Huntresses of Fairy Tail
On a small boat sailing through the water, sat the four mage friends of our two kidnapped hero and heroine. One of which was using her fire to sail them gracefully along with water.
"Wahoo, I love not being motion sick." Natsu cheered as he sat at the bow of the boat, while Yang used her fire to propel the boat forward along.
"Good thing Seras knows the Troya spell, just like Raion. We'd be lost without his nose." Grey stated.
"Helps that she has some of Raions Godslayer elements." Lucy said. "But doesn't seem like she has all of them, just some."
"Natsu, we're almost there right? Yang, slow us down." Grey said.
"I'm worried about all those people that had been trapped in those cards you think they're okay?" Lucy stated as Yang stopped using her flames, allowing the water current to push them along, as their speed decreased.
"Seras alerted the military as we left, so I'm sure they're fine, and released from the cards." Grey stated. "It's Blake I'm worried about."
"Right." Lucy sighed. "She was so hurt, I can't believe she was caught off guard by that woman who used those flames. I'd never seen flames so dark. It was as if they weren't even natural."
"I know what you mean. I could feel the power in her flames, as if I were standing right there, and they sent shivers down my spine" Natsu said. "So let's get Raion, and Erza back."
"You don't gotta tell me twice. I wanna show Erza how much I've improved on my Reequip Magic." Ruby said, using Crescent Rose's scope to scout ahead. "Our path's still clear so far. It's kinda creepy however, I'm getting some weird vibes from this area, almost like there's something here, that shouldn't be disturbed."
"I'm not feeling anything like that." Weiss said.
"Me neither. You sure it isn't just nerves sis?" Yang asked. "Are you still feeling pain from being shot in the shoulder?"
"It does hurt a bit still, but it doesn't feel like anything more then an overworked muscle." Ruby said. "But maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just getting nervous, about facing Erza's past."
"She did say, that the ones who took her, were from before she joined Fairy Tail." Lucy said.
"Wait a minute, where the heck are we?" Grey asked.
"I don't know, we've been following Salamander's lead." Juvia stated.
"Natsu, are you sure we've been going in the right direction?" Lucy questioned. "You haven't fallen motion sick again, have you? The Troya Spell didn't wear off?"
"I'm doing fine." Natsu said. "We're still heading in the right direction. Ruby isn't the only one with that sense of something else being here, that shouldn't be disturbed, though."
"If Natsu's sensing it to, then it has to be something." Weiss said. "Maybe it's a Dragonslayer thing?"
"No way, if it was I would have sensed it as well." Yang said.
"Whatever it is, it's something only they can sense." Grey said.
"Changing subjects, I can't believe how easily they were able to take us out and kidnap Erza, and Raion." Yang growled. "We're pathetic."
"Raion wouldn't see it that way." Lucy sighed. "Raion would just call it a successful surprise attack. He believes in all of us, but not himself."
"What the… I just got another weird feeling." Natsu said, his body shivering a bit.
Everyone looked up to where Natsu was looking and saw the birds flying through the air begin to fall to the ocean below, as if suddenly dying mid-flight.
"The birds." Lucy gasped in horror.
"What's happening to them?" Grey questioned.
"This is so creepy." Ruby said.
"Very, disturbing." Weiss added.
The boat suddenly rocked as if bumping into something in the water. They all looked down to see ship parts, dead fish, and soldiers, floating about in the water.
"Not the fish too." Grey gasped.
"I've never seen anything like it." Juvia gasped.
"That's wreckage from a Fiore Naval Ship." Grey stated, recognizing the flag hanging onto one of the floating pieces of driftwood.
"Okay I'm officially creeped out." Lucy stated.
"Hey, I think I've spotted the Tower of Heaven those guys were talking about." Ruby said, as she kept looking through the scope of her weapon. "We're about another ten or so minutes out from it."
The others looked over, and saw what Ruby was looking at, with a creeping vibe coming from it. A large structure that reached into the sky twisted around like some sort of snake.
"It must be the Tower of Heaven." Lucy said, remembering how the people who took their friends were talking about it.
"I'll protect us." Juvia said as a bubble of water began to form around them.
"Whoa." Natsu gasped.
"My water dome will keep us from being seen." Juvia explained.
"Nice work Juvia." Lucy smiled.
"I do not need your praise, homewrecker!" Juvia stated.
"Remember what Raion and I told you Juvia." Ruby sighed. "There's no need for you to attack Lucy like that."
~At the Docks of the Tower~
"The Tower of Heaven, it's been completed?" Erza gasped.
"I don't know why you're so surprised. We've been working on it since you left almost ten years ago." Sho stated.
"Has it been that long?" Erza questioned. "It's amazing how much you've all changed."
"No thanks to you." Sho said.
"While you're busy dealing with Erza Scarlet, I'll be heading up to the boss. He's gonna get what he hired me for." Cinder said, leaving their group, and heading for a different path. "I'll be sure to drop Wally and Millianna off at the infirmary on my way."
"I can handle that." Simon said, taking the cards that housed Wally and Millianna. "I know how to dispel this enchantment. We don't want you getting distracted by the task assigned to you, now do we?"
"Suit yourself." Cinder said, taking her leave to the top of the tower.
~Back in the Boat~
"It's so creepy." Natsu stated. "This structure, it smells like death and misery."
"How do you even know what those smell like?" Weiss questioned.
"Trust me, you don't wanna know." Grey said.
"This is where they're keeping Raion and Erza. It's huge, how are we gonna find them?" Ruby questioned.
"We'll figure that out when we get to it. Right now, we gotta keep from being discovered." Yang stated.
~Tower Prison~
"The ceremony will take place later tonight. You'll be staying here until then." Sho explained.
'Ceremony? They're going to activate the R-System?' Erza mentally gasped.
"I'm sorry, but this is the price of your betrayal, and although you've hurt him, Jellal's given you a special honor. He's chosen you to be the sacrifice for the ceremony. Of course if you don't work, there's always your friend that Cinder took to Jellal." Sho exclaimed. "I'm sad I won't ever get to see you again, but you're going to help us get to heaven. Oh, you're trembling. Are you afraid of being sacrificed? Or does this cell, bring back memories? Remember our escape attempt? You were the one who ended up being punished, even though I came up with the plan, but I was too scared to say anything. I'm sorry, it was my fault."
"That's in the past Sho. Right now I'm worried none of you realize how dangerous it is to resurrect someone using the R-System." Erza said, trying to keep her attention off the approaching figure.
"Wow. I didn't expect you to know what its purpose was. That's quite a surprise." Sho exclaimed.
"The 'Revive System.' In exchange for countless sacrifices, it brings a single person back from the dead. It is inhumane, forbidden, black magic." Erza stated.
"Sure it's forbidden, but whoever said magic had to be humane? I happen to believe magic wears away at ones humanity." Sho stated.
"That's a black magic philosophy. Are you one of them now?" Erza questioned.
"Are you seriously comparing us to those idiots? They thought this tower was only good for resurrection magic. We know better because we've been enlightened. Jellal told us that he can use the tower to get us into heaven!" Sho exclaimed.
"To heaven?" Erza asked.
"You see, once we use the R-System to revive, him, the world will be reborn, and we will become its rulers." Sho stated, turning his back to her, missing how Erza was slowly lifting herself off the hook on the wall. "The cult members who kept us prisoner all those years. The loved ones of the sister who betrayed us. The citizens who live their entire lives blissfully ignorant. Those fools on the Magic Council. We're going to put fear and sorrow in the hearts of every last one of them. They'll be stripped of their freedom and denied any rights once we're in control. They'll have no choice but to bow down before us." Sho shouted as he began laughing manically.
"Sho stop this madness now, I can help you!" Erza cried out.
Sho turned around to shout at her, but was stopped just as a double fist strike slammed into his face, knocking him back and causing him to hit the back of his head, knocking him out cold as he fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry Sho." Erza said sadly, snapping Millianna's bindings and reequipping into her armor. "But I have some unsettled business to finish with Jellal. What could've possibly caused you to change so drastically? Jellal, what has he done to them?"
~Elsewhere~
"Here's the package, as requested." Cinder said, showing the card Raion was trapped in.
"Excellent work." Jellal said. "You shall be given your payment in full."
"Pleasure doing business with you." Cinder smiled, releasing Raion from the card.
The instant Raion was out of the card, Jellal snapped his fingers, and the hybrid was bound in chains of magic, with two of them sprouting from the ground behind him, wrapping around his wrists and pulling him back, and one sprouting from the ground in front of him, and wrapping around his throat, further imbedding the chain of the Kryptonite locket around his neck.
"Now then." Jellal began, getting to his feet, and marching to Raion, and forcing the young man, to look him in the eyes. "You were able to bring a girl, a girl who'd been dead for over a decade, back to life, without the use of the R-System. You're going to tell me, how you managed to pull it off, and I don't care how long it takes. We'll be here all night, if we have to be. You'd just better pray that your friends are able to find you, before I end you."
~Tower Docks~
Six of our seven heroes were at the steps of the docks, waiting for any news on Juvia's search in the ocean as they were scouting the path ahead above.
"They got a ton of lookouts." Grey stated.
"Let's charge 'em." Natsu smirked.
"I'm all in for that plan." Yang said.
"You two are morons." Weiss said.
"Don't even think about it you two." Lucy growled, pulling on his ear. "Remember they have Erza, and Raion. If we screw this up, we could be putting them in danger."
"Man this is going to be tricky." Grey hissed, before Juvia returned.
"I found an underwater passageway into the tower." Juvia said.
"Seriously? Way to go." Grey praised.
"We can swim there in ten minutes." Juvia stated.
"We can hold our breath that long right?" Natsu questioned.
"Of course not idiot. We'd suffocate from a lack of oxygen if we tried." Grey said. "Though Raion would be able to swim underwater for hours, as he could use his Ocean Godslayer magic to grow a pair of gills."
"Holding your breath for ten minutes is not humanly possible you dopes!" Lucy screamed. "An' Raion's a bad example, as he's not human."
"In that case, I suggest you wear these." Juvia said holding a giant bubble of water in her hand. "It's a Water Shell containing oxygen. This way you can breathe while remaining underwater."
"Wow, you're awesome, and who are you again?" Natsu questioned causing Juvia to feel depressed, while Lucy whacked him upside the head.
A while later, the group of four began swimming through the ocean, the five women wearing bikini's, while Natsu just wore his clothes, and Grey was wearing his boxers. Swimming along the path Juvia scouted out, they entered a whole new world of underwater reefs, machinery, and skeletons. Eventually they made it to the entrance of the tower under the ocean's surface, climbing up one of the rocky walls where they proceeded to remove their breathing masks.
"So we're beneath the tower now huh?" Grey questioned.
"I wonder where they're keeping our friends." Natsu said.
"They may look silly, but these bubbles sure do work." Lucy chuckled admiring the skill of Juvia's magic with the Water Shells.
"I'm impressed you made it here, because I purposely made your shell smaller so you'd have trouble breathing." Juvia said evil stars in her eyes.
"Gee thanks." Lucy stated in concern and sarcasm.
"Juvia, we've talked about this." Ruby sighed.
"I know, but I just can't help but feel she might actually be after my Darling Grey." Juvia said.
"Intruders." A man shouted riding on a monstrous beast spotting them.
"Uh, oh." Lucy gasped.
"This, definitely isn't good." Weiss said.
Dozens upon dozens of guards made their way out, cornering the four intruders instantly while trying to intimidate them.
"Identify yourselves." One of the guards shouted.
"Guess we don't have a choice, we're gonna have to fight them." Grey stated.
"Yes." Juvia agreed.
"You losers want to know who we are?" Natsu asked as the magic energy began to flow around him.
"We're Huntsmen from Fairy Tail, who're going to pound your faces in." Yang shouted shouted, using a Purgatory Dragon: Iron Fist, to create a smoke screen using both water and dust from the small island they stood on.
"What the?" The guard on the creature questioned.
"Like the lady said, we're from Fairy Tail!" Natsu shouted, as the seven of them jump up through the smoke, taking all the guards by surprise.
Yang and Natsu worked together, with Natsu hitting Yang with a breath attack, in which the blonde Huntress fell into the eye of the spiral, before she used the power of the roar, and made the flames dance around her, as she struck each of the guards in the chest.
"Ow so hot." The guards shouted, getting hit with Natsu and Yang's combo attack.
"Okay, Ice Make: Lance!" Grey shouted sending the pointed ice projectiles at them.
"Arctic Deity: Divine Blizzard of Blade!" Weiss chanted, creating several ice blades with her magic, and sending them dancing like the whirling winds of a blizzard.
"So cold." The guards shouted getting hit with the attacks.
Lucy landed on one of the platforms where the men began to swoon over her figure.
"Oh wow. She's fighting in her bikini." One of the guards awed.
"Open, Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!" Lucy shouted summoning the pink haired spirit maid.
"Did you summon me, Princess?" The maid asked.
"It's a maid." One of the guards shouted as they all went crazy over the sight of both gorgeous bombshells.
"She's way hotter than bikini girl." Another shouted.
"These pervs need to be punished." Lucy said pointing at them.
"As you wish." Virgo stated, her irises and pupils becoming outlined in red.
All the guards screamed as Virgo plowed her way through towards them, with a determined, and creepy smile on her face, enjoying that she was given an order that involved punishments, but feeling left out as she wasn't the one being punished.
Meanwhile, Juvia was down on the ground level, standing in the middle of several guards as they fired one attack after another through her without yielding any results.
"It's like she's made of water." One of the guards stated.
"Careful men, blades won't affect her." Another shouted.
"But I bet our guns will." A third guard responded as they began to open fire, proving it to be futile as well.
"Whoa, what's with this chick?"
Before any of them could try anything else, multiple shots came flying from out of nowhere, hitting them each with an electrical charge that paralyzed them to their cores. Juvia smiled, as Ruby had taken a sniping post from a higher vantage point in the cavern, and provided plenty of support for the water woman.
"Drip, drip, drop." Juvia stated before sending off her attack. "Water Slicer!"
Being unable to continue their barrage of attacks, Juvia's opponents stood no chance against her as she hit them all with her attack.
The battle continued to rage on, but the Rogue Huntsmen working under Jellal were unable to best their foes, as the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Fairy Tail, all broke through the enemy defenses with determination in stride.
"That seems to have done the job." Juvia said as the last man fell.
"Good work team." Grey said.
"I hope we're not calling too much attention to… aw who am I kidding?" Lucy groaned knowing there was still some perverted gazes on her and Virgo, even when unconscious.
"I'm afraid so miss." Virgo confirmed.
"Right, it's likely whoever's in charge here, already knows that we've infiltrated their base of operations." Weiss said, as Ruby jumped down from her sniping post, a proud smile on her face.
"Well, all that means is we lost the element of surprise." Ruby stated. "But that's to be expected, if we're dealing with people connected with Erza."
"So where's the blockhead, buddy?" Natsu questioned the barely conscious man he grabbed.
"Natsu, I doubt he can respond if he's unconscious." Yang said.
"Fine then, I'll wake him up with a third degree burn." Natsu stated, heating up his hand.
Before Natsu could get started on the torture for a response on where his target was, the room began to quake and rumble, as the stone face on the wall opened, creating an ominous ramp for them to climb up through.
"What's that?" Natsu questioned, dropping the man he was holding up.
"I think it's their way of saying, come on in and be our guest. Be on your guard." Grey exclaimed as Yang started climbing the ramp first.
~Tower Throne Room~
"I'm gonna ask you again God of War." Jellal stated, using a blade to force Raion to look up at him. "What kind of magic did you use to bring Seras Xiao Long, back from the dead? An' how did you make her physically the same age as you?"
"I told you…" Raion coughed, blood dripping from multiple cuts from his torture. "I don't know, what kind of magic brought Seras back from the dead. All I remember, is a hooded figure, with glowing red eyes, and a Hispanic accent in his voice."
"You try my patience again, and again alien." Jellal tsked. "Perhaps, you need some other incentive to get your memory jogged."
"Are you sure that's wise sir?" A man with long black hair questioned. "Think of what happened on Galuna Island, when Lyon had threatened the lives of the villagers."
"You're right Vidaldus. He and his cronies got their asses handed to them, because this one…" Jellal paused, as he stabbed the blade into Raion's shoulder, causing Raion to cry out in agony. "…was able to use his anger and nullify the effects of the Kryptonite around his neck."
"You know… about Galuna Island?" Raion huffed, gritting his teeth through the pain.
"Of course I know about it you dunce." Jellal stated, snapping his fingers. "Zalty works for me, so I had them pretend to be Lyon's faithful companion, I even gave him that chunk of Kryptonite that he hung around your neck. Imagine my surprise when they reported to me that you had managed to push through the pain you were in, and destroy the Kryptonite I'd given them."
"What are you doing?" Raion questioned, as a pillar sprouted from the ground, next to Jellal's throne.
"Over the course of the development project the Magic Council went through, trying to figure out what could harm you, what could take your power and strength away, they produced many different colors of Kryptonite. A multitude of varieties, they couldn't get any clear answers on what any of them do. Surprisingly, one of them did change the chromosomes in your DNA sample, making it go from male, to female." Jellal said, opening up the cabinet and showing the different colors of crystalline stones. "I think now, would be a good time to see what effects these actually have on you. After all, the progress of man made evolution, is one done through trial and error. Don't you agree?"
"No, stay away from me." Raion said. "Stay back, don't come any closer with those things."
~Team Natsu~
"Hey Blockhead." Natsu shouted. "Where the hell are you?"
"Geez, would you keep it down?" Lucy scolded.
"I don't see the point in sneaking around anymore. Not after all that ruckus that went on downstairs." Grey stated as the five of them were sitting at a large table eating.
"Why the heck are you guys eating?" Lucy questioned.
"Don't just eat a buffet that was left out like this, what if it's poisoned?" Weiss stated.
"I suggest you join them before there's nothing left." Virgo stated.
"No thanks." Lucy sweat dropped.
"Do I look like a moron?" Weiss questioned looking at Virgo angrily.
"The door that welcomed us in was controlled by a magic user." Juvia pointed out.
"Then they are well aware of our presence." Virgo confirmed.
"Why would they let us in?" Lucy questioned.
"You think they're trying to provoke us?" Grey asked.
"I don't know." Lucy said in thought.
"It's more their way of saying, that it doesn't matter if we've made it into the Tower or not." Yang said. "Opening the door for us, is their equivalent to saying they've already won, and there's nothing we can do to stop them."
"That's a fair assessment for sure." Weiss said. "We don't really know that much about them, so it's safe to say they, have the high ground, so to speak."
"Meaning since we're on their turf, they have the home advantage." Lucy said.
"Even if that's the case, we still can't give up. We'll find Erza, and Raion, and bring them back home." Ruby stated.
"That positive attitude is why I like having you around Ruby." Natsu smiled.
"So what's our next move?" Lucy questioned. "After you're all done gorging yourselves on this laid out buffet of course."
"Not to be rude Princess, but your bikini leaves little to the imagination." Virgo stated.
"Should I change?" Lucy asked covering up her chest with her arms.
"Actually, Juvia's the only one here who's properly concealed, and your outfits leave little to the imagination." Virgo stated.
"I brought my teams clothes." Ruby said reequipping three sets of folded up clothes, into her hands. "Let's find some cover to change."
"Good idea." Yang said as they got up from the table. "I only want Raion's eyes on my girls."
"You're seriously a hopeless romantic when it comes to him." Weiss said, as she used ice magic to make a cover for them to change behind.
"I should probably change too. I didn't bring a change of clothes though." Lucy said.
"Allow me to help you Princess." Virgo said, stars of anticipation in her eyes, as her hands went grabby.
"Wait you mean, right here?" Lucy questioned as Virgo removed her top.
"Holy…" Grey stated the food in his mouth dropping to the ground, as his face reddened and his pupils widened to where his irises weren't visible.
"Please stop looking at her Grey." Juvia begged.
"I brought this over for you from the celestial world." Virgo explained, showing Lucy now dressed in a different set of clothes.
"So boys, what do you think? Do I look super cute in this outfit or what?" Lucy questioned doing a pose, wearing a big dress with a floral celestial design and a bandanna in her hair.
"Oh yeah. You look great." Grey exclaimed.
"Don't compliment her." Juvia cried.
"Juvia, Grey's just being nice to her. Stop overreacting." Ruby called from the ice wall.
"He loves her." Virgo mocked.
"Don't you start doing that to." Lucy sighed in annoyance as the three of them went black and white like old cartoons.
"An' just when were you hanging out with Happy, Birdo?" Natsu questioned.
"Her name's Virgo." Yang said.
"I wish you luck, princess." Virgo said.
"Thanks for the help Virgo." Lucy smiled as her celestial spirit vanished in rays of light. "Oh, did you guys want me to ask her to bring you a dry change of clothes too?" She questioned turning to the two men.
"Nah, this does the trick just fine." Grey said drying his pants to the heat of Natsu's flames as he produced them.
"He's not a dryer you know!" Lucy exclaimed.
"That's better." Yang smiled as Weiss brought down the ice wall.
"Where are you girls' bikini's?" Lucy asked.
"Ruby forgot to grab our underwear when she put our clothes in storage, so we're just wearing them underneath our regular clothes." Weiss said.
"I prefer it actually. Might make it a regular thing." Yang smiled. "The colors of my bikini clashes nicely with the color scheme of my clothes."
"The intruders." A guard shouted as five of them came storming in.
"We found them." Another shouted.
Before the six of them could do anything, four rays of light rushed through the air, knocking the five guards to the ground as Erza with her sword, knocked them back.
"Erza." Natsu and Grey shouted in unison.
"Thank goodness you're okay." Lucy smiled.
"Wow, she is so cool." Juvia said in awe at Erza.
Erza turned to the group, her expression turning from one of determination to fight, to complete shock at seeing her friends there.
"Well, we found Erza, now we just need to find Raion." Yang said.
"How, he could be anywhere in the building." Weiss said.
"It's you. What are you doing here inside the tower?" Erza questioned.
"Looking for the two of you." Lucy stated.
"We haven't met, Ms. Erza, my name is Juvia and…"
"Go home." Erza stated interrupting Juvia. "This place is far too dangerous for any of you to be here."
"You're not going to scare me into leaving. I ain't going anywhere till that Blockhead gets a good taste of my fist. I'm gonna make him pay for shooting me in the mouth." Natsu argued.
"You have to leave." Erza repeated.
"But why?" Lucy asked. "We can help, and we're not leaving until we get Raion back as well."
"I don't need or want your help." Erza stated. "This is my problem, it doesn't involve you."
"How can you say that? You saw Natsu. I'd say we're plenty involved." Grey stated.
"Erza, what's up with this tower, and who is this Jellal guy?" Lucy questioned, her expression softening. "I can understand if you don't want to tell us. You said the creeps who kidnapped you, used to be friends of yours, right Erza? Well, we're your friends now and we're here to help you, and no matter what happens, we're always going to have your back."
"Yeah, she's right." Grey said.
"Leave." Erza said, almost on the verge of begging.
"Come on." Lucy complained.
"Erza, we're all members of Fairy Tail, and Fairy Tail is one big family. We won't leave you, not even if you command it." Yang said. "Raion's our Guild Instructor, so sorry, but we're only gonna be following his orders."
"An' if he was the one ordering us to leave, we still wouldn't budge." Weiss stated.
"That's right, because we're all a family." Ruby said.
"You're freaking me out Erza, 'cause this isn't like you at all!" Grey exclaimed. "What happened to the woman who'd tell us to shut up, and come along whether we wanted to or not? We wanna stay here and help you out. Master taught us, that even the strongest warriors need a little backup every once in a while."
Erza slumped her shoulders, and sighed in defeat as she lowered her weapons, before she turned around, revealing the saddened look of desperation on her face. Grey flinched and put his hand to his chest as he had never seen Erza like this, and Lucy gasped a bit in shock, with Juvia looking a bit confused and concerned at the same time. It was safe to say the three girls of RWBY were taken aback, as they never thought Erza would be like this either.
"I'm sorry, but you can't help now." Erza stated. "The odds are stacked against me. Win or lose this battle, I'm staring death in the face. I doubt even Raion can come out of this one unscathed if he were in my position."
"What do you mean by that?" Grey questioned.
"There's no point in fighting what's inevitable. I can't. But what I can do is share my story with you…" Erza stated. "While I'm still here."
Lucy, Grey, Natsu, Team RWBY, and Juvia looked at the redhead with anticipation etched into their expressions.
"This building is the Tower of Heaven. It's also called the R-System. Over a decade ago, a cult dedicated to black magic began its construction. It would be used to cast a forbidden spell that brings the dead back to life, it's a far more gruesome process, as opposed to what brought Seras back. The spell was created originally by the Black Wizard Zeref, and requires multiple human sacrifices. So the cult abducted citizens of the surrounding areas, and forced them to build the tower as their slaves. The only reason I know this, is because I was once one of those people, forced to build this monstrosity of a tower." Erza explained receiving a gasp from the others. "Anyone who dared to resist the cult or tried to escape the tower, would mysteriously disappear. We never had any peace of mind. We lived in constant fear. But we bonded and made friends we could trust despite that, even though we knew we couldn't be together long. One of my friends in the tower was a boy named Jellal. I was in punishment for something I was guiltless of. After I returned everything changed. So we took a stand for our freedom. We hoped to save our dear friend Jellal, losing Grandpa Rob in the process. But when I freed Jellal, he was corrupted by the spirit of Zeref. He told me I could leave, and threatened to kill all our friends, if I ever returned on my own accord. But now he's gone too far. He's corrupted my friends. Don't you see? I have to fight Jellal, I have no choice; I have to do it."
"I don't know, maybe it's just me, but for some reason the name Zeref sounds familiar." Grey exclaimed.
"I'm sure, he was a legendary Black Wizard." Erza stated.
"Raion also told us, that Deliora created by Zeref." Ruby said. "She was a woman, tormented by losing the love of her life, to the destruction of dragons centuries ago and Zeref took advantage of her, and used her for her potential, as a Silver Eyed Warrior. Deliora started out as a woman, a normal human who had silver eyes, just like mine."
"But, Deliora was a mountain of a monster. There's no way that could be true." Grey said.
"That was what we've been calling, her Berserker Form." Yang said, crossing her arms. "In reality, she was a petite figured woman with massive breast envy. I took advantage of that when I fought her."
"Zeref was infamous for his experimentation hobby. He often found new means of magic, while trying to find a way to fully bring someone back from the dead. Somewhere along the line, he discovered what would happen to Silver Eyed Warriors, if he carefully mixed their power, with the power of Grimm. From what we learned from Raion, Zeref mainly took advantage, of those grieving for the loss of their loved ones, and used them in their experiments." Weiss explained.
"If this sorcerer is as evil as you say, then why would Jellal want to resurrect him?" Juvia questioned.
"I don't understand his motives either. However, my old friend Sho said something to me about Zeref getting them to heaven." Erza stated. "He said that when they resurrect Zeref, the world will be reborn, and they'll become its rulers."
"Okay, there's one thing that confuses me about these people who claim to be old friends of yours Erza." Lucy stated. "Why are they accusing you of betraying them? Don't they realize Jellal's the bad guy here?"
"It's not their fault. I'm sure Jellal fed them all sorts of lies about me once I left. That doesn't change the fact that I abandoned them so long ago." Erza said sadly. "In the end, I guess you could say I did betray them."
"Don't say stuff like that Erza. You didn't have a choice. If you returned Jellal would have killed them all." Yang said.
"None of that matters anymore." Erza stated. "If I can defeat Jellal it'll all be over. Leave it to us okay?"
'Why do I get the feeling she's hiding something?' Grey mentally questioned as their conversation a few minutes ago played back in his mind. 'Why would she say those things? What does she even mean?'
"Sister, that's not true."
The group of five turned to see a bruised Sho standing there, a hurt and angered look on his face.
"Why? Why are you lying to them?" Sho questioned.
"Sho." Erza sighed.
"You think by making yourself the martyr you're going to get sympathy from your friends?" Sho questioned before Raion grabbed him by the front of the shirt, and raised him off the ground.
"Would you shut your mouth and open your eyes man?" Yang shouted. "It's obvious Jellal has been playing you all for saps, he's been manipulating you from the very beginning, starting with the lie he told you about Erza."
"That's not true." Sho shouted directing his attention to Erza. "Tell them the truth. That's not how it happened and you know it. You blew up the boats we were going to use to escape, and then you left on your own. We would have ended up at the bottom of the sea if it hadn't been for Jellal. He saved us. He warned us not to trust Huntsmen and Huntresses like you, who haven't learned to use their magic properly. He said that you had become drunk with magical power and you didn't want anything to do with your past or the people you left behind." He stated, before Yang hit him with a closed fist backhand strike.
"Yang stop!" Ruby said, she and Weiss pulling the angered blonde off the man.
"Dumbass. Did you ever stop think he might be lying, trying to turn you against Erza, make her out to be the bad guy? If you truly knew Erza, then you'd know she'd never do something so horrible, even if she couldn't control her magic!" Yang exclaimed, as Sho fell to his knees.
"You only think you know her. You weren't there back then, you don't know anything about us." Sho stated. "After you left big sis, Jellal's words were my only salvation, and that's why I've spent all these years working to finish the tower for him. I did it for his sake. Now you're trying to tell me that it was all a lie? You really expect me to believe you're telling the truth and Jellal's been lying to us this whole time?"
"Are you kidding me right now?" Yang questioned. "True I might not know what's going on, but Raion sure as hell does."
"That's right." A familiar voice rang out.
A dark shadowy form appeared from nowhere behind Juvia, revealing himself as Simon.
"Why you…" Grey began, getting ready for an attack.
"Wait." Juvia said, holding her arm out, blocking Grey's path. "He doesn't pose a threat my dear. He never meant you any harm. At the resort, he knew he was attacking your ice decoy."
"But how?" Grey questioned.
"Since it was him who cast the darkness spell, it would only make sense that he would be the only one to see through it as if it were never cast at all." Weiss said letting go of Yang.
"I came along in the hopes of discovering why he'd chosen to spare you." Juvia said.
"I'd expect no less from one of the Element4 of Phantom Lord." Simon said.
"That's not me anymore." Juvia said.
"I don't understand." Sho said in disbelief.
"I had to fool you and the others into thinking I'd killed him, but I'd hoped our attack would lure them here." Simon explained.
"So you were lying too? How could you do that to me, to Jellal?" Sho questioned as Simon stepped closer.
"I'm sorry." Simon said putting a hand on Sho's shoulder. "Jellal had you under his spell and I couldn't convince you otherwise. So I played along until the time was right."
"So you knew all along." Erza stated.
"I've always believed in you, Erza, and there's nothing that could change that." Simon said turning to her, a clear image of his undamaged face shinning behind him. "I mean those words from the bottom of my heart."
"Simon." Erza gasped as said man pulled her into a hug.
"Ooh, seems like someone's in love with Erza." Ruby said teasingly.
"Since when have you been hanging out with Happy, Ruby?" Natsu asked.
"Someone's gotta do those jokes while he's not here." Ruby smiled.
"I never knew. I can't believe I blindly followed him all those years." Sho said as he began sobbing. "I doubted you. 'Cause you left me all alone. You have no idea how much that hurt. I don't know what to do. I don't even know which one of you I should believe anymore."
"I know it must be difficult, to take all of this in at once. But Sho, there's something that you should know. Though it's been many years, I have never once forgotten about any of you." Erza said as he hugged her. "I'm sorry I couldn't stand up to him. I was so weak back then. Please forgive me."
"Now you're stronger and ready to face him, with the full wrath of a deity behind you." Simon said. "Isn't that right?"
"Seras isn't here, so our only hope on that deity front is Raion." Ruby said. "I just hope whatever he's being put through, isn't too bad."
"I've waited all these years for this very moment. When a group of powerful Huntsmen and Huntresses would gather here to take Jellal down." Simon stated.
"So what do you have planned?" Lucy asked.
"We're going to take down Jellal. We can do it if we work together." Simon said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to get him to remain on our side."
"What do you mean?" Grey asked. "The big guy would never switch sides."
"Not of his own accord, no." Simon sighed. "But Jellal has a menagerie of different colored Kryptonites. It wouldn't be a stretch to say, that he's probably testing them out on Raion as we speak. An' it's highly possible, one of them could switch him from our side, to Jellal's."
"Different colored Kryptonite? How?" Erza asked.
"I thought Kryptonite only came in one color, green." Natsu said.
"It's not impossible." Yang said. "The blue gem on the bracelet he's had since childhood, was blue Kryptonite. It wasn't harmful to him in the slightest, it just locked away his Kryptonian powers as if they never existed. It was even useful against Deliora when the Moon Drip ritual poured some of his power, into the sleeping She-Demon. That's how she gained the strength to break free of the Iced Shell, because Lyon had intended on killing Raion with the Moon Drip Ceremony, but fucked up and fully revived Deliora instead."
"I remember him being mentioned in Raions report about the island." Grey said. "I still can't believe he'd be so heartless."
"Still, we should be ready for anything that may come." Simon said. "There's no telling, what any of those Kryptonites can do to Raion."
As if on que, Jellal's voice resonated from the overhead speakers within the tower.
"I welcome you to the Tower of Heaven. My name is Jellal, and I am the ruler of this tower. I see the players have been arranged. I'm delighted you've come all this way to see me. Shall we play a round of Heaven's game? The rules are really quite simple. I wish to use Erza Scarlet as a sacrifice in my ceremony to resurrect Lord Zeref. If I succeed, the Gates of Heaven will open, crowning my victory. However, if you can manage to find a way to stop me, you'll be the winners of the game. To make things a little more interesting, I've enlisted three knights to battle on my behalf. With a fourth newcomer to my ranks."
~Tower Throne Room~
"The only way you'll be able to get to me is if you can defeat them. In other words, a three on ten battle royal, and there's one more surprise. The Magic Council has the satellite square focused directly on this tower, and it's highly likely they will attack. At this very moment, they're in the midst of voting on whether they should fire an Etherion blast."
"Hey, that wasn't in the deal you hooded freak." A blue haired, Death Metal vibe man stated looking to Jellal. "If that thing hits us, we'll all be going to hell."
"Now, now Vidaldus." A pink haired woman exclaimed. "You wouldn't be having second thoughts?"
"Not on your life, boss." Vidaldus exclaimed holding up his hand with the index, pinkie, and thumb up the ring and middle fingers clenched under the thumb. "Finally. Ha. This is the rush I've been looking for. A real dangerous thrill ride, to get my blood pumping."
"There's no telling how much time is left. Should the Etherion strike, complete annihilation is imminent, not even the hybrid alien, Etherion Godslayer will survive. No players left to win. Game over." Jellal stated, before looking to the figure standing next to his throne. "Well Mesu, are you interested in a bit of fun before the Council fires on us?"
The figure stood tall and proud, her hands on her hips, as a smile crossed her lips, as a lock of her red hair hanging over her eye as they began to glow red.
"Oh, I'm all fired up now." She said excitedly.
~A/N~
Jellal torturing Raion for information, was the main reason I decided to bring Seras back. I wanted a scenario where Raion was forced into a position where Jellal thought he had information, but Raion was unable to provide it.
I'm honestly excited myself, in seeing how this will all turn out.