Chapter 17: True Beauty
"You... are my prey."
As Eiji approached the three, Boota frowned with a look of apprehension dotting his features. Clenching his fists anxiously, he glanced at Natsu and Gray.
"This guy is bad news. We're gonna have to work together if we want even a semblance of a chance at taking him down!"
"Work with this jerk? No way!" Natsu and Gray pointed at each other, aghast.
Boota stared at the two dunderheads, his expression blank. 'Ah. We're gonna die.'
Eiji vanished from thin air and appeared behind the three, his leg raised in a fast roundhouse kick. It was only thanks to their instincts that they didn't get struck by the attack. Flipping out of the way, Gray tossed his jacket to the side and clasped his hands together, frost building in the air as he channeled his magic.
"I've got this! Ice-Make: Hammer!" he chanted, thrusting his hands out as a giant hammer made of ice appeared over Eiji's head in a flash of light, swinging down upon the feral young man at breakneck speeds.
Eiji raised a fist and punched the construct, shattering it to piece. Gray's eyes widened in shock. 'There was no magic at all, there! That was just his raw strength... what the hell?!'
"Move outta the way, poser!" Natsu grinned, shoving Gray to the side much to the Ice Wizard's annoyance, igniting his fists in fire and lunging at Eiji with a wild haymaker. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Eiji stepped to the side, avoiding Natsu's strike and driving his foot into the pinkette's stomach. Natsu gagged as he flew through the air, quickly flipping down and clasping his hands over his mouth like trumpet, expelling a pressurized goust of roaring flames. "Fire Dragon's ROAR!!"
Eiji vanished from his spot, avoiding the stream of fire entirely appearing behind Natsu. The boy gasped in shock as Eiji extended his arm to climb at the Dragon Slayer, but he was intercepted by a thick wall of ice. His eyes sharpened as he directed over to perpetrator.
Gray glared back as Boota leapt over the wall, "Earth-Make: Rampaging Mother Earth!" slamming his fists into the ground, a large green magic spurred to laugh, creating a giant rock golem. Boota stood on it's back as it let out a distorted roar, throwing a deceptively fast punch Eiji's way, forcing the teen to block the strike as it sent him flying.
Gray blinked in surprise. "Dynamic Molding Magic?"
"I can do more than Molding Magic, but yeah." Boota nodded, not taking his eyes off Eiji.
"WOAH!! That's SO awesome!" Natsu laughed, circling the golem with sparkling eyes. "WAY cooler than Gray's magic!"
"Oh, screw you!"
Sighing, Gray glowered at Eiji as the teen slowly rose to his feet. "Anyway... this guy is crazy fast."
"Yeah. He was a lazy bum before, but now he's suddenly energized." Boota grumbled.
Eiji huffed, rolling his neck. "Yeah, well, I'm at my peak during the night." he looked up at the sky, smiling. "... and would you look at that? It's a full moon."
Question marks bounced around the trio's heads, causing them to blink in confusion. "Ah?"
"I wanna get this over with so I can take a nap... so, I'll get serious." Eiji smiled lazily for a moment, before his expression turned cold. "Take Over: Lycan Soul."
A surge of magical energy nearly knocked Natsu, Gray, and Boota off their feet, followed by a rush of intense bloodlust as Eiji was shrouded in a dark blue veil of ethernano. Glowing red eyes peered behind the dense shroud of energy as the teen's body began to morph into a large beast. Snarling, the dome of energy surrounding Eiji expanded outwards and dispersed, revealing his new form.
He had grown over ten feet tall and no longer resembled a human, appearing as a large, muscular bipedal wolf with dark blue fur, glowing red eyes, and razor sharp teeth and claws. Eiji let out a ear-piercing howl, forcing them to cover their ears, with Natsu nearly doubling over in pain.
Blinking blearily, Natsu and Gray slowly gawked at the lycanthrope, yelping. "A FREAKING WEREWOLF?!"
A bead of sweat rolled down Boota's cheek. "I think I know why he was called 'The Hound.'"
Snarling, Eiji grinned ferally. "I'll enjoy ripping you kids to shreds.
Rocketing towards them at blistering speeds, Eiji was up on them in seconds, his claws outstretched. Boota's golem dove in the way, clashing against the transformed dark wizard. Boota, Gray, and Natsu took this moment to take a step back as the two wrestled with one another.
"He's gotten even faster!" Boota grimaced.
"Then we have to hit 'em harder!" Natsu punched his palm, frowning.
"Easier said than done..." Gray mumbled.
"GRAAAAAH!!!"
They watched as Boota's golem was ripped to shreds. Eiji turned to them and opened his maw, a ball of pure magical energy charging itself up as several magic circles appeared in front of him. With a roar, he expelled a large ray of energy, causing the boys to shriek in surprise as they dove out of the way.
"SINCE WHEN CAN WOLVES DO THAT?!"
"Who cares! Just hit him!" Gray snapped, shifting into the stance Ur drilled into him and channeling his magic again. "Ice Make: Lance!"
A barrage of ice spears shot through the air and struck Eiji dead center. To Gray's horror, they shattered upon contact with his hide, causing the werewolf to let out a dark chuckle as he lunged at Gray and swiped at him with his claws. Gray tried to leap out of the way, but grit his teeth in pain as he felt the claws graze him and dig into his side, earning himself a bloody gash.
"Ugh...!" Gray hissed in pain, stumbling. "That smarts..."
"Stand back!" Boota punched the ground, tearing it asunder as thick pillars of rock exploded from the ground and barreled towards Eiji. "Earth Magic: Stone Rapture!"
Eiji sliced through the rock at blinding speeds, cutting them up into tiny cubes. He blinked in surprise when Natsu suddenly appeared through the debris, lashing out with a burning spin-kick to the jaw. "Fire Dragon's TALON!"
Eiji's head snapped to the side from the blow. He didn't appear too affected, but before he could retaliate, Natsu lashed out with a punch to the snout. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!!"
In the same time span, Gray conjured a pair of ice gauntlets around his fists, leaping into the air and bringing his fists down upon Eiji with a fearsome hammerstrike to the back of the head. "Ice Make: BARE KNUCKLE!!"
Eiji staggered, the blows rattling his head before he snarled and let out a piercing roar. "GROAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!"
The resulting shockwave from the roar sent Natsu and Gray flying back. They landed on their feet beside Boota, frowning in frustration as Eiji swiftly recovered from both consecutive blows and bared his fangs at them.
"It's like none of our attacks phase this guy." Gray grumbled.
"He's stronger, faster, and more durable in that form." Boota frowned, flexing his hands nervously. "But there's gotta be a weakness."
"I don't think there is one. It's a full moon, I think this guy is at his strongest right now."
"Who cares? We're stronger than this chump!" Natsu said stubbornly, igniting his fists. "I ain't givin' up 'till I turn him into smoked wolf!"
Gray huffed, finding himself smirking as he clasped his fist against his palm. "Then I guess we just gotta keep hitting him."
Boota sighed, smiling sheepishly. "Guess that's the only plan we've got right now..."
X-X-X-X-X-X
"C'mon~! C'mon~! You won't be able to hit me like that~!"
Cana grimaced as she tossed a set of Random Throwing at Momiji, only for the projectiles to phase through her body as she ascended into the air, her body briefly rippling like a flickering ethereal flame. The giggling girl lunged at the Card Magic, swiping at her with a claw-like motion. Cana cursed, dodging the attack as spectral claws dug into her jacket.
"I just got this thing...!" Cana complained, flipping through the air and landed on her feet.
Nala dashed forward, ethernano coalescing around her fingers and forming into several arrows and crackling with various elements. She narrowed her eyes, notching the constructs on her bow and letting them fly. "... Arrow Magic: Elemental Scattershot."
Arrows of fire, ice, and lightning whizzed through the air. Momiji swerved out the way and yelped as the lightning arrow grazed her incorporeal form, sending electricity coursing through her body. As she returned to physical form, she giggled instead of crying out in pain.
"Ooh! Now that was a DOOZY~!" Momiji snickered, grinning. "Not a lot of people can hit me because of my Spectral Magic!"
"So elemental magic attacks effect her incorporeal form, and not physical." Cana muttered, smiling and sending a nod towards Nala. "Nice work!"
A small smile graced Nala's features.
Momiji swayed from side to side. "Let's continue to play some more, 'kay?" cocking her arm back, she thrust her hand forward, grinning manically. "Spectral Magic: Phantom Claw~!"
Two ghostly claws shot forward with blustering speed, forcing Cana and Nala to move out of the way. To their surprise, however, the claws trailed behind them, forcing them to evade their grasp. Momiji clapped her hands with a cheerful giggle, grinning brightly.
"You can run all you like, but so long as I can detect your ethernano, my Phantom Claw spell will continue to haunt you~!"
Nala narrowed her eyes. 'Then we'll just destroy them!' notching another arrow onto her bow, the construct blazed with fiery energy, her eyes focused on her target. "Arrow Magic: Flame Arrow...!"
An arrow of fire shot through the air, exploding on contact with the ghostly hand. Nala nodded in satisfaction, only for her breath to hitch when several hours cut through the smoke and latched onto her limbs. She gasped, her muscles spasming as her eyes locked onto the Phantom Claws that gripped onto her arms and legs, restraining her in the air.
'W-What is this... my magic...!' Nala's eyes widened in horror.
Momiji swayed from side to side, smiling. "Oh! Did I forget to mention they drain your magical energy when they catch you? Whoopsie~!" a menacing glint flashed in her eyes, as she tapped her bottom lip. "How're you gonna get yourself outta that~?"
"Nala!" Cana called out to her companion, throwing out a Wind's Edge spell to dispel the Phantom Claws that soared towards her. She turned to her and ran to her aid. "Hold on, I'm coming!"
"I don't think so~!" Cana let out a startled yelp as a pair of unearthly chains coiled around her wrist like a snake. She grit her teeth and reached for one of her cards, only for more chains to snap out and chain her down. Momiji watched as the Card Mage desperately struggled, yet she only found it growing tighter. "Spectral Chains gets tighter the more magical energy it saps from you~! And you seem to have a LOT of magical energy! I'm almost kinda jealous!"
Momiji narrowed her eyes, snickering. "I wonder how long it'll take before you're crushed by your own power!"
Cana groaned in pain as the chains tightened around her body, feeling her reserves slowly plummet. Her eyes trailed over to Nala, who was in an equally dire situations, her face scrunched up in pain as her energy was forcefully extracted from her body.
'This is seriously scary magic... I should have expected something like this from a girl called The Wraith!' Cana screamed internally, gritting her teeth and biting back a cry of pain. Tears stung at the corner of her eyes as she felt her bones begin to creak under the pressure, and the magical chains dig into her skin. 'Ugh... c'mon, Cana! You can't fold here! You still have a lot to do...! And you still haven't...!'
She clenched her eyes shut, the image of Gildarts briefly flashing in her mind's eye. 'I still never got to talk to him yet...!'
Cracking an eye open, she glared at the chains that binded her, her thoughts raging. 'What can I do to break out of this?! I can't move my arms or legs, so I can't reach for anymore cards. If I use Reinforcement, the chains will just sap the energy from my body even faster...! What do I do?! What would Taruko do?!'
At the thought of the swordsman, Cana suddenly stopped struggling and blinked. '... he'd probably do something reckless, and take a risk...'
She glanced at the card she managed to pull out before getting restrained, narrowing her eyes. '... that'll have to do!'
Noticing that Cana had quit struggling, Momiji tilted her head. "Huuuuh? Did you give up? That's no fun... our game was just getting good!"
She paused, a light catching her eye. She noticed the card in Cana's hand begin to flash brightly, her eyes widening briefly. "What-?"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!*
Momiji squeaked in shock as Cana was engulfed in a rapturing explosion, kicking up dirt and debris and shaking the very earth with powerful tremors. The ghostly girl had to shield her eyes to prevent any dust from getting in them. As the tremors stopped, she lowered her arms in shock and stared at the clearing smoke; locking eyes with a damaged Cana. Her jacket and dress torn and shredded in various places, and her body littered with nasty burns.
The young girl was breathing heavily, her body shaking from the damage she endured. Her glare was vicious, and Momiji found herself taking a shaky step back as Cana flashed four more cards and threw them at Nala, cutting the Phantom Claws that had been slowly draining her of her energy.
'S-She blew herself up to destroy the chains?! That's insane!' Momiji's lip trembled as Cana shakily helped Nala to her feet, handing the catlike girl her bow.
"... thank you." Nala muttered, staring at Cana in a mix of awe and concern.
Cana grinned through the pain, nodding. "No problem!"
"Who are you...?"
They turned upon hearing Momiji's hushed whisper. The creepy young girl stared directly at Cana with an imperceivable look. "Nobody has ever done something like that to escape my Spectral Chains before. Purposefully putting yourself in danger like that...!"
Momiji beamed. "This makes this game far more interesting~! C'mon! Tell me who you are!"
"This ain't a game." Cana muttered harshly, pulling more cards from her deck and glaring at Momiji hotly. "None of this isn't a game! But if you wanna know my name so bad, I'll tell ya'!"
"I'M CANA ALBERONNA OF FAIRY TAIL! REMEMBER THAT WHEN I KICK YOUR ASS!"
X-X-X-X-X-X
Huh. This is a new feeling... pride in someone else.
Unfortunately it was overshadowed by this UNYIELDING RAGE!!
"STOP SPAMMING EXPLOSIONS, YA' JACKASS!"
Kaiser's laugh only served to infuriate me as I darted across the molten cavern. To my left, Lance did much the same, unsheathing both his katanas. With every swing of Kaiser's uniquely shaped sword, a wave of fiery explosions rippled through the air, adding to the sweltering heat of the Ether Zone we were currently on. If I knew any better, I'd say the Ether Zone was fueling his magic!
... who am I kidding, that's exactly what it was doing!
"Taruko! Why don't you use THAT sword!" Pip informed me, making me blink.
Oh, yeah. Completely forgot about that! Thank you Pip for reminding me!
Feeling a grin form on my face, I made a b-line straight for Kaiser. He hummed, pointing his sword at me and firing another explosion my way. I held out a hand, feeling the air shift around me. "Requip, Sealing Sword: Runesave!"
A longsword with a jagged green blade and intricate black runes inscribed on the metal appeared in my hands. Yet another sword from the Ten Powers that I'd unabashedly took. Runesave's unique power was the ability to cut through different magical attacks and non-physical things. The downside? It couldn't cut through physical objects or people. But that was fine.
I swung Runesave in a horizontal arc, dispelling the explosion. As Kaiser's eyes widened in shock, Lance dove in from above, swinging his katanas in a downward arc and clashed with Kaiser's blade, growling angrily as the man regained focused and channeled a centralized explosion into his sword, generating a powerful shockwave that knocked the both of us back. And I wasn't even near them!
Pip let out a startled scream as she clung onto my jacket in a desperate attempt to not get sent flying. "So much magic power!"
'And they aren't just rampant explosions, either. They're perfectly timed and focused. He has so much control over them that he can detonate anything in a specific area!' I grimaced. 'This guy ain't bad with a sword either.'
"You two can do better than that. C'mon! Give me a duel worthwhile!" Kaiser taunted, grinning cockily.
"You want my best...?!" Lance snarled, standing to his feet and crossing his blades behind him as he took in a sharp breath.
I blinked, noting the way the surrounding ethernano seemed to gravitate towards him. Activating Reinforcement on my eyes, it allowed me to detect the inner workings of the magical energy flowing through his body. It was gradually swelling within his stomach, stockpiling, and then rising back up towards his throat... it was almost like...
My eyes widened. 'Wait a minute-'
"Sword Saint Dragon's... SHREDDING ROAR!!"
Pip and I let out a sharp cry as a blast of raw, cutting ethernano exploded from Lance's mouth, digging sharp grooves into the ground and spiking lava and molten rock into the air. Kaiser's grin grew as the blast rocketed towards him, as he adopted a straight-forward stance and swung his sword downwards.
"Explosion Magic: Detonating Edge."
A blade of explosive energy cut through Lance's roar like a hot knife through butter. My breath hitched and I got dove in front of him, lashing out with Runesave to dispel the slash before it could make contact with him. I whirled around to look at Lance, my jaw dropping.
"Since when did you get Dragon Slayer Magic?!"
Lance sputtered before glaring at me. "None of your freaking business! What's it matter to you, anyway?!"
"I'm just surprised! What the hell is a Sword Saint Dragon, anyway-?"
"MOVE!"
Pip's warning, alongside our combined instincts; allowed us to duck out of the way of an overhead swing from Kaiser. I dismissed Runesave and stepped back a couple of feet, gripping onto my sword. Okay. Don't worry about Lance right now. Focus on the guy right in front of us.
"If you aren't going to take this seriously, I'll just kill you now."
Kaiser walked towards us in a slow gait. I exhaled, sweat rolling down my chin. While Lance snarled, I rushed forward and swung my sword. Kaiser raised his blade to meet mine, but I dismissed my weapon into my Requip space, using Reinforcement on my fist and ducking underneath his sword. Stomping my foot forward, I hurled my fist towards his chin.
My knuckles crashed against his jaw, snapping his head upwards. I summoned Mel Force into my hands and channeled the Wind aspect of my Storm Magic, amplifying the effects of Mel Force's shockwave generation to send Kaiser flying back.
Kaiser twitched, narrowing his eyes. 'I can't move.'
I turned to Lance. "He's paralyzed for a second or two! Hit 'em!"
Lance blinked before rushing forward without much thought, gripping his two katana in a vice grip. I blinked in surprise as Lance sped up, flipping his blades into a reverse grip as he leaped into the air and dove towards Kaiser in a picture perfect swan dive - swinging his blades in a cross formation. "Sword Saint Dragon's... Crushing Fang!"
Thin gashes gouged themselves along Kaiser's chest, drawing blood. Yet they seemed to do no damage. Kaiser recovered from his temporary paralysis and caught himself on the ground with his palm. A grin stretched across his face as several glowing magic circles spawned along the ground.
"Lance!"
"Explosion Magic: Bakuretsu no Jin."
The circles glowed brightly and detonated, setting off a chain of powerful explosions that engulfed Lance in a world of fiery pain. His screams echoed to through the chamber and his body burst through the smoke, colliding with the opposing wall. Before I could get to his side to help him, Kaiser was already upon me.
I dismissed Mel Force and summoned a longsword and shield, using the shield to block a downward slash. I felt the air around me swell up with heat as his blade burned with the sign of magic. It was like a bomb was set off in my face, the sheer force behind the shockwave sending me flying through the air and Pip screaming off my head.
"BWAAAAAH!!!"
"GHK--PIP!"
Kaiser twirled his sword with elegance and entered a low stance, his weapon poised towards the ground. He narrowed his eyes, charging up his magic. "Explosion Magic: Bakuen no Sen."
A controlled burst of roaring energy exploded from the tip of his blade. He used the recoil to send himself flying at me like a rocket. The speed astounded me. He was in my face in a matter of seconds. I couldn't help but gape and marvel at the spell, shaking my head in disbelief.
'It's like Mana Burst!'
"Clone Magic: Rabbit Swarm!"
Four Pips collided with Kaiser mid-air before his sword could reach me. Their bodies alight with ethernano, showcasing the telltale signs of Reinforcement being used. While the attack didn't seem to damage him, it send him careening off to the side long enough for me to recover, dismissing my shield to summon Silfarion again and lunged at the man in conjunction with Vorpal Dance for an explosive burst in speed.
As I peaked in velocity, I exchanged Silfarion for Gravity Core, letting my momentum carry me forward as I swung the heavy sword in a horizontal swing. Kaiser reacted fast enough however, blocking it with his forearm. He grit his teeth as the accumulated force sent him crashing through a slide of molten rock.
Lance blasted out of his crater with a roar, swinging his katanas in a flurry of wild strikes; discharging a barrage of condensed ethernano slashes towards the downed swordsman, tearing gouges into the earth and kicking up lava and debris. We dropped to the ground and Pip landed on my shoulder as we collected our respective breaths, waiting to see his next move.
A beam of orange energy tore through the smoke at blinding speeds. We swerved out of the wave just in time to see the beam sear a hole deep into the wall behind us. I swallowed the lump in my throat, shaking my head.
"You've gotta be shitting me."
"Bastard is no joke..." Lance growled.
"I can see why Mr. Miyamoto had trouble with him." Lance shot me a scathing look for my remark, and I winced. "Sorry. Bad time."
Kaiser climbed out of the smoke, cackling manically. "Haha! YES! This is what I'm talking about! YOU, boy!" he pointed at Lance. "You've certainly improved in such a short amount of time. Color me impressed."
"And you..."
He regarded me with narrowed eyes, grinning sharply. "Your eyes are that of steel. Every attack you make is precise and those swords of yours... I've seen such finely crafted blades before!"
His grin softened. "What is your name?"
I blinked, exchanging a perturbed glance with Lance and Pip. Call it warrior's pride, but I felt obligated to oblige. "Taruko Valoran Hikari. I'm a Wizard of Fairy Tail."
Kaiser blinked. "Valoran..." he narrowed his eyes. "Like Claudia Valoran, the Sword Priestess?"
I pursed my lips. "That's my mother."
"... HAH! That explains it." Kaiser chuckled, raising his sword. "I'd always wanted to challenge that woman. A warrior unparalleled with the blade. A shame she'd gone missing."
I gripped my sword tightly, trying to quell my growing anger.
"But Fate has blessed me this day! Not only do I battle one of the Miyamoto bloodline, but I battle the son of the famous Sword Priestess." Kaiser laughed, flashing his pearly whites and glaring at us dangerously. "This is perfect!"
Lance and I gave each other another look. In that moment I feel as though we both came to the same conclusion...
'This guy is a complete nutcase.'
X-X-X-X-X-X
"Green Magic: Moonlight's Prominence."
Flowers bloomed along the branches of the tree Orochi conjured, shining with shimmering purple light. Motes of energy seemed to gravitate towards the flowers, filling the air with iridescent lights that glittered like stars. The flowers' glow became blinding as the petals increased in size and began to spin like a juiced up chainsaw. As the build up in energy reached it's apex, Orochi snapped his fingers.
Vrrr...SCHROOMVVVVVVV!!!*
Several beams of raw magical energy roared through their air, rattling the girls' bones as they dove out of the way to avoid utter annihilation. The beams tore into the ground, generating enough heat to leave behind molten trenches in the ground. Erza placed her hands over her ears to block out the deafening roar of the blasts as explosions shook the earth beneath her feet.
The sound died down, and the light faded. Erza, Mirajane, and Maiya looked around in shock at the devastation brought on by Orochi's spell. A chilling realization rang through their minds as they stood on shaky legs.
'If that spell hit any one of us... we'd be dead...'
"Do you realize your folly? Do you surrender?"
At Orochi's words, Mirajane snarled in anger, dark magic bleeding off of her shaking form. "NO WAY IN HELL!"
"Mirajane, wait!"
Mirajane ignored Erza and charged forward. The redhead cursed and ran after her rival, the two of them letting out enraged battle cries. Orochi scoffed at their recklessness, raising his hand towards them. "Green Magic: Vine Lance."
Like a bullet, two razor sharp vines burst from a pair of magic circles and drilled towards them. Erza reacted fast, wreathing her sword in fire and slicing the vine in half with a precise swing. Mirajane crossed her arms to block the attack; however, much to her shock, the vines ripped through her gauntlets as if they were made of paper and punctured her arms.
"AAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!" Mirajane screamed in pain, gritting her teeth as her face scrunched up in agony.
Erza's eyes widened. "Mirajane!"
Orochi flicked his wrist. The vines grew taut inside of Mirajane's arms and threw her at Erza. The demoness crashed into the young knight painfully, sending them crashing into the dirt.
"Erza! Mirajane-!" Maiya stumbled back as large columns of vines and wood uprooted the ground. They coiled unnaturally and lunged at her. Maiya grit her teeth in frustration. "Outta the way! Metal-Make: Buzzsaw!"
Her shield transformed, morphing from a kite shield to a solid disc. Jagged blade jutted out the sides of the metal and began to spin violently. A chain was attached to the saw, gripped tightly in Maiya's hands. With a roar, she swung the saw in a horizontal arc, the spinning blades cleaving through the vines and wood. As it looped back around, Maiya twirled the weapon and hurled it at Orochi.
The man side-stepped, his eyes widening sharply as the blades grazed his cheek, earning himself a deep, bloody gash on his smooth, delicate features. Maiya smirked in satisfaction as the pink-haired man dabbed at the wound with his fingers, his eyes widening in shock as he stared at his own blood.
He slowly turned towards Maiya, his face twisting into an ugly grimace. "You...!"
Maiya blew a raspberry at him, grinning impishly. "Me!"
"YOU INSOLENT BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!"
Like a cracked mirror, Orochi's calm and collected facade shattered like glass. He let out a shrill shriek as a maelstrom of magic energy erupted from his body. The forest behind him that led to Silver Mountain began to rumble. Trees were torn from their roots, wood cracking and crumble into splinters. With expert control, Orochi called upon the shattered trees, melding splintered wood together into a massive, gargantuan fist made of wood - easily the size of three two-story buildings stacked on top of each other.
'All this anger over a meager cut...?' Maiya shook her head in disbelief, trying to take a step back but unable to move due to fear. 'This guy is insane!'
"GREEN MAGIC: GAIA'S RAGING FIST!!"
Maiya's heart dropped into her stomach. 'I'm gonna die.'
A flash of fire and darkness intercepted the fist as it came down upon Maiya. Mirajane and Erza collided with the fist like two burning comets, their faces set in thunderous scowls as they tried to push it back. Maiya stared in shock, her hair blown back by the intense winds generates by their push back.
"JUST DIEEEEEE!!" Orochi screamed.
"NO WAY IN HELL!!" Erza and Mirajane roared back.
Mirajane reared back her fist while Erza flipped her sword into a reverse grip. The telltale signs of Mana Burst exploded around their bodies as they launched a punch and slash in unison. The unified force behind their strike rippled through the air with multiple shockwaves, spreading along the wooden surface of the fist. The foundations of the spell broke down, making it explode in a shower of splinters.
Orochi's eyes widened in shock. 'Impossible!'
Erza and Mirajane dropped to the ground with labored breaths. Mirajane cursed under her breath as blood spurted out of the puncture wounds in her arms. "Damn...!"
"Erza! Mirajane!" Maiya rushed over to the two, and eyed the demoness' wounds. "Are you...?"
"I've been hit with worse." Mirajane said bitingly, clenching her shaky hands into fists. "This is nothin'."
"Normally I'd berate you for having a big head, but she's right." Erza gave Maiya a reassuring nod. "If a simple wound like that could keep her down, then she wouldn't be a suitable rival."
"Oh, bite me, you twin-tailed pansy."
Erza's brow twitched but she refused to rise to the bait and instead focused on the opponent in front of them. Orochi gave them smoldering glares. "You... children... are ugly little things!"
. . .
The three girls balked at the insult. Mirajane scowled, pointing at him. "TALK ABOUT POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK! HAVE YOU SEEN LOOKED IN A DIPSHIT?!"
"SUCH UNCOUTH BEHAVIOR IS UNFIT FOR A YOUNG LADY! AND YOUR APPEARANCE?! ARE YOU A HARLOT?!"
"WH - HARLOT!? I CAN'T DECIDE HOW MY FORM LOOKS! SCREW YOU, ASSHOLE!"
Erza snorted. "He has a point, though."
"AND YOU!" Orochi pointed at Erza, making her flinch. "WHY IS THAT ARMOR OF YOURS SO REVEALING!? YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS THE TRAMP NEXT TO YOU! THAT IS HARDLY OPTIMAL FOR BATTLE!"
"He has a point, enough." Mirajane repeated mockingly. Then she flipped Orochi the bird. "Also FUCK you, I ain't a tramp!"
Erza's face turned red in indignation. "I-It provides mobility and freedom in combat! And in any case, I wasn't the one who designed it! Who are you to tell me what's impractical, anyways?! You're just wearing robes! How is that optimal for combat?!"
Maiya watched on blankly. 'What is HAPPENING?!'
"These are perfectly reasonable for casual AND battle wear! I wouldn't expect a pair of little girls with an exhibitionism streak to understand true beauty!" Orochi snorted imperiously.
"EXHIBITIONISM?!" Erza and Mirajane shrieked in outrage, their faces crimson red.
Maiya looked up to the sky with a dull look in her eyes. 'Gods, why did you have make me fight a complete and total nutcase? Have I not been faithful?'
"In a perfect world... such unsightly things simply wouldn't exist. You'll be cleansed soon enough. When The Matriach obtains the power to change the world..." Orochi calmed down and closed his eyes. "...but until then..."
'Perfect world...?' Maiya blinked and frowned.
"I'll finish you all here."
Orochi's eyes snapped open, blood-red veins emerged around his sclera, his magenta eyes taking on a redder hue and his pupils morphing into slits. As the girls looked into his snake-like eyes, they noted something peculiar. Something wrong.
They couldn't move.
"W-What the?!" Mirajane grit her teeth. She tried to strain herself to move, but her body simply wouldn't respond. "The hell is going on?! I can't move!"
Maiya grimaced. "Mystic Eyes..."
"What?"
"Mystic Eyes, they're a rare ocular magic that allows someone to manipulate magical phenomena and alter the world around them." Maiya informed gravely. "You're either born with them or have them surgically implanted. The latter half is considered illegal though, and was banned by the Magic Council over decade ago after families with Mystic Eyes were hunted down for their power."
Erza and Mirajane's eyes widened in horror. The redhead would shake her head in disbelief if she could. "That's... that's horrible."
Maiya bit her lip. "So either this guy was born with them, or..."
"Born with them? Unfortunately, no. I wasn't." Orochi sighed wistfully, a placid smile on his face. "These eyes... the Mystic Eyes of Petrification, belonged to the Gorgon family. I simply... stole them from the last remaining heiress."
"Gorgon family?" Mirajane furrowed her brows.
"They were a family of Dark Wizards that were heavily into human trafficking. They were also apart of the Dark Guild called Medusa's Eye. But their activities went cold a few years ago, though. The Magic Council has been hunting them down for years before..." Maiya's eyes widened. "...oh no."
"Stole them...?" Erza grit her teeth. "You...!"
"I killed her." Orochi said grimly, confirming their suspicions as a demented smile formed. "I butchered her family in front of her very eyes, and before she could activate her Mystic Eyes, I killed her and plucked them right out of her skull. Such beautiful eyes should not belong in the hands of such pompous, crude, and vile Wizards."
"Pompous... crude... vile..." Mirajane shivered, her face scrunching up in fury. "You've got some fucking nerve, you sick fuck!"
"Such vulgar language." Orochi sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "No beauty or elegance at all. In any case... why are you mad? As your friend said, they were human traffickers. Worse than scum. I am the one that did them in. If anything, you should be glad!"
"Dark Wizards or not..." Erza's bangs shadowed her eyes as she gnashed her teeth together hard enough to make her gums bleed. "Evil or not... to butcher someone without remorse, and then defile their body in such a way...!"
She glared at Orochi with white-hot fury. "YOU'RE WORSE THAN THEM! THERE IS NO BEAUTY IN SUCH A THING! IF THE BEAUTY YOU ENVISION INVOLVES SENSELESS BLOODSHED, THEN I'D WANT NO PART OF IT!"
"I'D RATHER BE HIDEOUS! BECAUSE EVEN IF I LOOKED REPULSIVE ON THE OUTSIDE, AT LEAST I'D KNOW THAT ON THE INSIDE I AM PURE AND JUST!" Erza roared, her body trembling. "NOTHING ABOUT YOU IS BEAUTIFUL, OROCHI THE WHISPERER!"
"YOU'RE AN UGLY, DEMENTED, VILE MAN! INSIDE AND OUT!!"
Silence washed over the field, save for Erza's frantic breaths as she tried to reign in her anger. Mirajane and Maiya tilted their eyes in the redhead's direction, wide with shock. Orochi's expression was blank throughout Erza's tirade, calm and unyielding amidst a passionate and tempestuous storm.
Then he smiled and raised his hand, a sinister emerald aura coalescing around his body as the leaves on the remaining trees in the forest were forcefully plucked from their branches and reinforced with magical energy, swirling around Orochi in an intense whirlwind. And the wind... at the speed it was generated, the sound it made was akin to several people whispering loudly in one's ear.
"Beauty lies inside of you? Your words are empty and full of garbage." Orochi narrowed his eyes. "True beauty is what you see on the outside. It is the only thing people care about. They don't care about what's on the 'inside'. If you do not hold a shred of beauty, you are nothing more than trash."
"Green Magic: Razor Leaf Storm."
The wall of leaves that surrounded Orochi shot towards them like a machine gun. Still immobile, the girls could only do nothing but watch in horror as the impending spell boar down on them. Mirajane snarled under her breath and groaned. "Damn it... move! MOVE!!"
"It's no use...! We're completely stuck!" Maiya groaned.
"So what?! We just give up?!"
"... not yet." Erza whispered.
"Huh?" Mirajane and Maiya glanced at her in confusion.
"Not. Yet." Erza grit her teeth. Then her body began to shake and convulse. She growled in pain as the numbness in her limbs slowly began to fade, she grasped at the roaring flame that was her reservoir of magical energy. "DON'T GIVE UP YEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!"
Her arm snapped forward and curled into a tight fist.
"What?!" Orochi gasped in shock.
Hundreds of red magic circles appeared above Erza's head, ejecting hundreds of swords that were wreathed in fire. The flaming blades collided with the reinforced leaves, burning them to ash in a brilliant explosion of fire and smoke. Orochi covered his eyes with a growl to avoid getting debris in his eyes. When he lowered them, his instincts screamed at him to move as Erza burst through the cloud of smoke, a massive greatsword clenched around her hands.
"HRAAAAAAAAH!!!!" Erza screamed, swinging the gargantuan blade down upon Orochi, making the man squeal in fright as he dove out of the way of the girl's violent attack. Her blade tore through the earth and created a large crater in the ground.
Orochi scrambled to his feet, calling upon his magic to unleash a wave of giant thorns at Erza. "That's impossible! You shouldn't have been able to move for a minute while under the effects of the Mystic Eyes of Petrification! How are you moving?!"
Erza cleaved the vines in half and smiled grimly at the man. "Your Mystic Eyes only work when making eye contact with an individual, locking their muscles up and leaving them immobile for a minute straight. In a way, it's sort of like hypnosis. But there are ways to resist the effects."
"There's no feasible way! I would know!"
"You obviously don't if I'm moving right now. And it's rather simple." Erza smirked, brushing away her hair to reveal her right eye. "This eye of mine isn't organic. It's artificial, contrary to what you may think. It gives me a resistance to certain spells like hypnosis or things that effect the mind. It also diminishes the effects and power of those spells in half, and that includes ocular based magic like your Mystic Eyes. If the effects of our paralysis last sixty seconds, my time was cut down by thirty."
Erza dismissed her greatsword into her requip space and requipped her Flame Empress Sword, grinning. "And with how much you were talking, and with my little tirade, it gave me enough time to recover at the last second."
"I gotta hand it to ya'...!"
BLAM!!*
Mirajane swooped in from above, crashing into Orochi with a fearsome dropkick that sent his body skipping across the ground. The Take Over Wizard landed on the ground and rolled her shoulders with a fanged grin and shot Erza and appraising look. "You're not half bad. Consider me impressed."
Erza blinked at the half-hearted compliment, but blinked nonetheless. "... thank you, Mirajane."
"Don't mention it. Seriously, don't. Ever."
A howl of rage from Orochi alerted them, as a beam of raw energy hurtled towards them at breakneck speeds. Tendrils of liquid metal coiled around their waist and yanked them out of the way in time to avoid getting struck by the blast. They turned to Maiya, who shifted the liquid metal back into a sword and shield respectively. Erza blinked in surprise. "You can liquify metal as well?"
"Yep," Maiya nodded proudly. "You can gawk at my magic later, we've got a psycho to take down."
Nodding, Erza and Mirajane focused up. Then, the three lunged towards Orochi as one. The man recovered swiftly and noticed them hone on him. With a scowl, he created a sword out of thorns and a shield made out of wood, clashing blades with Erza and blocking Mirajane's punch. As Maiya came in from behind with a swing of her own sword, the ground beneath her feet shifted as a knot of vines sprouted where her foot would be, causing her to trip and crash into the ground, throwing off her aim.
Orochi shoved Mirajane back and glared into her eyes, causing the demoness to lock up and freeze. A fist of wood flew out of a magic circle and slammed her in the gut, knocking the sails out of the girl and sending her tumbling. As he moved to immobilize Erza, a wave of fire forced him to back up and close his eyes as flickering embers got too close to his face for comfort.
His vine sword was burned in the process. A beam of darkness magic blasted through the wall of fire and impacted Orochi's shield, shattering to pieces. The blow was akin to getting hit by a heavy blunt object, knocking him backwards. As he stumbled like a fool, liquid metal grew taut around his ankle and he was hurled through the air.
Erza rocketed forward and thrusted her Flame Empress Sword in a piercing jab towards him. Orochi formed a cocoon of wood to shield himself as flames bounced off the smooth surface. He used his magic to manipulate the wooden cocoon, creating a pair of fists out of it and punching Erza away.
The cocoon rolled onto the ground and unwrapped itself. Orochi stepped out seamlessly and bent backwards to dodge a spiked ball of metal attached to a chain fly right by him courtesy of Maiya. Then he leapt back as Mirajane dashed at him, darkness licking at her claws in a ghostly dance of ominous energy.
He flipped through the air and slammed his palms onto the ground. A giant wyvern of wood rose from the magical circle and roared, flying towards them. Mirajane intercepted it. As it tried to ensnare her with its jaws, she caught it with her bare hands. It tried to clamp down on her, but her demonic strength proved superior.
Erza requipped a halberd twice her size into her hands and took a running start, using her Fire Magic granted by the Flame Empress Armor to eject flames at the butt of the polearm. She hurled it forward with a roar of effort and it shot forward like a rocket. Mirajane pried the wvern's jaw open with a vicious snap and leapt out of the way as the halberd sailed directly into it's throat at lightning speeds, aided by the propulsion of Erza's flames, the halberd tore through the wyvern's body with ease and ejected itself out of it's rear end.
The halberd didn't lose any of it's speed. Liquid metal formed into a whip and coiled around the polearm. Maiya snapped forward as the halberd pulled her along, sending her flying right towards Orochi. The man reacted in time as she closed in in seconds, crossing his arms to block a flying dropkick that rattled his bones.
Maiya pushed herself off of Orochi and flipped through the air, using her magic to morph her sword into a spear. She moved to jab forward, only for thorns to wrap around her arm and weapon, digging into her skin painfully. With a flick of his wrist, the weapon was shattered in half by the crushing forward of the thorns.
Orochi glared at Maiya just as blood began to pool from his eyes. Her body seized up, abruptly putting her struggling to an end. Then, a jagged spear of wood tore into her stomach. The blacksmith let out a shrill gasp, coughing up a fat glob of blood as her body was tossed to the side with a gaping wound leaking her lifeblood.
"MAIYA!!!"
Maiya rolled to a stop and groaned. Pain. All she felt was pain. Indescribable pain. She wanted to cry. It hurt so much... she could see Erza and Mirajane clashing with Orochi in the distance. Those two... they were so strong. They were keeping up with Orochi better than she was. Better than she had in an entire year of fighting.
'Stronger... prettier...' Maiya thought bitterly, her eyes growing misty. '... I didn't want to admit it at first, but I'm jealous.'
Erza's argument about beauty with Orochi struck a chord with her. It reminded her of those times... and the words of the other kids her age, girls, back at the village...
X-X-X-X-X-X
X-X-X-X-X-X
Year X773
"Papa! Look at what I made!"
A nine year old Maiya ran through the streets of Ginger Village with a beaming grin on her face. Her short dark maroon hair was wild and tousled, damp with sweat. Likewise, her tan skin glistened with sweat and soot stains. In her hands was a small piece of warped metal that resembled a flower with seven petals.
Sitting on the port of her family forge was an older gruff looking man with spikey red hair done in a small ponytail and warm golden eyes. He had tan skin and a muscular build with defined abs. He was shirtless, however he possessed a red sleeve with black flame patterns on his right arm, while the left was left bare. He wore a pair of black hakama-style pants tied at the waist with a white sash and a pair of simple sandals.
Muramasa Sengo looked down at his daughter with a curious look in his eyes. "Hoh? What's this?"
"I made a flower!" Maiya grinned, holding it out to him. "See?"
Muramasa stared at the warped metal with a bemused look on his face, his brows slightly pinched. Then he looked at his daughter's sparkling eyes. The professional side of him deemed the work sloppy at best, but the side of him that was a father and a renowned blacksmith could see--no, feel the passion behind the creation of it.
He smiled. "Hmm, I can certainly see it. You did good."
Snickers broke out around them. Maiya flinched and peeked over her shoulder to see several girls her age covering their mouths with their hands, all dressed in elegant, silky kimonos. Far more expensive looking than anything she wore.
"Look at her! All dirty and covered in sweat!"
"Gross~"
"And look at her hair! So messy!"
"So unpretty. How can a girl let herself go like that?"
"What kind of girl does blacksmithing, anyway? That just guarantees you getting all sweaty and yucky!"
"So unladylike..."
"Gross~"
Maiya bit her bottom lip and averted her gaze. Muramasa narrowed his eyes and sent the group of girls a murderous glare, making them squeak in fear before running off. The man watched as the scurried away before scoffing harshly and shaking his head. "Damn brats..."
"...Papa..."
Muramasa paused, his expression softening as he looked down at his daughter. Maiya looked up at him with watery eyes. "I-Is what they said true? Am I... u-unladylike? Ugly?"
Muramasa pursed his lips into a thin line, resting his large hand on her head and tousling her hair. "Don't ever think that, Maiya."
"B-But..."
"Are you going to really let the words of some randos crush your spirits?" Muramasa shook his head. "You are not ugly, Maiya. Nor are you unladylike. You simply express yourself differently in comparison to other girls. Your mother was the same way."
Maiya never knew her mother. She'd passed away upon giving birth to her. But her father had told her about how loving Sakura Sengo was. And while she possessed a kind spirit, she was equally tenacious and wild. She'd only saw photos of her before - a beautiful woman with long dark brown hair and pretty pink eyes. There were times where Maiya felt inadequate when looking at her, as if she didn't live up to her mother's image.
Eyeing Maiya's downtrodden expression, Muramasa pressed on. "Maiya... one day you'll find out that true beauty doesn't lie solely in physical appearance. It comes in many forms and in different expressions. Like the diverse landscapes that dot Fiore, or the varying personalities and bonds between other people..."
He held up the warped flower in front of her eyes, smirking. "Even something as 'unladylike' as smithing possesses it's own beauty. You've got a passion to create and your mother's gentle soul. It's a beautiful thing. Take pride in it."
He rested the flower in her bangs as a makeshift hairpin. "You'll find what makes you truly beautiful one day. But until then, keep your chin up. Alright?"
Maiya gave her father a watery smile and hugged him tightly. "Mhm!"
X-X-X-X-X-X
X-X-X-X-X-X
'I was jealous of their strength... and their conviction... and their looks, but...!'
Maiya blearily looked up to see Erza and Mirajane get sent crashing into the ground. They slowly arose onto shaky legs as a massive tree sprouted behind Orochi and petals bloomed on the branches, absorbing light and magical energy to charge up another blast. They stood tall and defiant despite the bloody cuts and bruises matting their bodies.
'None of that matters...' Maiya grit her teeth and forced herself to rise, raising a shaky hand to grasp the hairpin rested in-between her brains. 'Doesn't matter if I'm as pretty as them... or as strong. I know my strengths... I know what makes me beautiful!'
She gripped the warped flower in her hand and charged forward, her molten-gold irises flashing with determination and grit. She bounded across the field and slid in front of Erza and Mirajane as Orochi's spell finished charging. They gasped in shock.
"Maiya, what are you doing?!"
"Move out of the way, dumbass!"
"I won't." Maiya firmly stated, shocking them both. "Not while you two are giving it your all!"
'What makes me beautiful...'
"You can't keep pushing with that kind of wound!"
"Move! We can deal with this guy!"
"Foolish girl." Orochi snorted. "You can die together then!"
The world was bathed in blinding purple light. The air warped around the massive beam of energy as it fired towards the three. Maiya gripped onto the hairpin and raised her hand, a flash of light seeping through her fingers. She braced herself for the incoming storm...
And stood tall.
'... IS MY PASSION TO CREATE!!'
"Metal-Make..." Maiya hissed, magical energy exploding from her palm. The warped metal suspended itself in mid-air, spinning as the glow grew blinding. Then, it began to expand in signs and change shape. "BLOOMING SAKURA!!"
Like a blooming flower, the pink transformed into a massive reflective shield, shining brilliantly amidst the overwhelming energy of the beam. Wisps of ethernano bled from the petals as the spell collided with her shield. A deafening sound cut through the air. Maiya felt all the weight of the blast bear down upon her, threatening her to buckle under it. Her knees shuddered but she stood firm and shouldered it, screaming out.
The shield spun and tilted downwards. The beam Orochi fired was reflected and rebounded towards the man. His shock rooted him place as he took the brunt of the attack, his screams of pain breaching through the deafening booms of the explosion. The light fades and Maiya exhaled deeply, feeling her reserves plummet. She collapsed onto her knees, the shield shrinking and cluttering to the ground.
Maiya smiled tiredly, staring at it's new form. It kept it's seven petals, but the surface now resembled glittering crystal, and the metal was no longer warped and malformed. It looked cleanly cut and properly shaped.
Maiya let out a breath. 'Thank you... Papa... Mama...'
"This... cannot... be..."
She blinked, lifting her head up to see Orochi, his robes nothing more than thin strips of fabric, hanging onto him by a thread. Blood dripped down his forehead and his smooth pink hair was disheveled. His eyes were crazed and bloodshot, and his face twisted into an ugly snarl. Even as he stood to his feet, Maiya watched on with an impassive gaze.
"How can such... unsightly... uncouth girls do this to me..." Orochi coughed up blood, staining his teeth.
"You don't determine what's beautiful or ugly. Even the most unsightly things possess their own charm." Maiya uttered smoothly. "You simply need to look past the surface to find it. It's not easy, and it'll never be perfect..."
She smiled. "But that's what makes life beautiful."
Orochi stared at Maiya in shock. For a moment, it looked like his heart had stopped beating. Then it gave way to petulant anger, he howled in anger, countless vines erected from the earth and writhed like a beheaded snake. Maiya's smile persisted as he screamed to the heavens.
"DON'T... TOY WITH MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"
Maiya smirked. "I wouldn't dream of it."
!
Orochi's eyes sharply widened as he felt an intense surge of magical energy. He looked past Maiya to see a pair of dazzling auras, red and purple, mingle together in unison. They sound like a double helix, increasing in intensity and power, glittering like a pair of burning stars.
Beautiful. Powerful.
'T-This magical energy... it can't be...' Orochi nearly choked on his own tongue. 'Those girls... they...!'
"Well said, Maiya." Erza smiled.
"You've got guts, girl. And that spell of yours? Top notch." Mirajane smirked.
"So rest now."
"You don't gotta fight anymore."
"WE'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE!"
The auras that swirled around the knight and demoness condensed, and they blasted forward like a pair of rockets. Erza gripped onto her Flame Empress Sword and flew in, swinging her blade in a spiral motion and conjuring a giant vortex of smoldering crimson flames, hotter and more powerful than anything she'd generated before. Amidst the dazzling vortex, dark energy billowed from Mirajane's body in the form of black miasma and corrosive purple energy.
Demonic energy melded with the raging inferno. The sky darkened, and the flames took on a darker hue, contorting and shifting into a massive, feminine figure with an air of regality and ferociousness. Demonic wings jutted out it's back, and it held out it's hands, generating a massive longsword made of hellish flames. Inside of the disaster, Erza and Mirajane grasped her sword, standing side by side, their eyes blazing with a fiery intensity.
There is a magical phenomena in Fiore that carries untold power. Where two different magics meld into one, signifying the unity of two powerful Wizards... it is said this phenomenon could only be triggered by those with a powerful bond and like-minded goal. In the heat of battle, their spirits rage and their minds become one, bringing forth a powerful new spell...
The name of this phenomenon... is...
"UNISON RAID: INFERNAL QUEEN'S JUDGEMENT!!!"
Erza and Mirajane bellowed and swung their sword down. The Infernal Queen matched the swing. Their aim was true. In that moment, two rivals shared the same goal: striking down one of the men that caused their friend's village so much sorrow. Their souls roared, intensifying the demonic flames. Orochi stared at the descending blade of hell, his eyes wide with a mix of fear, disbelief... and admiration. In that moment, he resigned to his fate.
'That is... truly... beautiful.' Orochi closed his eyes with a smile.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!*
The Infernal Queen sword crashed down upon him, engulfing Orochi in a cage of sweltering heat. The pain knocked him out the instant it has struck him, leaving behind a massive, burning scar that ran along his chest and abdomen and deep into both muscle and bone. The attack extended beyond him, as the sword cleaved through the air, generating a massive fissure that spread across the entire forest, engulfing it in a wall of dark fire that illuminated the skies.
Maiya watched in awe as the forest was involuntarily incinerates from the attack. Orochi was defeated. They'd beaten one of the Four Pillars of Crimson Thorn. Relief blossomed in her chest and tears swelled in her eyes. She stared at the back of the Infernal Queen. What one would find imposing and terrifying, Maiya looked on with reverence and awe.
It was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever laid her eyes upon.
The potent magical energy began to fade, and so did the Infernal Queen. Amidst the devastation, the only ones left standing were Erza and Mirajane. The two of them, thoroughly exhausted, exchanged labored breaths as the accumulated damage caught up to them. They collapsed to the floor as they let out triumphant chuckles; Erza's armor shattering into motes of crimson light, leaving her in her tattered blouse, while Mirajane reverted back to her normal form in a flash of demonic light.
Maiya chuckled to herself as she felt her own wounds catch up to her. She was tired. Drained. And hurting. She needed sleep a little. But still... she was amazed.
'So that's... what Fairy Tail Wizards can do, huh...?'
She collapsed onto her side, falling unconscious. The air silent as all three girls felt the desire to rest claim them.
A/N.
Had to lock in for y'all.
This was probably one of my favorite chapters to write so far. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did! This chapter was originally going to be much longr, including the rest of the fights, but not only would that be too long, it'd be very cluttered. So we cover the other fights next chapter.
Onto reviews.
Royalrain20xx: Always a pleasure to read your reviews. I wanna thank you for going outta your way to read this plot bunny of mine. That goes for the rest of my readers! Thank you!
Raidentensho: Maiya's magic is actually based off Silver Claiming! Good eye!
NumeralFuture11: I do plan on covering 100 Years Quest. I've already got some ideas for that, but we're long way from that. I may as well cover this now since we're on the topic; yes. I will be adapting the movies into arcs here as well, including some of the filler since they're all deemed canon by Mashima. I have to rewatch the filler though, so I remember fuck all about it.
Necros the Saiyan Knight: Who's to say if Taruko gets some nichirin weapons? I mean, I do, but I won't say~ and your conclusion on Lance is... interesting. That's all I'll say. :)
Wheattus: It is... frankly scary how close you are. Shit.
Tohka123: Glad you enjoying it! And I will, I promise you that.
... whelp! That's all for now. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I'll see you next time! May God bless you and have a wonderful day!
...
HOW COULD JC STAFF HAVE FUMBLED ERZA VS. LAXUS SO BA-
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