(Edited 19/08/18)
(Edited 30/12/20)
(Edited 10/06/22)
(Edited 23/10/23)
(Edited 14/03/24)
I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.
Storming Castle Valtheim
***POTD***
The trio arrived shortly after the sun had set, using the cover of darkness to reach a position on the ridge line to the south of Castle Valtheim. From there, they could see the entirety of the exterior, and the various Dark Mages patrolling the place.
"There it is … Castle Valtheim," Elise muttered quietly as they remained in a crouched position. "Records say it was once a Guild Hall back during the Second Trade War, but was put under siege and sacked by an alliance of Titan Nose, Phantom Lord and Gildergreen. It seems that after the Council put a stop to the wars, this place was forgotten…"
"Not by the Dark Guilds," Natsu replied with a shake of his head. "And, considering the outward appearance of the place, it's been completely rebuilt."
Elise nodded as they watched several Dark Mages enter through the main gates. A sizeable Magic Circle momentarily manifested on the door before it seemingly opened itself.
"Think that plan you mentioned will take down that gate Natsu?"
"I've seen the make of that setup before," he hummed in response. "I should be able to punch through it. I'll need momentary cover to do it though since I'll need Crash Magic for it."
"You know Crash Magic," Elise asked in genuine surprise. "There aren't many Mages who possess a level of control to use that type of Magic…"
"Fortunately, I'm one of them," he grinned back. "Speaking of Magic though … What kind of Magic do you use?"
"My Magic is considered Lost Magic. Actually, it's quite similar to yours Natsu."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm a God Slayer," Elise said proudly as Natsu's eyes widened considerably.
"A God Slayer? I've never even heard of that before," Erza admitted, noticing Natsu's surprised response to such a revelation. "I take it you know something about them?"
"Know something about them? I've fought one before," Natsu replied, surprising both Erza and Elise. "It's a long story, but suffice to say that if she's a God Slayer, our chances of pulling this off just shot up."
"Aww! Thanks for the vote of confidence," Elise grinned before shaking her head. "It isn't often I get actual praise about my Magic."
"I'm interested to see your powers in action," Natsu continued before looking back down at the castle below. "I need about thirty seconds to mix my Crash Magic into my attack. Once we start, I'll need cover so I can punch the gate."
"Shouldn't be a problem," Erza replied as she looked to Elise. "Are you a long-range or short-range fighter?"
"Both," Elise replied. Erza couldn't help but chuckle in response since she too was also a mixed fighter thanks to her various Armors.
"If that's the case then, you can help me keep them occupied from a distance as Natsu charges the gate," Erza replied as they both shared a stiff nod. "What should we do once we get through the gate?"
"We split up. We're heavily outnumbered, but not outgunned. If we each take a separate section of the castle, causing as much damage as we can, it'll make most of the weak ones flee."
"Which will make finding our targets much easier," Elise hummed. "I like it."
"Well then," Natsu sighed as he slowly rose to his full height. "Are we ready?"
"As we'll ever be," Erza smirked as the trio hopped off of the ridge line, skidding down into the crater where Castle Valtheim was based.
***POTD***
Being a common guard at Castle Valtheim was considered a rather boring position to receive. Unlike other Dark Guilds in the Alliance, you never saw any real action. The occasional lost traveler or Council Reconnaissance Unit was all they ever really dealt with.
"Another boring night," one of the guards yawned as he rocked back and forth in his seat. "Number of hostiles sighted … a big zero."
"Hey, it isn't all bad," another guard laughed in response. "We could be out there getting the shit kicked out of us by S Class Mages, right?"
"Yeah," a female voice chimed in. "Didn't you hear about what happened to Scaro's Respite yesterday?"
"That's one of the ones under Tartaros, right?"
"Yeah. Word is, over half of them got blown up in a botched Blood Magic Ritual."
"And the other half ran off," a tall, lanky guard snickered. "Their Guild Master apparently got destroyed by some Legal scum. Or so they say …"
"I suppose you're right," the first guard sighed as he fiddled with his binoculars. "But what about just being out on collection duty or something?"
"Collection duty," the female Dark Mage scoffed. "What? Like Eisenwald? Hah!"
"Screw diving into cursed tombs and shit," another remarked as he playfully shoved his friend. "I'm comfortable getting paid to just do experiments out here. No S Class Mages, Wizard Saints, Bounty Hunters or anyone who'll tell me I can't cut a guy open while he's alive and play around with him."
The group all shared a laugh as the first Dark Mage lazily raised his binoculars to survey the area. Looking around, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He lowered them again and was about to rejoin the conversation with his friends when something clicked.
Raising the binoculars again, he immediately looked back to a spot that had a light cloud of dust. Skidding down from the ridge and into the crater were two women and a man. The man had a slight reddish glow around his arm as the two women shot ahead of him.
"Uh … Hey, guys …?"
"What?"
"Am I seeing shit right now, or are there three Mages running at the castle?"
All laughter ceased as the tallest Dark Mage grabbed the binoculars and looked out over the horizon. His eyes widened considerably when he saw the woman with scarlet hair glow, her clothing shifting into a silver Armor.
"Holy shit … that's Erza Scarlett!"
The Dark Mages were now openly panicking as they scrambled to grab their weapons, the tallest one shifting his attention toward the other woman.
"Who the hell is she-?"
Before the man could finish what he was going to say, a lance pierced him through the stomach with significant force. The result was that he was blasted backward, impaled to the far wall as he screamed, clutching the weapon as blood poured from the wound.
"What the fuck!?"
"Look out," one of the Dark Mages cried as more lances struck their position.
One of the Dark Mages hit the floor and crawled toward the binoculars, now coated with his friend's blood, and peeked up over the wall. He could see the black-haired woman seemingly summoning the lances from thin air and physically throwing them at their position.
"The hell!?"
Ducking back down, he looked to his comrades on the wall. All of them were completely terrified, not having had to deal with this kind of situation before.
"One of you, go warn the others," he hissed as several swords sailed overhead, embedding themselves into the far wall. The bosses will take these bastards out!"
One of the group started crawling for the stairs as he turned and peeked over the wall again. The two girls had stopped their advance about thirty meters before the wall. Erza hovered with a dozen swords circling her and the black-haired girl was in a relaxed stance.
Looking between them however, his eyes widened, and he slowly started to panic.
Charging toward the front gate was the man, his entire arm was on fire as orange sparks ripped up the ground behind him, rendering them into cubes. Once the man reached the position of the girls, he launched himself into the air as the flames grew drastically in their intensity.
"Guys! We've gotta-!"
"Fire Dragon King's Quaking Demolition Fist!"
The darkness of the night vanished as an inferno lit up their entire crater, all generated by the attack from the man. The moment it made impact with the gate, everyone on the wall was knocked over, some falling off the wall and into the courtyard.
The Castle Valtheim Gate had been reinforced using the best Magic the Bharam Alliance had. So, when the man punched right through it in under five seconds, the regular Dark Mages truly started to panic.
The doors were blown off of their hinges, sent flying into the courtyard and smashing into the central structure itself. Fire flooded the area as the man marched in, flanked by the two girls as he exhaled some steam through his nose.
"Gotta say. I didn't expect that when you said you had a plan to just punch the door open," Elise said as they surveyed the damage. "That was some damn impressive work."
"Nice shot with some of those lances," Natsu replied as Erza floated forward and started summoning a multitude of blades and firing them at the shocked Dark Mages who began fleeing the area. "Heh. Seems Erza's keen to get started."
"Where is Falk Transil," Erza shouted as she started chasing some of the fleeing Dark Mages, eliciting a short laugh from the pair.
"Good luck with The Cortex."
"Same to you with Twinshadow," Natsu replied as the pair bumped fists before taking off down opposing paths.
***POTD***
Erza moved swiftly through the hallways of Castle Valtheim, easily dispatching anyone who got in her way with a few quick motions. The people who she had faced so far may have called themselves Mages. But as far as she was concerned, they were nothing.
"Where is Falk Transil," Erza shouted to the fleeing mages. "Tell me his location and I shall show you mercy!"
The mages couldn't believe what they were seeing. There were at least a hundred of them, and yet they were powerless before a single Legal Guild Mage. "C'mon lady, we don't have a clue! Just leave us alone," One mage screamed before Erza swiftly appeared behind him and slammed his head into the ground.
'These ones are useless, guess I'll try upstairs,' Erza sighed inwardly as she swiftly flew up the stairs with ease before coming face to face with her mark.
"Well now … If it isn't the great Titania of Fairy Tail."
Erza grit her teeth as she examined the man. He stood at seven foot four and appeared much older than the photo Elise had of him, probably in his mid-fifties. He had long, braided grey hair and a silky grey beard. Black eyes bored into her own, the man clearly confident in his ability to face her.
Right Hand Of Valtheim's Razor
Guild Master Of Ebonwatch
SS Rank Dark Mage
Falk Transil
"Falk," Erza growled as she raised her blade in his direction. "Come quietly or suffer the consequences!"
"Goodness me. You Legal Guild Mages truly do think highly of yourselves, don't you," Falk chuckled softly as he gently stroked his beard, his right arm resting on the hilt of the katana at his side. "I do wonder … Should I feel honored to faced such a noteworthy opponent? Or, should I be angered by the fact that you dare attack Castle Valtheim?"
"Why would I care what a criminal like you feels!?"
"Oh, it matters, Erza Scarlett," Falk replied as he strolled toward the window and looked out at the destroyed front gates. "Do you have any idea what you're doing here? The consequences of messing with Valtheim's Razor?"
"Putting a stop to a Guild that supports the Bharam Alliance," Erza snapped back, eliciting an amused chuckle from the man.
"Is that what you believe? How … amusing."
Erza suddenly found herself leaping to the left as an entire section of the hallways started to collapse. It wasn't until she regained her footing and looked at where she'd been standing only moments before, that she realized what had caused it.
A perfect incision had been made, shaving off a section of the upper floors as Falk slowly advanced toward her. He now had his blade drawn, held loosely to his right as Erza felt the adrenaline begin to kick in.
"Let us see if the great Titania of Fairy Tail lives up to her moniker," the older man mused as he slid into an offensive stance.
"You'll be the one defeated," Erza growled back as she summoned several more swords from her Requip Space as she began to float off of the ground again.
"We shall soon see," was all the old man whispered as the pair charged toward one another, the sound of clashing steel echoing across the area as the two sword users engaged in battle.
***POTD***
Elise was having the time of her life as she hacked and slashed her way through the Dark Mages that dared stand in her path. Currently, she was dual wielding two ebony-colored straight swords, her cloak flapping in the wind as she dashed about in the Valtheim Inner Courtyard.
"Its no use," one of the Dark Mages cried as he stepped back. "We can't stop her!"
Elise's crimson eyes locked onto the man's own as she shot him a sadistic smirk. The man cried out, attempting to flee as Elise began charging his position. Throwing the blade from her left hand, it impaled the man through the upper back and out the chest.
The man coughed violently, blood pouring from his mouth as he collapsed onto his front, the blade being pushed back out of him from the force of the impact. As it popped out, Elise skidded past, grabbing her sword and sliced a weak, purple-colored spell, clean in half.
Coming to a stop, she noticed that the reinforcements sent to deal with her had begun to dwindle. This only amused her further as she openly laughed at the terrified Dark Mages.
"What kind of person is she…"
"And they say we're the evil ones," another replied shakily as they all slowly started to step away from her. "She's tearing us apart!"
Just as the remaining Dark Mages attempted to retreat, their own shadows rose up from behind them. Elise's eyes widened in momentary shock, before quickly narrowing as she realized that her target had arrived.
The shadows of the Dark Mages quickly overwhelmed and consumed them, leaving Elise in a courtyard now full of shadow entities. However, her eyes weren't on them. No, they were on the man who currently stood up on the nearby balcony.
He was overly tall, almost at nine feet, but very slim. He wore a dark purple business suit with a black undershirt with a matching dark purple fedora. He was currently smoking a cigarette, lightly stroking the stubble on his face as he examined her handiwork with his emerald-colored eyes.
"Quite the job you've done to my men, Council dog," the man said as he took a drag from his cigarette, exhaling off to the left. "Fortunately … I can acquire more."
Left Hand Of Valtheim's Razor
Guild Master Of Midnight's Edge
SS Rank Dark Mage
Markus Twinshadow
"Finally crawled out of whatever crack you'd slithered into, eh Twinshadow?"
"I assure you, living in the gutter is for those stuck under the Magic Council," Markus replied with an amused smirk. "You'd know all about being in the gutter though, wouldn't you? Elise Faulkner?"
"At least I worked hard to get where I am, unlike you," Elise sniffed as she flicked some blood off of one of her blades. "And speaking of places to live … I've got a brand-new home for you."
"Is that so?"
"Oh yeah. I just know that you're gonna love it," Elise smirked as she entered an offensive stance. "A nice, cozy, well furnished Prison Cell, Got your name on it and everything Markus."
"How flattering," the man replied as he took another drag from his cigarette. "However, I'm afraid I must decline such a … wonderful, offer. For you see, I still have much work to do."
"I'm warning you Markus. Surrender now, or you'll be biting off more than you can chew."
"On the contrary, little God Slayer. I know EXACTLY what I'm getting into," Markus replied as the shadows of his former subordinates began to writhe and wriggle toward one another, slowly merging together to form a much larger entity. "Let us see the true power of the War God Slayer, dog of the Magic Council!"
The massive shadow entity let loose a deafening roar. Elise however, merely grinned. Adjusting her grip on her swords, she prepared herself to fight the entity.
"You think you actually stand a chance against my shadows and I!?"
"It's not about will I be able to, you fool," Elise smirked as a faint Galaxy Blue colored tinge coated her eyes. "The real question you should be asking is … how long will I survive against the chosen of a War God?"
Markus snarled, biting into his cigarette as he clenched his fists before pointing down at Elise, clearly commanding the shadow entity.
"Kill her!"
The entity roared and charged toward Elise, ripping out a seven-meter-tall lamppost to use as a makeshift weapon. As it ran, Elise charged toward it as well, both her blades coated in the same strange Aura as she launched herself at it, a psychotic look in her eyes.
For her, the march of war had begun.
***POTD***
Several swords whizzed through the air, a momentary screeching sound, followed by a loud clanging sound. Then … silence.
Erza was panting slightly as she lowered herself to the ground, forty-two of her blades currently littering the walls and floor around her position. Her target, meanwhile, casually walked off to the right, his blade ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"I can see how you made S Class," Falk muttered as he began to pace back and forth at the end of the damaged corridor. "Regular Mages wouldn't be able to handle a barrage of blades like that."
Erza opted to remain silent. She knew full well that he was taunting her, trying to get her to slip up. She knew that if she fell for it, she'd die. His skill with the blade was begrudgingly impressive.
"However. I think you rely far too much on quantity over quality," Falk continued as his pacing grew quicker. "Perhaps I should give you a demonstration?"
Erza steeled herself as a strange Aura began to surround Falk. His blade seemed to hum with a vile malice, blood lust. It felt almost suffocating, and, from a sword no less. This was the power of a veteran Dark Mage…
Falk took a step forward, the malice and blood lust moving with it as she found herself preparing her own attack. Taking a step forward of her own, two swords appeared on her left and right, two more in each hand.
"Blumenblatt!"
Erza snapped forward, the blades at her side vanishing and attempting to strike the Dark Mage. To her shock however, they had already been batted aside before she'd even reached his position.
'What-!?'
He moved with an almost unnatural gait. Erza could see him physically moving, but her body refused to react. It was like her subconscious was trying to stop her from countering what he was doing as she watched him slowly spin around on the spot whilst sheathing his blade.
"Let me teach you about the art of the perfect strike," Falk said as he fully sheathed his blade, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath.
Suddenly, he moved forward without actually taking any physical steps as Erza felt a sharp pain across her stomach region.
"Sansri Sekken!"
Erza's Armor was immediately shattered as she was sent flying through the castle. Smashing through room after room, she was blasted out onto one of the castle ramparts. Coming to a stop near a wall, Erza coughed up some blood as she clutched her stomach, hissing as she felt her ribs.
'Damn it… Such force, and from just one strike,' Erza thought as she struggled into a basic sitting position. "What the hell was that …?"
"Where is the infamous swordplay from the mighty Titania," Falk taunted as he emerged through the hole in the wall. "From what I've seen so far, you're little more than a novice with some fancy tricks up her sleeve!"
Erza grit her teeth at his jab. So far, she hadn't exactly performed admirably against him, being thoroughly trounced. However, such a slight wouldn't stand!
Slowly rising to her feet, Erza's body began to glow. Falk paused in his advance, the position of his blade shifting to a more defensive one.
"Requip – Purgatory Armor!"
Once the light around her faded, Erza stood there in a much more menacing Armor. The Armor was all black with dozens of sharp spikes jutting out across its surface. In her right hand was a massive spiked mace that, despite being almost as tall as Erza, she easily lifted with one arm.
"Interesting," Falk mused as he began slowly pacing back and forth again. "This one seems … different."
"That's because it is," Erza replied firmly as she slammed the mace into the ground, shaking the entire area. "No one who has ever faced me in this Armor has ever defeated me to speak of it!"
"Is that so," Falk replied as his right leg slid backward, his left arching slightly. "Then let's test that proclamation of yours!"
Falk vanished as Erza brought her club upward defensively. Falk clashed with her, the sound of screeching metal as shock-waves rocked the area nearly deafening the pair as they pushed against one another.
Erza pushed him back and immediately went on the offensive, swinging her club like it were as light as a straight sword. Falk was immediately on the defensive as he began parrying her strikes, slowly stepping backward.
"Finally! This is what I hoped to see from you, Titania," Falk grinned as he parried her next attack and joined her in being on the offensive.
Both combatants swung with what at first seemed to be wild fervor at one another. To a trained swordsman however, each slash was targeted. Deadly. Their battle soon moved back into the castle itself, neither combatant gaining ground as Erza's struggle continued.
***POTD***
Markus Twinshadow had seen a lot in his life. He'd cut open living test subjects for his experiments, ordered entire towns to be enslaved and made deals with the Demons of Zeref themselves.
But never had he stared down a foe like this.
Elise was currently atop his large shadow creation, repeatedly stabbing it in the face with both her blades as she cackled with glee. The strength of his creation had subdued S Class Mages before, yet Elise crushed it like a bug.
"This might be bad," he muttered as he pondered his next move. "Perhaps a quick exit is in order…"
Summoning dozens of more shadows from the Earth below, Markus ordered them to attack as the horde charged at Elise's position. As for Elise herself, she merely laughed as she stabbed one of her swords into the face of the shadow beast.
Rising back to her full height, she stomped on the hilt of the blade and forced it deeper into its face as the shadow beast roared in pain. With her free blade, she started slashing at incoming weaker shadow creatures.
"None of you lot are worth the effort," Elise laughed sadistically as she looked over to where Markus was currently fleeing. "Wow…how lame is that!?"
Cocking back her right arm back, she threw her sword in his direction. The blade sliced through everything in its path, nearly tagging him in the side of the head. Markus tripped after realizing he nearly died and turned to look back at Elise fearfully.
"You're insane! How can the Council have a rabid dog like you working for them," Markus cried out as he quickly tried to run away again.
"Oh no you don't," Elise said as she summoned a lance to her right hand and charged in Markus' direction.
Twirling the lance as she held it out in front of her, Elise hacked apart anything that got in her way as she quickly started making ground on her target. For his part, Markus was now panicking, knowing he wasn't going to get away from the crazy God Slayer.
"Damn it! I guess I've got no choice now," the Dark Mage snapped as he held his hands out in front of him, coating them with a blackish-purple mist. "Shadow's Covenant – Shadow Prison!"
Slamming his hands down on the ground as Elise approached, a several meter long Black Magic Circle appeared on the ground around the pair. Elise was momentarily snapped out of her battle fueled state to realize that she had just been caught in something.
"What the-!?"
A void of shadows slowly enveloped the pair, the real world fading away. What awaited them was a black expanse of nothingness, not even a speck of anything else remained. Once the last bit of the real world faded away, Markus seemed much more confident again.
"Good. You've just been caught in my Shadow Prison," Markus sighed in relief. "In this space, I am God. You should prepare for an infi-."
"Did you just say that you were God here," asked Elise with an innocent look on her face.
"Yes, I did," snapped Markus, annoyed that he was interrupted. "What of it!?"
"Well, that's a relief then," Elise replied with a smile that had Markus' optimism regarding the situation slowly fading once again.
"What do you mean…?"
"Well, it's quite simple really," Elise replied casually as she cracked her neck, seemingly preparing to continue fighting. "It means I don't have to feel guilty letting my Mother take over now."
"Your … Mother," Markus asked, clearly confused.
His confusion was short lived however as Elise's form seemed to slightly shift. Her body grew several feet taller to stand at a striking fourteen feet. Her hair lengthened as her cloak faded away and was replaced by an Armor unlike anything he'd seen before.
The Armor was elegant in design. The upper body covered her chest while leaving her stomach exposed. There was a gap between the shoulder blades and the gauntlets which was held together by two straps on each side. Her lower body consisted of a skirt with an unknown insignia on it, and a variety of daggers strapped to a belt. Her leggings went just past her knees before being replaced by her armored boots.
But what frightened Markus the most was what was on the armor. Blood was constantly streaming down the surface of the Armor from the gaps in it. As he shakily looked up, the face of what appeared to be an older version of Elise, smirked down at him.
Full, red lips and skin as white as snow, stained red with blood. Several strange tattoos adorning her scarred skin with her eyes shifting a full Galaxy Blue coloration. As he gazed upon this massive woman, he began to realize just how screwed he was.
"Hello, little mortal," the woman said in a deep, alluring voice as she manifested an ebony blade and brought it to his throat. "Knees. Now."
Markus was on his knees in an instant. He couldn't even resist if he wanted to as something seemed to force him to comply. The woman merely smirked down at him as she crouched down and brought a single finger to his chin, forcing him to look her in those terrifying, yet beautiful, eyes.
One Of The Cosmic Force Gods Of Terminus
Forty Second Goddess Of War
Eleventh Matriarch Of The Freyja Clan
Eliza Faulkner
Markus was unable to truly comprehend what he was dealing with, his mind struggling to keep up. Instead, he began babbling incoherently in-between bouts of begging for his life. Eliza narrowed her eyes and brought the blade closer to his neck.
"Release the Shadow Prison … mortal," Eliza said, emphasizing the word mortal purposely, as he instantly cancelled it. "Good."
"P-Please spare me," Markus pleaded, practically prostrating himself at her feet. "I'll do anything! I'll be your loyal Servant, your slave!? Whatever you want from me, my Goddess, it is yours!?"
"Release a foolish mortal who thinks he is a God," Eliza sniffed as she sneered down at the mortal in disgust. "I think not."
With barely a flick of the wrist, Markus had been decapitated. His body instantly went limp, his head rolling off to the right as the War Goddess wiped her blade clean on his coat.
"Truly, the standards of common decency in mortals are on the decline," Eliza sighed as she let her blade vanish. "Such a pathetic mortal…"
"You didn't have to kill him Mother," Elise chimed in from within her head. "I was meant to capture him, remember? Now what am I supposed to do when we go back to the Magic Council?"
"Elise Dear, I wouldn't have needed to step in at all if you'd not toyed with him for so long," Eliza replied as she slowly stepped away from Markus' body and over to a nearby garden. "Besides, he resisted arrest."
"Mother…"
"There is no use fretting about what is done Elise," came the curt response as Eliza's head dipped ever so slightly. "Ah yes, those two new friends of yours…"
"They're not my friends …"
"Acquaintances, then," the War Goddess shrugged as she vanished and reappeared standing atop the flagpole at the highest point of Castle Valtheim. "Whatever they are … I want to meet them."
"You aren't going to kill them like the last time you said that … right?"
"Not this time," Eliza replied as she looked around the area curiously. "These two are … well, they're important."
"Important?"
"Not for you to worry about just yet."
"Fine. I guess if you're just going to talk to them, its fine. But can I have control back once you do?"
"Of course dear. I still have my own duties to perform back in Terminus. But, it's certainly nice to get out once in a while," she replied with a smile as she focused her attention on where Erza's Magical Signature was. "This one seems rather interesting, since Natsu has yet to face his own opponent."
Eliza vanished, intent on meeting the two other mortals who had garnered her interest for the moment.
***POTD***
As the battles raged on around Castle Valtheim, a lone figure sat on an ornate throne. His entire form was obscured by black robes, his face covered by a mask that had the face of a Demon carved into it.
The figure didn't even flinch as explosions rocked the hall just outside, he knew one of the invaders was coming for him. Making a motion with his right hand, a dozen Dark Mages all aimed their weapons at the double doors to the throne room.
Sure enough, moments later, they were blown clean off their hinges as several bodies were sent flying along with them. Beyond the doorway was an inferno of fire and chaos as a man strolled in.
The Dark Mages immediately rushed them man as the one seated on the throne observed his reaction closely. The young man was blindingly fast as he blew away the Dark Mages with ease. Their weak spells from their weapons seemed to shatter or bounce right off of him, giving the man an idea on how to deal with his new foe.
"You have arrived," the man replied in a deep, calm voice. "Welcome to Castle Valtheim, Council tool."
"Already starting with the insults," Natsu scoffed in response as he shook his head. "Though, I suppose I should give credit where its due. At least you didn't take the opportunity to try and run away."
Run away," the man chuckled as he tapped his fingers against the armrest on his throne. "Foolish boy. There is nowhere for a man such as myself to simply abscond to."
"Heh. Well, I suppose your Bharam Alliance friends wouldn't be too happy about the loss of Castle Valtheim, and everything in it. Would they?"
"Naturally. However, I wasn't merely referring to the Bharam Alliance…"
"Oh, undoubtedly. I wouldn't be surprised to hear you've got contacts across Fiore within Legal Guilds, or even the Magic Council itself," Natsu replied with a shrug. "What's your point?"
"It is rather rare that incidents like this occur, don't you think? The Magic Council, in fear of a Dark Guild, dispatch some Legal Mages to go and deal with them. But tell me, young Mage ... Have you ever stopped to wonder WHY they would do so?"
"I can think of a number of reasons why the Council would want you and your Guild gone-."
"Indeed you could," the man cut in as he slowly rose from his throne. "But you'd be thinking as THEY would want you to. Have you not wondered just how the Council came by the intelligence that led you all here? How, after over a decade, a random patrol just so happened to stumble upon our location in this long-abandoned castle? Does it not seem suspicious to you that the Council never had a clue as to our location prior to all this?"
Natsu pondered the man's words for a moment. What the Dark Mage was saying certainly made sense, at least on the surface. It was rather suspicious that the Council had information on The Cortex, Marus Twinshadow and Falk Transil despite not having been able to even locate their base of operations until recently.
"You're saying that the Magic Council itself is corrupt?"
"You require proof," the Dark Mage asked as he reached for the mask covering his face and slowly removed it. "Perhaps this shall give you some idea …"
"Hold on a second," Natsu muttered, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. "You're …"
A Member Of The Magic Council
Mediator Of The Bharam Alliance
Guild Master Of Valtheim's Razor
SSS Rank Dark Mage
Councilman Hogg
"What the hell …"
"Surprised," the middle-aged man asked as he tossed the mask aside and lowered the hood of his robes as long, silver hair spilled down his back. "Welcome to the big leagues, young Mage."
"You're a member of the Magic Council. I've seen you on their broadcasts before," Natsu replied, genuinely shocked at seeing the man before him. "What kind of joke is this!?"
"This is no joke, I assure you," Hogg responded with a wave of his hand. "I am Councilman Hogg … The REAL one."
"Hold on … Are you saying that there's two of you?"
"My name was Hogg, back before I was cast out into the darkness," the man replied as he clenched his fists. "For you see, I was the victim of a rather ruthless power play by several of my … esteemed colleagues."
"You were betrayed by other members of the Magic Council? Why?"
"Simple. My vote was needed, and the Bharam Alliance had no way of bribing me like they have so many of the others. So, they simply took me, and replaced me with a Homunculi counterpart."
"What…?"
"You might be wondering right about now about why I would be assisting the Bharam Alliance, hmm? Why would I help those who saw me deposed from my position due to my stance against them?"
"The thought crossed my mind," Natsu replied slowly. "Tell me why, then?"
"I served on the Magic Council for thirty-two years. I've watched as the country declined in wealth and prosperity due to the greed of others. From the nobles and their lust for wealth, the Guilds and their desire for control over territory and even the many power trips my own former colleagues in the Magic Council went on to sate their desires. I have seen much in my time, young Mage…"
Natsu nodded stiffly in response. He couldn't argue that a lot of Fiore was rather corrupt and greedy. Then again, so were many places, even other nations such as Scarlione or Bosco.
"When I was taken from my home, I was not put into slavery, nor was I tortured into a new mind of thinking. Instead, I was merely brought before the leaders of the Bharam Alliance's largest Guilds," Hogg continued. "I was treated not as an enemy, but as a potential ally."
"Why would they do that?"
"They sat me down, told me of their goals. They seek to return Fiore to a time before the corruption of the Magic Council and the nobles. A time when the strongest dictated the laws of the land to the weak and conniving. A time when a man could practice any Magic he wished without fear of scrutiny and persecution. A time when-!"
"I think I've heard enough," Natsu cut in, chuckling as he shook his head. "Listen. I'm not going to try and dissuade you from believing in the sales pitch that the Bharam Alliance fed you, okay? You feel free to believe that an archaic system that collapsed hundreds of years ago will somehow fix all the world's problems. I'm sure if you believe hard enough, one day it might become reality…"
"Joke all you want, but you don't know the true history of the world that was buried centuries ago. Back when Lord Zeref roamed the land, the world was a much better place-!"
"Listen. I'll admit that you caught my interest when you revealed yourself and mentioned that some of the Council are legitimately corrupt. But, I'm not here to get into worshiping Zeref. Fact is, you're a Dark Mage who has done terrible things, and I'm gonna put you down."
Hogg seemed annoyed for a moment before sighing and nodding in understanding.
"You have one chance to surrender Hogg, or I'm going to put you down."
"You and I both know that surrender isn't an option," Hogg replied with a deep frown. "However. As thanks for at least hearing me out, I'll endeavor to give you a quick and painless death."
"You can try," came the firm response as Natsu clenched his fists. "You aren't the first Guild Master of a Dark Guild I've had to face, and you won't be the last."
"Then enough talk, young Mage," Hogg suddenly barked as he began releasing a torrent of Magical Power. "Let me show you the power of the Bharam Alliance!"
Hogg's fists became coated in a blackish-purple miasma as Natsu also began to power up. Hogg seemed surprised for a brief moment as he felt Natsu open up his own reserves before settling into a slight crouch.
Natsu's fists ignited as the pair vanished, reappearing at the center of the room, their fists locked together as the ground beneath them cracked. Both Mages quickly separated before rushing each other as the battle for Valtheim heated up.
***POTD***
The sounds of clashing steel could be heard all over the East Wing of the castle. Erza and Falk continued to exchange a fierce flurry of attacks until she received a fierce kick to the gut. Lurching forward, Erza was blasted out onto one of the castle's many rooftops and into another outer wall, stumbling forward and dropping to one knee.
"This isn't good," Erza huffed, spitting out some blood before wiping her mouth. "Even with my Purgatory Armor…"
"Better hurry Titania, that defense is getting sloppy," Falk taunted as he stood on the windowsill she'd been launched out of. "Its obvious you can't win, so just surrender."
"Never! I refuse to surrender to a Dark Mage," Erza spat as she rose to her feet once again. "So long as I can move, I'll keep on fighting!"
"So be it," Falk replied darkly as he closed the distance between them as Erza slid her right leg back and raised her club up.
Blocking Falk's attack still had Erza skidding backward as she swung her club out to try and strike him. Unfortunately, he was too quick, and easily slipped around the bulky weapon as he began performing the motions for a familiar attack.
"Such a lumbering form is ill suited to combat the likes of me, Erza Scarlett … Sansri Sekken!"
Erza didn't have the time to block as Falk slipped past her, slashing her across the front as her Purgatory Armor struggled to take the hit. She cried out in pain as the force of the attack knocked her off the roof, falling several stories and smashing into the fountain in the entrance courtyard.
Coughing up more blood, Erza clutched a wound on her exposed stomach. Falk's attack had torn a gash into her Armor, though luckily it only managed to cut into her flesh lightly.
"Shit," she hissed as she dragged herself out of the fountain. "That stings…"
Looking up to the rooftop, Erza could see Falk standing there, looking down at her. The sight of it frustrated her, angered her even. This Dark Mage was completely toying with her, mocking her skill with the blade.
'There's still one Armor left for me to try…'
"Are you prepared for it, Titania? Prepared to die," Falk's voice echoed across the area as he readied his blade. "This will be the strike to end it!"
Falk leapt off of the roof, flashing between footholds as he rushed her position. Drawing his blade back to his far right, it began to visibly shudder as he prepared his final strike.
"Requip – Armor Of The Brilliant Flame!"
As her body was enveloped with light, a sudden spike in the temperature around them occurred. Falk was undeterred, however, thrusting his blade toward where he knew her heart would be.
"What-!?"
The sound of steel clashing wasn't what he'd expected as Erza blocked the strike with a scaled blade. Seeing her emerge from the light clad in a thick, scale-covered Armor moments after his attack had been parried, set the man on the defensive.
"The real fight begins now, Transil. Prepare yourself!"
Falk moved to grip the hilt of his blade with both hands now, feeling the increase in temperature, as well as something else within himself as he stood before Erza. It was almost like he was facing two foes, not just one…
Erza dashed forward at speeds wholly unexpected for the Armor she was currently wearing. Its weight clearly didn't affect her as the blade held out to her right ignited, crimson flame coating its surface.
"Draconian Knight's Scorching Strike!"
"Sansri Sekken!"
The pair clashed; the nearby fountain being reduced to dust as the water itself evaporated. Powerful gusts of wind uprooted trees and caused many statues to topple and crumble to dust. The pair pushed against one another for several more seconds before separating, skidding backward.
Almost immediately however, they charged one another once again. This time, however, they started exchanging a furious flurry of blows. Erza found it surprising how easy it was for her to absorb the impact from Falk's attacks, not feeling her insides rattling like before.
"This is impossible," Falk snarled as he cleared some distance. "You barely have enough Magic left to sustain yourself, let alone match me!"
Internally, Erza did agree with part of what the man just said. Her reserves were running dangerously low after having used her Purgatory Armor for so long. However, she wasn't about to stop now. Not when victory was within sight.
"Take away your ability to destroy my Armors, and what are you," Erza shot back. "This is the first time I've ever even used this Armor, yet it has exposed your greatest weakness!"
"Foolish girl! All it has done is make you overconfident," Falk snapped back as he entered an offensive stance. "I'll kill you with one final strike!"
Falk vanished, clearly moving faster than he had up until this point in the battle thus far. Inhaling deeply, Erza brought both hands to her sword and extended it out to the right. Flame began to coat its edge once more as Falk appeared before her, mid-thrust.
"SANSRI SEKKEN!"
The tip of his blade struck her breastplate. More specifically, the attack was aimed directly at her heart, as it made to run her through. To Falk's shock, however, the tip of his blade snapped off upon contact with the scales layering the breastplate.
"No-!"
His eyes picked up movement to his lower right, his body vulnerable after his burst of speed used to reach her position. He could only watch in slow motion as he was pushed away from her thanks to the force of his blade tip snapping. He could see an upward slash attack from Erza before feeling a searing heat cut into the flesh of his lower abdomen.
"Draconian Knight's Ignition Strike!"
Falk roared in pain as Erza delivered an upward slash attack, laced with fire, from his lower left thigh to his upper right eye. Blood sprayed out as he was knocked skyward, his blade dropped almost immediately. From the point of deployment of her attack, a shock-wave laced with fire tore through the courtyard, blasting a hole into Castle Valtheim.
The moment Falk hit the ground, Erza dropped to one knee, panting heavily as her Armor shimmered away, replaced by her standard Heart Kreuz Armor. She looked up toward where Falk lay, completely immobile, and smirked.
"Where's your 'Art Of The Perfect Strike' now," came her mocking response to his fallen form. "Sometimes it pays to diversify…"
"I couldn't agree more."
Erza's eyes widened at the unfamiliar voice as she clutched her side and looked over her shoulder. For a moment, she thought it was simply Elise. However, this was a much larger version of her, which had her on the defensive.
"Peace… I mean you no harm, Erza Scarlett," the woman muttered soothingly as Erza felt something compel her to relax.
"Who … are you," Erza hissed as she shakily rose to her feet. "You're not … Elise …"
"An astute observation. You would be surprised at how many people mistake me for my Daughter."
"Your … Daughter?"
"Yes Dear, my Daughter," the woman replied as she slowly approached her position. "You may refer to me as Eliza, should you desire a name for me?"
"Eliza," Erza muttered in response. "Where did you come from? Why are you here?"
"That is a rather complicated question to answer," Eliza replied calmly, not even fazed as the upper floor of the castle was rocked by several explosions. "I think it may be a good idea to get you to a safe distance before I explain things in detail…"
"Where's Elise?"
Eliza's lips twitched upward ever so slightly, her crimson eyes twinkling as she pointed to herself. She couldn't help but giggle as Erza's mouth opened to respond, only for nothing to come out.
"Like I said dear," Eliza smirked as she walked over and grabbed Falk, hoisting him over her shoulder as another explosion went off above. "Time and place."
Erza nodded dumbly, looking upward to see debris being knocked out of the castle. She knew Natsu was likely still fighting The Cortex, and decided that this newcomer was correct. As she was, she was just in the way here, and she did want answers.
"Fine…"
"A wise choice Dear," Eliza replied as she stepped up to Erza and placed a hand on her shoulder, the pair instantly moving to another location.
"Wh-What-!? Did you just teleport us," Erza gasped a she looked around, realizing they were back up on the ridge they'd first arrived at. "And why so far away?"
"Let's just say that I have an idea of what's about to occur," the woman replied cryptically as she tossed Falk's unconscious form aside. "Before the fun begins, I'll answer some of your questions. I just know you'll have plenty once you start …"
Erza nodded slowly as she began speaking to the woman before her, her mind not fully off of Natsu as he fought the Guild Master below.
***POTD***
Hogg was sweating as he narrowly dodged a sphere of flame tossed his way by Natsu. The pair had been fighting for the last twenty minutes and it had already become clear that Hogg was in trouble.
His eyes darted around the room as he caught onto Natsu's sudden movement, raising his right arm to block a kick from his right. Natsu flipped off of his arm, spinning three times in the air as his leg became cloaked in crimson fire.
"Fire Dragon's Talon!"
Hogg wasn't able to block again in time, being belted in the side of the face and sent sailing across the room, smashing through several walls in the process. Eventually, he managed to right himself, flipping upright as he smashed through another wall and skidding to a stop.
Hogg panted, looking through the dust to try and trace Natsu's approach. His eyes widened slightly however at the faint light that was rapidly growing in size and intensity. He quickly darted to the left as a horizontal pillar of fire, at least ten meters in diameter, tore through the castle.
"What the hell-URGH-!?"
Hogg suddenly found himself smashed face first into the ground, a pain in the back of his head. The force he'd been struck was so great, his body bounced right back up again, just in time to see Natsu cocking back to punch him again.
His right arm was tensed, veins bulging as his bicep shuddered. Hogg could tell this one was going to hurt as his fist became coated in crimson flame, another one of his Dragon Slayer attacks, no doubt.
"Fire Dragon King's Demolition Fist!"
Hogg was struck in the stomach so hard; he was immediately coughing up blood. As Natsu's punch followed through, Hogg could feel Natsu slowly changing the trajectory of it downward.
Gritting his teeth, Natsu's punch sent Hogg smashing down through floor after floor of Castle Valtheim. The entire area shook from the force of his punch as small fires broke out both inside the castle itself, as well as outside in the castle gardens.
Looking down into the hole, he saw Hogg embedded into a five-meter-deep crater within the entrance hall. His gaze hardened as his leg ignited with flame and he started jumping up and down slightly on the spot.
Hogg looked up at the various holes he'd left in the castle and couldn't help but laugh weakly. He knew he'd gotten himself into a spot of trouble now, but he wasn't worried just yet.
"Hehehe… It's been awhile," the man sighed as he saw Natsu jump down the hole, right leg extended outward. "HeheheHAHAHAHAHA!"
As Natsu shot down toward Hogg's position, he was shocked to see the man suddenly rip himself free from the impact crater, Dark Magic swirling around him as he cocked back his right arm.
Throwing a punch right as Natsu's attack made impact, Hogg laughed as the entire ground floor was completely blasted apart. Natsu ceased his attack early and leapt back from Hogg, however the Dark Guild Master immediately went on the offensive and attempted to attack him.
Throwing a fierce blow to Natsu's gut, it was blocked by the Dragon Slayer's knee as he spun around and attempted to strike the Dark Guild Master in the head. Hogg blocked it with his right arm, reinforced with his left, but was still sent flying into the grand staircase, blowing right through the center of it and out the back.
"Seems like he got a second wind," Natsu huffed as he landed just before the stairs. "I'm surprised he took that punch at all. Didn't think he had it in him…"
"That's the thing about Dark Mages," Hogg replied as he emerged from the hole in the stairs, bloodied slightly as he tossed his cloak off to the side. "We're willing to use whatever we have to in order to win!"
"Really? Wow, couldn't have possibly guessed that."
Hogg smirked as the strange blackish-purple Aura from earlier reappeared around his body once again. This time however, two blades molded from pure darkness formed from within his wrists, enveloping his hands entirely and extending several inches outward.
"Darkness Magic – Dread And Despair!"
Remaining where he was, Natsu decided to see what this strange attack was capable of. Considering the fact that Hogg had turned his hands into blades, the trade-off would have to be worth it somehow.
Hogg grinned and made a swiping motion with his right arm, firing off a massive aerial slash attack. Natsu leaned to the left to avoid it, watching as it blew out a good portion of the front entrance to the castle.
'Very sharp. Very dangerous,' Natsu hummed to himself as Hogg launched himself from the stairs and toward his position.
Natsu immediately leapt back, avoiding several slash attacks from Hogg as orange sparks crackled around his arms. Once they reached the hole in the front entrance, Natsu started fighting back, raising his right arm and blocking Hogg's blade, shocking the man as his blade met resistance.
"What Magic is this-!?"
Smirking, Natsu went on the counterattack. Hogg tried slashing at him from the right and so he blocked it with his right arm, catching the left blade without even breaking eye contact.
"Crash Magic. Gotta love it, huh," Natsu joked before delivering a fierce headbutt to Hogg's face that nearly knocked him flat on his back.
The Dark Mage stumbled backward, attempting to reach for his now broken nose, only to stab himself through the cheek as he cried out in pain. That was when Natsu delivered a fierce uppercut to the man's jaw, snapping his mouth shut with the blade still lodged through his cheeks.
This had two effects. The first, and the most obvious, was that he was knocked up into the ceiling, smashing through the floor. The second, and less obvious, was that the moment his mouth forcibly shut over the blade, most of his teeth were shattered. All thanks to the blade he'd accidentally stabbed himself with.
Leaping upward, Natsu smashed through another section of the ceiling and landed near Hogg's position. The man was bleeding from several wounds and clearly was dazed. Just as he began to approach however, the man started laughing.
"I had a feeling you were insane when we spoke back in the throne room," Natsu said as he stopped several meters away. "Good to know I was right on that one. Now tell me, are you done yet? This can all end if you just surrender-."
Natsu immediately stopped speaking when Hogg removed the blade stuck in his mouth, by simply ripping it out. The result of this was a torrent of blood escaping as his gums and jaw, mixed with skin and shards of his teeth on the floor.
It didn't really bother Natsu, as he'd seen far worse. However, it was still disgusting regardless as he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Hehehehahahahaha …. Ahhhh …"
No longer entertaining the idea of capturing Hogg alive, Natsu started advancing toward the man as he straightened all the fingers on his right hand. Cocking his right arm back, he was about to strike when his eyes caught onto something within the pool of blood.
"Blood Magic-!"
Natsu leapt away just in time to avoid the blood on the floor enveloping him, much like it was now enveloping Hogg. The man was laughing from within the rapidly expanding sphere as it pulsed, slowly turning a sickly purple coloration.
"See it boy," Hogg's voice cackled as the purplish sphere continued to expand in size before suddenly and rapidly shrinking. "This is the power of a true Dark Mage!"
'This must be that technique Elise warned me about,' Natsu thought as the purplish colored blood began taking on a humanoid appearance. 'This is advanced Blood Magic …'
The humanoid form solidified; the liquid form being absorbed into the purple flesh of the now transformed Hogg. He appeared younger, possibly in his thirties, and his hair was now a pure white color. His eyes glowed red along with all his protruding veins that appeared to be working overtime to support his drastically increased muscle mass.
He towered over Natsu, his mouth gaping wide with no cheeks to speak of, only rows of razor-sharp teeth and an elongated purple tongue that flicked about aimlessly. If Natsu didn't know better, he'd call the man a Demon from the Books of Zeref.
"Blood Arts: Darkness Magic – Beyond All Limits!"
Natsu could feel the surge in the man's power. He'd certainly improved a dozen times over, if not more. As he stood before the monstrous form of the once Human Councilman, he couldn't help but ponder what long term effects he'd suffer as a result of such a spell.
"Behold boy! This is what it means to exceed one's absolute limit," Hogg cackled as he faced Natsu, hoping to find a look of despair upon the boy's face.
"I'll give you credit, I actually see you as a credible threat now," Natsu replied, bringing a scowl to the man's face. "Before, you used some Dark Magic, but you were rather easy to smack around."
"I'll enjoy grinding your bones to dust before presenting your carcass to the heads of the Bharam Alliance," Hogg hissed viciously in response as his tongue flicked out of his gaping maw-like mouth. "You will suffer for interfering with the plans to revive Lord Zeref!"
"The only one that's gonna suffer now, is you," came Natsu's firm response as fire exploded from his form, opening up his reserves in preparation to combat the abomination before him.
Both combatants tensed for several moments before charging at one another, their fists clashing together as the entire structure of Castle Valtheim shuddered, struggling to remain standing as the two powerhouses clashed.
The fight to defeat Valtheim's Razor had entered its final stage…