"Jeez, what's with these guys…!?" Gray grunted in annoyance while evading Rondo's high speed slashes, being forced to step back constantly to avoid a potential deep wound. "Ice Make: Shield!" Throwing his arms out, a shield of ice forming in front of him to block Rondo's incoming slashes; this action bought Lucy enough time to act.
"Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!" Lucy swung a golden key down, a bell chime echoing through the corridor. Virgo then appeared in a puff of smoke, giving Lucy a bow.
"Is it punishment time, Princess?" Virgo inquired, just like always.
"N-No!" Lucy then pointed at Rondo, who was currently hacking away at Gray's shield of ice. "Let's bring her down!"
"As you wish, Princess!" Virgo nodded before drilling into the floor, vanishing from sight along with Lucy.
"You can't hide this shield of measly ice forever!" Rondo shouted at Gray. It was then she felt the floor under her crack; Virgo and Lucy rose from the ground, but aiming a rising uppercut at Rondo, but the white haired female spotted this trick coming from a mile away and performed a front flip over Gray and his shield of ice. When she landed, she immediately went right back on the offensive. "Fer De Lance!" A double strike with both of her blades; one striking Gray, and the other striking Lucy and Virgo, powerful knockdown packed into the blow.
"Ouch…!" Lucy cried out while landing on her back. "Gray, Virgo, are you okay….?!"
"That was quite the impact…" Virgo admitted.
"Take this, you swine!" Rondo then stabbed her blade into the floor, a blue magic seal appearing underneath the trio. "Hell Eruption!" From the seal, an explosion of ice erupted upon them.
It didn't last long, for Gray swiped his hand to dismiss the spell, a serious glare on his face as he stared down Rondo. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're not about to beat me with ice." Arm was held to the side, a blade of ice suddenly forging within his grasp. "Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" The ice fairy then leapt forward with both hands on the hilt of his frozen creation, swinging it down at Rondo with force; Rondo countered at the same time with a dual slash of her own, entering a deadlock with Gray that caused a powerful shockwave to boom out, nearly throwing Lucy and Virgo off their feet. Despite the struggle, Gray was eventually thrown back and landed harshly on his back with a grunt of pain. "Ooof…!"
"Amateurs…You should think twice before you and your weak friends think about stepping up to the Joyan Royal guard. Now accept your due punishment!" Rondo shook her head before scoffing. But that sense of victory didn't last long, because Lucy exploded forward, with a flash of red in her eyes. Lucy was in her in Star Dress: Taurus. She launched forward, aiming a kick at Rondo's face. Rondo was able to block this with the flat side of her blade, but... "W-What the...!?" She gasped, Lucy's unexpected power boost causing her to fly backwards. She rolled along the floor, before catching herself in a crouched position, stabbing a sword into the floor to halt her momentum. "What the hell was that!? That wasn't normal."
"Tch..." Lucy took a few deep breaths, her brown eyes flickering to red, although she didn't seem to be aware of it. Rondo was irritating her, attacking her friends without reason and then mocking her about it! "Be quiet." She told Rondo, eyes narrowing into a fierce glare as she clenched a hand into a fist.
"Lucy...?" Gray slowly stood up, looking at Lucy with a slightly concerned look.
.
Juvia glanced at her currently useless arm before pointing her good one at Fugue, palm held open. "Water Beam!" At the very least, Juvia was still able to unleash a potent beam of water towards Eugene that had a lot of power behind it.
"Agh…" Fugue sighed heavily before bringing up his katana in a defensive motion; Juvia's Water Beam hit its mark and Fugue was once again sent skidding back across the floor, his clothes now damp from the attack. "I really hate getting my clothes wet…" He remarked with his tone beginning to lower to a sadistic one. "It's a good thing you're here for me to vent my frustration one…" Fugue pulled his katana back, a dark aura beginning to overtake the blade once more. "J'accuse!" With a swift slash, a beam of darkness raced towards Juvia while cutting through the air.
"…!" Juvia knew if that hit her it would hurt. It was such a wide beam she had no choice but to try and leap over it, but it caught her leg midair so she had a rough landing, stumbling around before leaning against the wall for support. "He's…strong…" She mumbled before allowing water to surround her lower half, creating a vicious cyclone with Juvia in the middle of it all as it raced forward. "Water Jigsaw!"
"I see you don't yet understand…" Fugue mumbled. "In order to enjoy the morning roses…you must first kill the insects." The katana now had a blood red aura blazing around it; once Juvia was close Fugue aimed several piercing slashes at Juvia. "Blood Scent!" A thin aura streamed out with each slash; the soldier of Count Waltz pierced through Juvia's Water Body yet again, with one final slash.
"No…!" Juvia's eyes widened in pain; she wanted to yelp out in pain but her voice didn't come out and she just collapsed slowly to the ground, the water around her body dispersing. As soon as Juvia hit the ground, her eyes went white to signify KO.
"Ah…" Fugue sighed while sheathing his katana. "I got my clothes dirty…"
.
"Mega Mash!" Tuba yelled while swinging his mace down at the defending Gajeel rapidly. Each hit was powerful, noted by how Gajeel grit his teeth more and more with each hit. He could feel Tuba's massive amounts of raw strength with each blow and he was unsure of how much longer he could hold up. "What's the matter?! You had a lot to say before!" Tuba then changed his assault and slammed Gajeel's side with his mace, using his physical might to send Gajeel hurling towards the ceiling.
"Gah!" Gajeel cried out briefly before flipping, allowing small iron spikes to form on his boots so he could attach to the wall, now staring down at Tuba with an annoyed expression. "Geez…the hell is up with these guys?"
"Gonna hide up there?" Tuba smirked, knowing full well he had the advantage.
"Roar…" Gajeel inhaled briefly before throwing his head forward and parting his lips, releasing a funnel of sharp iron shrapnel from his mouth. "Of the Iron Dragon!"
"Gah…!" Tuba took the most defensive position he could, grunting in mild pain as he felt the iron cutting into him. But he was large and could take the punishment. "Is that all you got!?"
"Iron Dragon's…!" Gajeel then leapt from the roof while rearing his arm back, morphing it into a jagged iron blade that revved up like a chainsaw. "Sword!" The Iron dragon brought his blade down onto Tuba's chest, but it was blocked by the thick handle of his mace. The two were now glaring at each other as they entered a stalemate; whoever's weapon broke first was the loser.
.
Erza sped forward in her Flight Armor, attempting to use the increased speed to overwhelm Retto. She circled around the male before closing the distance with two blades at the ready. "Sonic Claw!" Thanks to her speed, she was able to land several strikes on Retto with ease, skidding to a halt to see how effective her strikes her; only moderately so.
"That was somethin'…" Retto admitted while panting softly. "But now it's my turn…" Grip tightening on the handle of his blade, Retto rushed forward towards Erza and aimed several simple slashes at the scarlet knight. Erza was able to block and parry, but what came next was what caught her off guard. "You're good, but let's cut to the chase!" Light formed on the blade Retto held and several powerful slashes leaving gleams of light in their wake were aimed at Erza, each one more powerful than the last. "This is over! You're done! Starlight Blast!" The final slash was a horizontal slice with a surprising amount of knock back that sent Erza into the wall, leaving her bruised and bloodied. With a heavy sigh, Retto began to walk towards Erza, but was stopped when Polka stood in the way. "Polka…"
"Allegretto! This isn't right!" The young female exclaimed. "I know you don't want to fight, and these poor people haven't done anything wrong…!"
"You know I can't refuse," Retto sighed heavily while rubbing the back of his head. "As much as I want to."
"These aren't bad people!" Polka objected. As they spoke, Erza was getting up. Allegretto was pretty strong, but Erza wasn't going to stay down that easily either.
"The way he fights..." Erza thought to herself. Allegretto's basic hits were something she could easily handle. But for some reason, when he used a technique, his power felt amplified. It was different than just a mere power boost, and she was trying to figure it out. Was that something unique to him, or was it something all the Joyan Royal Guard could do?
"I think that's enough talking." Eugene dragged Juvia's unconscious body along the floor, tossing her down before pointing the tip of his katana at her head. "If you want to keep your pretty friend alive, I suggest you tell us everything this instant."
"Juvia…!?" On that note, the Fairy Tail mages were forced to concede with Juvia's wellbeing at stake.
"Release her." Erza demanded while glaring at Fugue. "We've done nothing wrong."
"Oh really?" Rondo questioned. "Because we've intel that shows that the dragon that's attacking is from the Isle of the Dragons! And we know that of all the countries that dealt with the island, Fiore is closely affiliated with those who inhabit it, so it has to be you who led it here!"
"That's a dragon from the island!?" Lucy's eyes widened. "B-But how!? Ena said that they would be neutral, I don't understand why a dragon from there is rampaging around here!"
"I believe them." Polka interjected.
"You believe anything." Fugue said while adjusting his monocle, completely shooting down the young female. "Why should we believe they aren't the cause of this?"
"After all we did, you really think we'd allow this to pass without question?" Erza snarled towards Eugene. "I don't know how you got this intel of yours, but you've got the wrong group."
"Our spy usually isn't wrong…" Tuba scratched his chin. "So they must be lying."
It was then that someone's foot stomped on the ground, causing everyone to come to attention as the magical pressure from them made the corridor shake. "That is enough." A firm voice spoke. The Joyan royal guard froze in place as they turned around, only to see their captain, Jazz standing on the other end. Jazz was a tall man with black hair, tied into a pony tail. On his back was a gigantic broadsword. "What do you think you're doing?"
"C-Captain...!" Tuba stood to attention. "We were just dealing with these Fiorans who thought they could-!"
"They are our guests." Jazz narrowed his eyes. "If this was an order from His Majesty, I would've heard about it. Are you acting in Count Waltz's best interest, or are you flying off the handle and dragging Allegretto into it again?"
"Tch..." Rondo sucked her teeth while putting her blades away. Jazz was putting his foot down.
"Uhm…" Lucy pointed out the nearest window to the distance, noticing something large moving over the horizon. "I hate to break this up…but can somebody tell me what that thing is…?"
"Wha…?" Gajeel glanced out the window before his eyes widened. "The hell is that thing…?!"
.
"What is Heracles?" Ace asked Ashnard. "And why are you grinning so widely about it?"
"Heracles is Pergrande's ultimate weapon of course. It was developed as a means to counter the large scale threats that tend to plague this continent." Ashnard responded to Ace before pulling up a lacrima screen of just outside the city, and that's when they saw it. Heracles was essentially a six-legged walking fortress that doubled the size of a dragon; a multitude of cannons were all over the walking fortress and the main cannon was pointed directly at the city. "And here it is now."
"WHAT IS THAT THING!?" Vena shouted at Ashnard, demanding an answer. She wasn't the only one who wanted an answer, the rulers of Dieserto, Sin, and Enca were looking at Ashnard with a confused and demanding look.
"Weren't you just listening to my king?" Nercon tilted her head. "This is Pergrande's weapon, and it will be used to destroy the threat that looms in the sky. Are we ready? Now aim…" Nercon spoke into her wrist watch, where someone on the other line was aiming the main cannon up into the sky, directly pointing at the unaware dragon.
The person on the other line was female; a female with black and gray hair, having an eyepatch over one eye while the other was a dark yellow color. This was one of the 13 Commandants of Pergrande: Patty. "Ready and aimed, Lady Nercon!"
"Now this might be an interesting show…" Waltz chuckled as though he didn't see the issue with this.
"W-What about those fighting right now?!" Hisui asked in a panic.
"I suggest someone go up there and warn them." Ashnard replied dismissively, as if he really could've cared less what happened to them.
.
"Nothing is working against this dragon!? What's up with this!?" Daryan was highly annoyed than the dragon slayer magic they were using hardly had any effect.
"Something about this dragon is wrong…" Gaia narrowed her gaze. "This dragon is from the Isle, I hope you all know…it has that same scent. But I don't know why it's here!"
"What?!" Mira turned to Gaia. "But that shouldn't be possible…Ena…"
"But at the same time…there's something about this dragon's scent that worries me…I can't put my finger on it." Gaia scowled. Something about this dragon was off. It wasn't speaking, just mindlessly attacking everything in sight. "I'm going transform and pin it down. Maybe I can knock some sense into it!"
"Does anyone else hear that…?" Cynthia glanced around before pointing at Heracles, which was beginning to gather magic in the main cannon. "W-What…what is that thing…!? It's huge…!"
"Is that a cannon…?" Carla asked.
"That's too big for a standalone cannon…it's like a fortress…and it's aiming right up here isn't it?" Hiruka stared at the others.
"GET OUT OF THE SKY NOW!" There were many shouts from below warning those in the sky to move. Without questioning it, they all went back into the castle to watch what was about to happen.
Heracles gathered a large sphere of radiant blue energy within its main cannon. The battleship took aim at the dragon in the sky before firing, unleashing a gargantuan blue beam of raw magic that cut through the sky and the clouds; it was as if the sky itself was being torn apart from the cannon fire. The dragon turned just as the beam struck it, now being carried into the sky with an echoing roar of pain as it was actually evaporating due to the sheer power of the Heracles Cannon. Miles and miles into the sky later, there was a large explosion that caused a tremor to the earth below.
.
"WHOA!" Cynthia's eyes were wide in shock at the massive power of Heracles. "I…Is that thing even legal!?"
"What the hell was that!?" Lucy's group and Waltz's arrived on the scene after Heracles fired. Waltz's men seemed to realize that there was indeed a misunderstanding going on around here.
"Glorious, wasn't it?" Ashnard turned with a wide grin plastered on his lips. "Taking out that raging dragon within one shot."
"ASHNARD!" Nobody seemed happy with the unveiling of this superweapon.
Toma was the first to speak, pointing to the weapon in the distance with an unpleased expression. "You should know better than anyone that a weapon like that violates the treaty. The mere construction of that weapon is an act of war!"
"Oh ho! Is that so, King of Fiore!?" Ashnard's grin only widened at Toma's objection. "I don't think you really have such the right to speak. Every country is allowed one 'trump card' don't you agree?"
"While that was in the agreement…" Raha began, somewhat sheepishly, however. "Something like this is…unprecedented…"
"Oh, Queen Raha. I understand that you are only filling in because your parents met an untimely end, so there is much you have to learn." Ashnard said while shaking his head. "If you are so concerned, then let's ask our neighbors, shall we?" Ashnard turned to Hisui and Toma. "Fiore, I find it so funny you'd be the first to object to Heracles. Considering all of the incidents with superweapons you've been having. I wonder…whose idea was it to build the Eclipse Gate?"
"…!" Hisui's eyes widened and she nearly cringed upon recalling the incident that nearly led to the end of the world.
"All those dragons that escaped and could've ended the entire world. Do you think that just because you swept it under the rug in your own country, the rest of the land wouldn't catch wind of it? Let us not forget about Acnologia as well. So long as that dragon lives, the world is not a safe place, and I refuse for my Kingdom to become a victim." Ashnard continued. "Don't get me started on Face. While my father was the one who was on board with that project, I find it to be highly detestable. Magic Pulse Bombs? All for the sake of eradicating a single Black Wizard? Don't make me laugh."
"You know that Zeref is a far greater threat than...!" Hisui began.
"If the Black Wizard walked into my sights, I have the means to handle him without putting the rest of the world in danger." Ashnard replied coldly. The other rulers glared at him for his incredible ego and arrogance. "Oh ho! And let's not forget that mad scientist. What was it called? Fiore's End?"
"…." Cynthia bit her lip recalling that problem. She was that problem...
"Funny how you didn't notice one man building a superweapon until it was finally revealed." The King of Pergrande pointed at Cynthia accusingly. "Then you have the nerve to bring it to this meeting!"
"Hey, asshole!" Natsu growled while standing in front of Cynthia, sneering at Ashnard as he looked like he was about to pop a vein in his forehead. "Say that about Cynthia again, I DARE YOU."
Ashnard looked over to Natsu and Cynthia. But then past them, to Lucy. Her fist was trembling and she was glaring at Ashnard, her eyes briefly flashing red. The anger of him using Cynthia as a scapegoat was getting to her. This made him smirk slightly. "You're no good at keeping your temper, are you?"
"Don't talk about Cynthia like that!" Lucy exclaimed, her shout turning into a near growl.
"Something that nearly destroyed your country went unnoticed for so long…and it happened again, didn't it? That one scientist has been quite the thorn in your side." Ashnard just kept talking. "The Etherion Cannon was the only thing I remember having approved with this senate, and that alone was quite the stretch. A weapon that can destroy a country? Why is it you get to slide by with something like that?"
"Because it needs the majority approval of our Magic Council! The Wizard Saints, no less!" Hisui shot at Ashnard while slamming her hands down on a piece of rubble. "Did you even run this by your Council!?"
"But of course." Ashnard replied with a shrug. "They approved of it."
"And what makes you think we'd approve of it?" Queen Vena placed hands on her hips as she stared at Ashnard and demanded an answer.
"You think you're one to talk too, Vena…?" Ashnard laughed right in her face. "Before your Dealer group became good, they were the enemy of the state, were they not?"
"Ay…" Ace rubbed his head. For some reason he wasn't expecting Ashnard to take a shot at them.
"Gathering magic so one twisted man could rule the world, and this is okay?" Ashnard laughed once again. "Don't be such fools. Heracles falls under all jurisdiction…and I just may take it to the Isle of the Dragons. Because from what I've heard, that dragon was directly from there."
"What!?" Hisui's eyes widened. "That's impossible. We…"
"Did you really think all the dragons there would be happy with how everything turned out? There were sure to be some rebellions…or maybe they didn't uphold to their position of neutrality and just wanted to seek revenge against humans instead?" Ashnard suggested. "An apple doesn't fall far from a 400 year old tree."
"The Princess swore." Hisui took Ena's words to heart and she wasn't budging on that matter.
"Silly, young, naïve Princess Hisui…" Ashnard now shook his head, almost mockingly so. "There are so many things you've yet to experience in the world…that naivety is precious, however."
"Can I kick this guy in the damn jaw…" Gajeel was getting tired of listening to Ashnard speak.
"BUT!" Ashnard raised his hand. "If you think Heracles is such an issue…why don't we take a majority vote on it, yes? Come, my fellow royals…if you believe Heracles should be destroyed, please raise your hand." The King glanced around at those who opposed; Caelum, Midi, Enca, Sin, and Minstrel were opposed. "I see…and those who are okay with it standing?"
Those who agreed: Joya, Desierto, Iceburg, Bosco, Seven, Bellum and…Fiore.
"W-What are they doing agreeing for it…!?" Wendy looked at anyone to see if they had an answer. She didn't understand why Hisui and Toma were on board with the Heracles project.
"They can't refuse." Tia clarified. "Unfortunately so…"
"Why not?" Cynthia pouted.
"Because then they'd look really bad. With all the stuff that went down in our countries I guess it never really occurred how much danger we put everyone else in…and as a result it gives Ashnard a window to do as he pleases because of our slip ups…" Ace replied.
"Fiore's political standing would be really bad if they opposed…" Magnus commented. "Which is why they had no choice in the matter."
"What bothers me is…" Heartless mumbled. "Is why this topic wasn't brought up when the meeting began…you'd think something like this would be one of the first things that come up, not in a situation like this…"
"What bothers me is where that Dragon came from..." Gaia narrowed her eyes. Was it a Dragon that went rogue and disobeyed Ena's decree, or was it something else? The timing was just too perfect for it to be a coincidence.
"So the Heracles project stands." Waltz clapped his hands before letting out a small chuckle. "Excellent. I believe that brings this International Meeting to a close. Now if everyone wouldn't mind leaving…I have some immediate repairs that need to be done."
"That's our king…" Nercon giggled to herself. "Always one step ahead of the rest…"
Hisui sighed heavily, hanging her head while returning to Fairy Tail's side. "I'm sorry, everyone…I guess I let you all down."
"Don't worry about it." Gray said with a reassuring smile. "It wasn't your fault…or the King's."
"That Ashnard…" Erza grit her teeth. "He's something all right…" With that, Fiore began to take their leave.
On the way out, Lucy just happened to glance to her left and caught Ashnard discussing with Nercon and Rubicante. Ashnard glanced at Lucy and just his gaze was enough to send a shiver down her spine and she immediately looked back forward. "Yikes…" She wanted to ask him a question, but when she was face to face with him, she couldn't help but back down.
"Did you look directly at him?" Mira whispered to Lucy, glancing over her shoulder.
"Unfortunately…" Lucy let out a heavy sigh.
"I could get nightmares from looking at that…" Cynthia whispered, and it lifted the mood slightly and brought laughter to a few of them.
"Hey. You." Natsu suddenly spoke, causing the others to sharply turn as he approached Ashnard. He was pulling Lucy along with him, and while she wasn't exactly fighting it, she wasn't mentally prepared. "Your guy said that you could answer Lucy's questions. I wanna know what's happening too!"
Lucy gulped. But Natsu was right. This was the only time she could get an answer. "Y-Yeah...! Why were your people after me...!? They called me a product of the traitor, but I've never been to Pergrande!"
"Oh. I commend your bravery for asking." Ashnard said while looking down at the two of them. Lucy looked like she was ready to back down at any second, but since she was with Natsu, she held fast. "The answer is quite simple. You were believed to have something that belonged to Pergrande. But at the same time, those men of mine sent to hunt you down ended up turning rogue. As such, their motives concerning you were unknown. You have nothing to worry about, Lucy Heartfilia. Pergrande has no need of you. But I would be careful in the days to come. There may be moments in which you cannot control yourself. You may be lost to whims that are not entirely your own. How will you handle it, I wonder?"
"..." Lucy didn't exactly like the way he said that. That was extremely ominous, and she hated that she had no idea what he was trying to say. "I won't...lose myself to anything. As long as I have my friends, I know I'll be alright!"
"Is that a fact?" Ashnard quirked a brow, staring into her very soul. To Lucy, it felt like he was looking past her and at something else entirely. "I see. If that's how you feel, then I'm eager to see you in the future."
In fact, she was pretty sure he wasn't being entirely honest with her, but she had no way to prove it. "I...I see...thank you." Eugh, thanking Ashnard of all people felt weird, but she didn't want to be rude. With that unfulfilling answer, she and Natsu went back to the others.
"So that was her, was it?" Ashnard questioned. "The one said to be infected with the Lambda Virus?"
"I believe so." Nercon nodded. "I don't see any of the symptoms just yet…but it could prove to be…interesting whenever they do start to come around. I'm surprised you didn't make an effort to tell her the whole truth, My King." Nercon said while adjusting her glasses. "This would've been the perfect opportunity."
"Just say the world, and I can work something out." Takeba replied while preparing to snap her fingers.
"That won't be necessary." Ashnard replied while shaking his head. "Had the capture of her been successful a few weeks ago, there may have been a chance to help her. But it has been weeks since the Isle, and that timeframe is far longer than anyone who has interacted with Lambda has dealt with. At this point...I believe the virus has bonded with her in a way that cannot be removed. There is no longer any point in trying to retrieve her."
"So she's truly infected, is she?" Rubicante asked before letting out a scoff. "I suppose such a thing no longer concerns us."
"What about the Protos Heis project?" Ashnard questioned. "Has it been deployed?"
"Several months ago." Rubicante confirmed. "Though it is unclear where it ended up due to a little…mishap in transport. It is in Fiore somewhere though, ready to exterminate when necessary."
"Perfect…" Ashnard nodded slowly before glancing back at the walking away Lucy. He was the only one who could see it, but thin black and red aura was around the celestial mage already; there was also a black line running up from presumably her back, but it was small and unlikely unnoticeable to the human eye. This brought a sly, knowing smirk to the corner of his mouth. "Things are progressing quite nicely." Everyone else dispersed the meeting room. As he walked off, Nercon, his Queen, proceeded to follow. As did the others. "Excellent work with the dragon, Takeba."
"But of course." Takeba gave a small curtsey. "Snatching a young one and making it go berserk was rather easy. It served as excellent target practice for the Heracles."
Ashnard glanced up at the hole in the ceiling, grinning at the events that played out. "It's only a matter of time now."
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Next time: New Recruits.