Yang: HA HA~! EAT MY ALL-STAR BARRAGE~!
Peace: Try as you might, your football army won't get through my chestnut defense systems!
Freddy: Ah, you two are playing Plants vs Zombies 2 Chinese version?
Peace: Y-Yes, Yang and I are competing in the Two-Player mode! And I'm winning.
Yang: Fat chance~! You can't even beat my defense of Primal Peashooters combined with Pea Vine and Torchwood. No zombies could survive getting bounced and burnt to a crisp.
Peace: [Laughs triumphantly.] Your garden defense may be strong but with my team of Calveries, Gliders and Digger Zombies. It will reduce your pathetic defense into nothing but…uh trampled flower garden!
Yang: [His eyes rolled] Nice burn…
Shiho: I honestly don't understand why you two play the Chinese version where there's an English one.
Gwen: It's better, more challenging and the costume of the plants actually does something besides being a cosmetic change. Plus, they don't have two players in the international version.
Sanya: You seem to know a lot about this game.
Gwen: Well, I am a high-rank champion of the Two Player Mode. I beat Yang, Peace, Militia, Mare and even a hacker who just kept spawning Chickens and Chicken hoarders…That match was a weird one I admit.
Freddy: Wait there are hackers in the game?
Yang: [Eyes on screen.] Yeah, they can bypass the rules of the game. You know, planting more plants without cooldown, spawning zombies endlessly, and having unlimited sun.
Varvula: [She and Raven barges in the room.] Gwen? I need your help with something!
Freddy: What's going on Varvula, and why do you need her help?
Varvula: We may have…accidentally summoned Dr. Zomboss and his zombie army…and Raven purposely teleported them out of here and onto Fiore!
Raven: [Glared shockingly at Varvula.] Hey, it was your idea to bring them there in the first place!
Shiho: Slow down you two. [She pinched her nose and sighed.] When did making a sandwich turn into a zombie apocalypse?!
Yang: Dude, Fairy Tail and the other guilds can handle a bunch of zombies. [His eyes widened when he looked at the screen.] What the…dang it, I lose~?!
Peace: Wait, I won? [She suddenly stood up and cheered] HA~! IN YOUR FACE YANG~! I WON~!
Yang: [Sighs in defeat but smirks.] Yeah, Yeah, good game Peace. Now let's see how you do well with the real thing! Let's go zombie hunting! [He rushes out of the room.]
Raven: Well, that's one way of motivating him. Thanks, Peace.
Peace: [She blinked in confusion.] Uh, what did I do?
A few years ago
Crimson Blood had a ritual for any newcomers. They were asked to choose who to train under, out of the 16 Ultimate Elites, they would train under. The rookies were swarming the Elites eagerly wanting to fight alongside them.
Yet, the rookies avoided one of them.
Maki Harukawa sat there motionless with no one approaching her. One cold gaze and her grueling bloody sign reading "Assassin" was enough for even the strongest, and bravest rookies to coward in fear.
'Just like last year,' Maki deducted with a sigh. She was more annoyed than sad. 'Why do I have to get involved in this stupid ceremony, anyway? I don't want to have to deal with training a brat.'
"U-Um excuse me…"
A meek voice caused Maki to raise her head. Her cold glare met with a meek innocent emerald gaze. Right in front of her was a young boy with short green hair covering his eyes and was trembling.
"…What?" Maki demanded harshly.
The boy gulped before he bowed and blurted out something that made Maki's eyes widened.
"P-Please be my teacher~!"
Chapter 60: The Two Outcasts: Shervan vs Maki!
It happened so fast, that Cynthia, Wendy and Kirika couldn't even react in time. Shirabe was already knocked out from the force of the fist connected to her gut, knocking her out completely. Her body was propelled across the clearing and collided with the dark green wind barrier enveloping around Shervan's body.
"GAH~!" The unexpected intense pain from the wind barrier regained Shirabe's consciousness. Her agonizing scream snapped everyone out of shock. She had severe cuts on her back from the wind barrier as she collapsed on her stomach.
"What…?!" Wendy spoke in complete shock.
"She looks much…more…scary than before," Cynthia gulped. The two girls felt themselves shaking in pure fear while staring at her primal form.
"…THAT IT!" Despite being scared like the twin dragon slayers, Kirika roared before she lunged towards Maki. The blades on her shoulder pauldron extended out into four scythe blades resembling devil wings; Sealed Strike: Pinocchio!
Once she got close enough, Kirika lashed out all four scythes at her target at a blinding speed of rage. Maki maintained a cold gaze as she fluidly swerved her body left and right to avoid every strike.
"Dang it! She's much faster than before," Cynthia gaped in surprise. Despite the heavy damage inflicted on Maki, the young woman displayed remarkable resilience, effortlessly maintaining pace with Kirika as if completely unfazed by the ordeal. Still, they couldn't just stand here as she channeled her Earth Omega Flame mode. "But she's on her last legs! Let's hit her with all we got!"
"Yes!" Wendy nodded while she channeled her Omega Flame Sky mode. The dragon slayer duo then dashed towards Maki from behind, who was still busy dodging Kirika's aggressive stabbing. "Omega Flame Sky Dragon Claw!"
"Earth Omega Flame Dragon Claw!" With their arms radiating with their dual forms, both girls got close to Maki and swiped their arms forward in unison upon her back. It looks as if the attack landed, but the Assassin was so fast that it left an afterimage of her body. "W-What?!"
Right when she vanished, Maki managed to kick Cynthia in the face, followed by a knee jab to Wendy's and a punch into Kirika's stomach. It happened so fast that the girls couldn't react and scattered across the clearing.
"Grrr!" Kirika growled as she used two of her extended scythes to catch herself, skidding back a bit. "We're not going to…give up."
"Then you'll die…" Maki concluded as she reappeared in front of her.
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S GOING TO DIE YOU BASTARD!" Kirika wasted no time charging at Maki swinging all five scythes at him.
"…" Without a word, Maki sped past Kirika while lashing her demonic claws. Once Maki got behind her, the blonde scythe wielder froze in place before-
SHATTERED!
In an instant, Kirika's entire armed gear shattered into multiple pieces leaving her green inner outfit. Scattered broken armor along with blood from a deep gash across her chest, flew into the air. Kirika coughed up blood as her eyes rolled back into her head while she slowly fell backwards.
"KIRIKA!" Wendy and Cynthia's cries echoed in the deep forest.
Charla's eyes quickly shot wide open as she sat up. She had just experienced a dreadful future as if it were a nightmare. She flinched upon noticing she was resting on a cloud beside the wounded Chopper and looked at her surroundings. Usopp was panicking while the others watched lightning continuously strike down all across Upper Yard, and the neighboring islands of Skypiea. Charla had no idea what was going on, but her mind was focusing on something else.
"What's going on? Where are Wendy and Cynthia?!" Charla demanded, getting their attention.
"T-That cat can talk~?!" Aisa screamed while pointing at Charla.
"That's what we were about to ask you," Erza replied alarmingly. "You were all inside the snake right?"
"We were," Charla said while trying to remember what happened. "My memory is a bit fuzzy, so I don't recall what happened exactly. I was just flying those two out of the snake until I felt something hit my wing and blacked out."
"Probably got hit by the rubble fall that time," Gan Fall guessed. "The two must've fallen out of the snake, but where?"
"T-They're in the forest," Aisa's shakened voice caught the white cat's attention. "Those two you mention along with two others in green and pink armor...They're deep in the Upper Yard still fighting."
"What are you talking about?" Usopp questioned, looking confused.
"It's her mantra..." Gan Fall realized glancing at the young girl. "I never expect a young girl to be able to use it."
"Before we confronted Eneru, that bastard did mention two other battles were going on at once," Zoro recalled.
"You mean to say that Cynthia, Wendy, Shirabe and Kirika are still in the forest while this chaotic storm is going on?" Touma realized while still too injured to sit up.
"I have to go find them," Charla stood up and tried to fly. But she felt winded due to low magic and fell on her stomach, feeling exhausted. 'What? Why do I feel like my magic's been drained all of a sudden?'
"Whoa, you need to slow down Charla," Usopp warned her. "You're not feeling so well right now. Even if you have your magic, if you get struck by those lighting strikes, then you're toast."
"I can't just sit here and do nothing! Wendy and Cynthia are in danger!" Charla stubbornly yelled out.
"I…I don't know their exact location though," Aisa sadly said. "All I know is that they're in the forest somewhere…"
"I'll go look for them…" Erza tried to stand up. However, just as she was about to push herself up, she gritted her teeth in pain as she felt her body giving out.
"You're in a worse condition than she is," Usopp stated while eyeing her injuries. "Look, you said it yourself that Wendy and Cynthia are strong. I mean they're wizards just like you. The only thing we could do is hope that they make it out of this whole mess alive."
Charla and Erza glanced at Usopp a bit awkwardly. Zoro smirked and decided to break the silence. "Well this is rare for you Usopp. Normally you would freak out over all the mess that's going on."
"Oi, I don't freak out all the time!" Usopp fibbed. "I can be calm when I want to. In fact, they don't know how I walked bravely through a firestorm when I was twelve!"
"My how brave of you royal warrior," Erza joked slightly. She couldn't help being amused by Usopp's lies. "It kind of reminds me of how I slayed a large wyvern when I was twelve."
"O-Oh I see," Usopp's confidence drained out of his body. At first, he thought she was lying, but knowing how tough Erza is, he knew she wasn't joking.
Aisa nervously bit her lips suddenly. Things were already getting worse all around them, and even though they were strangers to her, the girl didn't want to make their mood worse. Aisa heard one of the four voices in the Upper Yard vanish.
Shirabe's eyes fluttered open, regaining consciousness as she found herself face down on the ground. While using her arms to push her stomach off the ground, she felt excruciating pain all over her body. When Shirabe carefully turned her head forward, she caught witness to Kirika's armor shattering instantly from Maki's onslaught.
"K-Kirika…" Shirabe stuttered in horror. She tried to get to her feet, but her body could barely move. She was still so tired from the attack that she was breathing heavily. Shirabe glimpsed at Cynthia and Wendy, who were still recovering from the assassin's assault.
'I'll make her an example of how serious I am,' Maki declared as she faced the falling Kirika and swiped her at her neck for a swift decapitation. Shirabe, Cynthia and Wendy couldn't react in time to how fast Maki was.
"STOOOP~!"
All except her former student.
"Wait…is that?" Shirabe recognized his voice. It had no hidden malice or fake voice acting like before.
Upon hearing his voice, Maki swiftly turned around and was met with a massive dragon claw made of dark green wind. She barely had enough time to block it with both of her own claws, but the force of the impact sent her flying to the side as Kirika's body hit the ground.
Cynthia's eyes widen upon recognizing the person before smiling. "Heh, took his sweet time waking up."
Maki managed to catch herself before she crashed into the tree behind her. Her arms still raised as she glared at the intruder. "…"
"I…I won't…let you kill any of them," Shervan announced as he stood tall while facing Maki. His voice was wavering in pure fear. Fear of facing off his former teacher.
"That's really Shervan…Not Kazero or the other Devil Fruit one," Shirabe questioned quietly while managing to get on her knees. She then noticed her friend's state and swiftly threw her yo-yo at her friend's body. The thing wires wrapped around the unconscious Kirika's ankles together. Once they were firmly placed, Shirabe reeled her yo-yo back, dragging Kirika's body away from the battle field.
Maki noticed but paid no mind to them and faced Shervan. "So, are you planning on stopping me here?"
"I'm…" Shervan struggled to calm his nerves, but proved futile. Trauma from his previous fight with Maki resurface causing him to tremble.
"And I don't mean by knocking me out, like what these idiots are trying to do," Maki rephrased while cracking her neck. "Are you willing to save everyone here, by taking my life?"
"…Y-Yes," Shervan hesitated a bit before answering. "I-If it means that everyone here will be safe...I will kill you, Maki."
The two young Fairy Tail mages were quietly stunned after hearing the shy boy's answer. Though, Cynthia recalled how she was willing to kill Aiden for all the suffering he caused to her family, until Wendy snapped her out of it.
"He's…lying to himself," Shirabe whispered in concern. While she admits that killing Maki would guarantee their safety, Shirabe doesn't think Shervan would be able to go through with it.
"Very well then…" Maki muttered before vanishing out of sight. Shervan's instinct kicked in and quickly dove out of the way of a surprise kick aimed at his neck. He then twisted his body and did a hand sprint to avoid her claw swipe.
Once he was at a safe distance, Shervan reared his arms back. "Delta Sky Dragon: Air Slash!" He swiped his arm forward discharging a barrage of crescent air blades forward. Maki dashed forward, zigzagging across the field to avoid the wind blades. Some of them that didn't hit the ground were honing in on her from behind to catch her off guard. Maki noticed and lashed her claw behind to destroy the air blades.
The second Maki turned around, Shervan was already in front of her, with a wind sphere in his hand. "Delta Sky Dragon: Jet Sphere!" He roared as he slammed the wind sphere into Maki's stomach.
"Alright, he got her!" Cynthia cheered briefly. From her and Wendy's perspective, it looks as if the attack landed with how Maki was hunched over.
However, their smiles disappear when they realize that Maki quickly brought her right arm in front of her stomach, blocking the sphere with her demonic-looking hand.
She was just about to snag his wrist, but Shervan jump back before she could touch him. "Delta Sky Dragon: Wing Attack~!" He then swiped his arms downward expelling a large whirlwind out of his arms towards Maki.
'It seems he isn't slacking in his training,' Maki theorized at how destructive his magic was. However, in her red eyes, it was traveling slowly. 'But he's still not enough to slay me…' Red energy began to gather around her left palm. "50%...Destro Claw Beam."
With just one swipe forward, she released a red horizontal crescent energy beam. The attack managed to cut through the incoming whirlwind before heading towards Shervan. He was just able to flip above the red beam with his left leg morphing into a dark green whirlwind, "Delta Sky Dragon: Corkscrew Claw~!" His foot shot forward, extending into a focused tornado extending out, to aim his foot at Maki's face.
It would've landed if Maki hadn't somehow managed to grab his 'winded' ankle before it touched her. She tightened her grip causing Shervan to wince a bit in pain, stunning the three girls.
"S-She can touch him when he's made of wind?" Wendy gasped in shock.
Shervan was the only one not startled as Maki pulled his long tornado leg closer to her. Her claw reared back to plunge into his stomach the second he was close enough. "50%...
Shervan reared his fist while engulfed with his signature magic. "Delta Sky Dragon…!
CLAW~!"
Both their fists collided with each other, unleashing a shockwave that almost swept Cynthia, Wendy and Shirabe off their feet. It looked as if it would be a stalemate, but Maki easily overpowered Shervan, blasting him back. Not letting up, Maki spun herself around while doing multiple kicks in the air, firing off multiple red energy crescent blades at him.
Shervan stabilized himself and quickly flew across the clearing while avoiding most of the red blades flying at him. While dodging a few of them, Shervan unleashes his own series of wind blades canceling each other out, creating a barrage of explosions across the clearing.
"They're going at it hard…but can Shervan really kill her?" Shirabe asked herself. She knew the boy would prefer to defend rather than take a life with his powers. But he may have to kill Maki or at least wound her enough to stop her from pursuing them.
Among the dust clouds, a stray red blade flew straight towards Shirabe. Thinking fast, she managed to bring her buzzsaw in front of her and Kirika. The impact sent a jolt through her body, but successfully block the attack as it vanish.
"That was too close," Shirabe sighed in relief and scanned the area. The dust cloud made it difficult for her to see anything.
"WENDY~!" Shirabe flinched after hearing Cynthia alarmingly shout in the chaos followed by another explosion.
As the dust cleared up, Shervan was on his one knee. He was breathing heavily with a diagonal cut across his chest. He was behind Wendy who was laying on the stomach with her left leg bleeding.
"S-Shervan!" Shirabe, Wendy and Cynthia cried out.
"This is just like last time…" Maki informed while being a few meters away from him. One of Shervan's air blades managed to rip her clothes, but not enough to harm her skin. "You've still lacked concentration on your primal target…"
"You…target her on purpose…didn't you?" Shervan asked while breathing. He made sure to move away from where the girls were so they didn't get caught by her attack. But she purposely launched a few at the bystanders. Cynthia and Wendy were forced to split up to dodge one of them, but a second one nicked the Sky Maiden in the leg, causing her to fall right into the line of sight of the third one. Shervan got in front of her at the last second and took the blow.
"She was a liability. A distraction to your current mission," Maki confessed without a hint of guilt. "If you haven't done something stupid as to risk your own life for some dead weight, the-."
POW~!
Maki was cut off by Cynthia's fist slugging across her face. She grunted as she stumbled back a bit. She was startled not so much by the punch as by how much it hurt.
"Dead weight?" Cynthia whispered seething with anger. As she stomped towards Maki, Cynthia's emotions rose to a boiling point, causing a torrent of dark red flames and earth magic to erupt around her. "The only person who'll be dead weight is you once I'm done with you!"
"C-Cynthia don't…" Shervan pleaded weakly as he pushed himself to feet.
"RAAHHHH!" Cynthia screamed as lunged at Maki with her right arm pulled back. "EARTH OMEGA FIRE DRAGON: IRON FIST!"
Maki stood there with no room to escape as Cynthia's punch landed on her face. This was followed by a large torrent of earth and flames, causing the entire island to shake from the impact.
"…To think Aiden had created a Lacrima that runs on emotions…" Yet, when the dust vanished, Maki stood there unphased with Cynthia's fist still planted on her cheek. She had a few burns on her body and slid back a few inches, but still stood her ground. "That guy was a fool to implant such a powerful magic into hot-temper brat of a daughter."
"You…You know my father?" Cynthia asked with her eyes widened.
"Your father's work inspired other ideas to create stupid Lacrima like yours," Maki retorted while she whipped her leg into Cynthia's stomach, causing the girl to fold as she flew into the air.
"GAH~!" Cynthia coughed up a bit of blood in pain. She managed to flip on her feet and slide a bit, looking winded but can still fight. "I'm not down yet!" She declared inhaling, gathering a vortex of flame and earth around her mouth. "Omega Earth Fire Dragon: ROOOOARR~!"
"…50%..." Maki crossed her arms as a red aura radiated intensively around them. "Execution…" Before the large funnel of earth and flames could reach her, Maki swiped her arms forward, unleashing a glow red energy in a cross formation that cleaved through the dual roar in a cyclone motion.
"She broke…through it?" Was the last thing she said before the red X slammed into her body as well as the tree behind her, leaving an X gash mark across her chest.
"CYNTHIA!" Wendy wailed in horror. Shirabe covered her gaping mouth in horror watching the devastating attack.
With tears running down, Shervan's wide eyes gaze at Cynthia who stood there motionless. Her blood was dripping from the wound she received across her stomach. After a few seconds of staying still, she slowly fell backwards. Her dual mode deactivated indicating that she was unconscious. Her eyes were covered from her black hair, while jaw was wide open in agony.
"...I'm sorry," His voice caused Cynthia to flinch. "...I'm not good at s-socializing with others. Especially a large group l-like this."
"Then we'll help you with that!" Cynthia declared determinedly. "We'll make it so you don't have to use that mask to hide yourself from us, trust me!"
"I'll stay..." Shervan confessed He glanced at Cynthia with determination. "Even if it's not my fault, I'm still responsible for not stopping the Hinora Clan earlier. I'll do what I can to get you and the others back to your worlds. I promise!"
"That's great~!" Cynthia beamed with a wide smile on her face, showing her white teeth. Seeing her smile, caused Shervan's heart to skip again with his cheeks turning red.
The second Cynthia's body hit the ground, Shervan lunged at Maki rearing his fist back which was coated with green wind that was growing darker. He forcedly bit his lower lips to contain his anger as his magic was flaring around him violently.
"So you can get angry," Maki noted while noticing the change of color of his magic. She instantly leapt up to him, closing the distance and slammed her fist into his face, launching him into the air. "However blind emotions will only leave you weak…" She reappeared right above him and kicked him in the back of head sending him spiraling down on the ground.
Shervan was a bit dizzy from the impact as he stood up. He then leaped out of the way when Maki struck the ground where he landed. He flipped onto his feet a ton of wind around him while sliding back, and puffed his cheeks while a vortex of dark green gathered around his mouth. "Delta Sky Dragon Roar~!'' He then throws his head forward firing off a dark green hurricane towards Maki.
"50%: Devour," Maki retaliated by rushing at the massive hurricane and swiped her glowing radiant claw forward, stopping the destructive hurricane instantly. She felt her body slowly sliding back, but it wasn't enough as Shervan's attack was absorbing into her claw until it vanished into nothing.
"N-No way!" Wendy muttered horrified. "She just absorbs his attack so easily?"
"Just like she did with Cynthia's flames," Shirabe said with her eyes widened, and felt her body shaking. Ever since she was at 50% percent, Cynthia and Shervan attacks weren't to hurt Maki anymore.
'I have to…kill her…No matter…what,' Shervan kept telling himself despite the hesitation. Pouring his magic for one final attack, his arms turned into wind forming into a pair of giant scythes. "Secret Art: Delta Sky Dragon…" With one step, he sped towards Maki with his reaper arms crossed in front of him. "Twin Gale Storm Reaper!"
It was so fast that Maki had no choice but to cross her arms in a split second when Shervan flew past her. Trails of blood flew into the air as Maki grunted in pain as the wind scythe managed to phase through her beast claws and finally managed to hurt her, leaving an X mark across her abdomen. Shervan appeared right behind her with his arm extended out.
"Did he…get her this time?" Shirabe hoped as she gazed at Maki's still form. She stayed in that stance while Shervan's arms returned to normal before collapsing onto his knees. His body was slowly giving out on him.
"…So you've mastered your Secret Art," Maki informed him while finally uncrossing her arms. There was an X mark across her stomach, but it still wasn't enough to knock her out as she turned her head at the boy. "The last time we've fought, you were able to form one scythe…Guess you weren't slacking off at least."
"S-Seriously? How tough is she?!" Shirabe gritted her teeth. That same attack that slice Naru in half back at the resort, the Ultimate Assassin tanked two of them.
"At least you were able to cut through my skin, but not enough to end my life," Her right claw radiated a red glow, before lashing out behind her releasing a crescent red beam. Shervan leapt out of the way of the incoming beam, rolling across the ground. He quickly stood up but wincing in pain from the wound on his stomach.
"You're still weak minding," The moment Shervan heard her voice, his body hunched over after her fist printed into his guts. He coughed up a lot of blood as the pressure of the punch sent his body flying across the clearing.
Shervan felt the air knock out of his lungs as he crashed hard into the ground. He slowly pushed his bruised body off the ground. "What do you mean…I'm weak minding?"
"You don't want to kill me do you?" Maki interrogated while suddenly behind him. Shervan quickly turned around and blocked her kick with his forearm. He felt his bones shattering from the force as he was blown back again. "You were holding back from that last attack."
After he caught himself with his feet skidding back a bit, Shervan attempted to use what was left of his magic to cast another attack, but his body suddenly felt heavy. 'What? Why is my body…?' He couldn't even muster the energy to keep standing as he collapsed onto his knees while holding the wound on his stomach.
"Damn it, those two must've exhausted his body," Shirabe grimaced in anger at Galero. Even if they've somehow been able to heal the wounds Shervan received from the fight, it doesn't mean it replenishing his magic and fatigue. Seeing him in pain made Shirabe grit her teeth, looking peeved at Maki and herself for being so weak to protect him.
"Back when we first met, you asked me to be my apprentice, knowing fully that I'm an assassin," Maki reflected while slowly walking towards him. "While you did say that you only wanted to learn close combat, I'd expected that pacified mindset would be depleted…but I was wrong."
"That's…" Shervan tried to deny her word, but couldn't. He felt pathetic for not being strong enough to beat her.
"If you can't erase that naïve thinking, then you and your colleagues will die," Maki bluntly proclaimed. She was already a meter away from Shervan, waiting for any sudden movements. She wasn't going to let her guard down. "The only way for you to get off this island alive i-."
"To kill you?" Shervan interrupted as his voice sounded empty. He clenched his fists while looking down. He knew he should hate her guts after what she did to George, Natsu, Cynthia, Wendy, Kirika and Shirabe. Ending her life here will guarantee their safety. However…
"Kill her Plague!"
"No one wants you here!"
"Monster!"
"No one will care if you're gone!"
"Kill her!"
"Make that killer suffer!"
Loud cries of the audience members during his and Maki's first-ever duel, echoed in his head, but quickly shook them off. Out of all the Ultimate Elites, Maki was the most hated by everyone due to her talent. He did not want to be like them. "I…won't…" He mustered quietly before raising his voice. "I still won't do it…No matter what you do to me, I won't kill you!"
"You have no choice," Maki declared while aiming her claw at his neck. "Unless you want your friends to get out of here safely. Don't you care about them?"
"I do…and I can't forgive you for what you did to them," Shervan admitted before declaring boldly while finally staring directly at Maki. "But that doesn't mean I hate you enough to take your life!"
"Why…Why don't you hate me?" She questioned, her tone sounding slightly hesitant. "I've taken your life before and left you to rot. I dropped your body off the cliff. You should've planned your revenge to take my head…Why the hell are you still clinging onto me!?"
Shervan gave her a sad smile before speaking. "…Before I met you, I…felt like committing suicide." Shirabe and Wendy's blood froze after hearing him say that. "When I was in Crimson Blood, I was hated, picked on and treated like a pest to the other kids. Even the older ones and teachers would torment me to the point that I couldn't bear the pain of being alone…that I didn't want to live anymore."
"…" All three girls were silent with different reactions. Wendy's eyes widen while using her hands to her gaping mouth. Shirabe gritted her teeth while looking down on the ground. Maki had an unreadable expression while her hair was cast over her eyes.
"However, you weren't like the others. It was the first time I felt…happy," He continued solemnly. "Despite how harsh the training was at the time and how blunt and harsh you were, that feeling never went away…During that time, you were hated by others to the point that they spread false rumors about you and even tried to kill you. I thought it was because of me, but…before we had our Bout, some people were going to rig the fight to my favor…They wanted me to win…They wanted me to become the next Ultimate Assassin…Everyone wanted me to kill you!"
"Shervan…" Wendy whispered in sadness.
"Idiot…Why go through all that crap?" Maki asked with slight demand. "When you've gone berserk, you had the potential to overpower me back then. You could've ended my life in an instant!"
"Because…" Shervan a small smile with tears in his eyes. He had no energy to move or even cast any spells as his consciousness was slowly fading. "You're like a big sister to me Maki…I know it's stupid, but I want to prove that I can beat you without you dying by my hands…I was hoping to beat you with that spell, but-."
"But nothing…" Maki interjected. She prepared to finish him off with one clean cut as she raised her claw up while glaring coldly at Shervan. "You're nothing but a stain in my past that needs to be terminated. Someone worthless like you…
…Should just stay dead."
"…!" Maki's words affected him greatly as his empty eyes gazed at red claws flying towards his body. Warm memories of his training with Maki flash before his mind, recalling how she was the first person in his life who treated him not as a monster or a plague, but a person. But now, they were only baseless empty words.
'Maybe I should just die...if I die, then the others will get a chance to escape…It's the least I could do,' Shervan gave a sad smile while closing his eyes, as if he was accepting his fate without struggling. The two girl's cries were dulled out of his ears. 'For a worthless person like me…'
SPLAT~! Small splats of blood splatter across the ground behind his body.
..
...
…?
The only thing Shervan felt was his blood hitting his face, which made him confused. He was expecting a quick and painless death, but didn't feel any pain and placed his hand on his neck to find that he was still on his body.
KOFF~!
Hearing their cough, Shervan slowly opened his eyes and what he saw…
…
…made his blood freeze and his eyes widened in despair. "...!"
Shirabe stood right in front of him with her pained expression met with his horrifying gaze.
The reason why she was in pain was because Maki's right claw plunged straight through her torso.
"Why...Why...?" Shervan was shaken at the horrific scene. "Why did you save someone like me…You would have escaped while I bid you ti-."
"Baka…" Shirabe cuts him off while wheezing in pain. "After all we've been through, you expect us to flee and let you die? Haven't I told you before…" Shirabe wheezed. She faced him with a warming smile, but blood slightly leaked out of her mouth. "I won't let anything happen to you…"
"S-Shirabe…." Shervan horses in horror while he begins to hyperventilate. Maki pulled her arm back out of Shirabe's body causing the girl to collapse onto her knees. Shervan quickly caught her before her body could hit the ground. "I'm really sorry…This is all my fault! If I wasn't so weak, and killed Maki the-!"
"Then you would've been the Ultimate Assassin, just like she planned," Shirabe finished while breathing heavily. She didn't know if it was true or not, but this would've been Galero's goal from the start. Shirabe weakly placed both hands on his cheeks, and forced them to face her, looking as if she was about to kiss him in her last moments. "...No matter what happens to me…I'll always be by your side…" She said with a weak smile as her life was fading. "Not only as your friend…but as a...big sister…"
Shirabe went silent as her eyes finally closed. Her lifeless body fell limp onto the traumatized boy. Shervan could only stare with tears running down his face. He tried to close the wound with his hands, but felt like it was useless. That very girl who just protected him, died in his arms.
Witnessing the entire scene, Wendy felt tears running down her cheeks. She felt angry not just at Maki but for herself for not being able to do anything to stop the assassin from killing Shirabe.
"You have no one to help you now…" Maki flicked the blood out of her claw with one swift motion before staring at the traumatized Shervan. Kirika and Cynthia were still out cold while Wendy was injured and low magic to do any harm. Seeing him broken while trying to stop the blood from flowing out Shirabe's wounds didn't make her feel satisfied or remorse.
Her main priority is to kill him when he's vulnerable.
Shervan wasn't listening to her. He was staring down at the blood in his shaken hands stained with blood. 'Everywhere I go…Everything I do…I always leave a trail of blood and corpses.' His heart beating faster gazing at Shirabe's lifeless body leaning on his body.
Shervan clenched his shaking fist as a green wind slowly formed around him and Shirabe. 'I've always hated myself…for being born…for everything that's happened. For not being strong enough to stop Maki.'
'But now…' Shervan recalled the bruised and beaten bodies of Kirika, Wendy and Cynthia as well as...Shirabe's. This made him grit his teeth as the wind around him began to grow darker and violent due to his uncontrollable emotions he was emitting. 'The only thing...I want to do is…
…to tear her apart!'
With Shervan's emotions at its peak, it was a perfect opportunity for Galero to take control of his body for round two. However he along with his companion twin were too busy dealing with something else.
"What the hell?!" Galero yelled while struggling to break free from the yellow glow string pinning him in the ground. "Why can't I move?!"
"…This is startling…" The Devil Fruit boy blinked with startled eyes. He as well as trapped the unexpected string. He was able to turn his head to find the television in static. "The second she was about to attack us, the screen fuzzed out…"
"You do not need to know anymore…."
"…!" The unknown voice startled the two boys. In the sky of Shervan's conscious. A pair of yellow reptilian eyes blinked above them and then gazed at the two of them.
"Who the hell are you?" Galero questioned.
"You two have done enough damage," They declared in a mysterious voice. "It's time for me to take over…Our rage cannot be contained anymore!"
"Ah…AHHHHH!~!"
Everyone turned to Aisa who collapsed on her knees, with a horrified look on her face.
"What's wrong, is Eneru attacking us?!" Usopp cried out in a panic. "Are his Priests wake up again!?"
"S-Scary voice…I hear a scary voice in the forest!" The poor girl panicked while shivering.
Charla suddenly tensed up in a panic. She sensed the sudden change of the wind current flowing more violently with the sense of...Magic? 'This pressure…It's endless!'
"…!" While driving up to Giant Jack, the Straw Pirate's navigator was the first to sense the unnatural change of the current. 'The wind is shifting erratically…I've got a bad feeling about this, I have to get to Luffy before it gets worse.'
"What is this…?" Maki questioned. After managing to jump back at a safe distance, she could gaze at the massive thick torrent of dark-green hurricane swirling around Shervan who held the lifeless Shirabe close to his chest.
"This is just like how Cynthia lost control," Wendy muttered in shock at how high his magic was growing. Her mind flashes to when Cynthia's gone berserk that time and how Wendy had to swallow her flames for the first time to calm her down.
Deep within the storm of hatred, Shervan gently set his friend down with a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry…for luring everyone into my mess," Shervan whispered to her, with no expectation of her replying back. He then stood up as his hair slightly grew and turned darker. "I'm ending this now…"
Maki prepared herself when she felt his eyes piercing at her among the tornado. Not just his eyes, but she and Wendy also notice a yellow-ring-like symbol gradually glowing on his legs along with his arms. "What is tha-GHAH~!"
She was instantly cut off as she suddenly hunched over, gaping in pain. In a split second, a sphere made of violent dark green wind flew out of the hurricane and slammed into the assassin's stomach. Maki held her ground as she skidded back, leaving a trench on the ground. Once she stopped she was still gaping in exhaustion. 'Damn it, It happened so fast I couldn't move in time!'
Right when Maki regained her breath, Shervan was alright in front of her. His right arm pulled back, having violent dark sky magic wrapped around his fist and trailing into a hurricane. "Delta Sky: Tempest Claw!" His fist met Maki's face before she was engulfed by the violent hurricane. The attack continued as it tore through countless tree trunks to the point of collapsing. Flying out of the Upper Yard, the dark green hurricane continues on its way before disappearing.
"Strong…" Wendy could only say in pure awe. Once the dust had settled, she saw the aftermath of the entire attack. With a destructive carnage of just one attack, Maki was sprawled on her back a few feet away, severely injured and looked as if she was knocked out with her eyes being white.
Wendy held her breath, wanting to think that it was all over. However, she along with Shervan weren't convinced that the assassin wasn't down.
After a brief silence, Maki instantly regains consciousness before her body suddenly vanishes from where she laid. She then reappeared behind Shervan performing a round-house kick, only for Shervan to cancel it out with his own kick, unleashing a pressure of wind from the impact.
'He was able to knock me out briefly from just one punch,' Maki clicked in annoyance. She was lucky to train herself to wake herself up with her powers, but it still pissed her off to be knocked out twice today.
Knowing that they were in a stalemate, Maki and Shervan leaped away from each other. Maki's claws glowing red and black. "50%...Crescent X!" While on the ground, she slash her claws forward, unleashing a black and red energy resembling an X towards Shervan who was floating in midair.
"Delta Sky: Sky Attack!" Shervan swung his arms forward releasing a strong gust of dark-green wind downward at the black red X. The two attacks collided before canceling each other out in an explosion.
Once Shervan landed he glared at the Maki in the distance. Maki spat out a bloody tooth out of her mouth while glaring right back at Shervan.
Both of their energies suddenly spiked causing the entire island to shake. Wendy had to fight the urge to stay conscious while feeling both their present being dangerous. The dark and red energy clustered into a massive threatening vibe around Maki. While thick dark-green wind swirling around Shervan as his magic grows more violently and darker.
They both took a step before they sprinted forward, leaving a crater on the ground from the pressure of their feet. With accelerating speed, the two met halfway with Maki's claw wind back for a horizontal swipe. Shervan ducked underneath her swipe, and while his entire arm morphed into spinning wind.
"Delta Sky: Spiral Claw~!" Shervan roared as he landed an uppercut onto Maki's chin launching her up into the sky, in a spiral motion breaking through thick tree branches.
Maki was spinning in the stormy sky, still conscious but wincing from the impact. Her body glowed red as morphed around her upper back into bat-like wings. She was able to control her flight pattern while glaring down.
"The sky…why is it so dark and cloudy?" Wendy asked in surprise. They were so deep in the forest that the treetops blocked the view of the sky. Now that they were gone, she was able to witness Eneru's storm cloud at work.
"Wendy…" The girl flinched when Shervan called out to her. Her body shuddered when she saw him approaching her slowly. When he noticed the fear in her eyes, he stopped before speaking. "I'm going to keep Maki away from here as best I can…I know that you're still injured from protecting me, and I don't deserve any favor after the mess I made. But…Please, can you please save Shirabe…I don't want her to die, please!"
The way he sounded wasn't in berserk or madness. But with pure fear and sadness. Wendy, upon a closer look, saw tears running down his yellow void-like eyes. Seeing this all the fear she had vanished and was replaced with determination.
"Don't worry Shervan, I won't let anyone die here. Leave it to me!" Wendy declared while pushing herself onto her feet. She slowly walked over to Shervan enough to place her hands on his shoulders. "But you have to promise us that you'll come back to us after this is over! We all love you and don't think you're a plague or a burden to us! I want you to treat me, Cynthia, Kirika and Shirabe as your new big sisters!"
Shervan blushed as he let those words sink in. He then wiped his tears with his arm and gave a firm nod. "O-Okay…!"
Wendy smiled and took a step back while whirlwind surrounded Shervan. He looked up and glared at Maki who was diving downward in a red blur. Shervan crouched down before leaping upward, in dark green blur. Both their fists pulled back before they clashed into each other's cheeks halfway.
While the two were midair, Maki recovered more quickly and spun her body around to land a click at Shervan's stomach, and sent him up into the sky. The boy shrugged the pain as he steady himself as Maki flew upward at him. As a flash of lightning suddenly struck behind them, Shervan flew around Maki's claw strike. Once behind her, the boy fist's struck the assassin's back sending her flying back after he released a tornado after the impact.
In Wendy's eyes, the two were like red and green blurs clashing above the Upper Yard. Each of them landing a blow on each but not slowing down. Wendy ripped her eyes away from the aerial battle and quickly noticed that she was alone with the unconscious Cynthia, Kirika and…the body of Shirabe.
Thinking that way, Wendy shook her head violently as she limped towards the severely wounded girl. This was her fight she had to do on her own. If she tried to heal them when Maki was here then she would've died on the spot. With Shervan keeping her busy, the Sky Maiden will do anything she can to save Shirabe, Cynthia and Kirika.
"Hang on Shirabe…" Wendy assured her friend as she hung her hands over Shirabe's body. "I won't let you die no matter what!"
Shiho: I cannot believe how quick Dr. Zomboss and his army took over Fiore.
Freddy: Did they actually eat everyone's brains there?
Gwen: That would make our lives easier…[Everyone gave her a shocking look.] What? I'm talking about the guilds. Sheesh, I'm not that dark.
Raven: Not really. He somehow mind controlled Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Sabertooth into zombie elites. Surprisingly, it's the least goriest zombie apocalypse I ever saw.
Shiho: And we're going to have to stop Dr. Zomboss and upgrade zombie wizards are we?
Yang: Think of it this way. We get another chance to kick those wizards' butts.
Peace: B-But what if we accidentally…kill them. Since they're zombies.
Raven: As long as we get Dr. Zomboss back into that book by sunrise, everyone will turn back to normal.
Varvula: Oh, this is sounding like a Halloween One hour Special, with Plants vs Zombie Crossover~!
Shiho:...What are you even talking about?
Gwen: Good thing I store up a lot of Doom Shroom for this kind of occasion.
Yang: So that's what was inside that closet~?!
Gwen: Don't worry, they're asleep so they won't trigger instantly unless I use a Coffee Bean.
Sanya: Next Chapter: Terror of the Falling Raigo!
Varvula:...Should we be worried that you have a closet full of sleeping Doom Shrooms?
Gwen: Relax, it's not like I'm planning to use it on any of you...[Mumbled']...yet.