A/N: Episode 197.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER FIFTY: LIFE TIME
Jellal was helping Ezekiel walk while Bacchus dodged an attack from a dragon. "We're overrun here! We should retreat!" Rocker informed.
"Not yet! I wanna drink tasty booze with the Twilight Phoenix guys later on, so let's dig in one more..." Bacchus replied, not noticing a dragon was behind him.
"Bacchus! Behind you!" Rocker warned.
Bacchus leaped into the air to avoid the attack when the dragon struck him with its tail.
"Hang in there, Droy! Somebody! Somebody, help! Droy isn't breathing! He's not breathing!" Jet shouted as dragons surrounded him.
Loji ended up getting thrown to the wall as his spell dispersed. "Loji-san!" Ajar called out as Atugia held him back.
"Get back, Ajar!"
"But Loji-san is-"
"I'll go. Hang on, Loji!" Atugia said.
"Stay back, Atugia! I'm fine!" Loji shouted at the black-haired girl as the mini dragons surrounded him.
"Loji-san!" Ajar screamed as him and Atugia covered their eyes to avoid seeing their comrade dying in front of them.
"Sherria! Where are you?!" Lyon called out as Juvia had tears falling from her eyes. "Sherria! Sherria! Sherria... We need your Healing Magic... Please! Gray's been..."
"It went... right through his head..." Meredy sobbed.
Ayuna flew into the air as Mother Glare flew in front of her. "Shall I deliver the finishing blow?" Future Rogue asked. "Do it! Mother Glare!"
Ayuna was able to dodge Mother Glare's attack as Akame breathed heavily.
"What are you thinking, Ayuna? Why are you assisting that human?" Mother Glare questioned.
"I told you. We're talking about a child raised by Ketsu, my brother! Human or not, we're kin!" Ayuna replied.
"I cannot comprehend that. But if you're standing against me, I shan't hold back!" Mother Glare claimed.
"I wouldn't want you to."
Akame began eating more of Ayuna's red mist. "Bastard. You still intend to fight? You don't know when to give up." Future Rogue said.
"That's 'cause I just need to drink blood to get my power back!" Akame stated.
"That may be, but your wounds haven't healed. No matter how much power you get back, if you suffer a fatal blow, it's all over!" Future Rogue exclaimed, dodging his attack and sent one of his own, in which it narrowly missed Akame.
Ayuna caught Akame on time. "Eat this!" Future Rogue shouted, sending another attack as Akame leaped into the air.
"I can't afford to lose! Not against nobody or nothin'!" Akame landed on Mother Glare's back and face Future Rogue. "I made a promise!"
"A promise?" Future Rogue repeated.
"Raging Volt!" Laxus shouted.
"Star Stream!" Dusk called out with starlight coming from his hands.
The two attacks struck Zirconis at the same time, but it had no effect.
"What's wrong?! This attack is unworthy of someone so high-spirited." Zirconis taunted.
"I'm just warmin' up." Laxus claimed as lightning cackled.
"Bastard..." Dusk mumbled.
"Even Dusk and Laxus's attacks won't go through. That Zirconis is truly formidable." Lily commented.
"Even though they're Dragon Slayers, that's no guarantee they'll beat the dragon, right?" Carla asked.
"If those two can't do it together, then maybe with my help..." Wendy charged forward. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!"
The wind soon combined with the lightning and the starlight. "Nice one, Wendy!" Laxus praised, attacking Zirconis with lightning once more followed by Dusk attacking him with starlight.
"Did it work?" Bruno asked.
"It was a palpable hit. This should do it right here!" Carla responded.
Zirconis was knocked to the ground. "Old man, it's almost too easy to end it here after all your boastful talk." Laxus said as Zirconis rose from the smoke.
"You struck a blow to my face... You stripling..."
"I don't believe it! That wasn't fatal?!" Lily exclaimed.
"You're actually starting to make me mad. I enjoy mocking girls, but I'll never enjoy bantering with males. I'll just devour you whole, clothes and all." Zirconis claimed as Wendy backed up.
"The man here looks unappetizing with his tough meat, but you..." Zirconis licked his lips and charged forward.
"Wendy, get away!" Laxus shielded Wendy from Zirconis.
"Laxus-san!"
"Rogue! Give up and come with me!" Levia shouted.
"I refuse!" Rogue exclaimed, dodging his attack.
"Accept your fate! Eventually, your heart will be tainted with darkness!" Levia said.
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen! As long as he's around..." Rogue looked down at Sting.
"How tough is this son of a bitch?!" Sting exclaimed, thrusting holy light forward as Scissor Runner dodged it.
The two dragons crashed into one another. "You would interfere with me? If you can't help me, fight elsewhere!" Levia said.
"This is my territory! Don't act so high and mighty, latecomer!" Scissor Runner retorted.
Sting landed on the ground. "Now, Rogue!"
"Yeah!"
Both Sting and Rogue activated their Magic, striking both Levia and Scissor Runner while they were distracted.
"We did it!"
"I don't feel a thing from an attack like that." Levia spoke.
"This is annoying. I think we should just finish this now." Scissor Runner said as Sting ended up getting thrown back.
"Sting!" Rogue called out.
"Rogue. I'm done trying to reason with you. Like it or not, you're coming with me." Levia claimed.
"Azure Dragon's Pillar!" Zack called out, shooting blue light upwards and attacking the green dragon that Julian was previously fighting. He had told the young teenager to help the other guilds deal with the mini dragons scattering about. Zack ended up getting thrown back.
The dragon soon took flight. "Right? Or left?" Zack asked himself. "Which way will it come from?!"
"Crap!"
The dragon struck Zack with its wing, causing him to go flying through a wall. When the smoke settled, Zack laid there motionless with blood coating his black hair from the wound on his head.
Cobra continued to attack the rock dragon. "Unless your poison can penetrate this body, it's useless! And I think it's about time for my turn."
Cobra ended up crashing to the ground.
"Prepare yourself!"
"Crystal Dragon's Roar!" Quartz shouted, sending sharp crystal shards at the gold-colored dragon, causing an explosion. However, the dragon was still standing. "I'm starting to get pissed!"
"Quartz, watch out!" Peridot warned.
"Huh?" Quartz turned around as the dragon pierced his chest, causing him to cough out blood.
"Quartz!"
Lucy continued running towards the palace. "I have to hurry! I need to tell everyone about that note!" She told herself.
She turned the corner, only to come face to face with a bunch of mini dragons that surrounded her. "Oh no!" Lucy thought.
Ultear was still collapsed on her knees. "My life was cursed. I've deceived people, mocked them, and taken their lives. But, Gray... You gave me a chance to live as a human being. I intended the independent guild Crime Sorciére to be my way of atoning my sins. I meant to atone... but I didn't change. I'm still a witch who doesn't think twice about murdering someone. I... I don't deserve to live." She thinks to herself.
Ultear recalls her time back in Grimoire Heart, learning about Last Ages. "But now... I do." She raised her hand. "If giving up my life can reset the world... I'll gladly offer it."
Ultear's hands began to glow as she slammed them onto the ground, energy swirling around her.
"Arc of Time! Last Ages!"
The clock soon struck.
Ultear screamed in pain as her body began to crack. "Tough it out! Think of the agony you inflicted on so many people! Compared to that, this pain is... Exquisite pain... running through my cells... one by one... Is this where I pay the price with my time... with my life?!" She wondered as she sat up.
"My life is flowing out of me... My time is vanishing... My life... My future is..."
Ultear screamed.
"It was a life tainted by villainy and vice, but looking back, someone was always there for me. Gray, Jellal, Meredy... It was more happiness than someone like me deserved. And yet, I didn't realize it. I spent my time and my life on foolish things. But it's not too late! I'll sacrifice the rest of my time for the sake of those who are dear to me! Please! Bring the world back... to at least before the portal was opened! Take my life in exchange for just a little time!"
Bright lights soon appeared before a large beam surrounded Crocus.
Once the spell was finished, Ultear turned to look at the clock. "Time... Time... went back..."
She saw that the clock had barely changed as she widened her eyes. "...one minute?! The value... of my life... is just one minute?!"
Ultear began to fall forward. "No... I couldn't save a single soul..." She realized, finally collapsing to the ground.
"Look out!" Gray warned as he grabbed onto Juvia and Meredy, making them duck for cover.
"Don't lose focus!" Lyon shouted as he froze another dragon. "This is a battleground!"
Gray and Meredy stood up. "Sorry!" Meredy apologized.
Juvia's face was red. "Gray-sama touched Juvia's behind..." She muttered.
"Juvia..." Gray called out her name. However, before he continued, something flashed within everyone's minds as they saw Gray dying.
"What was that just now?" Lyon asked.
"I'm gonna be killed?" Gray questioned.
"A dream?" Meredy guessed.
"Juvia saw it, too." Juvia informed.
"What the hell?! Suddenly getting a vision of my death is just too creepy!" Gray exclaimed.
"The little dragons appear from over there..." Meredy stated, pointing.
The dragons soon appeared, ready to fire the beam. "They really did show up!" Lyon exclaimed.
Gray used his Magic and froze the dragons before they could make an attack.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Lyon yelled.
"Did someone warn us?" Gray wondered. "Who could've done that?"
Beams fired at Jet and Droy. "Whoa!" Jet exclaimed as him and Droy took cover in an alleyway.
"But what was that just now? It's like a caught a glimpse of the future." Droy said.
"A warning? Then it's dangerous here. Let's go over there!" Jet informed.
"Yeah!" Droy agreed.
"It can't have been a dream..." Atugia muttered.
"It was like images from the future..." Ajar said.
"Then this area is dangerous." Loji stated.
That day, people all over the world saw one minute into their future.
However, like a dream, it quickly faded from memory, so not many people would dwell on this mysterious phenomenon.
But for the wizards who were in the middle of battle, seeing one minute into the future made the difference between life and death.
Zirconis charged forward. "What was that just now?" Wendy wondered.
"We can think about it later!" Laxus shouted as Wendy moved out of the way of Zirconis's jaws.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
"Star Dragon's Roar!"
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"
The three breath attacks combined, attacking Zirconis.
"Images... of the future..." Lily turned to Carla. "Was that your power, Carla?"
"It wasn't me." Carla answered.
"It wasn't me, either." Happy chimed in.
Lily, Carla, Bruno, and Jim sweat dropped. "We know that."
"A vision?!" Bacchus mumbled, moving out of the way just in time.
"You did it, Bacchus! Awesome!" Rocker cheered.
That one minute...
"Right..." Zack muttered to himself. "...Here!"
Zack leaped up into the air, avoiding the dragon's wing and gathering darkness surrounding his right and left hands. "Azure Dragon's Lumonius Onslaught!" He shouted, bringing his hands together and creating a large amount of blue light energy, causing an explosion.
That one minute became the root of the human race's counterattack.
"What the hell was that? For just an instant, it's like I could see where he was going to attack." Zack said.
"Take this!" Cobra shouted, striking the rock dragon.
"Crystal Dragon's Jade Burst!" Quartz clasped his hands together as the energy orb bursted into sharp jade shards, attacking the golden-colored dragon.
"Here I come!" Sting yelled, attacking Scissor Runner with holy light.
"Where did you go, Rogue?! Come out!" Levia shouted as Rogue appeared from the shadows.
"I won't let you get your way! I refuse!" Rogue claimed, leaping into the air and attacking Levia with shadows.
Lucy continued running before she stopped. "What is this? If I turn that corner..." She paused as a vision of her being surrounded by dragons.
"I can't turn there..." Lucy mumbled as she went straight.
"What the...? There was just a ripple in the flow of time. Did something happen to Eclipse?" Future Rogue asked himself.
"Never look away in the middle of a fight!" Akame called out, coming down from Ayuna and punching Future Rogue in the face, causing him to crash to the ground.
"I'm gonna keep my promise!" Akame claimed.
Future Rogue stood up. "Promise? What are you talking about?"
"I made a promise to the Future Dusk." Akame replied, igniting his fist with red mist. Future Rogue gritted his teeth as Akame charged forward once more.
The attack continued striking Zirconis as Wendy, Dusk, and Laxus had determined looks.
"Princess, let's leave this to the wizards. Come." Arcadios said.
"I'll escort you." Yukino offered.
"No. Please let me stay here. I have a duty to watch what happens." Hisui informed.
"Princess... But..." Yukino began to protest.
"Everyone!" Lucy called out, getting their attention as they surrounded Lucy.
"Look! Look at this!"
"What is it?"
"A memo pad from the future me!" Lucy explained.
"Future you?"
"Here..." Lucy handed Yukino the memo pad.
"'If by any chance the portal in this time period is destroyed, the Eclipse portal in the future will cease to exist. As part of a chain reaction, both Dusk and I will also disappear from existence.'" Yukino reads.
"What does that mean?" Arcadios questioned.
"It's talking about what will happen if the portal in our time period is destroyed. Then the future will be painted over with a future in which the portal was destroyed. The portal will wink out of existence in the future. If that happens, Rogue won't have any means to come back to our time period." Lucy explained.
"But is it possible to stop what's already happened?" Hisui asked.
"If everything worked out, then both the dragons and Rogue would disappear from our time!" Happy replied.
"It's worth a shot!" Carla added.
"Indeed." Bruno agreed.
"However, there's one big problem. How do we destroy a giant structure like that?" Arcadios asked.
"It won't be an easy job." Jim responded.
"But if Rogue doesn't come from the future, the world should return to its proper history. We have to do it." Lucy declared.
A/N: Another chapter is completed!
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.