A/N: Episode 189 , Opening 16.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: GLORIA
"It's almost settled." Darton said.
"Yes. We'll know for sure whether my contact's prediction will come true." Hisui claimed.
"So you're not going to change your mind." Darton stated. "If the prediction comes to pass, you'll activate Eclipse."
"I was uncertain myself. I didn't want to believe it, but then thought, what if...? I vacillated between doubt and disbelief."
"It's a decision of great consequence."
"However, I believe this is the only way to make that decision. If the results of this event match the prophecy, it proves my contact really does know the future." Hisui said as her and Darton watched the matches.
"That is, the prophesied horde of dragons will destroy the kingdom of Fiore." Darton said.
"For now, let's see what happens." Hisui told him. "Let's see how their battle is going to be resolved."
Something moved underneath Millianna's cape. "It feels like something weird is stuck to me." Millianna muttered to herself. "Is it just my imagination?"
Both Laxus and Nero ended up flying back. Meanwhile, an Earth block rose in the air, causing Atlas to fly up.
"Earth God's Bellow!" Atlas roared a wave of dark black-golden energy infused with earthly materials from his mouth straight at Jura.
"Sediment!" Jura called out, blocking the breath attack with rock pillars and causing an explosion.
Laxus charged forward at Nero. "Lightning Dragon's Halberd!" He yelled, throwing a lightning bolt at Nero.
Nero teleports to Laxus and does a 5 hit punch combo, the last punch stunning him as he rolled on the ground.
Atlas tried to punch Jura in which he blocked it. Atlas swiftly avoided the Earth pillars being thrown at him and charged forward once more as him and Jura resumed their battle.
"Wow..."
"He's actually fighting Jura as an equal!"
Atlas forced his fists into the ground as dark energy coats the surrounding area. "This... is astonishing." Jura commented as Atlas was trying to catch his breath. "I haven't felt this much fighting spirit in years."
"I guess the rumors are true... You're a damn monster." Atlas stated, closing his eyes mometarily. "What's that annoying phrase that you say at a time like this, Akame?"
"Oh, that's right." Atlas opened his eyes as his fist got covered in dark-black golden energy.
"My blood is boiling..." Atlas claimed while smirking.
"Come! Let's fight until one of us drops!" Jura challenged.
Red mist came from Akame's fist as he threw it at some guards, causing an explosion. Kamika and Cosmos soon stepped in. "Their numbers just aren't decreasing!" Lucy complained.
"We're completely surrounded!" Wendy added.
"Well, we're gonna break through! We should almost be at the exit!" Natsu claimed.
"Why don't you call on a lot more Celestial Spirits?!" Happy suggested.
"We don't need 'em! I can take on all these guys!" Akame exclaimed.
Akame got to work as he took out the royal guards one by one, making Dusk sigh. "Knowing you, I actually believe that." He commented.
Ezekiel struggled to get up. "I doubt you can stand anymore with your injuries." Minerva stated.
Ezekiel slowly got to his feet. "I'll get up again and again. If it's a fight I cannot afford to lose, I'll keep on getting up. I told you before, didn't I? You people..." Ezekiel paused. "...have wronged the one guild that you should never piss off."
"Anger isn't good for beauty." Minerva claimed.
"How dare you do that to Dawn, my comrades... Erza, Kagura, Millianna..." Ezekiel clenched his fists tightly. "I'm not just angry... I'm furious."
"And am I supposed to be afraid of such fury?" Minerva asked, activating her Magic once more. Ezekiel easily avoided the blasts sent towards him until one hit him in the back.
"My Spatial Magic makes everything I see a target area!" Minerva informed as Ezekiel continued dodging the blasts.
"Explosions..." Millianna mumbled.
"That magic not only switches space..." Hana started to say.
"...but even change the property of that space!" Riku finished.
"The strongest magic befits the strongest guild. Territory!" Minerva continued.
Ezekiel soon appeared from the smoke and struck Minerva with two daggers. "I saw it coming!" He exclaimed.
Minerva tried to attack Ezekiel again as he kept dodging her attacks before striking her, sending her back a few feet. Minerva gritted her teeth in anger.
"You...!"
"You leave me no choice but to use an armor I haven't worn in a long time!" Ezekiel shouted before getting covered in a golden light. "Requip!"
"D-Don't tell me...!" Atugia started to say.
"He's going to use that armor?!" Ajar finished, shaking a bit as Riku and Dawn gave the two a confused look.
Ezekiel soon appeared covered in a black cloak with chest plates on top of the cloak. His red hair was covered by a hood and his face was covered in a skull mask. He also wielded a large sword, which blue fire was coming off of it.
"Hades Armor!"
Julian was breathing heavily. "It's getting harder..."
"I'm almost at my limit, too." Loji informed.
"Let's finish them off, Lyon!" Sherria said.
Lyon had his eyes closed. "I have no liking to harming kids. But this one defeated Gray. As much as I would like to battle the one who defeated Juvia, I'll let you handle Loji." He claimed.
"Are we on that again?! You're stronger than I am, so you should just take him out with one shot! Then I'll use my Healing Magic to restore your power." Sherria told him.
"Healing Magic?!" Loji repeated.
"I see. So that's what you've got up your sleeve." Julian stated.
"We didn't want to show our cards that easily." Lyon said.
"Lyon, just hurry up and finish them off!" Sherria shouted in irritation.
"I told you! I'm leaving Loji to you!" Lyon fired back.
"Why me?!"
"It seems like their weakness is teamwork." Loji pointed out, glancing at Julian. "That's a strength in our department, so what do you say we team up and take them both out?"
"Sounds like a plan." Julian agreed.
Nero's hand became the essence of a wraith while Atlas surrounded himself with a large aura and shouted, "God Slayer's Secret Art!"
Nero teleports to Laxus and punches him in the chest, stunning him.
"Havoc Avatar!"
Atlas's avatar comprised of magic power struck Jura, sending him flying.
"I've lost." Jura thinks to himself.
Laxus and Jura fall down to the ground in sync, knocked out.
"Atlas and Nero have won! They defeated Jura and Laxus! Comeback! Comeback! Comeback!" Chapati shouted as Twilight Phoenix moved to first place.
"Laxus was defeated?!" Freed spoke in shock.
"Frost Dragon's Glare!" Julian shouted, holding Lyon and Sherria in place.
"W-What?"
"I can't move!"
"Now, Loji-san!" Julian called out.
"Right!" Loji charged forward, electifying his arm. "Power Pulse Magic: Striker!"
Loji struck Lyon and Sherria, sending them flying through the air.
"Damn you, Sherria!" Lyon shouted.
"I'm sorry!" Sherria apologized.
"Jura and Lyon have both been defeated?!" Obaba exclaimed.
"That idiot, Sherria!" Sherry scolded her younger cousin.
"I-I-I'm gonna spin!" Obaba began spinning.
"Obaba-sama, get a hold of yourself!" Sherry said.
"A-Another victory for Twilight Phoenix! With this, they get an additional two points!" Chapati said as their point count went up.
"That brings them to 58 points-kabo!" Mato added.
"Nonsense! This is nonsense!" Minerva exclaimed.
"It's over!" Ezekiel claimed.
"Disappear!" Minerva fired her Magic towards Ezekiel, who swiped his weapon and cuts through it, shocking Minerva.
"He cut through the magic!" Riku shouted in shock.
"No, I think he cut through space!" Dawn corrected.
"This armor is Ezekiel's strongest." Atugia stated.
Riku glanced at her. "Huh? I thought that was his Zeus Armor."
"That armor is strong, too. Don't get me wrong. But it's nothing compared to his Hades Armor." Atugia claimed.
"Apparently, it's an armor he doesn't dare put on. I heard he used it once during a job, and it traumatized him." Ajar added, shocking both Dawn and Riku.
"It can't be! How can you have this much power left?!" Minerva asked.
"You harmed the people I care about too much." Ezekiel replied.
Minerva stepped back a bit. "D-Don't!"
"Suffer the consequences!" Ezekiel exclaimed.
"Stop! I... I..."
"Hades Punishment!" Ezekiel shouted, striking Minerva with blue fire, sending her flying through the air before crashing onto the ground.
"It's Ezekiel! He beat Sabertooth's leader and earned five points!" Chapati announced, bumping Twilight Phoenix's point count to 63. "Right now, Twilight Phoenix has 63 points! They're strong! Twilight Phoenix is too strong! Will they win this without one member going down?! The wizards from the other guilds are almost all out! In fact, the only one who's left is Sabertooth's Sting!"
Chapati shoved the microphone in Yajima's face. "Yajima-san, I think this is about over!"
"T-Twilight Phoenix has gotten extremely close to victory." Yajima stuttered.
"Incredible-kabo!" Mato commented.
"Victory!" Atugia exclaimed.
"Us?! A newbie guild who was bottom-ranked last year and faced humilation?" Ajar questioned.
Harumi began to tear up. "Master! It's too soon to cry!" Atugia told her.
"There's still one person left!"
"But what can one person do against those members?"
"That's right!"
"The phoenixes have already all but won it!"
The audience soon started chanting 'Twilight Phoenix' over and over.
"Here it comes." Hisui informed.
"Yes."
Sting smirked to himself. "I didn't think it would actually work out the way I wanted it to. This must be fate." He muttered as one of the audience members looked worried.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, it's just that score..."
"An eight-point difference, what about it?"
"Look, if Sting did manage to beat all five phoenixes, what would happen?"
"The leader is five points, the other four are one point each, so..."
"Nine points! If Sting beats all five Twilight Phoenix members, he'll get nine points!" Chapati exclaimed, shocking the Twilight Phoenix members. "Sabertooth would come from behind for the win! You don't think he..."
"All of the Twilight Phoenix members are injured." Yajima pointed out.
"He intends to take them all down-kabo?!" Mato questioned.
"Is that what he was after?"
"Hey, I can't believe that..."
A white signal flare shot up in the sky, creating a firework and revealing the Sabertooth guild emblem.
"I'm right here! Come and get me, Twilight Phoenix!" Sting yelled.
All of the Twilight Phoenix members began moving, eventually meeting Sting.
"What a spectacular sight. I didn't think you'd make it this far." Sting admitted.
"Can the chatter. This is the final battle." Nero said.
"We'll beat you one on one. Just say who you want." Julian stated.
"All at once is fine. With your injuries, one on one would be boring." Sting claimed.
Loji stepped forward. "Don't make light of Twilight Phoenix."
"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm treating you guys with respect. You did manage to beat even Fairy Tail, after all. That's why I'm gonna crush you all together!" Sting stated. "I've been waiting for this. I'm gonna show Lector how strong I am!"
"Lector?" Julian quoted.
"I don't know what you're ramblin' on about, but are you serious?" Atlas asked.
"I'm serious! I got stronger! Losing Lector has awakened new strength! For Lector's sake... For my best friend's sake... I'm gonna beat all of you!" Sting declared.
Ezekiel moved forward, wincing as he did so. "Fine. If you're that prepared... then we'll fight you, Sting!"
"That's what I want to hear." Sting said as all of the Twilight Phoenix members had determined looks on their faces.
Sting soon began to power up as a white light engulfed him. "I'll show you my newly-awakened power!" He chuckled before looking at the Twilight Phoenix members. His eyes then widened, causing his power to die down.
"All of them are already worn out. So beat up, one push would knock 'em over." Sting clenched his fist. "Dammit, I came this far! What are you hesitating for, dumbass?! If I beat them all at once, I'll have kept the promise to my lady. I'll be able to see Lector! That's right! Lector! Move! I got stronger! My feelings for Lector... made me stronger! Stronger! Stronger! I'll win!"
Sting suddenly collapsed to his knees. "I... didn't win..." He thought as he was hunched over.
"I give up."
One point was added to Twilight Phoenix's count, making the members cry.
"That's it! The winner of the Grand Magic Games..." Chapati began as fireworks were shot up in the air. "...is Twilight Phoenix!"
The audience cheered loudly as Twilight Phoenix celebrated.
Ezekiel walked towards Sting. "Sting, why didn't you come after us?" He asked.
"I had a feeling I couldn't meet him. Before, I thought I'd be able to meet him if I won... but for some reason, I felt like I couldn't meet him. I don't understand it myself. You people are so radiant that I didn't think I could meet him the way I am now." Sting answered.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Ezekiel claimed.
"Ezekiel-kun!"
Millianna was waving as she was holding a sleeping Lector in her arms, who opened his eyes slowly.
Sting ran towards Lector, who did the same.
"Lector!"
"Sting-kun! Sting-kun!"
"Lector!"
Sting and Lector then hugged.
Arcadios bolted into the room. "Princess! Princess!" He shouted, seeing that Hisui was nowhere to be found. "Don't tell me she already went to..."
Hisui and Darton were walking down the steps. "All of the Twilight Phoenix members undefeated and Sting surrendered." Darton said.
"The future no one could have guessed was foretold. My contact was correct. The future they foretold is all true. From this moment on, the battle for survival of the human race begins. Bring Eclipse 2 a.k.a. the Eclipse Cannon to the surface!" Hisui shouted.
Akame attacked some of the royal guards. "About what time is it now?" He asked.
"I don't know! Probably almost night!" Dusk responded.
"I wonder if the Grand Magic Games are over!" Bruno said.
"Well, of course Twilight Phoenix's a guaranteed win! So let's wrap this up!" Akame exclaimed, taking another guard down. "We gotta meet up with the Master and everyone else an' tell 'em about Eclipse!"
A/N: Another chapter is completed!
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.