"Ho ho ho…" King chuckled to himself as he watched the defeat of Strong and Daigo at the hands of Fairy Tail and White Eclipse. "So far, things are taking an interesting turn…ho ho ho…" The master of Dealer placed his elbows on the table, shuffling his deck of cards. "So far one out of six generators have been destroyed…Strong, Spade, and Daigo have been defeated…but in their stead, Heartless' pets, and the poison female from White Eclipse, have taken the field…I shall continue to watch, and see how this new hand will play out…"
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Tia, who showed no interest in the current situation at hand, sighed as she kept watch over the Exceeds, since Jack had abandoned his post to go have some fun, much to her annoyance. The Queen crossed her arms over her chest, letting out a heavy sigh. "I can't believe I'm stuck watching you felines…"
"We're not too happy about this either…" Carla replied in a sassy tone.
"Shut up, furball…" Tia replied before she took in a deep breath, letting out a sneeze after. "Ugh…"
Happy expression suddenly turned into a devious one. "She's allergic to cats…"
"I am not…" Tia replied while sighing heavily. "Can't a person sneeze?" Happy stuck his tail out of his cage, brushing it against Tia's nose, letting out a devious snicker. "A-Ah…CHOOO!"
"HAHA!" Happy grinned victoriously.
"Happy…" Carla let out a sigh, shaking her head.
"Alright that's enough of you furballs…" Tia's expression darkened as she took a step back from the cage.
"Over here!" Natsu shouted as he and Gray slid into the room where the four were. "Happy!"
"Natsu!" Happy gained comical tears as his eyes widened.
"Oi! Weren't you just visiting the other day!?" Gray asked as he glanced at Tia. "Actually you were the one who beat Natsu…"
"She's one of them!" Lily shouted over to Gray.
"One of them, huh?" Natsu's expression darkened for a second before he gained the largest grin possible. "Finally found one of ya…"
"Natsu, she beat you in one hit, remember?" Carla cautioned.
"I wasn't serious enough back then!" Natsu replied as flames covered his body. "But now's a different story!"
"It's about time…!" Gray said as he slid into his ice-make stance.
"I was also the one who kidnapped you, along with Jack, of course…" Tia replied while shaking her head. "It's been so long since I've seen any real challenge…being an S class mage really does have its boring points sometimes…but, as a member of Dealer, it is my duty to make sure you two return back to your cells…"
"Be careful, you two…she's different…" Lily warned the ice and fire mages.
"Then again, I don't think you two are needed anymore for the plan…" Tia spread her arms out, a slight smirk curling onto her lips. "Kanso…" A heavenly light appeared around Tia, identical to Erza's requip. In fact, this was exactly what it was; a requip. Pink armlets covered Tia's arms, a full, feminine breast plate followed, and her lower body was covered by a thick magenta skirt. A visor appeared over her eyes, along with a blue crown on the top of her head. To complete the change, a staff with a circular top appeared in her hands. "Queen's armor…You may now refer to me as Queen Tia.."
"A requip mage?!" Carla's eyes grew in size at the transformation.
"I don't care what kind of mage she is!" Natsu roared as his flames intensified. "It's time for payback!" Natsu's cheeks began to swell up, firing swirling around his lips. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" The Salamander threw his head forward, unleashing a large funnel of flames towards Queen Tia.
"Hmph…Useless…" Queen Tia sighed as she brought her staff in front of her, creating a barrier of water around her person, completely blocking the flames.
"A water mage…?" Natsu grit his teeth, but he didn't let his blocked roar stop him; he did what he always did, kept moving. Natsu ran forward, the flames around his body now focused on his fist. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" With a shout, Natsu threw his flaming fist towards Tia's face once he got within arm's reach.
"We've had this song and dance before…" Queen Tia spoke softly as she swung her staff at Natsu's arm, diverting his arm to the air. She then swung her staff again, striking Natsu in the side, causing Natsu to tumble across the floor, but he quickly caught himself before flying off too far.
"Natsu!" Happy shouted in worry. "She hasn't moved yet…"
"Ice make: Saucer!" Exclaimed Gray as he sent a razor sharp ice saucer towards Queen Tia.
"You two won't even hit me…" Queen Tia sighed once again before pointing her staff in the direction of the saucer. "Wide Wave." A sea blue magic seal appeared on the tip of Queen Tia's staff, and it unleashed a wide wave of water, covering the width of the room. The wave of water cut through the incoming ice saucer and struck Gray in the chest, causing him to tumble back from the sheet force.
"Gah…!" Gray shouted after he was hit, wincing after he regained his footing. "No way…"
Natsu crouched down, flames covering his entire body. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu sprang forward, now lunging head first towards Queen Tia at a breathtaking speed, aiming his skull towards her side. Wordlessly, Queen Tia turned once hearing Natsu shouted. She gripped her staff with her left (dominant) hand, and waited until Natsu was in range; once he was, she gave a hard swing of her staff, hitting Natsu in the skull before he could reach her. "GWAAHH!" Natsu shouted out in pain as he flew into the nearest wall.
"Natsu!" Happy shouted once again.
"This isn't good…" Lily crossed his arms while watching. "If only I wasn't confined in this cage…!"
Gray ran forward, his fist in his palm. "Ice Make: Bringer!" He was bringing out the heavy artillery early, he had to. Two large, slightly curved blades of ice appeared in Gray's hands. He jumped into the air, crossing his arms as he swung the blades in an X formation, aiming for Queen Tia's midsection.
"How many times must I tell you…?" Queen Tia groaned at how repetitive she felt she had to be to get it through Natsu and Gray's thick skulls. "You cannot defeat me…" Tia brought her staff up with two hands, blocking Gray's strike, though it was a powerful strike, as the ground under Tia cratered about an inch or so. With her superior strength, she managed to push Gray away near Natsu.
"I'm not done yet!" Natsu shouted, bringing himself back to his feet. He cupped his hands over his head, creating a large sphere of fire over it. "Dazzling Blaze of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu hurled the sphere forward, the speed almost like a shooting towards as it raced towards Queen Tia. To make sure he was going to hit, Natsu then ran after his blaze, his arms at his sides as trails of fire appeared on them; preparation for a Fire Dragon's Wing Slash.
"Neither am I!" Gray replied to Natsu while running alongside the Salamander, refusing to let his rival show him up, no matter what it was. "Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" A frozen copy of the legendary blade appeared in Gray's hands.
Queen Tia spun her staff around with her fingers before planting it down onto the ground, a large cerulean magic seal appearing before her. "Water Dragon." From the magic circle, a watery dragon head with an elongated body rushed out of the circle, letting out a roar as it rushed through the blaze Natsu created, and struck the two Fairy Tail wizards, shouts of pain escaping them both as they were now in the center of the room, heavily damaged.
"D-Dammit…" Natsu coughed up some water, slowly making his way back to his feet.
"What's wrong?" Queen Tia asked as her voice started to raise, a more sadistic side of her showing. "I thought you were going to pay me back for what happened?!" Tia slammed the tip of her staff on the ground, creating a large magic circle that covered the entire floor. "Tidal Wave!" The magic seal turned into an unforgiving cyclone of water, spinning Natsu and Gray around relentlessly.
"Natsu! Gray!" Happy exclaimed, trying to escape the cage.
"HAHAHA!" Queen Tia let out a boisterous laugh. "It's been so long since I've gotten to let myself go…! I should really do this more often!" She then shifted her gaze to the helpless mages, only to realize something. "Huh…?" A flame appeared within the water, spinning clockwise along with the current. It was only until the flame covered the interior of the cyclone did Queen Tia realize what was happening. "W-What?!"
"Secret Dragon Slayer Art! Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Blade!" Roared Natsu from within the vicious torrent. By adding lighting to his attack, the surge managed to travel all the way back to Queen Tia, the electric shock paralyzing her, and the expanding flames to strike her, causing her to slide back a foot, but she couldn't move after.
"W-What is this…!?" Queen Tia grit her teeth as she tried to move, but she couldn't. Being a water mage, she was already susceptible to lightning, and with her Queen's armor equipped, that weakness doubled, and it was to the point where she couldn't move.
Natsu preformed a front flip, fire and lightning covering his leg. "Talons of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu swing his leg down at Tia's skull, but she managed to move that out of the way, causing Natsu to hit the ground in front of her. But the lightning flame dragon smirked; this was only the first part of the strike. From the ceiling, a lightning bolt crashed down onto Tia, causing a scream of pain to escape her lips from the unexpected hit. "RAH!" Natsu then gripped Tia's chest plate. "Grip of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" An explosion of lighting and flames followed, sending Tia staggering back from the dual elemental blow, but she didn't fall over. The fact she was still standing only made Natsu grit his teeth. Even after that, she didn't show any signs of weakness!
"Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Gray shouted as a blue magic seal appeared before him, unleashing a plethora of enlarged frozen ice lances to strike Queen Tia.
"T-Tch…" Tia used her staff for support, she couldn't move as the lightning hadn't flushed out of her armor or system yet. She could only watch as the incoming ice lances made way towards her, but they stopped, now changing into an ice wall that appeared before her. "What…?"
"My, my…" Diamond said as she walked from the entrance closest to Tia. "To think that our little S class Tia was having a hard time for a second…"
"Diamond…" Tia scoffed, standing up straight. "I was doing fine."
"Sure you were…" Diamond snickered. "I'm sure you don't want to waste any more time with these non-S classes right? I'll take care of them for you in their stead…"
"Hmph…very well…" Tia nodded, and proceeded to walk off as if the fight didn't even happen. She was bruised and damaged from the attacks, but that was as far as it went.
"H-Hey! Come back here!" Natsu shouted as he attempted to run after Tia.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Diamond waved a finger in a disapproving manner. The ice wall that protected Tia now changed into a plethora of ice arrows, which caused Natsu to stop. "Better!" Diamond then walked back into the corridor, throwing the diamond and ice encased Juvia into the room. "See that?"
"Juvia!" Gray shouted from surprise.
"Diamonds and Ice…?" Carla's eyes narrowed.
"That's my name." Diamond said with a nod before walking in front of Natsu and Gray. "Diamond Ice, Ice mage of Dealer. I'll make you a deal. If you two can defeat me, Juvia will be released…if you can't, then well, you know what happens. I don't know how well she can breathe in there, so you better move quickly~"
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"Gemini Thunder!" Shouted the two Gemini Twins in unison, their arms pointed towards Kairi, unleashing a powerful bolt of electricity towards her.
"Tch…" Kairi quickly rolled out of the way, dodging the unison raid. The wall behind her was what took the impact, sparking for a few seconds before exploding. "Powerful…" She nodded to herself and a magic seal appeared over her head, entering her Angel Soul: Uriel. She then raised her hand, creating a magic seal above the Gemini Spark Twins. This magic seal unleashed spheres of light, similar to a meteor shower down on the two electric twins.
"Oh, oh, oh!" Gemini Spark B shouted while jumping from side to side, Gemini Spark R mirroring his movements, both avoiding most of the meteors coming their way. One meteor struck Spark B, causing him to stagger back into Spark R, leaving them open for a brief moment.
"Now!" Kairi thought to herself as she cupped her hands to her side, creating a sphere of light. "Light Beam!" The angelic mage threw her arms forward, unleashing a beam of light towards the Gemini Spark Twins.
"W-Whoa!" Gemini Spark R jumped forward, his arm pointing forward. "Rocket Fist!" His arm detached, moving forward like a rocket, clashing with the Light Beam; the beam and rocket fist exploded, creating a decently sized cloud of smoke, obscuring view.
"Agh…" Kairi groaned to herself, now noting that the Twins were faster than she thought. She looked up, only for her eyes to widen; Spark B took advantage of the smoke cloud, his arm now a blade of lightning as he was now just a few feet above Kairi.
"Lightning Slash!" Spark B exclaimed as he brought his blade down on Kairi, who just narrowly avoiding said blade.
"Plasma Shot!" Spark R shouted, appearing on Kairi's side just after she dodged. He let loose a powerful burst of plasma towards Kairi, who was unable to dodge the attack. The plasma shot sent her spiraling backwards, but she caught herself in the air with her wings.
"Two on one…this is going to be a lot harder than I thought at this rate…" Kairi thought to herself as she glanced between R and B.
Clover wasn't having too much luck on his end. Taurus Fire was charging towards him, and it didn't seem like he was going to stop. "Wind Make: Air Spears!" Clover threw his arms forward, unleashing a plethora of wind spears towards the charging Taurus Fire. The spears connected, but Taurus Fire had too much momentum to be stopped. "Oh that's not good…" Clover blinked a few times before rolling to the side, allowing the flaming cow to strike, and shatter the wall.
"MOO!" Taurus Fire yelled out, sucking in a deep breath. When he opened his mouth, he turned and unleashed a large flame in Clover's direction.
Clover spread his arms apart, creating an iron dome around him, protecting him from the harsh flames. He smirked a bit to himself, finding this fight a bit interesting, plus it had been awhile since he had to think on his feet. "Now then…" Clover began to think of his next plan of attack, but he didn't get much time as Taurus Fire smashed the dome with a singular fist. That raw power though. "Oh…" Taurus Fire then shoulder tackled Clover, sandwiching the elemental make mage between the flaming cow and the wall. "G-Gah…"
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"Oi!" Flynn shouted over to Adacore as he and the lightning flame mage entered a generator room. "I found something!"
"What'cha got?" Adacore asked as he walked in the room next to Flynn.
"Looks like something that's powering this place…" Flynn said, poking the generator a few times.
"It's a generator." Cygnus said as he walked in the room as well. "There's six of them, actually, judging by that brief blackout, I'd guess four or five…"
"So…if we break this…" Flynn started.
"Heh, exactly…" Cygnus nodded.
"Allow me…" Adacore said with a smirk. He pointed his finger forward, gathering a large amount of fire magic on the tip of his finger. "Fire Bullet." Adacore "clicked" the trigger, sending the large bullet of fire forward. The bullet struck the generator, instantly blowing it to pieces. Four of the Six generators now remained, and the card began to shake before experiencing a ten second blackout.
"Not bad…" Cygnus gave a nod, showing he was impressed with Adacore's power.
"Now what?" Flynn asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"We look for the others." Adacore said with a nod before turning back to Cygnus. "You comin' or goin'?"
"I'll stick with you guys," Cygnus gave a nod. "Hopefully we'll come across one of these Dealer scum."
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Luke and Heather had damaged each other moderately by this point. Luke was trying not to hold back against the poison dragon slayer, but it was easier said than done. Plus, he already knew that Heather was just a bit stronger than him anyway. "Poison Dragon's Scales…" Heather said in a monotonous tone, a magenta colored magic seal appearing before her hand which let loose a barrage of poisonous scales towards Luke.
"H-Heather! Cut it out…!" Luke shouted, rolling off to the side to avoid the poisonous scales. "What do you think you're saying and doing!? Get a grip!"
Heather ignored Luke's words, only focused on eradicating him, as on Heartless' orders. She crossed her arms, sending two fang-like streams of poison towards the copy mage. "Poison Dragon's Fang Thrust!" She was trying to kill him.
Luke realized this, but he would be damned if he let a member end up like this. His eyes narrowed as fire and lightning covered his fists; he charged forward, baseball sliding underneath the two poisonous fangs, he then sprang up, landing a roaring uppercut on Heather's chin. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" The impact sent the venomous slayer stumbling back, her head tilted up.
Heather threw her head forward, revealing her puffed out cheeks. By then it was already too late for Luke to dodge. "Poison Dragon's Roar!" Heather exclaimed as she opened her mouth, sending a funnel of poison in Luke's direction.
Though the roar didn't have much force to it, Luke could immediately feel the poison seep into his system. He could up some blood as his body began to go numb. "D-damn…I really gotta stop falling for that…" He clenched his fist, a cold wind surrounding it. "Ice Make…"
Heather went in for the kill now, her nails extended as she aimed her poisonous "claw" at Luke's chest, but she hesitated for a split second, which allowed Luke to beat her to the punch; an ice blade went through Heather's chest, causing her eyes to widen. "….!" Her eyes immediately changed back from red to teal as a result, her blood now on Luke's hands, in a literal sense.
"…I'm sorry…" Luke mumbled as his hair created a shade over his eyes.
"Luke…!" Lucy shouted as she, Cana, and Wendy ran into the scene, only to stop once seeing Luke's blade plunged into Heather. Their eyes widened as they froze in place.
"…Thank you…" Was the last thing Heather managed to say before her body began to glow, eventually disappearing, just like Daigo's… The three Fairy Tail females immediately ran over to the Luke, Wendy placed her hands forward, a sea green light emitting from them as she healed what she could of Luke's wounds, not even bothering to ask if he was alright. The silence didn't last too long; Clover and Taurus Fire tumbled from the wall nearby, both rolling on the floor, moderately injured.
"C-Clover…!?" Luke immediately turned to see the elemental make mage on his back, groaning.
"Taurus…!" Lucy spoke in a loud whisper, immediately running towards her possessed spirit.
"Lucy, no, wait!" Cana shouted, but Lucy was too determined.
"This one's a little tougher than I thought…" Clover said as he sat up, wincing.
Lucy stood in front of Taurus Fire, looking up into the spirit's eyes. "Taurus, look at me! It's me, Lucy!"
"M-Moo…?" Taurus Fire gazed at Lucy, its mental state weakened due to the battle with Clover. He flashed from Taurus Fire to his regular self. "L-Lucy-sama…?"
"Yes, it's me!" Lucy exclaimed, extending her hand out to Taurus. "Come back to me, Taurus!"
Taurus reached out for Lucy's hand, but it was cut short as he was forcibly returned into the fire card by Heartless, who was standing not too far away from the small group. "Sorry, but I can't let you cheat your way into getting your spirits back. It doesn't work that way, Lucy."
"Heartless…" Lucy clenched her fist, now glaring towards the demon. "Give them back to me!"
"YOU!" Luke immediately screamed out, his magic energy exploding around him as one side of his body turned pitch black, and the other side turned completely white (his Pseudo God Slayer Mode). "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Luke, in a blind rage, lunged towards Heartless.
This was the first time Lucy had even seen Luke transform like this. That being said, she knew how his mind worked. He was doing what anyone would in this situation, but still... "Luke no!" Lucy yelled, but her words fell on deaf ears, and she knew that.
Heartless flexed her leg, and once Luke was close, she swung it at his face, her heel to be specific. The blow was so powerful Luke flew into Lucy, the nearest wall, and almost through it. He was unconscious after such a blow. "Rage doesn't work for most people…" She then turned her back, and walked off.
"Ow..." Lucy groaned from such a painful impact.
"Lucy-san! Luke-san!" With wide eyes. Wendy quickly hurried to them.
"Hey, where the hell do you think you get off!" Cana shouted, preparing to launch three Ice Lances at Heartless, but she stopped, as she was gone now. "Tch…"
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Kairi stood in front of the generator, panting heavily from magic use. It took a lot to dodge both Gemini Spark R and B's attacks, especially when they attacked right after the other. But Kairi had a plan. "Is that all?" She asked in a tone that made it seem as though she wasn't fatigued at all, despite her outward appearance.
"Big bad angel thinks she all that!" Spark B said while laughing. "Let's finish her off quick, eh?"
"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Spark R nodded in agreement, the two twins placing their arms together, aimed at Kairi once again. "Gemini Thunder!" The unison thunderbolt rocketed towards Kairi, who smirked.
Kairi rolled to the side, allowing the thunderbolt to strike and immediately destroy the generator. "Oops…" Kairi's smirk widened while the Gemini Spark twins began to freak out. The card shook violently as it was now running on half power, beginning to get dangerously low.
"Crap, crap, crap crap!" The two twins said in unison before getting an idea. "I got it! Let's bolt!" They nodded, and in a flash of lightning, vanished.
"…That wasn't so bad…" Kairi dusted her hands off and followed the trail of destruction left by Clover and Taurus, leading her to the group of Luke, Clover, Lucy, Cana, and Wendy. "…What happened…?"
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"This must be one of those generator rooms…" Aira said as she, Tak, Melanie, and Lisanna walked into the room.
"So, we get to blow it up, right?!" Takeru asked. "I'm getting tired of this place!"
"I don't think so…" Said Daigo (in a completely new outfit, white instead of black) "I've been given another chance to protect a generator…three are already down, I do not want to be held responsible for a fourth one going down…"
"W-Who is this guy…" Lisanna asked as she and Melanie took a step back.
"He smells kinda funny…not a human scent, either…" Melanie replied.
"I am Daigo…formerly the one of hearts, but now reborn as the two of hearts…" Daigo responded to the female's inquiry.
"You two stay back…" Aira demanded as she and Takeru stepped forward. "This man is very dangerous…"
"R-Right…" Lisanna nodded, stepping back with Melanie to not get in Aira and Takeru's way.
Takeru cracked his neck, a toothy grin forming on his face. "Is he now? Because captive dragon is even more dangerous once let loose…"
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It was night now. Skye once again left White Eclipse to assassinate a random citizen of Fiore, though she wasn't consciously aware of it before, she had an idea of what was happening now. She entered Magnolia, quietly entering a house. She pulled out one of her blades (one that made no sound) and brought her arm up, however, her eyes widened when she realized something; it was a trap. She jumped back out of the window just before a gravity seal could hold her in place. She felt to the rooftops, but she was met by Third Captain Correll. "…"
"Well, well…" Correll said with a smirk, his arms folded over his chest. "It only took a few months, but it looks like we've finally caught you…"
"What a hassle you have been to the safety of Fiore as a whole…" Said Odin as he walked out of the shadows, his arms folded behind his back.
"Now if you'll just come quietly…" Lahar said as he and Doranbolt also appeared from the shadows.
"Otherwise we will use force…" Layanna ended by appearing behind Skye. The assassin was caught, and worst of all, she was surrounded.