plans! You all go find Salamander and the blue cat! I'll catch up!"
"You have to be joking!" Yelled Gray before sighing and looking at everyone left. "What do you think we all should do? We need Erza and I still don't trust Simon." Diederick looked at Juvia and Lucy before speaking.
"Well, it sounds risky, but we may need to split up so we can cover more ground. Hopefully, we can find Natsu and Happy before those knights of Jellal do." Said Diederick.
"Yes, that may be best." Said Juvia. "I'll go with Gray."
"No." Said Gray, catching Juvia off guard. "Juvia, you go with Diederick and Lucy. They'll need you in case one of those knights find them."
"Hey." Said Diederick, offended, though a part of him knew it was true. Juvia, upon hearing that, sighed before nodding.
"As you say, my beloved." Said Juvia, causing Gray to nod.
"I'll go by myself and try to either find Natsu or Erza." Said Gray. "Good luck, you guys." Everyone nodded at that before doing the same to Gray as he took off at the direction where Simon took off. Once he was gone, everyone else took another direction, hoping to find Erza or Natsu.
Meanwhile
Lilea
"That idiot!" Yelled Lilea as she smashed a table into pieces with her gauntlet encased hands. She recently heard Jellal's declaration about the magic council utilizing Etherion and she wasn't happy to hear it. "How can he risk a powerful artifact as the R-system in a simple game!? The stupidity and audacity of humans!?" Once she was done, she took a deep breath before taking off her faceguard, revealing her beautiful face in its entirety, still marred by the brand on it.
She cannot fail again. She will not fail again. She will gain something out of this voyage beyond more slaves. Her life and remaining reputation depended on it. Realizing what she needed to do, Lilea put on her faceguard again before calling for her captain, who was close by.
"Captain! It appears that I may need to intervene personally. Ready my Wyvern! I have humans to hunt! Also, prepare the ship for combat. No doubt some cowards will attempt to flee from the Etherion blast. See to it that they don't. And capture any survivors as slaves. We could always use more slaves in Bosco." With that, she walked towards the cargo hold where her Wyvern was. As she walked, she wondered who to fight first in her quest for vengeance on Fairy Tail for all the humiliation she endured because of them all of them were tempting targets.
Later
Diederick
"Natsu!" Yelled out Lucy as she, Juvia, and Diederick were searching for Natsu in a large cavern with multiple openings that resembled drains above them.
"You honestly think that would work?" Asked Diederick. "I know he has hearing like a dog, but I don't it's that strong. Right?"
"Oh, it is." Said Lucy with a sigh, remembering the time she tested it and how she regretted it. "He'll have to hear us. His hearings on the level of a dog."
"Hmm, impressive hearing. Just like Gajeel." Said Juvia as she recalled how strong Gajeel's hearing was. "Tell me, does he have a sharp sense of smell as well?"
"Yup." Said Diederick as he looked at Juvia. "Still, I don't think we should do this. It may just attract those knights that Jellal spoke of."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Said Lucy as she thought of an alternative way of finding Natsu. "Anyone got anything with a strong scent?" Before Diederick could tell her that would just have the same result, the three were suddenly assaulted with loud rock music coming from one of the drain-like openings in the cavern.
"What the hell is that?!" Yelled Lucy as she cupped her ears in pain. "Some sort of guitar?! It's way too loud." Juvia and Diederick however were unaffected.
"I actually think it's pretty cool." Said Juvia as she endured it all stoically, causing Lucy to look at her in shock.
"Eh, this is nothing compared to what I had to endure." Said Diederick as he recalled hearing some crappy music with Daxter when he sometimes visited his home. Needless to say, while his parents were kind and some of the nicest people he met, their taste in music was atrocious. Eventually, they found the source to be Vidaldus, brandishing a guitar that he played madly.
"Oh yeah!" Yelled Vidaldus as he looked at his audience with a crazed look before jumping down to face them. "Welcome to the concert of hell, ladies, and guy! Admission is paid after the show, and that fee is death!"
"This guy's insane!" Said Lucy as she quickly went behind Diederick who brought out his bow and notched an arrow while Juvia glared at the punk-rock man stoically.
"I presume that you're one of Jellal's knights?" Asked Juvia, causing the man to nod.
"Got that right!" Yelled the man. "Names Vidaldus of Trinity Raven of the Death's Head Caucus guild, the most rad assassin guild in all of Earthland! Let's rock!"
With that declaration, his hair grew longer and launched itself at the trio in spear-like projectiles. Diederick and Lucy dodged the attacks while Juvia just stood still as her body turned into water wherever the strands of hair hit her. This caused Vidaldus to look at her curiously.
"Well ain't that a smoking body, babe." Said Vidaldus. "How'd you pull that off?"
"My body is made purely of water. Drip, drip, drop." Explained Juvia before casting her Water Lock spell on Vidaldus, encasing him in water.
"Alright, nice work." Said Diederick as he watched this happen.
"You Element Four people are wicked. I'm so glad that you're on our side now." Said Lucy as she smiled at this. Before Juvia could even respond to the praise, Vidaldus' hair began to glow, and the water began to flow straight into it.
The trio could only watch in shock as the assassin's mane drained out the entire water bubble. Once it was gone, Vidaldus flicked his hair back as if he was a famous model.
"Dude. For real?" Asked Diederick upon seeing this.
"He drained my Water Lock!" Yelled Juvia in shock, having never seen that happen before. "How is that even possible?"
"Ah, a bit of water always refreshes the hair." Said Vidaldus nonchalantly. "Better than shampoo, which just dries it to dust." He then openly smirked at them. "In case you babes are wondering, my hair can absorb any liquid, as long as it's not alcohol or oil. That stuff just ruins the do, you get me?"
"Well, that just makes things more difficult for us." Said Diederick, now regretting making the choice to split up because their main powerhouse was made useless by this guy.
"You betcha, guy!" Yelled Vidaldus. "And things are going to get even more difficult for ya'll after I make one of these babes my succubus!"
"You're what!?" Yelled Lucy in shock at this while Juvia and Diederick got ready. Instead of answering, Vidaldus rapidly choose between Juvia and Lucy as he knew Diederick was trained by some hot babes that rather fight quickly and without mercy. Just the way he liked them. Finding Juvia the most dangerous and powerful, not to mention hotter in his eyes, he chose her. Strumming his guitar, he yelled out a spell.
"Rock of Succubus!" Yelled Vidaldus before blue energy surged from the instrument and surged towards the water mage, who screamed as it made contact with her.
"What's this!? I can't…AHHH!" Yelled Juvia in pain as the blue energy engulfed her.
"Juvia!" Yelled Lucy while Diederick fired an arrow at Vidaldus, who simply had his hair flick the arrow aside. As Lucy moved towards Juvia, the water mage screamed at her to get back.
"Stay away!" Yelled Juvia. "This music, it's evil!" Before she could elaborate further, she screamed again before a blast of light and smoke completely surrounded her, blinding Diederick and Lucy in the process.
Meanwhile, Jellal, having seen all this happen, laughed to himself as he knocked a water vase chest piece away with one shaped like a guitar.
"Pathetic. And I was hoping for a challenge from Fairy Tail." Said Jellal as he watched Natsu struggle against the owl man. A man named Fukuro. When it seemed that Fukuro would defeat Salamander, Jellal was slightly disappointed as he wished to face him himself.
"Ah well. It matters not." Said Jellal with a smirk. "There are more important matters than that."
"Juvia! Are you okay!?" Yelled Lucy as both she and Diederick looked to where Juvia was amidst all the smoke. Soon the smoke faded and the two were shocked at what they saw.
Standing in Juvia's place was a woman with long, loose, wild blue hair and pale white skin. Her tongue hung loosely through her purple-glossed lips, and her body was clung tightly with a dark purple corset and skin-tight jeans. But what terrified the two the most, was the madness in the transformed Juvia's eyeliner-covered eyes. A madness that matched the assassin Vidaldus. Juvia then started to laugh insanely at the two before shrieking
"I'll be showing you the cruelest depths of hell, ya little bitches!" Yelled Juvia as she laughed madly at her friends, much to their horror and shock.
Meanwhile
Lilea
As all this was occurring, Lilea was looking at her Wyvern being brought out from her ship's cargo holds and onto the main deck of the ship, snapping viciously all the while. As she looked upon her Wyvern, Lilea was satisfied with how it looked.
Scales as black as night with blood-red eyes that stared viciously at her crew that was taking its cage out of the cargo hold, the Wyvern was one of Lilea's only friends in this cruel world. Having raised the Wyvern since birth, Lilea held more affection for it than for her own siblings, which shows just how little affection there was between them.
Once the Wyvern's cage was safely on deck, Lilea walked towards it, catching the Wyvern's attention. Upon seeing her master, the Wyvern instantly calmed down.
"Sullava." Said Lilea as she stroked the black scales of her Wyvern, which it took affectionally. Staring at her Wyvern's blood-red eyes with affection, a rarity amongst her kind, Lilea ordered her cage unlocked. A human sailor soon went and pushed a button on the cage before rapidly leaving. Once the button was pressed, the cage opened by collapsing outward, freeing the Wyvern. Stretching its wings and body to its full extent, Sullava roared in happiness at being free while Lilea hoped on. Sullava was rather large, almost taking half the length of the whole deck, meaning it was forced to be tucked inside its cage as much as possible, something that infuriated Lilea to no end and was part of the reason why she wanted a bigger ship. As Sullava went up in the air, Lilea spoke to her ship's captain.
"Ready the slave decks." Said Lilea. "Even if we can't get what we came here for, we'll still have something out of this. Even if it's in the form of slaves. Understood, captain?"
"Yes ma'am." Said the human captain with a salute. Satisfied, Lilea departed the ship and headed towards the Tower of Heaven, eager to shed blood.