A/N: Episode 191.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: AKAME VERSUS ROGUE
Akame turned to face the group. "Dusk, you and Lucy get outta here!" He ordered.
"But..." Dusk began to protest, looking at his future self.
Zack walks up to Dusk. "We'll only get in Akame's way if we stay here. Let's leave this to him!"
"You and Lucy are the ones being targeted, you gotta get away from him!" Bruno added.
"R-Right!"
The group began rushing off. "You're not getting away!" Future Rogue exclaimed.
With his fist covered in red mist, Akame slammed Future Rogue to the ground.
"Akame Ketsu!"
Akame sent a kick at Future Rogue, causing him to skid back.
"I figured you would stand in my way. But since you die by self-sacrifice in the future." Future Rogue paused as he disappeared into a shadow and onto the walls. "...killing you myself shouldn't have an impact on history."
"Is this how you've always been?" Akame asked.
"Time changes a person." Future Rogue replied as he soon appeared. "Die here, Akame Ketsu!"
Shadows soon headed for Akame, who crossed his arms over his head. The shadows soon dispersed.
"You stole somethin' dear to me right before my eyes. I got no faith in the way you do things. I'll protect the future with the way we do things!" Akame claimed, having an angered look in his eyes.
"To prepare for the dragons' attack, I shall enter the Eclipse Cannon firing sequence." Hisui raised her hand in the air. "Unlock!"
"The portal will open at last..." Darton noted as the portal slowly began to unlock.
"I'll bear witness to the will of the princess to the very end." Arcadios told himself.
Hisui turned around. "Is there any news of the dragons' advance?"
"There are no sightings from the western observation posts!"
"All is clear in the east as well!"
"What of the citizens' evacuation?" Hisui asked.
"The soldiers are guiding them in an orderly manner."
The portal continued to unlock. "I pray we're able to destroy all of them with one strike. It'll take a matter of years to replenish this much magic power." Hisui claimed.
Everyone peeked their heads out from behind a few bushes. "We've stumbled across something big." Carla commented.
Happy looked around. "Huh? Loke isn't here." He realized.
"That's because magic doesn't work near the portal." Jim reminded.
"Neither is Natsu." Dusk realized, noticing the Fire Dragon Slayer was nowhere to be found.
"He said he had a bad feeling about Rogue and went back to help Akame." Zack explained.
"When Rogue came from the future..." Lucy trailed off.
"Someone interfered with the opening of the portal. Because of those people, the portal wasn't opened. The Eclipse Cannon that was pointed at 10,000 dragons couldn't fire. Someone led the world to destruction."
Lucy looked down as she recalled what Future Rogue had said.
"There's no need to hide." Arcadios spoke up, getting Hisui and Darton's attention. "Come out."
Happy jumped out from the bush. "We didn't do anything wrong!" He declared.
"If Arcadios is with the minister, then..." Carla started to say.
"Various circumstances have changed." Darton explained.
"Fairy Tail... Twilight Phoenix..." Hisui muttered.
The group soon stood in front of Hisui, Arcadios, and Darton. "You have my deepest apologies. Owning to our current emergency situation, I'll give you a formal apology at a later date." Hisui said.
"She's the princess, Carla." Wendy spoke in awe.
"Yes."
Hisui turned to look at the Twilight Phoenix Mages. "Also, congratulations on winning the Grand Magic Games." She said.
"We won?!" Jim exclaimed.
Zack chuckled. "Naturally. I knew those guys could do it."
The sound of the portal being unlocked got their attention. "Why are you opening the portal? The dragons aren't here yet!" Lucy said.
"They know about the dragons..." Hisui mumbled.
"Yes. They're aware of the situation." Arcadios said, turning to look at Dusk. "Come to think of it, where's the you that came from the future?"
Dusk, Zack, Lucy, and Wendy all glanced down. "He was murdered." Lily revealed, opening his eyes. "By another man who came from the future."
"That man said something. He said the Eclipse Cannon didn't fire because Dusk and I interfered with the portal opening." Lucy informed.
"That's why he tried to kill you both?" Arcadios questioned.
"Are you going to interfere with the opening of the portal?" Hisui asked.
"Of course I'm not!" Lucy replied, shaking her head as Dusk nodded in agreement. "I'm just wondering why you're opening the portal when the dragons aren't here."
"That's simple. It takes time before it can fire. We wouldn't have time if we waited for the dragons to appear." Hisui answered.
"Will that really be able to defeat the dragons? All of them?" Dusk asked.
"I can't say that with any certainty, but I'm sure his Majesty is also taking measures to prepare for a worse-case scenario." Hisui replied.
This is the city of Crocus. At its center is the Li In Crystal.
All of the guilds were gathered in front of an elderly man surrounded by guards.
And this man is the king of Fiore, Toma E. Fiore.
"And so, I'm terribly sorry we don't have time to bask in the afterglow of the Grand Magic Games, but I just heard that this country is facing a critical moment."
"10,000 dragons?!" Makarov exclaimed.
"Even though we were no match for just one of them, Acnologia..." Cana claimed.
"And even if that was a special case..."
"...10,000 of them..."
"Right now, a large-scale strategy is underway at the palace. The Eclipse Project." Toma continued.
"Eclipse?!" Lisanna quoted.
"The objective of this strategy is to eradicate all 10,000 dragons."
"Eradicate? Can you really do that?" Cana asked.
"I couldn't really say... As the enemy is a swarm, I'm sure several of them, maybe even several hundred of them, will survive." Toma replied.
"Yes, that's more realistic." Makarov commented.
"Wizard guilds, I must request that you please lend us your aid. I would like you to use your power to slay the dragons that survive." Toma said. "That is all. Please save this country!"
It went silent for a moment before everyone cheered.
"Naturally!"
"Leave it to us!"
"Yeah!"
"We won't let any monsters do us in!" Lyon claimed.
"This country, which goes hand in hand with magic..." Loji started to say.
"...is our country!" Julian finished.
Toma began shedding tears. "Our comrades and some members of Fairy Tail have been captured by the royal armed forces." Ezekiel spoke to a nearby guard.
"They're safe. We just got a report that they joined up with the princess."
"All right! I'll go on a rampage one more time!" Gajeel claimed.
"The opponents are dragons." Sting said.
"Therefore, it's time for us Dragon Slayers to step into the spotlight." Rogue stated.
"Good luck, Sting-kun!"
"Fro will cheer you on, too!"
"Where is our lady?" Rufus asked.
"I dunno." Orga replied.
"All of the guilds' wills are one."
"What a lovely parfum."
"Dragon versus Pegasus, huh? It'd be perfect for a painting." Eve said.
"Let's do our best." Hibiki stated.
"Crap. Guess we have to." Ren said.
"Kagura-chan, you need to rest!" Millianna told her.
"No. Everyone must fight." Kagura informed.
"Wild Four!"
"We're the Sexy Four." Arana claimed.
"Fighting alongside you brings back memories." Lyon told Gray.
"Don't hold me back." Gray said.
"Is Wendy okay?" Sherria asked Juvia.
"I think so." Juvia answered.
"A battle, eh?" Jura said.
"I'll spin, too! Violently!" Obaba claimed as she spun around.
"Thank you... Thank you..." Toma thanked them all.
"King..." Erza trailed off.
"Thank you... Thank you... kabo..."
His last line leaves everyone stunned. "'Kabo'?" Erza quoted.
"The parfum of that last bit..." Ichiya trailed off.
Toma looks around at everyone's stunned faces. Toma cleared his throat.
"Everyone, I'm counting on you!" Toma said, making everyone cheer.
Lahar and Doranbolt were standing on a balcony, watching the guilds get together.
"This is unbelievable." Lahar commented.
"All of the wizards coming together..." Doranbolt said.
"Eclipse? Its very existence violates 30 laws. I think we'd better contact Council headquarters about this." Lahar claimed.
"Lahar and Doranbolt..."
The two men turned around to see Jellal standing behind them.
"Jellal!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I have a favor to ask." Jellal replied.
Akame charged forward as Future Rogue did the same thing, their magic colliding with one another as both of them flew back. Future Rogue disappeared in the shadows.
He climbed up the walls as Akame looked around. Soon, Future Rogue appears and strikes Akame with shadows, causing his feet to skid on the ground and collapsing to his knees.
"Did you really come to save the future?" Akame questioned, a dark shadow casted over his eyes before he glanced at Future Rogue. "'Cause you sure as hell smell evil!"
Future Rogue only grinned in response.
A bell rang throughout Crocus as it struck midnight and the date changed to July 7th.
"July 7th..." Gajeel muttered.
"That's the day the dragons disappeared, right?" Levy questioned.
"Are the dragons gonna appear on this day?" Gajeel asked himself.
"Fairy Tail will defend this central plaza!" Makarov informed.
"What about the guys from the other guilds?" Warren asked.
"They're all standing by throughout the city." Max informed.
Cana was carrying a barrel. "Erza, with those injuries, you need to sit this one out."
"This is nothing." Erza reassured.
"I can more or less move again thanks to Lyon, this healing girl, and the royal healer." Gray said.
"Although if Wendy were here too, we'd be healed a little more." Juvia stated.
"At any rate, that's a creepy moon." Freed commented, looking at the now full blood red moon.
"Eclipse... a lunar eclipse..." Laxus muttered.
The Eclipse portal continued to open.
In the palace hallways, the ceiling began to crumble. "What's that sound?" Akame wondered.
"The sound of Eclipse opening." Future Rogue replied, charging forward. "I'm surprised it opened with Lucy and Dusk surviving!"
Akame easily blocked the attack from hitting him. "But I'm sure they'll interfere!" Future Rogue claimed as Akame leaped back. "The portal is destined to close!"
Future Rogue fired shadow spheres at Akame. "Dusk and Lucy are not gonna do that! They'd never destroy everybody's future!" Akame shouted.
"Move!" Future Rogue ordered, blasting Akame with shadows once more. "I'm off to kill Lucy and Dusk!"
Akame flew up into the air. "I'm not gonna let you, bastard!" He exclaimed as he got covered in red mist and blue light. "Blood Azure Dragon Mode!"
Akame struck Future Rogue with a mixture of red mist and blue light that lit up the hallway.
"I see. So you didn't show all of your power seven years ago." Future Rogue commented.
Future Rogue's eye soon flashed white as he got covered in holy light as well as shadows. "White Shadow Dragon Mode!"
Akame widened his eyes in shock before holy light struck his side. "These are the twin attributes of light and dark." Future Rogue claimed as Akame clenched his side in pain.
Future Rogue's hair was now spiked up. "White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" He called out as streaks of shadows and holy light struck Akame.
Akame flew back and collapsed to the ground. "White... Shadow..." He mumbled to himself.
Future Rogue grinned. "It's the power I stole from Sting after killing him!" He revealed. "That being said, it's a little while after this time period."
"Did you always think... people's lives were worthless?!" Akame asked.
"That's right. And you're going to die here, too." Future Rogue responded.
Akame struggled to stand up. He could feel his energy leaving his body and his vision getting blurry as Future Rogue was about to send another attack at him.
"White Shadow Dragon's..." Future Rogue began. "...Rough Silk..."
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A blast of flames headed straight for Future Rogue, causing an explosion as Future Rogue disappears into the shadows. Akame soon collapsed to the ground as it was revealed that Natsu had saved him, with Ultear and Meredy right behind him.
Meredy looked around frantically. "He escaped!"
Natsu rushed towards Akame. "Akame! Wake up! Akame!" He tried to shake Akame awake.
"Meredy, bring first-aid meds, quick!" Ultear ordered.
"Right!"
Meredy glanced over at a deceased Future Dusk with a saddened expression.
"Hey... What is this?!" Ultear asked.
"Akame!" Natsu shouted.
Akame began sinking into some shadows. "This is bad! He's sinking into the shadows!" Ultear said as Akame sunk lower.
"Look! The portal for the hope of the human race is opening!"
"The portal of victory is opening!"
Everyone continued to stare at the portal opening as Happy's whiskers moved. "That's incredible magic power, you know? My whiskers are wiggling." He said.
"Certainly, with this, we may have a chance of exterminating the dragons." Carla stated.
"All this magic concentrated in one place..." Lily muttered.
"The future can be saved with this, right?" Wendy asked Lucy.
"Yeah." Lucy nodded.
The portal continued to open as Wendy smiled. "And Dusk-san from the future can rest in peace." She said, tearing up a bit.
Lucy's eyes widened as she stepped towards the portal, confusing Wendy. "Lucy-san..." She called out.
"No... The portal mustn't be opened..." Lucy mumbled as a dark shadow casted over her eyes before she looked up.
"I need to close the portal now!"
Lucy's sudden statement shocks everyone that heard her.
A/N: Another chapter is completed!
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.