"The demons are getting stronger!?" Levy spoke with wide eyes at Tobias' statement.
"The more of us you defeat, the demons will just get stronger!" Tobias let out a laugh. "No matter which way you look at it, you humans are finished! Lord Zeref's plan to eliminate humanity ends now!"
"Tobias…" Gajeel said with a serious expression. Within the next second, Gajeel allowed his iron scales to form around his right arm, which he swung violently towards Tobias' face. "Shut the hell up!" The blow was enough to knock Tobias out, creating a small crater as well. "Tch…"
"We have to warn the others!" Lisanna exclaimed.
"How are we going to do that from the outskirts of the city?" Elfman questioned while rubbing the back of his head. "Even as a man, there's no way I can inform everyone remaining in the city all at once. Demons getting stronger and the civilians' safety…?"
"I got it!" Levy snapped her fingers. "I can warn everyone all at once…though the demons will be aware of it too. If we had Warren with us, we wouldn't have to worry about that…"
"They can handle themselves, Shrimp." Gajeel said with a scoff, though it was his way of reassuring her everyone would be alright.
"Right…" Levy nodded before gathering a large amount of magic on her finger. "Solid Script!"
.
.
"We're still outnumbered here!" Lahar exclaimed. "These rune walls aren't making things any easier…" As he spoke, he just managed to decode a rune wall Tobias had placed prior, opening up more of the city.
"What do you suggest we do, Lahar!?" Doranbolt asked while glancing around at the demons.
Lahar thought it over for a small moment before giving Doranbolt a small nod. "Doranbolt, we're going to need some reinforcements on this."
"More reinforcements? Will they even make it in time?" Doranbolt questioned.
"They'll have to." Was Lahar's immediate and only response.
"You'll need more than just Council Guards…" Jellal said as he trudged through an alleyway with a semi-conscious Kagura over his shoulder.
"Jellal…!?" Lahar and Doranbolt were both surprised to see the fugitive roaming about.
"Take her, please…" Jellal said while handing off Kagura to Lahar. "I've made her suffer enough already. My presence is just making things worse…"
"…Did you come seeking us out for a reason, Jellal?" Doranbolt questioned. "It's dangerous around here."
"I noticed…" Jellal replied with a frown. "I was telling you that Council Guards will not suffice to deal with this threat." The saint's face suddenly grew more serious. "You'll have to let them out. They're the only ones you can call as backup who can help fight off against this demon threat."
"You can't be serious…!" Lahar's eyes widened. "How can you suggest such a thing!? They're locked up for a reason. Clearly you haven't heard about the last time they managed to escape their prison. It's too dangerous. We don't even know if the people have managed to escape just yet…" And as Lahar said that, giant words began to appear in the sky. 'The civilians are all evacuated!' It was Solid Script magic.
"There's one of your worries gone right there." Jellal stated before turning to Doranbolt. "When they arrive, let me take care of them. I have the feeling they aren't going to do anything willingly."
"Right…Kemuri should be taking care of them. I'll let him know right away." Doranbolt nodded, and in a flash he was gone, his destination was the Council Stronghold.
"What are you planning…Jellal…?" Lahar questioned.
"Find the Steel Make mage," Jellal told Lahar before turning his back to the Council Captain. "Her sword was broken, and I know he can fix it."
"Since we were we taking orders from you?" Lahar shot with a scowl on his face. He then glanced at Kagura, who seemed to be sick to her stomach. "Agh…" He set the Mermaid Ace down against a slab of rubble. "Are you going to be alright…?"
"I'll be fine…" Kagura responded, resisting the urge to hurl violently. "Just…hurry up…I can't stand sitting around doing nothing while everyone else is fighting for their lives…"
.
.
"All the people are safe?" Luke questioned to himself as he stared up at the message Levy posted over the city. "Excellent!" The brunette then grinned towards the horde of demons steadily approaching him. "That means I can fight without having to hold back!" The copycat brought his hands forward, unleashing a powerful bolt of black lightning towards the group of demons, resulting in a large explosion. "Ha!" He was internally curious how he ended up separated from the others, but he was doing just fine on his own. He sprinted down an open street, noticing another group of demons swarming around one particular area. "Huh…?" He looked at the top of the building, noticing a familiar face stranded all by her lonesome; it was Amelia. "Amelia…!"
"Huh…?" 'Amelia' turned at hearing a familiar voice. Upon seeing Luke, her face lit up into a smile. "Oh, Luke…!" (Of all people…)
"Man…there are a lot there…I don't think I can take them all…" Luke thought to himself while sprinting towards the building. "Well…here goes nothing…" The Eclipse mage bent his knees and took a huge leap forward, landing on the roof top. In the next second he swept Amelia off her feet and leapt off the building, sprinting away from the group of demons slowly sauntering after them. "Whew!"
"Oh my…!" Amelia seemed rather impressed at Luke's showcase of speed. "My hero…!" The white haired female cooed, causing Luke to blush somewhat.
"P-Psh…it's nothing…" A nervous laugh was given from the copycat. He found a safe place to stop and set Amelia down, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm just lucky I noticed you when I did. I thought all the civilians were gone…Besides, I don't plan on losing any more people who are important to me…"
"Ah, how…sweet…Well, I do owe you, love," Amelia said with a growing smile. She leaned in and pressed her lips gently to Luke's cheek, pulling back after a few seconds.
"I…" Luke was slightly stunned at what happened, he had to take a few seconds to absorb it. "Heh…"
"Luke!" Tayakata and Nami shouted from afar.
"Damn…" Luke cursed upon hearing the two familiar voices. The one time he had a moment going on it was ruined, but what else was new with him?
"Oh…?" Amelia raised a brow upon spotting Taya, a small sly grin appearing on her lips.
"Glad to see you two are okay…!" Luke said with a nod. "Did you manage to find the others?"
"No, who knows where they are…" Nami said with a slight worried tone.
"Who's your friend, Luke?" Taya questioned, staring down Amelia with a skeptical look. The tension from the stare was all too familiar to the vector demon. "From what I saw, all the innocents managed to escape the city…"
"I was just a little too slow to escape, that's all," Amelia replied. "My name is Amelia, by the way. Luke here is a friend of mine, right?" She looked to Luke, who nodded one time too many. She then took his hand, giving an 'innocent' smile.
"Uh-huh…" Taya crossed her arms, her skepticism growing. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Amelia, seconds later, her eyes widened. "Luke, get away from her this instant."
"Taya…?" Nami blinked a few times. "What's wrong…?"
"Yeah, what's up…?" Luke blinked, looking between Taya and Amelia. "I was going to escort her out of the city…" He took a step forward, only to find that Amelia's grip on his hand was a lot tighter than he expected. "Amelia…?" He could feel the temperature in Amelia's hand rising rapidly, and it was beginning to hurt. "H-Hey…? What the heck…? Amelia…? That's kinda hurting…"
"Ah…that's a shame…after you wanted to be so close earlier too, 'love'," Amelia replied with a growing evil smile.
"W-What…?" Nami blinked at the sudden change in Amelia's demeanor.
Amelia reached for the pin holding her hair in a bun, letting her hair drop to her waist. It was none other than Maggie. "Nice to see you again, Taya dear." Upon this realization, Luke's eyes widened as well.
"Maggie…" Taya snarled. "I knew that perfume you were wearing was familiar…the scent of desperation is always so strong on you. But enough about that…release him."
"Very funny…" Maggie said while rolling her eyes. "You want the twit?" Within the next second, Maggie's Lava Curse activated. Her body morphed into lava and swallowed Luke whole, slipping into one of the many cracks in the ground. Seconds later she reappeared on a roof top with a charred Luke in her hands, dangling the male in her hands. "You can have him. Looks like the idgit just got burned anyway." With a devilish grin, she carelessly tossed Luke to the ground.
"Damn…" Taya grunted before lunging forward and catching Luke, setting him down gently after. "Nami, keep an eye on him." The vector mage took a fee steps forward, black eyes clashing with Maggie's red.
"Finally…" Maggie said while crossing her arms. "Tayakata…you will be coming home with me. Even if I have to drag your lifeless corpse into Tartarus…we settle things here."
.
.
"Loke! Stop it!" Lucy squealed while swaying left and right to evade Loke's punches. It was written all over Loke's face that the last thing he wanted to do was strike Lucy, but Ruika's orders were absolute. "Please!" Lucy then tripped on some uneven ground, beginning to fall backwards. "Ah…!"
"Princess!" Virgo was quick, leaping forward to catch Lucy before she fell and out of Loke's range. "Leo, you must come to your senses! You're attacking the Princess!"
"I-I can't help it…!" Loke replied. He knew it wasn't an excuse, but it was the truth.
"Hm…Attack the other one, then," Ruika said while pointing to Yukino. Loke had no choice but to comply, now making a move towards Yukino.
"Libra, increase the gravity around Leo…!" Yukino hesitated for a second; she didn't want to hurt Loke, so restraining him was the better option. Libra complied, increasing the gravity around Loke so he couldn't move. "Whew…"
"Hmph…" Ruika shrugged once more, pulling out another one of Lucy's replica keys. "Gate of the Archer, I open thee. Sagittarius." A bell chime occurred and the cosplaying horse spirit appeared in front of Ruika with a salute.
"What can I do for you, Moshi-moshi…!" Sagittarius exclaimed before realizing that it wasn't Lucy who summoned him. "What…!? You're not…"
"No, I'm not," Ruika responded before pointing at Libra. "But you're going to do as I say anyone. Strike Libra down, now."
"Don't…!" Lucy protested, but Sagittarius didn't have a say in the matter, despite his clear hesitation.
"I-I'm sorry…but I must…" Sagittarius stammered while drawing his bow, unleashing lightning fast arrows within the same second towards Yukino and Libra. Yukino was unable to react to evade the arrows, but Libra took the arrows for Yukino, fading into the Spirit World after.
"L-Libra!" Yukino exclaimed, but before she could do anything else, Loke carried out his order from before, slamming a light infused fist into Yukino's cheek, sending her tumbling across the ground with a pained yelp. "Agh…!"
"Yukino…!" Lucy yelped, leaping from Virgo's arms. "Loke, stop this, please!"
"I-I'm fine…" Yukino reassured Lucy as she slowly brought herself up to her feet, now reaching for a silver key. "Gate of the Bear Cub, I open thee! Polaris!" From the silver key, a large, pink mechanical bear appeared, standing tall before the Sabertooth Wizard.
"EH!?" Lucy's eyes widened at the appearance of the bear. "W-When did you get that key…!?"
"Ugh…" Ruika groaned, placing a hand on her head. "Useless Sliver Keys…" She was clearly annoyed…no, rather disgusted at this. "No matter…" With the snap of her fingers, she shifted her attention to Sagittarius. "Take it down."
"Sagittarius, stop!" Lucy commanded, but the horse had no choice.
"Don't worry…" Yukino took a step forward. "Polaris can handle this. Defend!" The pink bear nodded, crossing his arms right as Sagittarius unleashed a plethora of arrows, all of them landing, but Polaris stood tall. Yukino waited until she saw the opportune time to counter. "Now!" Polaris raised his arms over his head, quickly slamming them into the ground. This created a rippling shockwave that shattered the ground while racing towards Ruika and the two spirits she held captive.
"Useless horse!" Ruika exclaimed while allowing Sagittarius to take the blow for her, fading into the Spirit World afterwards. Upon seeing this, Lucy's eyes widened in shock and rage.
"H-How could you do that…!?" Lucy tightened her hands into fists, seething with anger. "Even though he was helping you…you just let him take the hit like that!"
"P-Princess…I advise you calm down…" Virgo warned Lucy. "It's clear this undignified specimen is just trying to get under your skin with her actions…if you fall to her rage, you could lose us and yourself…"
"She's right…" Yukino nodded. "I know you can't bring yourself to attack your own spirits, so please, leave this to Polaris and I. His strength is unmatched, trust me. Now, Power Up!" Polaris complied, his chest opening up to reveal a jar of honey, which he drank quickly. A golden aura then began to surround the bear, giving off a terribly strong impression of the power boost. Polaris raised his fist, before slamming it back down, sending a golden shockwave along the ground towards Ruika and Loke.
"Leo…" Ruika was ready to command, but the incoming shockwave was faster than she could speak or anticipate, so she was thrown off her feet. The celestial demon flipped, catching herself in the air with minor damage and dusted herself off. "This is why I hate Silver Keys…They're all useless in the end, anyway…"
"I've had enough of you using my spirits!" Lucy shouted towards Ruika while pulling out Loke's real key. "Gate close!" Nothing happened, and Lucy's eyes widened the second she realized she couldn't close the gate. "Break that stupid fake key ring right now…!"
"Don't you get it? You can't close these gates, only I control them, and it's all thanks to you. It's cute how you won't lay a finger on your own spirits to protect yourself…" Ruika spoke with a slight snicker. Right as she said this, she noticed Yukino sprinting towards her. Yukino threw an open palm at Ruika, but Ruika was not going to fall for the same trick twice. She dodged to the side, much to Yukino's surprise. Yukino attempted to rush Ruika with a flurry of swift punches and kicks, but the opposing Celestial Wizard wasn't going to budge. "You don't have the element of surprise this time, Yukino!"
Yukino spun on her heel, aiming a roundhouse to Ruika's temple. Ruika ducked low, her own boot colliding against Yukino's stomach. "Ngh...!" Yukino winced from the impact. When she looked up again, she saw Loke coming in, slamming a Regulas Impact against her chest. The brilliant flash of light knocked her back and she laid on her side for a moment. Loke grimaced from having to do this, but despite his efforts, he couldn't break free of Ruika's control.
"Thank you, Loke. Now, I think you'll get a kick out of this one…" Ruika slowly walked to the nearby reservoir while pulling out another golden key.
"W-What are you doing with that key?!" Lucy immediately asked upon spotting it. She already knew the answer, and her heart began to sink. What was about to happen next was not going to be pretty.
Ruika inserted the golden key into the water, causing a golden ripple. "Gate of the Water Bearer, I open thee. Aquarius!" Another bell chime occurred before Aquarius rose from the water, wearing the usual irritated expression upon being summoned.
"You've been summoning me a lot lately, and I'm starting to get really tired of it…" Aquarius glared down to who she thought would be Lucy, but it was instead Ruika. "What the hell…?"
"I summoned you here,' Ruika replied before pointing at Lucy, Yukino, Polaris, and Virgo. "And now, I'm commanding you to submerge these two in your waters, Aquarius. Surely you'll heed this command."
"Oh no…" Lucy was right, and that just made the situation seem even bleaker.
"I don't like where this is going…" Yukino said with a nervous laughter.
A sinister grin appeared on Aquarius' lips as she stared directly at Lucy, whose face paled with fear. "A free shot at the blonde after all this time, huh? I like it!" Aquarius drew her arms back, gathering a large amount of water in her jar. "PAYBACK!" Aquarius was clearly excited about this…but this was Aquarius we're talking about here. Oddly enough, Ruika was the first one caught within the vicious tsunami, along with Yukino, Lucy, Virgo, and Polaris right after. When the tsunami faded, Polaris faded into the Spirit World, along with Virgo.
Ruika coughed a few times, glaring towards Aquarius. "What the hell!? You weren't supposed to attack me too! My orders are exactly like the blonde's!" Little did Ruika know, that this was exactly the problem. Aquarius did not respect her.
"Like I give a damn! You? You are NOT my key holder!" Aquarius exclaimed with her signature scowl. "Don't call me again, otherwise I'll make SURE to drown all of you!" And with that, Aquarius returned to the Spirit World.
"Ouch…" Yukino was lying face down on the ground, twitching a few times with some light coughing. "I forgot how abrasive she could be…"
"She was never one for listening to me anyway…" Lucy said with a light chuckle, coughing a few times from almost running out of air. Her eyes trailed up, noticing the set of replica keys lying in the middle of the field. Her eyes moved up once again, meeting with Ruika's. The two had the exact same though, but Lucy was first and she scrambled up to her feet, rushing towards the replica keys with the intent to break them. "Mine…!" Lucy made a desperate grab for her keys, but Loke picked them up before she could reach them. "L-Loke..!"
"Good job, Leo…" Ruika said while bringing herself to her feet slowly, just to rub the salt in the wound. She then held her hand out. "Now, give those keys to me."
"Loke, don't do it!" Lucy pleaded. "You have to fight the control, I know you can!"
"Lucy…I…" Loke started, clearly beginning to hand the false set of keys over to her.
"No, that's not what I ordered," Ruika's tone grew stern. Loke shaped up and handed the Replica Keys. "Perfect. You just don't understand, do you, Heartfillia?" The demon asked with a quirked brow. "My orders are your orders, and I know your spirits would never disobey your orders. That bond you have with them makes things so much easier." Ruika then twirled the key ring around her finger before pointing at Lucy. "Now, Leo. How about you finish her off once and for all? Once you do that, all of her contracts will be null and void. And don't hold anything back, either."
"D-Dammit it…" Loke took a hesitating step forward, his hand engulfed within his Regulas light. "Giga Regulas Impact!" Loke then slammed the ground, sending an explosion of light that engulfed both Lucy and Yukino while shattering the earth around them a moderate radius. When the light cleared, both Lucy and Yukino were lying face down in the dirt, covered in bruises and scratches.
"…" Ruika tilted her head, staring at the downed wizards. "Hm…"
Yukino coughed a few times, one eye clenched shut. "Why...do you...want our keys so badly..."
"Why?" Ruika didn't even have to think about it. "Because Celestial Spirit magic is among the upper echelon of magic types. I was brought into this world to harness that power. But even with my Black Keys, I would never be that strong. Because no matter what, the 13 Zodiac Keys would always be the strongest."
"So you just want to be strong!?" Yukino attempted to push herself up. She and Lucy had been suffering because of such a selfish motive!?
"Not just the strongest." Ruika held her hand out as she made her point. "I want to be the spirit mage that forges a contract with the Celestial Spirit King. The 13 keys are the first step to do so! For the strength I did not have in the days of my youth, I will make up for it with all my spirits, and yours as well. Despite everything, I actually respect you two. It's a shame you had to push back so much, I wouldn't have had to kill you. But your keys are my weapons now, Lucy. And soon, Yukino, yours will be as well. When I hold all 13, then I can finally..."
Lucy began to stir slightly, heaving heavily while placing her hands on the ground, pushing herself up slowly. "No…more…"
"What…?" Ruika blinked. "Still kicking? How annoying you insects are sometimes…"
"Lucy-sama…?" Yukino could currently manage only lifting her head in Lucy's direction.
"No more…" Lucy tightened her hands, gathering some dirt in her palms. Her hair shadowed her eyes, which were beginning to water with tears. "My keys…they're not just collectables that you can abuse at your leisure! My spirits aren't for your amusement!" As she spoke, her mind began to flash back to all the times her spirits had helped her, and how hard she fought for them. They covered for her when her life was in danger, and she'd instantly return the favor as fast as she could. Gemini and Taurus; she had gone without the two for so long when they were captured, but she poured her heart into getting them back. It was clear for those that knew Lucy that her bond with her spirits was the most important thing to her, and she'd do anything and everything in her power to protect them, and now was the most important time. "You aren't going to get away with this! For my spirits whom you've hurt…I'LL DEFEAT YOU!" As Lucy spoke, she began to pull herself to her feet; a golden light began to form around her.
"L-Lucy-sama…?" Yukino's eyes widened at the golden light forming around Lucy.
"L-Lucy…" Loke was speechless. He knew how Lucy felt about him and the other spirits, but hearing this brought a small smile to his face. The light around her looked incredibly familiar to the leader of spirits. "N-No way…"
"What the hell are you doing…?" Ruika questioned with narrowing eyes. The Replica Key ring began to glow for some strange reason. "Leo, put a stop to this, now!"
"No…" Loke stated firmly. There was no hesitation in his voice; he denied Ruika's orders.
"Excuse you!?" Ruika nearly screamed before her attention turned back to Lucy. "What the…!?"
"You won't escape from your crime unpunished! Celestial Spirts, please lend me your aid!" Lucy exclaimed to the heavens. Slowly, all of the gates in her possession began to open once again. Virgo, Scorpio, Aquarius, Gemini, Taurus; one by one, the golden keys she had a close contract with began to appear around her. All of them looked extremely angry towards Ruika as well. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"A-All those gates…!" Yukino's jaw dropped in pure amazement. She'd never witnessed such a thing, a celestial spirit mage opening so many gates at the same time. It was surreal. This power was even beginning to spread to her as well, as Libra, Pisces, and Ophiuchus appearing as well. All 13 Zodiacs were summoned for this moment.
"W-What…how can she open so many gates all at once...?" Ruika questioned. The Replica Keys were glowing brightly by now. "And what's going on with these…!?" Everything was just going south suddenly with Lucy's astounding feat. It needed to be ended right now. Ruika brought the Replica Key ring to her face, trying to figure out what was wrong.
"Now, accept your punishment!" Lucy and Yukino threw their hands forward, putting all of their might into her spirits. All 13 Zodiacs flew forward towards Ruika at once, who could only watch as they bombarded her.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!?" Ruika was completely swallowed within a golden light. The 13 Zodiacs unleashed their rage upon the Celestial Demon. Before Ruika could say or do anything else, the Replica Keys exploded violently in her face, causing her to fly back an incredible distance, tumbling across the ground for a few seconds before coming to a stop on her face. "…"
"Haaaa…Haaaa…." Lucy panted heavily, the gates she and Yukino opened closed quickly, and she fell to her knees, but Loke caught her before she fell.
"You know…I don't think I've been more attracted to you after seeing that…" Loke said with a wink.
"H-Heh…" Lucy could only give a tired smile to Loke.
"That was amazing, Lucy-sama!" Yukino said her hands clasped together while she gave Lucy a wide smile. "It was just like with the Eclipse Gate...we opened all 13 gates..."
"Ugh…" Ruika picked herself up slowly, shaking off the pain of the powerful explosion. The black part of her hair covered the burnt part of her face. "I was unaware something like that could happen…the Replica Keys experiment ended in failure…! How!? I was so close...! How do I keep losing to you!?"
Lucy and Yukino stood over Ruika, the two of them panting heavily. "You don't love your spirits." Lucy stated firmly, which caused Ruika to look up at her with a scowl. "From every clash we've had, I could tell that from an instant. To you, your spirits are just tools. A means to an end. A means to grab the Zodiac Keys."
"That's why you won't ever defeat us, Ruika." Yukino added. "We love our spirits. Whereas your spirits take hits for you, we take hits for them. Unless you are willing to make that sort of sacrifice, you will never find what you seek."
"Tch...!" Ruika turned her head away. Getting lectured by these two insects who beat her! She couldn't think of anything more humiliating than that.
"And yet..." Lucy knelt down. "You could've beaten us if you had use them. I don't understand...were you too tunnelvisioned on our keys or were you trying to protect them?"
"What are you talking about!?" Ruika hissed.
Yukino realized what Lucy was getting at. "Oh, you're right! She could have summoned your spirits and her own as well. We would've quickly been outnumbered in that case." Ruika didn't say anything, but she turned her head away.
"Natsu told me something interesting once." Lucy said, looking at Ruika. "He said that when he fought Tobias with Takeru, the two of them woke up in a building with their injuries tended to. They were close to White Eclipse, but they weren't there. He said he saw someone with black and white hair."
"You can't prove that wasn't me!" Ruika exclaimed. Of course, she realized she slipped up there and gasped. Nobody said it was her...
"And when you posed at me during that time, you ended up helping a few people right?" Lucy's tone lowered. Was Ruika really that bad? "Unlike the rest of your comrades, you're different. I know you don't target anyone else. Why are you at Tartarus in the first place, Ruika?" It was a strange thing to feel, but despite how Ruika constantly came after her and Yukino...she couldn't say Ruika was irredeemable. The rest of Tartarus, sure. But this one?
"T-That's enough! I'm not going to sit here and be interrogated by the likes of you." After mumbling that, Ruika turned and snapped her fingers. The demon spawn grew stronger once again, which would prove to be more troublesome for everyone else later. She also mumbled one more thing, something along the lines of "I'm tired of this fighting.." before calling Batto out. "Batto…we're leaving. This is not the last time we'll see each other! I will not rest until I have the 13 Zodiac Keys!"
"Tch…whatever, hag," Batto scoffed, causing a comical tick mark to appear on her forehead before Batto warped her out. With Ruika gone, there was just a tense silence between Lucy and Yukino.
"I'd rather not go through something like that again…" Lucy admitted with a tired smile. It was around that second that a strange seal appeared on her back. Before anyone could comment on it, dark sparks began to appear around Lucy's body. The celestial mage let out a strangled cry while shutting her eyes tightly.
"L-Lucy…!" Loke and Yukino exclaimed. Loke held Lucy in his arms while Yukino examined the mark on Lucy's back. "W-What is this…!?"
"Whatever it is, it must be sapping her strength…no, her life force…!" Loke explained before lifting Lucy up.
"I see my bad luck has no bounds…" Yukino mumbled to herself. She then shook her head; she promised Sting that she wasn't going to act like this anymore. "We must find a healer, quickly..." She then looked over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes at a building in the distance. "I also feel like we should get her away from this area as soon as possible…the closer she is to the caster of this mark, the more of an effect it will have. We're in no condition to fight…"
"I agree…" Loke nodded. "I'll see if I can find Sabertooth. Let's go." With that, Loke and Yukino hurried away from their current location to find Sabertooth.
"You won't get away from me that easily…my prey has been marked…"
.
.
Tia flipped over Prometheus' strike with his scythe. She then aimed her heel towards Prometheus' head, stunning him for just a second; this was enough time for Tia to land on the ground and swing her staff at the Grim Reaper's side, sending him staggering away. "Gh…"
"Impressive…!" Prometheus said while shrugging off Tia's assault as if nothing happened. "But you're still too weak!"
"Shut up!" Tia exclaimed before remembering Pandora was around. Tia turned, her staff clashing with Pandora's lance. The two entered a deadlock for a second before Tia jumped back, planning to strike from a distance.
"Thunder Snake…" Pandora replied while twirling her lance around; her plan was to give Tia zero space. From her staff, multiple 'snakes' of lightning shot out, all of them heading right for Tia.
"Lightning…are you serious…?"Tia let out a silent grown. The water wizard then began to deflect the snakes of lightning with her staff, but one managed to slither through her defenses and landed as a direct hit. Due to Tia's weakness to water, she let out a strangled cry before hunching over while using her staff as a support. "Ngh…"
"What's wrong? A little lightning slows you down!?" Prometheus mocked while appearing in front of Tia with his scythe raised over his head, preparing to bring it down. "Devastation!" The Grim Reaper then brought his scythe down to create a massive shockwave, but Tia managed to jump back and evade some of it, though she was still sent tumbling across the ground before coming to a halt, picking herself up as sparks danced around her body wildly.
"I…I can still fight…" Tia replied while standing up tall, pointing her scepter forward. "Spread!" Without warning, water sudden rose up from under Prometheus and Pandora, spiraling as it rose into the sky to deal damage. This didn't last long as Pandora froze the spiral of water, and Prometheus cut through the attack shortly after. "Dammit…" Tia winced, nearly falling over once again. She needed some more time before she could recover from the lightning in her body and on her armor.
"I think it's time to wrap this up…" Pandora spoke while holding a hand forward, a blue seal appearing. "Ice Beam." From the seal, a thick, energized beam of ice shot out, aiming to freeze Tia solid. Before the beam could reach Tia, a purple flaming sphere intercepted it, resulting in an explosion. "Huh…?"
"Sis!" Jack flew down from the skies, landing right next to Tia. "Are you alright?!"
"J-Jack…" Tia let out a sigh of relief. Though she didn't smile, she was more than happy to know her little brother was safe. "I bit off a little more than I could chew…" She admitted.
"Don't worry about it, let me take care of them now," Jack said with a stern nod, glaring towards Prometheus and Pandora. "You're gonna regret lying a hand on Sis, and the others!"
"The others?" Pandora raised a brow. "You mean….Fairy Tail…?"
"Yeah!" Jack nodded, purple flares appearing around his body. "
"HA!" Prometheus let out a laugh. "You two are rich, you know that! You actually consider those at Fairy Tail your companions?"
"I wouldn't say…" Tia mumbled.
"They don't care about you! In fact, they're going to betray you. Betrayal is the essence of human nature. You two know that very well, don't you?" Prometheus questioned. He seemed to be hitting all of the correct buttons, too. "Dealer betrayed you, and just because some human guild defeated them doesn't mean they're on your side. They're just waiting for you to screw up, and then they'll turn you in without a second thought. Your friendships with them are nothing more than mere lies."
"N-No…" Tia shook her head, refusing to believe the statement. "They…they're not like Dealer…they aren't like King…they're…good people…" Now of all times is when she'd have flashbacks to her time in the guild. Even though she wasn't an official member or anything close, they treated her, Jack, and the others like a family.
"Don't listen to their lies," Mirajane said while stepping in front of Jack and Tia with a scowl towards Prometheus and Pandora. "We'd never do such a thing to any of you. Though it hasn't been long, you two…and the rest of the former members of Dealer have been accepted in to Fairy Tail, you know? Though you aren't official members, you've more than proven yourself to Master and the others."
"Mirajane…?" Tia blinked, eyes widening at what the Strauss female had to say.
"Pft, lies on lies, and you know it!" Prometheus said while tapping the ground with his scythe.
"We'd never lie. Not to them about something clearly so important to them," Now it was Erza who appeared, standing right next to Mirajane with two swords in hand. "They're a part of Fairy Tail, whether they are aware of this or not." Erza then turned to Jack and Tia, both of them having tears welling up in their eyes. "We wouldn't lie to you two. But that wouldn't matter if you didn't trust us. Do you trust us?"
"I do…" Jack nodded, not allowing himself to show any sign of weakness in front of the two demons.
"Me too…" Tia nodded slowly. "I trust you all…quite a bit. Considering everything that's happened…don't make me take that back…"
"We won't," Mirajane said with her usual smile before turning to Prometheus and Pandora. "Now, you two get out of here and support someone else. Erza and I will handle this." As Mirajane spoke, a purple aura began to appear around her person.
"That's right…" Erza stated while pointing her swords forward. "We can deal with this."
"Right…" Tia nodded, escorting Jack out of the area; whatever was about to happen was about to be destructive. She then turned back, letting out a slight chuckle. "Fairy Tail's most reliable team…"
.
.
Prometheus: "It's cute how a pair of humans think they can stand up to us!"
Pandora: "I agree…humans need to be put in their place…"
Erza: "I think it's you demons who need to be put in their place!"
Mirajane: "You've made a very grave mistake today…we'll be sure to make sure that you will be punished for it."
Prometheus: "The only mistake possible is failing Lord Zeref!"
Erza: "The greatest mistake of all…is underestimating a Fairy Tail wizard."
Next Time: The Most Reliable Duo! Erza and Mirajane vs. Prometheus and Pandora!