Here is the forty-first chapter in this story released in accordance with my upload schedule for this story. I know that it has been a while but such is life, hopefully it won't be this bad for a while but I won't make any promises. Anyway, the opening of the Eclipse Gate to use as a weapon, which is of course not how it works, isn't the only thing going on right now in Crocus. No, there is another preparation underway as the number of dragons believed to be incoming is too great for a single cannon blast so Fiore needs defenders and what better group than the Guild Wizards who just completed the Grand Magic Games along with their other Guild members. That means it's time to inform them and ask for their assistance in defending Crocus and who better to ask then the King himself. That is all that I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and while there are no questions that need answers, or can be answered at this time, there is are 5 guest reviews that needs a response and an announcement to make, so I will do that now. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate.
To KingKam (guest), no the stuff with the Devil Believers did not happen because this story is a replacement for the time skip and the Heart Kingdom/other training and that includes the non-canon stuff that occurred in the anime that occurred right before the start of the time skip. In fact they've not even been to the Heart Kingdom or know anything about it or the stage system for Mages or the curse there as they left before they even went to see Gordon's family. I hope this clears things up and do keep reading and my work.
To KGBeastboy (guest), thank you for your review and yes Lamy won't be a favorite of Noelle and Mimosa in anyway. Lamy is a bit like Sally but Sally does still have some sense and Asta understood her but Lamy is a demon so she's already different and with Asta she'd do what Sally wanted to do but was persuaded not to do without restraint. If this happens it will be interesting and the girls dealing with an army of insane bunny-like demons that sound like Noelle and all wanting Asta would be something beyond what they'd expect even with Asta. Thanks for the voice actor reference, that's one I actually missed which I shouldn't have. There will certainly be plenty of references especially once there's time to relax and actually notice things as Asta was a little too busy to notice that Erza sounded just like Charlotte. All that said, there is an earlier cat that's going to make quite the impact on a Black Bull to look forward to. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
To Dzhonni (guest), I had to use a translator for your review so I hope I answer your question but if it's off then blame that. Firstly, though, I'm glad that you are enjoying my work and the last few chapters, they have been fun to write but challenging so it's good to know that they went well. As for your question, no Asta won't get any Fairy Tail girls to his harem for two reasons. The first one is that I don't do cross series pairings, it's not something I go for, though certainly flirtatious characters will be that way but actual romantic interest is not something I do. The second reason is that I have a general preference to canon romantic interest so in this story the only people with an interest in Asta will be Noelle and Mimosa and if he ends up with both of them is still to be seen but that is a possibility. Again this is a personal preference, I rarely go for ships that aren't either canon (either mutual or one sided) or heavily implied that are/will become canon like NaLu. I hope this answers your question and yes 100 years Quest will be covered as well though that adaptation is years away and I haven't even begun to think of how that will work. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
To PugKing (guest), thank you for your review and support. I'm pleased to see that you like my approach to this story, it's been hard to balance things but I'm glad that it's been going well. As for the fight between Asta and Erza, that was one of the toughest chapters I've ever written because of the hype for it and how it had to live up to it especially with two great warriors going at it so to know that it went well is great to hear. If you want to help visualize it then check out the artist Spartanbender on Deviant Art as they've drawn the critical moment of that fight, it's a great piece of art and shows just how intense it was. As for your questions, they are interesting and things I've not thought about. On the Rogue front, as of right now Yami of course doesn't know that Rogue can move through shadows in a similar fashion to Nacht and I'm not sure what would happen when he learns especially with what future Rogue is up to. I'll admit that this is a rather unlikely just because there isn't much interaction between them that I can see happening and if it can't come naturally I won't force it. As for Gauche, that is something I'd not actually thought about so thanks for reminding me of that before I start the scripting of the coming fights so I can keep it in mind as it is a power that is going to be very useful though where it might be applied will depend on where it is most needed. Henry on the other hand I've already received some good suggestions so don't worry about him. Lastly, I'll admit I'd not even thought about Bane Particles and I don't know enough about them yet to make a decision but now that you've reminded me of them I'll look into them when the time comes and see what the canon is on them and how they might interact with Asta. Right now I'd presume that they'd have no negative effect on him which could be useful in a surprise attack but at the same time I can't see a positive effect but I'll do more research to see. Do keep reading and enjoying my work and while do keep suggestions coming because you never know what may help me even if I can't do something.
To Tyrone (guest), when it comes to Natsu and END I will likely keep it all canon which means it won't be seen, just stuff that is happening around the battles. I haven't really planned out most of the Alvarez war, so far it's just certain key things that have to happen regarding the Black Bulls, but when it comes to key canon moments I usually keep them as is unless there is a damned good reason to change them and the stuff regarding END and how Natsu is saved doesn't rise to the level of needing to change. Plus it's a great NaLu moment with Lucy fighting though pain to save Natsu and as NaLu is my 3rd favorite anime ship of all time I won't mess with great moments. I hope this answers your question and doo keep reading and enjoying my work.
One a separate note, I am pleased to announce that Spartanbender (SaiyanFury34 on fanfiction) has published the third piece of artwork for this story on their Deviant Art account this time depicting the final moment of the Battle Royale in chapter 38 so go and check that out and support the artist as it's another great piece of art that helps bring this story to life in a new way. Remember if you wish to draw scenes from this story (or any of my other ones) just go for it, all I ask is that you let me know so I can give you a shoutout at the start of the next chapter.
That is it for this long pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the forty-first chapter in Black Bull Banishment.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 41: A King's Plea
The diminutive gray haired man walked through the corridors of the Domus Flau Colosseum in his full regal attire, his cloak slightly billowing behind him and the sound of his guards' armor creaking as they walked in formation around the man. The man was Toma E. Fiore, the King of Fiore and he had a serious look on his slightly mustachioed face.
The moment that the Battle Royale had ended and the Black Bulls had been declared the victors, Toma, as Mato, had made a few comments with the other commentators as they discussed the epic final clash between Asta and Laxus. It had been the perfect ending to what had been a truly spectacular Battle Royale and had capped off the best Grand Magic Games to date.
Alas Toma couldn't spend as much time as he would have liked discussing not just how the Battle Royale ended but the other great feats during it before he had to slip away during the celebrations. He really enjoyed being the mascot of the games and taking an active part in them as it brought him closer to the action and his citizen but he was still the King and so he had duties to attend to. That had, after all, been why he'd missed one day as Mato because he'd had to make an appearance as the King, and now he had to leave the celebration early as a very pressing duty called him.
That duty was of course the impending attack on the Crocus by a horde of dragons. As King, Toma was fully aware of the attack and the intel that his daughter had received from a man who claimed to be from the future along with her plan to use the Eclipse Gate to kill the dragons, as well as its main purpose regarding Zeref, but he'd left all of that to Hisui, Arcadios, and Darton.
This was a grave and serious issue but he trusted his daughter, the Chief of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron, and Fiore's Minister of Defense to sort it out in secret. He had faith in them that they would make sure that the plan was pulled off without a hitch and without any panic.
To facilitate this the Grand Magic Games had gone on as planned, well they had to anyway because of the magic they gathered for the Eclipse Gate was critical to the plan, and Toma played his role in that as Mato. Plus this was just the kind of crisis that could test a monarch and as he intended on abdicating at some point in the coming years, Hisui needed the experience dealing with such issues so that she was ready when she became Queen.
Now, though, the time for waiting was at an end and the time for action was at hand. Hisui had everything in place, though there had been some miscommunication issues regarding the plans that had led to Arcadios being thrown into the Palace of Perdition but that had since been cleared up apparently, and as such the plan to kill the dragons was about to be enacted. It was a bold one and one that could fail to kill all of the dragons that were coming so Toma needed help and who better to help than the 6 Guilds that had just duked it out in the Battle Royale to decide who the top Guild was.
To add to it, not only were there no less than 7 Dragon Slayers across those 6 Guilds, but there were at least two with external Healing Magic. That was really rare but what made it even rarer was that one of the healers, one who'd not competed but was a member of the winning Black Bull Guild, was a talent that Toma had only ever read about in old texts about Lost Magic.
Right now she was healing everyone from the Battle Royale back to full fighting readiness while another member of their Guild seemed to have some ability to restore Ethernano which was something that none of the texts that Toma had read had ever said was possible. Apparently it was and it was thanks to that combination of skills within the ranks of the Black Bulls that all of the strongest combatants in Fiore's best Guilds would be back in shape just in case the Eclipse Cannon failed, a boost that could turn the tide of a battle and a combination that Toma didn't think existed.
It really showed why the Black Bulls had been able to come out of seemingly nowhere to win the Grand Magic Games and while their origins were murky having just shown up in Fiore a little over 2 years ago they were clearly committed to their new home and had risen to the top of the Wizard Guilds in record time. Now it was time for Toma to ask them and the other Guilds to end their well-earned celebration early and be ready to aid the Kingdom in its time of need.
All this meant that Toma needed to ask for the help from the Guild Masters and while two weren't present, the Mermaid Heel Guild Master had never even shown up to the Grand Magic Games for some reason while the Sabertooth Guild Master had vanished, the others were in one place. That was perfect for Toma as he reached the Black Bulls' suite and nodded at the guard who was by the door.
"Presenting His Majesty, Toma E. Fiore, King of Fiore!"
"Presenting His Majesty, Toma E. Fiore, King of Fiore!"
Only Yami wasn't startled by the sudden announcement as Makarov, Bob, and Oba jumped slightly at the sudden introduction. Yami had of course sensed the ki of the guards and King arriving though he'd not realized that it was the King, who he had yet to meet, not that that was something Yami particularly cared about, until the announcement. He had gotten a strong sense of justice and determination in the man's slightly familiar ki so knew he wasn't here for a nefarious reason, which was why he didn't say anything when he first sensed the ki and the fact that it was the King himself made things a lot easier.
That was because the Guild Masters had been discussing what to do after the healing was done. Ultimately, there wasn't really much that they could come up with other than basically talk to the organizers of the Grand Magic Games and have them sort out the city before they had a proper celebration to concluded the competition.
Naturally, they would help in the rebuilding, but for the most part none of them were specialized in this kind of repair work and both the Black Bulls and Fairy Tail were significantly better at breaking things than mending them so talking to the King about what needed to be done would be useful. At least it would be but the moment that the King arrived Yami sensed a worry in the man's ki and knew something more than simply repairing Crocus was afoot.
"What is it?" Yami asked bluntly as he looked down at the man who, judging by his ki, was clearly a better King than King Clover was and he'd only just met him. "We had permission to break the city so something must be going on."
"Astute I see but it's what I'd expect from the winning Guild Master." Toma said his voice serious. "You are correct, the damage caused by the Battle Royale was already accounted for and will be replaced by professionals paid for by the Palace. That is not why I am here right now. I am sorry for interrupting your well-deserved celebrations but Crocus is about to be attacked."
"Attacked?" Yami asked without emotion as he took a drag on his cigarette while the other three looked surprised at it. "Well that's not good."
"It's not." Bob said. "This is a rather unexpected twist."
"I'll spin them." Oba said spinning her finger.
"Is it Tartarus?" Makarov asked seriously. "We've dealt with Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart of the Baram Alliance. Meanwhile, Raven Tail's top members were arrested during the Games so it has to be them."
"No it's not the final member of the Baram Alliance." Toma said shaking his head. "They have been oddly quiet as of late actually, not that much is known about them to begin with, but it's not them, it's worse."
"Worse?" Makarov asked his eyes wide. "How can it be worse than the last remaining great Dark Guild."
"It could be a large floating rock controlled by a bunch of pissed of reincarnated souls hellbent on genocide due to a centuries old grudge and who've been manipulated by a Devil." Yami said as if it was nothing. "That would be worse."
"No, we aren't dealing with Zeref or his demons so something like that is likely off the table." Toma said his tone implying that that was something that could happen here which surprised Yami as it wasn't something that the Clover Kingdom had expected at all. "Instead it's the most powerful magical beings that we know of, dragons."
"Dragons?" Yami asked now confused. "I thought they were extinct. Isn't that why there's Dragon Slayer Magic?"
"There is one dragon still living that I know of, Acnologia." Makarov said. "It was his attack on us on Tenrou Island that led us to inadvertently invoking one of our great spells and being put in stasis for 7 years but I thought that he was the only one."
"So did we but we've gotten intel from a reliable source that a whole horde of them are going to attack Crocus very soon." Toma said. "Right now my daughter has put a plan in motion that should work but it might not kill all of them so I need to ask for your assistance and that of your Guilds. In that vein, I'd like to address your Guilds directly."
"Well that's not a problem, they are all in one place." Yami said. "And I can't speak for the others here but the Black Bulls will assist, it's what we do."
"Fairy Tail will help." Makarov said. "These are dragons and we have 3 Dragon Slayers though two are, um…"
"So long as they are available that is all that matters right now." Toma said his tone implying he was aware of the situation that Makarov was trying not to mention before he looked to the other two Guild Masters. "Are Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale on board as well?"
"I'll spin those dragons." Oba said. "We must show that we're as good as the other Guilds here after we failed to win the Grand Magic Games."
"You can count on us your Majesty." Bob said with a smile.
"Thank you, thank you very much." Toma said bowing to them with tears in his eyes that he quickly rubbed away. "The Kingdom will forever be in your debt. Please, I know that the Black Bulls have a Spatial Wizard while Fairy Tail has a wizard capable of mental communication so please contact them immediately. There is a lot to coordinate if we are to defend the city and not a lot of time I fear. I need you to bring me and my soldiers to the point above where the healing is taking place so that we I can ask for their assistance right away."
"Of course." Yami said as he pulled out his communication device that was connected to one that Finral had on him and opened it. "One moment."
It took a few seconds but a small magical projection of Finral appeared on it. He looked a little tired and was halfway through a bite of food but he was there which was what Yami needed right now.
"Finral, is everyone still in the square?" Yami asked without preamble.
"They are, Mimosa isn't done and Charmy is insisting that everyone has some food regardless of their magical reserves." Finral replied as he swallowed. "Why?"
"No time to explain." Yami said. "I need you to make a portal between my location, I'm still in the suite we have been in all week, and a place that can overlook and address the whole square."
"Er sure." Finral said as his projection looked around. "I take it you need to stand on it."
"It should be able to hold at least 5 people." Yami said looking around. "And then when we're through make another one to the square as a whole as more need to come through."
"Alright there's a walkway or promenade that overlooks the area, that will do." Finral said. "It will be made momentarily."
With that he ended the call and Yami closed up the device and put it away. Before he could say anything a portal appeared before him and he trusted that Finral had it connected to the right spot.
"Your Majesty, after you." Yami said gesturing to it.
"Thank you." Toma said finally standing up from his bow and despite a slight protest from his guards he walked forward and through it without hesitation.
The moment he was through Yami followed with Makarov, Bob, and Oba in his wake and they were instantly transported to promenade that overlooked the square where the healing was taking place. In fact they were pretty much right over the spot on the wall that Asta had sent Laxus into before he took out Gray. The guards were left to wait for another portal and then file through as the King got ready to address the top 6 Guilds in Fiore.
"The healing seems to be going well." Asta said as he looked around the square, the green glow of the magic circle and the flowers still present as Mimosa kept up her spell. "Mimosa really is amazing."
Asta wasn't really speaking to anyone in particular, he was just observing how things were going as there really wasn't much for him to do. He'd just had his exchange with Erza after she'd regained consciousness and she'd headed off to get precautionary bandages wrapped around her entire chest as well as her arms, neck, head, and cheek. As that required her to remove the tattered remains of her clothes and change into her usual a blue skirt Asta had walked away and left her in the capable hands of Mermaid Heel and Nero.
With that out of the way, however, Asta was pretty much left alone by the others in the square. That was to be expect after what he'd done in the Battle Royale and as such many were giving him a wide berth as he wandered through the square though there were some hushed whispers of awe and rightly so. After all, many had watched Asta, who while being an S-Class wizard was still unknown in Fiore, best the top two members of Fairy Tail's team, and two of their strongest 4 members, in single combat to pull off the win for the Black Bulls.
That alone would have solidified himself as one of the strongest in all of Fiore but the fact that those two people were Erza, the woman who took out 100 enemies in Pandemonium and was renowned for her strength even after a 7 year absence, and Laxus who'd bested the Wizard Saint Jura put the feat on a whole new level. Naturally, many would talk to him soon, and some would challenge him in time, but for now he was being treated like the victor he was and many were discussing his battles, and the Black Bulls in general, as they helped out and bandaged up those who were being healed.
Of course Asta didn't notice this as he made his way over to where the Black Bulls had started to congregate now that the bulk of the work was in the hands of the other Guilds. With the worst of the injured either having been taken off the battlefield and healed back in the Colosseum as was the case with Magna and Luck or now awake and being tended to by their own guildmates as was the case with the other members of Fairy Tail and Lamia Scale, there wasn't much more to do other than make sure that Charmy got the ingredients she needed and the food was sent out to those who had to eat.
As such, with the exceptions of Charmy, Finral, Mimosa, and Warren who were running the command and healing station, most of the combatants had grouped up with their own Guilds and were chatting amongst themselves with the main topic of conversation being the Battle Royale. That was what Asta was now doing and it would soon be time to celebrate especially as Asta noticed that Finral was talking to a communicator, which meant that Yami was likely on his way.
Asta was right of course but it wasn't for the reason he expected as there was a gasp from the gathered wizards just as Asta reached the other Black Bulls. That got Asta's attention right away.
"What's going on?" Asta asked confused.
"I think someone important has arrived." Noelle said as she pointed to the promenade that was above the square and the wall that Laxus had been blasted into right after Asta had beaten Gajeel. "And the Captain's with him so it has to be the case."
Asta turned and blinked as he saw one of Finral's portals close and a man no taller than Charmy with shoulder length gray hair and a pencil mustache wearing a fancy red cloak with a white fur lining and blue and pink epaulets clambered onto the ledge. Behind him was Captain Yami, the slightly taller but similarly aged Makarov Dreyer that the Black Bulls had met a few times now, the old lady who'd stopped the madness during battle of the beauties between Mira and Jenny, and a bald man in makeup and a dress that had wings on the back. Clearly this meant that something important was coming.
"I take it the others are Guild Masters." Asta said looking at them. "If they're with Captain Yami and Makarov that is."
"The bald man and the woman are." Nero said joining them having finished aiding in Erza's bandaging. "The man is Bob, the Guild Master of Blue Pegasus, and the woman is Oba, the Guild Master of Lamia Scale. The other man is, well…"
"I am sorry to interrupt what would otherwise have been a joyous celebration and a moment of great comradery amongst the finest Wizard Guilds in all of Fiore." The man said in a clear voice that carried over the square and everyone who could, which at this point was everyone except Mimosa who remained kneeling in the center of the magic circle she'd made as she was still working her Healing Magic, and turned to look at the man while silence fell over the square but for the sounds of Charmy's cooking. "Please, keep the healing and cooking going as I know that it is needed after the Battle Royale. Alas, it is also needed in another way as well."
"Er who is he?" Asta whispered as he focused on the man speaking and got confused as he recognized his ki. "He's familiar but, well, I've never seen his face before."
"That's the King of Fiore, Tome E. Fiore." Nero said though not harshly as she didn't expect Asta to know who he was though her words caused Asta to blink as two more portals appeared and several of the Royal Guards filed out and began to make their way up to the promenade to stand behind the King and the Guild Masters or made their way into the square itself while the gathered Guild Wizards made their way closer to the King, bunching up a bit in the process. "We've not met him yet but I've got a nest in the Royal Palace so I know who he is."
"Huh, but he has the same ki as Mato." Asta said still confused. "You know, that pumpkin headed mascot."
"Dorksta, royalty is speaking so shut up." Noelle said. "We can deal with that stupid assessment later because no royal would, or should, stoop to that level."
Asta just nodded at that as he could tell from the King's ki that something serious was going on so he and the whole crowd of Guild Wizards gave the King of Fiore their undivided attention. He'd come here personally and while that could have been good, the tone of his voice showed that this was not a good visit.
"I hate to spoil such a mood after the splendid display of wizardry and swordsmanship that we've seen today, displays that I hope will long live in the lore of our fine Kingdom, as well as the equally splendid display of healing and sportsmanship currently being shown by our new number 1 Guild." Toma continued once he was sure that he had the full attention of the gathered crowd. "However, I'm afraid that that might not happen for soon the very heart of Fiore might be in the claws of a dragon horde that is bearing down on us as we speak."
That got a lot of reactions from the crowd, especially the members of Fairy Tail who were muttering about how the last time they'd faced just one dragon many of them lost 7 years of their lives. The Black Bulls, however, were just more confused than worried by the statement as from what they'd learned since coming to Fiore was that dragons were extinct. However, the seriousness of Toma's tone and the fact that the other Guild Masters were behind him caused them all to take this seriously and Asta at least could tell that the King spoke the truth based on his ki.
"Right now there is a large scale counter attack that has been set in motion at the Royal Palace." Toma continued silencing any chatter though there were a few gasps. "It is called the Eclipse Cannon."
"The Eclipse Cannon?" Asta, and many others from the other Guilds, asked. "What's that?"
"No clue." Noelle said. "Nero, Gordon, Gauche, you know more about this world than the rest of us do."
"No idea." Gauche said. "But if it can ensure that I live to see my darling Marie again I don't care what it is."
"It's not appeared in anything I've ready while here." Gordon admitted. "So either it's new, classified, or illegal."
"I'd say classified and likely because it is illegal." Nero said. "Regardless, whoever is in charge of it, it is someone other than the King. My nest in the Royal Palace is in the throne room so if this was done by say his daughter Princess Hisui I would have missed it. Given what happened earlier with that Fairy Tail rescue team I was watching over and how it was Hisui who spoke to them not Toma, I'd say that she's the one who's been coordinating this plan not him."
"Why?" Asta asked. "He's the King."
"He may be more competent that King Clover but he's delegated this for some reason." Nero said unaware that this was in part to the King being Mato as Asta had already deduced. "But he's here now so listen to him."
"Right." Asta said shutting up as Toma continued.
"We will use this weapon to wipe out the incoming dragons." Toma said as the chatter died down. "With the aim to take out all 10,000 of them in one shot."
"That's a lot." Asta said forgetting his agreement to shut up. "How is that possible?"
"If you shut up and listen it will be revealed." Noelle hissed as Toma acknowledged the concern of the gathered wizards. "This is how a royal should act so listen to him."
"I understand that there is doubt to this plan due to the sheer number of dragons that we are about to face." Toma said. "And it is expected that up to a few hundred will survive the attack simply because of the numbers that we are dealing with. That is why I have already spoken to most of your Guild Masters and now ask all of you Guild Wizards, please aid Fiore in dealing with and repelling this crisis! You are the strongest force in Crocus if not the Kingdom right now and are our best hope for slaying any dragons which the Eclipse fails to kill. I beg of you, please don't let this Kingdom that we all love fall into ruin."
At that Toma closed his eyes and bowed forward as he made his plea and showed his sincerity in wanting to assistance of the gather Guild Wizards. It was a shocking display of humility from the ruler of the Kingdom but one that showed he meant what he said and that he truly wanted what was best for Fiore. Add in that four of the five Guild Masters present with the King, the fifth being Sting who was now all but officially the Sabertooth Guild Master with the Grand Magic Games having ended, and there was no doubt that everyone present would aid Fiore as a cheer went up from the Guild Wizards.
"Let's kick some dragon ass!" Asta cheered while others made similar statements about beating up some reptiles. "Thanks to Mimosa and Nero I'm all back to fighting shape and can break out my Black Asta form once again. Dragons are magic aren't they?"
"They use magic and are so strong that only Dragon Slaying Magic can affect them but seeing as you've already negated Dragon Slayer Magic it won't be a problem." Nero said as other cheers and confirmations were spoken by the other Guilds present. "Plus we have Noelle. It may be recent but her magic has evolved into Dragon Slaying Magic."
"Well as a royal it is my duty to aid another royal in protecting his Kingdom." Noelle said with a flick of her pigtails. "And I am now a Dragon Slayer so it's time to see what that really means. It's earlier than I'd hoped but I will do my best."
"I wonder what dragon meat tastes like." Charmy said. "I hope it's good."
"Er I don't think you should, or even can, eat dragons." Asta said. "Aren't they intelligent anyway."
"Meh what's the worst that can happen." Charmy said. "It's not like eating one would turn me into a dragon, I just want to know what they taste like."
"May be best to avoid that though." Nero said. "Sentient creatures and all."
"It will make a good story for Marie." Gauche said while Charmy continued to debate if she should eat dragon meat or not and how best to cook it. "And proud of her big brother for fighting off so many dangerous beasts."
"C, count me in." Grey added as Gauche devolved to a nosebleed.
"Well it's never boring with you lot." Zora added. "Though not sure if my traps will work on a dragon."
"Dragons are powerful, I can't wait to fight one." Luck said as he sparked with lightning. "I'm fully healed up and ready for round two!"
"This is real man's work." Magna said excitedly. "Let's slay a dragon!"
"I'm sure we'll be rewarded with the finest drinks." Vanessa said.
"We're doing this then, great another scary experience that we've ended up in." Finral said with resignation in his voice. "But at least I know how to fight and can evacuate people as needed."
"And I'll heal anyone so don't worry." Mimosa said as she finally ended her healing spell now that everyone was as healed up as she could manage and the flowers began to fall away while one of Charmy's Sheep Cooks brought Mimosa another bowl of food to top off her mana. "So long as I have protection we can keep the healing up."
"Thank you, all of you, for your support in this time of need." Toma said still in his bow to them as the tears flowed down his cheeks his voice carrying over the chatter. "Thank you for protecting our Kingdom."
"There is the issue of the captured members of Fairy Tail." Nero said as Royal Guards began to approach them in the square, a comment noted by Erza as well over in the Fairy Tail section. "They'll need to be freed especially because two are Dragon Slayers and we'll need them more than anything else."
"Don't worry ma'am." A Royal Guard who was leading a group over to the Black Bulls to help with the impending coordination said having heard what Nero had said. "I've just received word from the guards at the Palace, all misconceptions have been cleared up and they've joined Princess Hisui at the sight of the Eclipse Cannon. Fairy Tail will be informed."
"Ah good then." Nero said as Mimosa finished her food where she was and got up to head over to the other Black Bulls. "We'll need them to step up."
"It's your time to shine Noelle." Asta said with a grin that as always got Noelle to blush. "I know you can do it."
"Sh, shut up Dorksta of course I can." Noelle said looking away her cheeks red. "I am royalty after all."
"Yeah Noelle, we all have faith in your and are here to support you." Mimosa said with a smile as she joined them. "We've got your back, don't worry. I'll heal any wounds and Charmy will restore your mana as needed."
"Thank you." Noelle said with a smile as she calmed her heart down following Asta's complement and looked at her cousin. "And thank you Mimosa, without you and Charmy we wouldn't be at peak form for this. You've come a long way. Asta's right, you're magic is incredible."
"As have you Noelle." Mimosa said beaming at Noelle's compliment. "We all have and it's in no small part because we came here."
"Yeah we wouldn't be here without Mimosa's amazing healing and Charmy's delicious food." Asta said his complement causing Mimosa to blush this time while Noelle pouted slightly. "We've got this."
"We will need to keep the aid station fully functioning though." Nero said seriously. "Similar to what we just did only smaller scale and with protection. That will be hard, though, as our strongest fighters will need to be on the frontlines to back up Noelle as she's our best in this situation."
"Then allow us to lend our aid." Kagura said as she stepped up to the Black Bulls with Mermaid Heel behind her. "We only have us 5 here and no Dragon Slayers so this is a good place for us to be and it will help us repay some of the debt we owe you for everything."
"Thank you." Nero said. "Some of us will stay as well, myself included, but this will free up our fighters to take it to the dragons."
"Our little bird is right so here's how it will work." Yami said surprising them all with his arrival as none of them had noticed it but he, along with the other Guild Masters, had moved into the crowd and begun sorting things out with their respective Guilds. "For the most part the Guilds will split up and take areas of the city but we're going to remain here and use this area as the base for field operations and emergency healing. Makarov is explaining things to Warren but he'll be here with Finral to coordinate portals with his telepathy while lacrima visions are set up to provide live feed of the conflict areas."
"Makes sense." Kagura said. "We're here to assist the Black Bulls in this fight so we're at your command."
"I appreciate that." Yami said. "Charmy and Mimosa are our critical members; they need to be protected so they can heal and restore magic but we also need to take the fight to the dragons with Noelle so thank you Mermaid Heel for volunteering."
"Of course." Kagura said. "You can count on us."
"Vanessa, Zora, aid them in setting up traps the moment that people have split up to their assigned locations in the city." Yami said as the other Guild Masters began to relay their own plans to their Guilds all while the King continued to cry. "This will be more an alert as dragons are strong but we need stuff to slow them down and allow a Dragon Slayer to get into position. Grey and Nero will remain as well to provide assistance and serve as relays due to how fast they can travel when needed. The rest are with me. We're going dragon hunting."
"Oh yeah that's what I'm talking about." Magna said with a grin. "So manly!"
"Can't wait to fight something as strong as a dragon." Luck said happily. "This is going to be great!"
"I will do my part." Noelle said.
"I expect we all will and remember to push past your limits." Yami said with a grin especially because a dragon might actually make him do the same as well. "Protect Noelle and help make openings for her, only her magic will affect it but we have Asta as well and the dragons won't know what he can do. Neither do we though so we'll find out how well Anti-Magic works on dragons on the fly."
"We've got this!" Asta roared.
Yami just smiled at that as the rest of the Black Bulls cheered with Asta. He did have a way of bringing out the best in the Squad and right now they were all rallying for the coming fight. Add in their recent win and they were going to give it their all for Fiore.
It wasn't just the Black Bulls; all the Guilds were devoted to giving their all in the coming battle. They were ready for the fight and prepared to defend the Kingdom as they all made their own plans, commented on how great the Black Bulls' healing had been to allow them to fight again so soon after the Battle Royale, and were prepared to shine in their own ways against the incoming dragon horde.
"Thank you, thank you all so much, I mean it." Toma said still crying his voice carrying over the crowd and getting their attention once more causing the chatter to die down long enough to hear the King's next words. "Thank you, pumpkin."
The last work caused the entire crowd to go silent and either wide or white eyed at the word. It was exactly the same catchphrase that Mato had used during the Grand magic Games and everyone was thinking the same thing.
"See, I told you they were the same." Asta said as Toma realized his mistake and let out a panicked yelp before he cleared his throat.
"Our fate is in your hands!" Toma said his voice back to its normal regal seriousness and at that another cheer went up from the crowd and preparations for the coming attack began in earnest.
As the wizards continued to cheer, two figures looked at them from a nearby rooftop and commented on the illegality of the Eclipse Gate. However, before Lahar could go and inform the Council, Jellal appeared behind them with a request that would aid in the battle to come.
Naturally, none of the wizards, guards, or the King knew of that as they finished cheering and began to work together in earnest. It was a major display of cooperation between the top Guilds in Fiore but they all knew that they had a common enemy and already they'd shown that they could do this with the mass healing led by the Black Bulls. Now it was time to go on the offensive and all were ready to show their stuff as the final details of the plan was hashed out and agreed upon.
As soon as it was finalized, the Guilds split up and began to head to assigned parts of the city to defend it against the dragons that would survive with Fairy Tail being assigned to the center plaza, the Black Bulls remaining where they were and the others traveling to their designated standby locations with the aid of Finral's portals to the nearest spot he could make them. The decisions were made based on Guild size, strength, Dragon Slayers available and general magical capabilities hence so as to maximize the defense of the Crocus.
To facilitate everything they all carried communication devices made by the Black Bulls as not all communications could be run through Warren along with and the necessary lacrimas to send the live feed of their locations back to Finral so that he could coordinate from the field base. Thankfully, that was already mainly set up thanks to the healing they'd done so it was just a matter of fortifying it so that they had the retreat point for those who got injured in the coming battle.
With everything now sorted, it was time to defend Crocus from the oncoming horde. However, as they were getting into position the gate was about to finish its opening sequence and when it did the true nature of the attack was about to be revealed with the commencement of the Dragon King Festival.
Well there it is, the Black Bulls and the other Guilds have been informed of what is coming while the Eclipse Gate is being opened and they've all agreed to help defend Crocus and by extension Fiore. I know that this is slightly different to where it was in the canon but that is because of the Black Bulls' actions in healing everyone in the location where the Battle Royale concluded so it was easier for that to be the location rather than the center plaza but don't worry that will feature soon as it is time for everyone to get into final position and the Eclipse Gate to fully open. That of course means that Future Rogue's deception is at hand and the Guilds of Fiore will have to step up to stop his plan from coming to fruition, including the Black Bulls. All that to come as the Dragon King Festival kicks off and the Black Bulls face their first challenge as Fiore's new number 1 Guild a lot earlier than they expected. Anyway that is all that I have for y'all so I will leave this chapter off here. If you liked this please favorite, follow, leave a review, or let me know in a PM and I will try to answer any questions posed in reviews and PMs as best I can. Until next time.
Stringdog