A/N: So, I apologize for taking the week off, but you all should be happy to know that I'm finally back!
Turns out it was just a very bad flu combined with a stomach bug, but thankfully, the meds the doctor gave me helped out a lot and the off-time from my uni classes combined with the meds and the rest helped me to be able to write these chapters.
Anyway, I'm sure you're not here to hear how I'm doing, so without further adieu, let the chapter begin.
P.S. Shameless Pat. Tre. On plug here for reading 10 chapters ahead.. We've finished with the Kokabiel War Arc and are now on the path to the Peace Treaty Conference Arc. If you wish to join, it's Pat. Reon/ KingCrimson Nova.
Now, let the chapter begin
With Issei, Saji and Meredith:
Kuoh Industrial District, Kuoh Town(Destroyed):
3rd Person POV:
"So, what do we do now that we're here?" Issei asked as he, Saji and Meredith walked around the industrial district, with Saji sighing as Meredith rolled her eyes.
"We're supposed to be on the lookout for any enemies and kill them. Don't you ever listen?"
"Nah, that's why I have Saji for that. He can listen for the both of us." Issei said with a grin and Meredith just shook her head as Saji snorted.
"Yeah, you're too much of an idiot to remember something as simple as that."
"Oh, fuck you, damn blonde bastard." Issei grumbled, making Saji chuckle and Meredith giggle before their heads snapped to in front of them, a dark green magic circle appearing in front of them before a tall, muscular blonde man and a bald man in a black suit appeared from the magic circle.
"So, these are our foes? The wielder of the Longinus Boosted Gear, a wielder of all four Vritra Gears and a witch with Alphecca Tyrant?" Luthor asked Laxus and he nodded, his fur-collar coat disappearing in a flash of yellow as he rolled his neck.
"Yes, but do not underestimate them. They may be children, but they're the peerage of Isaiah Azathoth. Be on guard." Laxus warned, to which Luthor just chuckled as his dark green magic crest appeared on his chest and coated him in a bright green light.
As the light died down, it revealed Luthor now dressed in an armoured suit made of green metal, a variety of runic languages written along the metal and coating it in a white glow as Laxus's form was covered in sparking crimson electricity.
"Who are they?" Saji asked as Absoprtion Line's gauntlets appeared on his hands, the Boosted Gear appearing on Issei's hand and a circlet of gold with jewels fitted around a central silver band appeared on top of Meredith's head.
"Lex Luthor, one of the Bishops of Bedeze Abaddon and called 'The Brainiac'. He combines alchemy and runes to create a suit of armour that functions similarly to a Queen Piece. Laxus Dreyar, one of the Knights of Bedeze Abaddaon and called 'The Lightning Dragon Slayer'. He has a Twice Critical that he fused with his Lightning magic to create a unique form of magic called Lightning Dragon Slayer magic that are very powerful against dragons and draconic beings." Meredith listed off, Issei and Saji nodding as Luthor frowned.
"You know a lot about us for a girl new to the Devil world."
"I'm Lord Isaiah's information specialist. It's my job to know everything about his foes." Meredith said with a smile, to which Luthor chuckled before Laxus spoke
. "I'll take care of the boys. You handle the girl." Luthor nodded as Laxus grunted, his form now fully coated in a cloak of crimson lightning before he jumped as a barrage of pale blue vines sprouted from the ground and barely missed him.
He didn't get a chance to rest as Issei appeared in front of him and kicked him through a building, sending him skidding across the ground before he flipped to his feet with nothing but a few scratches.
"We'll take care of him." Issei said and Meredith nodded before the two boys unfurled their wings, flying towards where Laxus was waiting as Luthor smirked at Meredith.
Issei & Saji Vs Laxus: BEGIN!
"So, how do we do this?" Issei whispered to Saji as they landed in front of Laxus, who was stretching his body as Saji rolled his shoulders.
"Maybe Balance Break?" Saji suggested and Issei shook his head as Laxus stared at them.
"I can barely keep it up for a minute while fighting. No, use your gears to keep him on his feet while I try and take him out. If it gets to the point that we need Balance Breaker, then we both use it." Saji nodded as Laxus sighed.
"It's a bad idea to discuss battle plans in front of your enemy."
"And it's a bad idea to let your enemy discuss battle ideas instead of taking them out." Saji fired back, making Laxus chuckle as he jumped on the balls of his feet.
"Touché. Let me rectify that." And in the blink of an eye, Issei crossed his arms in front of him and grunted as an electricity-coated arm clotheslined into his chest, sending him flying backwards before Laxus grunted as a fist coated in black flames smashed into his chest and sent him skidding backwards.
Quickly taking his shirt off, Laxus ripped off the shirt, now covered in dark purple flames, before tossing it away as the shirt was turned to ashes within seconds.
'The cursed immortal flames of Vritra. Not a fun thing to deal with.' Laxus thought with a frown as he stared at Saji before his frown deepened as he heard Issei groan.
"Damn, that thing packed one hell of a punch. I guess that's that Dragon Slayer magic working there." Issei said, to which Saji frowned before they stared at each other and nodded.
"Promotion: Queen!" Both guys exclaimed, the visage of a Queen Piece appearing behind both of them before their auras increased. Both boys then grinned before they disappeared and Laxus grinned as he raised his hands up to the sides, blocking a kick from both sides as Issei and Saji grinned at them.
He roared as he pushed both of them away, both boys flipping to their feet before Issei's eyes widened as Laxus turned into crimson lightning and reappeared in front of him. His fist was coated in dense crimson lightning before Issei gasped as the fist smashed into his chest and sent him flying head over heels into a building.
Laxus didn't get a chance to pursue him as pale blue vines wrapped around his throat, Saji roaring as he smashed him into the ground before he gritted his teeth as black flames wrapped around the vines and scorched his skin.
Lightning covered his hands as he gripped the vines before pulling his head loose and letting go of it, just in time as the black flames transformed into dark purple flames and made the air around the vines steam.
'So the black flames are not as powerful as the purple flames, which means that the purple flames are the actual cursed flames of Vritra while the black flames are more for capturing me and keeping me in one spot. Possibly a byproduct of Shadow Prison, perhaps.' Laxus thought with a frown before his head snapped to the side as Issei's voice came from the destroyed rubble.
"Damnit! Saji is right there! Attack him too!" Issei shouted at him as he tore off the remainder of his shirt, leaving him in nothing more than a pair of tattered dark brown dress pants and black shoes.
"You're the biggest threat here. Why wouldn't he target you?" Saji said with a smirk, Laxus frowning as Issei just crossed his arms and grumbled under his breath.
"That would have been enough to completely drop an Ultimate-Class being. There's no way you, a reincarnated Devil, would survive that." Laxus said, to which Issei just grinned as Saji chuckled.
"Yeah, I should have died, but I didn't." He said, making Laxus growl slightly before Saji spoke.
"Come on. We still have to meet up with the others, so let's get this over with." Issei just sighed as he walked towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Fine. 5 Boosts, here you go."
[TRANFER!]
Laxus' eyes widened as he heard the announcement before Saji's aura skyrocketed to tremendous levels, with him grinning at Laxus before he grinned at Laxus as he smashed both Absorption Line gauntlets into the ground.
In the blink of an eye, Laxus blasted skywards as a sea of vines sprouting from Saji's gauntlets and snaking across the ground as they turned the entirety of the streets a bright pale blue.
Black flames wrapped around the vines, coating the street in a sea of black flames and vines before his frown deepened as the shadows of the vines and the rubble around them darkened to pitch black.
"I guess it's fine to go all out." Laxus muttered under his breath as he clenched his right hand, a fingerless yellow gauntlet appearing around his hand.
[BOOST!]
Laxus' aura output doubled as the sky around him vibrated and crackled with static before he stretched his arms out to the side, dark crimson lightning sparking through the air around him. Issei and Saji's eyes widened as a monstrous crimson lightning spear appeared floating above the city, dense electricity sparking around it as Laxus gave them a fanged grin.
"Hehe…Uh, can you block that?" Issei asked Saji with a nervous smile, his nervousness increasing as Saji frowned before he placed his palms on the ground.
"If I don't, we're dead." He muttered, to which Issei just groaned as Laxus grinned at them.
"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd." Laxus chanted under his breath, the spear glowing brightly before it was sent flying at blistering speed towards the duo on the ground and Saji grunted.
The sea of vines, flames and shadows quickly stretched to above them, the shadows and flames wrapping around the lightning spear and enveloping it in darkness while the vines quickly attached themselves to the spear and turned a bright blue.
Saji gritted his teeth and his nose began to bleed as he strained his body to continue draining more and more energy from the spear, feeling how the poisonous energy from the Dragon Slayer magic was slowly breaking his body before he gasped as he finally drained everything from the spear.
Issei quickly knelt and caught him as Saji gave a weak chuckle and a thumbs-up.
"Guess you owe me one." He muttered as he felt his entire body ache, Issei just rolling his eyes as he laid him down on the ground.
"Yeah, yeah. Now, release your Gears before you keel over dead. Don't want the Boss to be mad at me for letting you die on my watch."
"Hehe." Saji just chuckled a he made the vines, flames and shadows disappear, Laxus finally floating back to the ground as Issei rolled his shoulders and stretched his body.
"Okay, guess it's just us two." Issei said with a grin and Laxus just stared at him before he grunted.
"Balance Break: Dragon Force." The fingerless gauntlet disappeared as yellow lizard-like scales appeared on Laxus' arms and face, his nails growing to claws and his pupils disappearing as he let out a destructive roar.
"So, you're actually going all-out. I suppose I can do the same. Balance Break." Issei chanted with a grin, the Boosted Gear glowing brightly before Ddraig's voice roared to life.
[WELSH DRAGON BALANCE BREAKER: SCALE MAIL!]
Crimson armour in the form of a dragon and studded with round emerald orbs wrapped around Issei's form, a dragon-head helmet appearing on his head as a tail appeared on his backside.
"Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!" Laxus didn't waste any time as he bolted forward, Issei giving an excited giggle before he bolted towards the man as well. The two men appeared in front of each other and pulled a fist back, Laxus' covered in crimson lightning and Issei's covered in an emerald green aura, before they both punched as hard as they could. Lightning and aura clashed as the ground under them cratered, parts of Issei's armour being shaved off by the electricity before it regrew just as fast.
[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!] Ddraig's voice boomed as he shouted Boost after Boost, Laxus' eyes widening as Issei slowly pushed him back before he pushed his fist out of the way and smashed into his chest.
"Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" Laxus, however, did not let the pain stop him as he buried his feet into the ground to stop himself from being sent flying back before he raised his hands up into a hammer fist and smashed them into Issei's back.
Issei grunted as he was smashed face first into the crater under them before he roared as he pushed himself back to his feet and landed a devastating haymaker into Laxus' chin. The Rook of Bedeze was disoriented as he stumbled back and Issei was quickly to capitalize on that moment, pulling his other fist back and sending it flying forward.
"Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!" Laxus gritted out as Issei's fist smashed into his jaw, sending his lightning coated punch into Issei's jaw and making him grunt as he was sent skidding backward.
"Lightning Dragon's Iron Meltdown!" Laxus roared as he turned into lightning and dashed towards Issei, pulling both of his fist back before sending them flying forward in a barrage of crimson punches.
[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!] Boost after boost was activated by Issei, the Pawn roaring as a dense emerald aura wrapped around his form before he sent punch after punch flying at Laxus as well.
Lightning crackled and tore through the destroyed rubble while shock wave after shock wave echoed throughout the destroyed city, dragon and dragon slayer having an all-out brawl as they delivered punch after punch onto their opponent, ending in a stale mate as both fighters landed a monstrous hook and sending each other flying in different directions.
"I'm not done yet!" Issei roared as he pushed rubble off of him and leapt to his feet, his eyes widening as Laxus was already a few feet away from him with a fist coated in dark crimson lightning so dense and so powerful it made the air around him vibrate.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Roaring THUNDER!" Laxus roared as he punched forward, a gargantuan crimson bolt of lightning roaring to life and flying towards Issei before he could blink.
"Balance Break: Hermit Purple." Laxus' eyes widened as Saji's voice came from behind him, dark purple thorny vines sprouting from the ground and completely snuffing around his lightning and wrapping around his form as Issei grinned.
[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! TRANSFER!] Issei bolted forward as he activated his final Boosts, all of his power wrapping around his right fist and skidding to a stop right in front of Laxus as Saji pinned his limbs to his side.
"Dragon Fist!" Issei roared as he pulled his fist back, Laxus' eyes widening as the visage of a terrifying dragon with crimson scales appeared behind Issei before his vision turned black as the fist smashed into his jaw.
The cracking of bones echoed throughout the empty street and the air around them trembled as Issei pushed his fist into Laxus' jaw before smashing him head first straight into the ground. The ruined buildings around them collapsed, a destructive shock wave pushing all the rubble and destroyed cars around them away as Issei gave a tired chuckle, blue vines wrapping around his form and pulling him far away from the destruction.
"You really have to learn to pull back." Saji muttered and Issei just chuckled as he wrapped his arm around his shoulders, the two supporting each other as they watched the defeated Laxus just laying still in the crater.
"So, how did you manage to get up?" Issei asked and Saji just raised an eyebrow at him.
"You do realize Absorption Line lets me absorb energy from others and use that energy to boost myself or restore my own, right?"
"…Huh, good to know." Issei said with a nod, making Saji sigh as he wrapped a vine around Issei, making him sigh in relief as he felt a bit of energy return to him.
"Come on. Let's get Meredith and go meet up with the boss." Saji said with a grin and Issei grinned and nodded as the two slowly limped to where they last saw Meredith.
Issei and Saji vs Laxus Dreyar:
Winner: Issei and Saji
Battle Time: 2 minutes 14 seconds
A few Minutes Earlier:
Meredith vs Lex Luthor: BEGIN!
"Now that it's only you and I, are you certain you wish to fight me, little girl?" Luthor asked with an amused smirk, it waning slightly as Meredith just giggled.
"Why? Are you afraid that this little girl might defeat you? I did not think that 'The Brainiac' Lex Luthor was nothing more than a coward, but you know how the saying goes. 'All bark and no bite'." Meredith countered with a smile and a ladylike giggle, hiding her grin behind her sleeve as Luthor's smirk disappeared and he glared at her.
"I was going to let you live, but now, you're dead." He snarled as he stomped his foot on the ground, runic patterns spreading out and sealing the two of them in a runic cage before his eyes widened as Meredith waved her hand and she destroyed each seal with ease.
"You may have been the best specialist on runic languages and enchanting before, but now, all of your runes are nothing before me." She declared with a smile, waving her hand before Luthor's eyes widened as runic crests appeared in front of her and sent out a series of golden spear-tipped chains flying at him.
Twin rockets appeared on Luthor's back before they activated, sending him blasting into the air and the chains barely missed him before they swerved and flew after him. Luthor smashed his knuckles together and dark green crystals appeared around him before he punched at the chains, Meredith frowning as the chains quickly destroyed the chains, but were also destroyed in the process.
'Those are not ordinary crystals he's making.' She thought with a frown as she created more and more chains, Luthor just grinning as he created a cage of crystals around himself. The chains quickly wrapped around the crystal cage before Meredith's eyes widened as she watched the chains erode and be destroyed in the blink of an eye.
'There's no doubt about it. The crystals nullify all forms of magic.' Meredith thought as she frowned at the smug grin on Luthor's face before she grinned at him.
Oh well, that's why Isa taught her close combat.
With a lunge, her wings were out and she bolted through the air, Luthor's eyes widening as she created a sword made out of white light, with the blade being in the form of a nail, before she slashed rapidly and destroyed his crystal cage with ease.
'She broke through my Kryptonite just like that?! Impossible!' Luthor gritted his teeth as he flew backwards, though not fast enough as Meredith got a shallow cut on his cheek. Meredith grinned before she snapped her fingers, Luthor's eyes widening and letting out a pained hiss as the Holy energy burned him and he completely forgot about…something?
"Feel like you're forgetting something, dear Mr. Luthor?" Meredith asked with a knowing grin, only making Luthor's frustration grow even more as he tried to remember what he had forgotten only to come up blank.
'I have a damn photographic memory! How the hell do I not remember something?' Luthor raged in his mind and Meredith giggled as he glared at him.
"What did you do to me?!" He snarled and she just shrugged.
"Who knows? Why don't you try and remember it?" She said with a smile, dashing down as runic crests appeared around her and chains made out of the emerald crystals tried to wrap around her body.
"Whew~! That was a close one! Come now, Mr. Luthor! I'm certain, someone with a head as big as yours, has some sort of plan to capture me hidden somewhere in that cranium." Luthor just growled at her insults and mocking before he smashed his knuckles together once more and Meredith's eyes widened as a monstrous runic crest appeared above the city.
"That has enough energy to blow the entire city to smithereens! Which will you defend from?!" Luthor exclaimed with a grin as he pointed his fist at her, a series of runic crests appearing behind him before chain after chain sprouted from the crests and rocketed towards her.
"You underestimate me, Mr. Luthor." Meredith muttered under her breath as she dismissed her nail-like sword, Luthor grinning at his supposed victory before his eyes widened as a pure white runic crest appeared under his own, just as big as the green one above it, before golden chains wrapped around both of the crests.
Meredith was not done as she snapped her fingers, both crests cracking before they both shattered, a bright gold aura pouring off of her and destroying the chains before they could even reach her as she smiled at him.
"Balance Break: Fantasia of the Forgetful Princess." Meredith chanted with a smile, her outfit glowing a bright gold before it transformed into a beautiful, white satin sun dress. A white witch's hat appeared on top of her head and a staff in the form of a very thin nail and made out of golden light appeared in her grasp.
"Well, Mr. Luthor. I suppose since you want to end this as fast as you can, I can oblige." Meredith said with a soft smile, Luthor creating barrier after barrier made out of Kryptonite around him yet it was all useless as a bright golden aura shot out of Meredith's staff and crashed through all of his cages.
The aura took the shape of a hand before wrapping around his form, sealing him in a golden cage before Meredith closed her eyes and spread her arms out wide.
"Memories are the story of your soul, the fuel that powers your spirit. Let your precious memories become energy once more and return to the Void." Meredith chanted as her nail-like staff glowed brightly, Luthor gasping in pain as the holy aura burned him and he felt memory after memory being destroyed.
Not finished, Meredith bolted forward before she stabbed her staff forward and pierced through his chest, the Holy Energy burning him from the inside as she gave him a final smile.
"May you rest in peace." And with that, her staff pulsed and Luthor let out a silent scream as his body was burnt to ashes, Meredith watching as her dress, hat and staff turned back into motes of light and her previous outfit appeared once more around her body.
"Ow! Ow! That smarts." She hissed as she felt the 2nd degree burns across her body from the side-effect of using her Balance Breaker before she groaned in relief as she slowly healed her wounds using Healing Magic.
'Maybe investing in bettering my Healing Magic a bit would have been better.' She thought with a frown as she watched her wounds close one by one and sighed in relief as she finished healing herself.
"Now, to go look for those idiots and here's to hoping they didn't kill themselves." She muttered under her breath as she dismissed Alphecca Tyrant before she gave a giggle as she felt the two idiots walking closer.
Meredith vs Lex Luthor:
Winner: Meredith
Battle Time: 1 minutes 23 seconds
A/N: And there we go! The first battle done!
Next up, Samson, Bardou and Valerie vs Netero and Tom!
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…
Ba-Bye~!