Disclaimer I do not own Fairy Tail. Why would I be writing fanfiction if I owned something like that?
Beta Reader: volfwildman
Cover Art by KegiSpringfield
(3rd Person Battle POV)
Everyone stood still as they took in what happened. Erza and Natsu watched in horror while Jellal watched in slight confusion. Bishop just slowly brought his right hand to touch his forehead. Blood came from his eyelids, nose, and even ears. Really the only facial hole that wasn't bleeding was his mouth.
Funny enough it didn't really hurt. The only pain Bishop felt happened in a single second and then...nothing.
Bishop had been right that the magic from the Etherion was enough for the spell. He even had the mental skills needed to craft the spell and start casting it. But there was one thing he didn't think about, the pressure the spell would put his brain in. In truth, if any other person had tried the spell besides Bishop.
They would be brain dead right now.
Despite the lack of pain Bishop couldn't help but feel….slow. His entire body took extra time to react to what his brain was telling it to do. The slowness was concerning Bishop as he slowly pulled his hand away from his face and looked at the blood that had gotten on the fingertips. Unfortunately for the Illusionist, this would soon be the least of his concerns.
"Meteor"
The silence that had overcome the battlefield vanished as Jellal yelled out his spell and was once more surrounded by a golden aura. Before either Erza or Natsu could react the blue-haired man rocketed forward towards Bishop. The only thing that the Illusionist could do in reaction was to slowly turn his head toward his attacker.
Jellal harshly slammed into Bishop and sent him tumbling across the roof of the tower before being stopped at the edge by a stone railing that was placed all along the edge. The sound of a body hitting another one caused Erza to jump into action. The Heavenly Body mage took a second to admire his work and in that second the Requip magic appeared next to him and slammed the sharp edge of her katana into the man's side. The gold aura like before blunted the impact but the force behind the attack was almost enough to crack a rib.
With a yell, Jellal was hit to the side but was able to regain control before he hit the floor. When the man turned to face his opponent he was once more face to face with Erza who also once more attacked him. It was only thanks to his experience that the Heavenly Body mage was able to dodge the strike but before he could retaliate he found himself dodging another and another.
Soon Jellal and Erza were locked in a battle as the Requip mage threw slash after slash at the Heavenly Body mage. Rage reinforced Erza's speed and power and was allowing her to keep Jellal on the defensive. However, the Blue-haired man was a Wizard Saint for a reason and swiftly got out of the way of any attack that was thrown his way. This was quickly becoming a battle of attrition, one where Erza's anger was causing her to slowly but surely lose.
While this was happening Natsu stood off to the side and watched. He wanted nothing more than to help but was also aware that any help he provided would simply get in Erza's way. The Dragon Slayer truly was frustrated with the situation, he knew that Jella was more powerful than him but he at least figured that he could get in a good hit or two in and let Bishop and Erza do the rest of the work. Instead, the Slayer was just holding his siblings back.
Speaking of siblings, Natsu turned his head to where Bishop was. The Illusionist was slowly sitting up from the ground and laying his back on the stone railing. Natsu decided to quickly make his way over to his hurt sibling and speak, "Bish! Are you ok?!"
Said man slowly turned his head to look towards his younger brother. After a few seconds the words he had been trying to speak come out piece by piece from his mouth. "I'm...fine...just...feeling...slow...for...some...reason…"
Natsu didn't like how his brother was forming his sentences but was distracted by a loud cry from behind him. Jellal had finally found an opening and slammed a fist into Erza's gut that threw the women back a bit. That didn't stop the Requip mage for long as she was once more attacking her opponent but Natsu noticed that she was slower now.
Even with all the damage that had been given to Jellal, it was clear to Natsu that he was still good enough to beat down any of them. If nothing else happened then they would lose. The very thought caused Natsu to clench his fists in anger but he held himself back from trying to attack the Heavenly Body mage.
Different thoughts and plans ran through Natsu's brain as the Dragon Slayer tried to think of a way that he could hurt Jellal. It didn't take long before he was running out of ideas as he dismissed one after another. It was when he was nearing the end of his rope that a single idea popped into Natsu's head. One that was risky but at the same time could help the win.
Natsu quietly turned to look at his older brother. Bishop was simply staring at the fight between Erza and Jellal. His body seemed to be moving a bit more which Natsu took as a good sign as he spoke. "Bish I hate to ask this but can you do any illusions right now?"
Bishop once more slowly turned to look at Natsu but this time he reacted a bit faster. Whatever was causing his body to be slow was in itself slowly going away. Upon thinking of Natsu's question, Bishop mentally started to craft an illusion. It hurt but it was a dull pain that he could handle as long as it didn't go on for too long. "Basic Illusion...or Greater… Illusion?"
"Greater." Natsu instantly said this as he stared at the battle between Erza and Jellal once more. Bishop slightly winced at his word, knowing that would probably push him to the edge.
After a few seconds of thought and testing Bishop once more spoke. "I think...I can. Why are you...asking?"
Without even looking at his older brother Natsu spoke, "I want you to cast The Eleventh-Hour on me."
Bishop's eyes widened at his brother's words and went to speak but Natsu beat him to it. With a quick turn, Natsu was once more facing Bishop with a determined look on his face as he spoke. "I know it's dangerous. I and the rest of us watched you cast it in order to get used to it. I know the drawbacks and the dangers of what happens when you use it for too long. But I can't just stand here! Erza is out there right now fighting and I can't do anything thing but fucking get in her way if I try to help! Please Bish... I know it's dangerous but it's the only thing I can think of that could let me beat that Blue-haired bastard's face in if only for a few seconds. Just trust me please."
The Illusionist stared at his younger brother for a few seconds before turning his head to face the ongoing battle. At this point, Erza was now on the defensive as she dodged Jellal's strikes but unlike the Heavenly Body mage, she wasn't completely getting out of the way of the attacks. If things went on for much longer Erza would lose.
And then they would all lose.
"One Minute," Bishop said slowly, "After that...minute is up then...it doesn't matter if your...winning or losing I'm...stopping the illusion. Got it?"
Natsu didn't even bother to speak and instead nodded his head and he got ready. With a small sigh, Bishop got to work crafting his illusion. With each passing second, the dull pain in his head increased as he got closer and closer to completing his spell. Just as it was getting too much though was when the magic was ready. With a glance towards Natsu, Bishop cast his last spell of the fight.
"Greater Illusion: The Eleventh-Hour"
As this was happening Jellal and Erza continued their battle. Only now Erza was mostly on the defensive as the Blue-haired man threw punch after punch. In the Requip mage's rage, she had tired herself and as a result, was having problems even just dodging. She was just thinking of changing to a more defensive armor when Jellal threw a feint with his and followed up with a right hook to Erza's face, sending the women to the ground.
"Oh come now Erza," Jellal spoke in a tired but proud voice, "Surely this isn't all you have. I choose you to be sacrificed for a reason after all. Now kindly pick yourself up so I can-"
Just before Jellal could finish, out of nowhere something blurred swiftly towards him and landed a punch right on his right cheek. Thanks to the golden aura the Heavenly Body mage was able to keep standing but did stumble from the power of the punch. Upon looking at his attacker he saw it was Natsu with his fist ablaze.
Jellal was about to make a snide remark when he noticed something was off about the Dragon Slayer. It felt like he was under some kind of spell that the Blue-haired man couldn't pin down. Said man didn't have much time to think as Natsu moved faster than any of them thought he could and landed a strong punch right in Jellal's gut.
Natsu followed up the failed punch with a left hook only for the fist to be caught by Jellal. When the Dragon Slayer threw a right hook as a follow up the Heavenly Body mage also was able to catch his fist as well and held both his burning fist with ease. What Jellal didn't expect was the headbutt right to the nose.
With a small yelp of pain, Jellal let go of Natsu as he held his bleeding nose. The golden aura of Heavenly Body magic faded as the mage lost his concentration on it. Without the aura, Jellal felt the full force of the Dragon Slayer's next punch which sent him to the ground. As the Blue-Haired man grimaced in pain he tried to get up only for the Slayer to plant himself right on top of him.
The two stared at each other for two seconds, during this time Jellal felt fear start to creep into his mind as he saw the anger and determination in Natsu's eyes. After those two seconds, the Dragon Slayer started to unleash punch after punch at the Heavenly Body mage. Most of the punches hit his face while some planted themselves on his upper body as well.
Jellal's mind was reeling from the assault as he tried to find some way out of the situation he found himself in. With little coming to mind the Heavenly Body mage just went with his instinct and pushed out a large pulse of his magic. This pulse caught Natsu and sent him back a bit but only a few feet. Upon landing on his feet the Dragon Slayer glared at his opponent and took a deep breath.
As Jellal got back up he felt the massive swelling of magic in Natsu. The Dragon Slayer's entire body was engulfed in a mass of blue flames that swirled around him like a tornado. But soon the flames were funneled into Natsu's mouth as his cheeks bulged and he put his hands in front of his face. Jellal, still reeling from the several strikes to his head, stood dumbfounded as his opponent completed his spell.
"Fire Dragon's Devastating Roar"
A wave of blue flames erupted from Natsu's mouth before condensing into a thick stream. Said stream swiftly and destructively made its way over to Jellal who's mind finally caught up to his current situation. In desperation, the Heavenly Body mage threw up a golden barrier of pure magic. The flames met the barrier very quickly and for a moment it seemed like Jellal's magic would hold out.
Until a crack formed in the barrier a second before it shattered completely.
Jellal found himself being hit by the flames as he tried his best to hold his ground. The flames were hotter than anything he felt and he could feel his feet slightly sliding across the ground. As for Natsu, he felt like he was on top of the world. The current spell he was using had been instinctively pulled out of nowhere and he was very happy with the results. He felt like he was finally helping. He felt like he was finally giving that Blue-Haired bastard what he deserved. He felt like he could win!
And suddenly everything paused for Natsu as the roar stopped and the flames died.
His minute was up.
For a second Natsu felt nothing until overwhelming nausea overcame him. Far worse than any motion sickness he had ever felt. With the Greater Illusion finally stopped his body ceased its mass production of chemicals and finally started to feel the drawbacks. Natsu found himself throwing up on the ground as he fought back against unconsciousness that was trying to overcome him. He was finally starting to win the struggle when Jellal decided he wanted some payback.
"Pleiades"
Six different rays of magic slammed into Natsu all at once and sent the Dragon Slayer tumbling along the ground. By the time the Slayer's body stopped on the ground he was unconscious.
Jellal stood triumphantly even if his body told a different story. Large portions of his clothing were blackened if not burned away. There were also dozens of burns all around his body and his face was starting to turn black from the many bruises he had on it. But despite all of this he stood happy as he leered at the downed Natsu.
"You utter fool! Did you really think That you could defeat me!? I'm Jellal Fernades! The greatest man in this pathetic world! A Wizard Saint who stands above all! The man who will bring back Zeref and find true freedom! The Man who-". And that was around the time Erza's fist slammed into the back of Jellal's head.
"The man who's about to get a reality check." Said Erza with barely concealed anger at Jellal who had fallen to the ground.
Jellal looked up at his old friend in unconcealed fear. The Heavenly Body mage was on his last legs and knew instantly he couldn't beat Erza in this state. He attempted to crawl back only for the Red-Headed women to grab him by his throat and lift him up.
Soon Jellal found himself fighting for air as Erza healthy expressed her rage by choking him. Black spots soon started forming in the Heavenly Body mage's vision as he tried to find some way out of his current situation. Soon an idea formed in Jellal's mind as he turned his eyes to stare at the glaring Requip mage and quietly muttered out a single word.
"Scarlet."
That single word was enough for Erza to pause and accidentally drop Jellal who instantly started to gulp up air. From that single word a memory flash in Erza's mind as she remembered a boy she once knew. Who she once looked up to. Who she considered her best friend.
Who gave her a last name.
For a second Erza only felt sadness as she fought for that boy. That sadness disappeared when she looked at the man he became. A man who had betrayed her. Who had taken her friends from her and turned them against her. Who was planning to revive the worst human to ever live.
Who planned to kill her and her entire family.
Just as Jellal finally regained his breath he felt someone grab his shirt. Quickly he was pulled face to face with a silently mad Erza who was looking at him in utter disgust. As she gripped tightened on his shirt she brought him a little bit closer before spitting out words right at his face.
"I'm not Erza Scarlet. I'm Erza Vern."
With those words, Erza had completely let go of the memory of old Jellal and freed herself from an influence she had never realized she'd been under. And so with those words said the Requip mage used all her strength granted to her by her Clear Heart Clothing and slammed the Blue-Haired man into the floor with enough force to cause it to break it.
The floor quickly gave way as pieces of it and Jellal fell to the room below. Erza was able to jump back from the collapsing part of the floor and before long the hole stopped expanding. As the dust cleared Erza peered down the hole and looked at the fallen and unconscious form of Jellal.
Now laying and a pile of rubble.
Defeated.
(Bishop's POV)
"And that's about it sir," I stated to the Rune Knight as I watched them carry away the still unconscious Jellal and all the other cultists that worked under him.
It had been a few hours since Erza had beat Jellal. The other eventually found us on the roof where I and Natsu were recovering. There had been a bit of a problem when Wally and Millianna had woken up but after an explanation from Simon and Sho, the two understood what happened. They had both seemed unsure about everything but after kicking Jellal in the ribs a few times both seemed to have come to terms with things.
By the time that a small fleet of Rune Knight arrived at the island, I was mostly healed with a small headache still going on in my skull. Natsu was up to and thanks to him taking a Red Potion and was mostly healed beside his arms which was sore from the cracked bones in them being healed. We very happily handed Jellal over to the knights and I was pulled aside to explain some things.
The Rune Knight Captain in question was nodding his head as he wrote down some things in a little notebook. "I'm technically supposed to tell you and your group not to do this kind of thing but you really helped things here. That massive magic absorbing lacrima was more than enough to eat up Etherion's attack. Thanks for finding the missing control lacrima as well, It's concerning that a large portion of the magic that Etherion has is gone but we'll look into it."
I nodded my head at the Captain's words. It had been decided that we would remain quiet about the spell I tried. "I wanted to inform the Rune Knights but Erza had personal ties to the Tower and Jellal as well. And no I'm afraid I can't tell you those ties. If you want to know then ask her, it's her story to tell."
The Captain looked annoyed at my words but nodded his head in understanding. "Those prisoners you guys found ok? Were more than willing to take them to the nearest hospital."
He had pointed toward Simon and the other while saying this. Another thing we had decided was to make up a fake story about Sho and his friends being prisoners in the tower that were being held as a backup sacrifice. We didn't know how the Knight would react to their story so we decided it would be better safe than sorry on this one. "They're fine. None of them were harmed, just kept against their wills. They will be coming with us, all of them are interested in joining Fairy Tail."
Once more the Captain nodded his head before closing the notebook. "Welp, everything seems to be wrapped up here. It'll be a while but the council should be providing you all with rewards for your help."
I frowned slightly at his words as a question came to mind. "Why will it take a while? Is the Council ok?"
The Captain seemed to mill things in his head for a bit. If I had to guess he was deciding if he should answer my question or not. "...Well, truth be told the Council is currently on a hiatus. Every one of them is fine physically even if the Magic Council's headquarters is completely ruined but people aren't happy. Not only did the Etherion almost get fired but two members of the Council turned out to be spies. So like I said the Council is on a hiatus while some decisions are made by the Nations of Earthland and some background checks are made to make sure there aren't any more spies or traitors in the Council. I don't think it'll take more than a month though."
I nodded my head as I took in the information. It made sense that after this disaster that some changes would be made. I paused in my nodding as I remembered something. "I see. Thank you for telling me. I know that it might not be my place but I would suggest that the Rune Knight be ready for something. With the Council on hiatus, some criminals might try something. Like a Dark guild or something along those lines."
The Captain smiled at my words before patting me on the back in what I considered a condescending manner. "The Rune Knights are aware of this and are ready for whatever might happen. Though I doubt anything big will happen. It's not like the Oración Seis or any of the other Balam Alliance are going to try something."
I had to work very hard to not grimace at what he said as he chuckled before bowing towards me and walking back to one of the docked ships. The irony here was too thick for my liking. For a second I thought about flat out telling them what would happen before deciding against it. Some very dangerous questions would be raised if I told too much and I'd rather deal with the upcoming problem than the problems I would make trying to stop it from happening.
Besides I was sadly used to it at this point.
An hour later all the Rune Knight ships were gone leaving only Erza's boat and another boat for Erza's old friend to use. Said friends I noted were talking privately among themselves as we got ready to leave.
As soon as the preparations were done Erza went up to them smiling. "It's time for you guys to finally leave this horrible place, just like I did all those years ago. I'm sure you'll love Fairy Tail just as much as I did as well."
At Erza's words, I noticed that Wally, Millianna, and Sho looked away with guilty looks on their faces. My little sister noticed this and gave a concerned look but before she could ask what was wrong Simon spoke up. "Erza we've….decided something."
Simon paused and looked back to the other three before turning back to Erza with a sad look and spoke once more. "All four of us have pretty much lived in that tower for most of our lives. We've...never truly seen the outside world. So after talking among ourselves we came to a decision. For now, we're going to explore around Foire and maybe the surrounding nations and see what we've never seen before."
Once more Simon stopped and sighed as he allowed Erza to understand what he had just said. Instantly a sad look overcame her face which Simon instantly noticed and stumbled out some more words. "It's only temporary! We just want to see a bit of the world before we settle down. All of us have agreed that we would explore for a year before heading to Fairy Tail and join the guild. I'm...sorry but-"
Simon was cut off by Erza speaking. "No, it's fine. I'm still...upset that we're departing again but I understand. At least now we can have a proper goodbye before leaving."
Erza gave a sad smile to her old friend and I noticed Sho stepping up from the back to speak. "Your right Sis. We're going to have a proper goodbye this time. It was...good to see you again and I'm glad that everything worked out like this. And don't worry about us we might not know a lot about the world but we're still pretty good mages, we'll make due. Hey Wally, Millianna get over her and say goodbye!"
Both Wally and Millianna seemed unsure about what to do as they looked towards Erza. In the end, it was Millianna who stepped up first. "Hey, Erz...I'm sorry about thinking you were a traitor and all it was-"
Erza cut Millianna off with a hug that surprised the catgirl for a few seconds before she smiled and returned it. After a few more seconds the two released each other and Erza started speaking. "Don't worry about it. All that matters is that everything was cleared up. It was Jellal's fault anyway so please don't let it hold itself over your head."
Millianna happily smiled before hugging Erza once more and stepping back. Wally quickly took her place. The sharply dressed man currently looked like a normal human, he had tried to change back into a rectangle man but after a private talk with Millianna, he had decided to stay as he is at that moment. "Hey, Erza...Just want to say that you are a cool person. Sorry for shooting you in the face and all that."
Wally's words were awkward but the smile on Erza's face told me that she couldn't care less as she also gave the man a hug. Like Millianna before Wally looked surprised before chuckling and returning the hug. After a few seconds, they stopped and Wally took a step back to allow Simon to come up.
Surprisingly it was him that started the hug as he all but bear-hugged a very much surprised Erza who swiftly retired the hug with just as much force. After they parted he instantly spoke. "I'm sorry that it took so long to get out of Jellal's hold. There's...so much I want to tell you but I'm not sure what to say. I could never forget you Erz. If only-"
Just like before Erza cut off her friend but instead of a hug, she stopped him with a kiss on the cheek. Both of them heavily blushed at the action but Erza seemed determined to continue. "You don't have to regret anything Simon. I'm just glad you took care of those three for all these years. I have faith that you can take care of them for another year. I'll see you all in a year. For now, just go out there and have fun. And when you're done come to Fairy Tail… I'll be waiting for you."
The two gave each other a smile as they said their goodbye and Erza departed to return to our other siblings and Lucy. After she was a good distance away I turned and stared at SImon with a pure blank look on my face. Simon looked uncomfortable as he looked at the other three for support but they were also looking uneasy. After a few seconds he spoke up, "Is something wrong Sir Bishop?"
I continued to stare for a few seconds to make him more uneasy before speaking in a low tone so only he could hear me. "You break her heart, I break you."
With that said I turned around and went to rejoin my siblings. Despite not seeing the Iron-jawed man I knew he was shivering. It didn't take long for me to get back to my family as they waved goodbye to the four while they got into a boat and started to leave.
As we watched them go Cana spoke up, "So it's going to be a year before they come to Fairy Tail? Damn, I was hoping to talk with Sho some more. It was fun to hear him gush about our magic. Cute too. Guess I gotta wait a year to ask for a date."
Erza's head snapped to face her older sister as the color red overcame her speechless face. I didn't see Natsu's or Gray's reactions as I turned to glare at the retreating form of Sho.
Much to my satisfaction, I noticed him shiver.
Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you all are finding some kind of joy in the holiday even with the state of the world right now. Anyway as a present for myself I'm going to be taking an extra week for the next chapter. Was hoping to use that week to relax a bit and maybe get a bit of work done on the original novel that I've been working on in my spare time.
AN: It never gets old writing Bishop as an overprotective brother. Any way that the Tower of Heaven arc is done. Overall I had more fun with the previous arc but this one was still fun it int's own way. Had a few problems here and there like with Erza's fight and the ending of this chapter, trying to get the goodbye between Erza and her friend just right. But in the end, I'm happy with the arc and I hope you guys enjoyed it. There should be at least one chapter between before the next arc, mainly setting things up for the next arc really.
Volfwildman still couldn't actually Beta this chapter as still hasn't gotten a new laptop. This weekly shout-out goes to Le055LiOn for being one of the few people to answer the question at the end of the last chapter. As for whether I'm going to be working on another fanfiction? I'm am working on another but not an ffx one, that said I'm going to take my time with it.
Ok so I've been sitting here for like ten minutes trying to think of something funny for this section and I got nothing. Leave a review for the holidays or something I kinda just want to go to bed right now.
Have a great day.
P a treon . com (slash) BETAsatchel