(Edited 23/08/24)
I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.
The Necro Lord And His Undead Legion
***POTD***
A full week had passed since the slaughter in the canyon, as the team tracked the Arch Vampire back to a formidable fortress nestled deep in the heart of Draconia. The place was extremely well fortified, housing tens of thousands of Vampire troops, and was undoubtedly the home of the Royal Vampires, the ominous castle nestled at the heart of the fortress being a rather telling sign.
The small team sat around a campfire hidden within a cave, going over all the intel they'd managed to gather on the place. Despite half of them being absurdly powerful, Alucard warned them not to underestimate the enemy. A warning that came to be extremely valid, considering their current topic of discussion.
"Then we have to confirm it," Irene spoke firmly, waving her staff as a projection slowly manifested before them. "The Necro Lord is present here as well."
All eyes turned toward Irene's projection of the Necro Lord. A short, stubby little creature that barely seemed Human. It had no hair, pale blue skin, long elongated fingers and razor-sharp teeth. In its right hand it held a shaman staff, the skull of some poor person mounted onto it, and several small skulls around its neck.
"At least we know he's present," Brandish replied, eyeing the projection in disgust. "Now we can kill him too."
"Have we established a trend on what the regular Necromancers are capable of summoning at their maximum," Natsu asked curiously.
"For the most part, it seems the regular ones are stuck to summoning whatever those bug creatures are, or any Human corpses they manage to get their grubby little claws on," Irene replied darkly. "The only outlier was the Dragon that the group from the canyon managed to conjure up."
"I'd be inclined to believe that necrotic Dragon was a special case. Not only did it take a group of them to summon it, but it's the corpse of a damn Dragon," Natsu replied, shaking his head as he remembered the thing. "Seilah?"
"Yes Master?"
"Have you and Yasmin found any intel on what section of the fortress the Necro Lord might be dwelling in?"
"Very little I'm afraid. As we pursued the Necro Lord, Arch Vampires kept throwing themselves in our way to bar us from tracking him all the way into the fortress."
"But I'd put good money on him being either cozied up with the Royals, or on the fortress ramparts," Yasmin agreed, as a projection of the main frontal wall appeared from Irene's staff. "Either he's cowering for protection, or his undead forces will be the first line of defense their fortress has."
"A rather astute observation dear," Eliza agreed, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I don't believe it to be mere coincidence that all around the fortress is a barren, lifeless, yet entirely flat surface…"
"Perfect for hiding an undead legion," Alucard smirked. "This Necro Lord does indeed appear a cut above the rest, doesn't he?"
"Either that, or the Royal Vampires merely ordered him to create the defenses that way," Irene added thoughtfully. "Either way, it matters little. The Necro Lord holds a unique position among the Vampire forces, which means we're in for a fight regardless."
"It also means our group is left facing a double-edged sword," Alucard agreed, clearly amused at the thought. "We're essentially facing their strongest, making this potentially the last fight needed to wipe them out. However, that means we'll need to decide who shall face who before we arrive? There are seven of us, four of us being strong enough to face the King and Queen respectively. Three of us can at least contend with the Vampire Prince, but that still leaves the Necro Lord, all the undead, the thousands of Vampires under all their command, as well as the horde of Arch Vampires too…"
"Well, if we're deciding this now, I assume you'll want a crack at the Vampire King," Natsu mused, eliciting an amused chuckle from the Devil. "I suppose I'll support you with that."
"I'm facing the Vampire Queen," Irene chimed in firmly, clearly uninterested in allowing anyone else to steal her win.
"Then I shall face the Prince, Lady Irene," Brandish spoke up, surprising both Natsu and Irene.
"Are you certain you can handle him alone Brandish," Irene asked, clearly worried for the younger woman. "Last time, it took both yourself and Yasmin just to match him?"
"It won't go the same way Lady Irene," Brandish replied firmly, a rare display of real determination in her gaze. "Not after the scar he left on me…"
"You mean the one on your back," Natsu asked, eliciting a curt nod from the Spriggan. "Let her fight him Irene?"
"Very well," the Spriggan sighed, shaking her head, as Seilah decided to speak up.
"I think I'll be best suited to fight the Necro Lord. Out of all of us, I'm currently best suited to face single targets rather than crowds of enemies. Though I've yet to fully awaken all the abilities Zeref imbued me with when he created me to be your Assistant Master, I believe I have enough to get the job done. In addition, I can also borrow your own abilities in a pinch, can't I?"
"Wait, you can just use Natsu's abilities," Yasmin blinked. "Since when?"
"Since I became a Devil, and she my Assistant," Natsu replied with a shrug. "She can also borrow my battle power as well."
"What!?"
"That's how it works," Alucard smirked, tapping his fingers against his cane in amusement. "Seras and I often do that."
"Best not to think too hard on it dear," Eliza smirked, amused at the shocked response from the mortals. "It's a rather unique connection between Master and Servant, hence why she refers to him as her Master."
"Still, you're sure you want to fight the Necro Lord alone Seilah? You haven't managed to tap into the Devil's Aura yet?"
"I'm certain Master. With each battle, I feel my strength increasing," the Demoness replied firmly. "The best way for me to improve is to do my job as your Assistant. If that means killing a disgusting looking gremlin such as that, then so be it."
"Gremlin is putting it mildly," Natsu snorted in reply. "But fair. Keep our mental connection open, and take strength if you end up needing it."
"Of course Master," Seilah nodded, happy that Natsu had enough faith in her.
"I suppose that leaves me on cleanup duty then," Yasmin said, clearly not too bothered by it. "Makes sense, seeing as I can handle crowds easily enough."
"Crowd control is arguably going to be the most important job out of all of them," Irene pointed out, which had Yasmin sitting up a little bit straighter. "Considering the sheer volume of enemy forces, you'll have your work cut out for you Yasmin."
"Then we should definitely attack at night when I'll be at my strongest," the Leichart member replied, eliciting understanding nods from the whole group. "Nice. Now then, I'm going to sleep…"
Falling backwards, Yasmin was out like a light right at six in the morning on the dot. The rest of the group couldn't help but chuckle at her antics, as Brandish dragged her by the leg back toward the makeshift beds that they'd made up nearby.
"I suppose we'd all better rest up whilst we can," Natsu sighed, as Irene blocked the entrance to the cave with a large boulder to keep their location hidden. "Twelve hours from now…we're going in."
The rest of the group nodded silently, as they all went to go and relax. They all knew the night to come would be rough on all of them.
Except for Eliza… She knew she'd be sitting pretty regardless.
***POTD***
"Well, we finally made it," Erza sighed, as she sat down on a smooth rock, Mira and Elise quickly following suit.
After discovering Wendy's disappearance, the trio had searched high and low for the young Dragon Slayer, to no avail. Upon their return to Magnolia, they were shocked to learn that Porlyusica of all people had gone missing as well.
But before they had the chance to get comfortable after their trip, the Magic Council had rolled on into town, demanding the immediate seizure of all assets belonging to the Fairy Tail Guild, and the interrogation of its members.
At Makarov's urging, the pair quietly skipped town, along with Laxus and the Thunder Legion. The two groups had traveled as far as the Fioran/Boscan border before splitting up, agreeing to contact each other when the time was right.
Which led the trio to their current location.
After spending several months traveling through the Kingdom of Bosco, they'd come to despise its Government as much as they despised the Magic Council. The entire place was rotten to the core, and they'd found themselves forced to flee more than one town after slavers had attempted to…acquire them.
But finally, after far too much walking, they'd arrived at the location Eliza had asked them to go. The place was in the far Northern reaches of Bosco, nearing the frozen wastes that separated the continent of Ishgar to the undocumented Northern Frontier.
"So, what now?"
"Mother told us to start training before she arrived, so we do that," Elise replied with a dull shrug. "Honestly, the weather isn't too bad to train. Not too hot, but not freezing cold either."
"I guarantee you that Eliza will have us marching further North once she shows up," Mira sighed, stretching her legs. "Goodness… I don't think I've been on a journey like this since before Lisanna died?"
"It certainly was a journey," Erza sighed in agreement, as she contemplated what had led up to this point. "I still can't believe what the Council was doing to Magnolia when we left…"
"They got really ballsy, that's for sure," Elise agreed. "Back when I was a Rune Knight, no way in Hell you'd ever be allowed to just walk into a town and start draining it dry to punish the Guild and the citizens who support it."
"I'm pretty sure they're actually violating the accord they themselves signed to bring an end to the Guild Wars too," Mira pointed out. "It seems the new Chairman of the Magic Council wants Fairy Tail gone for good."
"Crawford Seam," Elise spat. "He was one of the most arrogant, useless, corrupt pieces of shit I remember. The amount of his crimes that the Rune Knights buried…"
"And to think that he promoted Lahar for exposing Natsu too," Erza scowled, fists clenched tightly as she thought about how Natsu must be feeling as a wanted criminal.
"Something doesn't seem right about all that," Mira muttered, eyes narrowed as she pondered everything that had happened during Crawford Seam's rise. "The timing, and the people involved…"
"Its definitely suspicious," Erza agreed. "No way does Org get assassinated on the same day Lahar outs Natsu as E.N.D…"
"I wouldn't put it past the slimy bastard to have had a hand in all this," Elise agreed. "But neither Lahar, nor Seam, are smart enough to pull off something this large in scale? Someone had to have helped them?"
"But who?"
"I have a feeling we'll find out sooner or later," Elise replied, her eyes narrowing as she thought of Lahar. "Ever the opportunist…"
"Well, let's put aside the darker stuff for now and get a camp going," Mira said suddenly, clapping her hands to snap her friends out of their dark musings. "Tomorrow we're going to start training for real, so we'd better enjoy our last day of not feeling like crap!"
"Fair enough Mira," Erza smiled, shaking her head as she released a portable tent kit from her Requip Space. "Let's get this set up first."
The girls eagerly got stuck into preparing their new base camp for the foreseeable future, their thoughts still drifting back to the situation brewing in Fiore, and the pink haired Dragon Slayer who stood at the center of it all.
***POTD***
The sun had just set over the fortress, as the team stood on a cliff overlooking the barren wasteland between them, and the Vampire hordes.
"Well, it definitely looks more intimidating up close," Yasmin joked, as they surveyed the outer rampart walls. "I wonder what they made the place out of?"
"Looks like they made the walls out of tungsten," Eliza hummed, seemingly impressed. "I'm surprised they wasted tungsten on doing that?"
"Then they painted it black," Brandish scoffed. "Talk about living up to the damn stereotype?"
"It looks like they've been waiting for us," Irene noted, as everyone looked off in the direction she was pointing. "The Necro Lord is standing on the wall, dead center."
"It was wise of us to not blindly charge across that open expanse then, wasn't it," Seilah mused, as they slowly descended down to where the large stretch of land began. "Do we have a plan for-?"
Seilah immediately fell silent as the entire group felt a sudden surge of power directly ahead of them. To those who could see, the Necro Lord had raised his staff and begun chanting, a monstrous amount of Magical Energy flooding the area.
"Seems the Necro Lord is happy to see us," Alucard mused, as the ground ahead of them split open like a cut into flesh, undead pouring from the wound in the earth like blood. "Looks like it's starting…"
The group stood their ground as an army of ten thousand undead rose up to bar their path, each and every last one augmented in grotesque and bizarre ways. It was clear now why the Necro Lord held such a prestigious position among the Vampire Army, as no other Necromancer had come even a fraction close to the power on display before them.
"How can he summon that many at once?"
"I'd say this is how he earned his title of Necro Lord, Natsu," Alucard muttered, as Irene stepped forward.
"The enemy has shown their opening hand… I think its high time we respond," Irene spoke sharply, looking over her shoulder at the group. "I will brute force us a path. Once its open, we all need to quickly reach the rampart walls. Yasmin, you'll need to begin keeping them off of us!"
"Understood ma'am!"
"Very good," Irene replied, as she turned around to face the horde of undead. "Prepare yourselves!"
Natsu felt Irene's monstrous reserves wash over them like a tidal wave, an explosive grey Aura erupting around her form as she raised her staff high above her head.
"Sage Dragon Monarch's Deus Sema!"
Making a swift downward striking motion with her staff, Natsu immediately raised a Crash Barrier around the group as Irene instantly grabbed an asteroid from space and brought it crashing down to their current location.
"HEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Color me impressed," Alucard roared, his eyes wide with glee at the rather impressive feat. "You brought that down from orbit in under a second!"
The force from the impact had completely devastated the area, instantly annihilating thousands of the undead who had been at ground zero of the blast, and setting the rest alight as a wave of fire and rock rolled over the area.
The fallout washed harmlessly over the group however, courtesy of Natsu's Crash Barrier, as the Spriggan raised her staff once again.
"Sage Dragon Monarch's Zephyr!"
Pointing her staff dead ahead, Irene fired a massive blast of raw wind that split the fallout of her previous attack clean in half, giving the group a direct path right up to the rampart gates themselves.
"Let's go," Natsu shouted, as the entire group sprinted ahead, Irene's second attack still pushing back the fire and smoke to reveal many undead that were still standing, shambling their way toward them.
Alucard opened fire on the ones directly ahead, blasting them apart with single shots, as they quickly reached the outer walls.
"Well, now what!?"
"Simple," Natsu smirked, cocking back as Magic exploded from his form. "I'm gonna punch right through this wall!"
"You're going to punch it," Alucard smirked, as fire exploded around Natsu's fist. "You really are amusing!"
"Trust me, I've done all this before," Natsu joked, launching himself ahead of the group as he cocked his fist right back. "Devil's Aura: Fire Dragon Monarch's Destabilizing Demolition Fist!"
With a single punch, Natsu smashed right through the rampart walls, killing dozens of Vampires who had been behind it, as the group quickly charged inside. Irene and Brandish stayed behind with Yasmin, however, as the latter faced down the horde of undead that were charging the newly formed hole.
"Well, Natsu never did do things by halves, did he," Brandish smirked, hearing more Vampires being roasted nearby. "Lady Irene?"
"Yes?"
"I must ask… Once we've dealt with the Vampire menace, what are we planning on doing about Natsu?"
The Spriggan paused, noticing that both Brandish and Yasmin eyed her curiously. Despite technically being enemies, it was obvious that the two felt similarly to how she did.
"I've thought about it for some time now… How does one turn on a comrade whom we have fought back-to-back with for several months? How do we betray a man who willingly lent us his aid, despite all we had done to him? How do we choose between our bond forged with him through war, and our loyalty to Lord Zeref?"
Twirling her staff, Irene casually knocked an Arch Vampire on his back, the end of the staff shimmering to reveal it an ornate blade. Piercing the Vampire through the forehead, she twirled her staff expertly and slashed two more without even looking at them, before gently bringing the tip of the blade to rest on the ground once more.
"All I can tell you both…is to do as your heart commands. I promise you both that I shall be doing the same in this matter."
Irene turned and began walking away from the pair, pausing momentarily, before looking over her shoulder with a cheeky smirk.
"He really will make a suitable Husband…for my Daughter…"
Brandish and Yasmin could only gape in shock at their superior's words, even as she disappeared from view. The pair quickly shook themselves free of their shocked stupor, as Brandish picked up a small rock and tossed it at the hole in the wall, enlarging it to block the undead from having easy access.
"Did she really just say that?"
"I think she did," Brandish muttered, clearly conflicted. "This changes many things Yasmin…"
"How strange," Yasmin agreed, as they turned to look at the battle ahead of them. "The once cold and ruthless Irene Belserion has softened up enough to declare Erza Scarlett as her Daughter?"
"Perhaps if Natsu were a part of the Alvarez Empire from the start, things truly would be different?"
"I doubt even he'd be able to change the likes of Lord August, Lord Harkon, Lady Maya or Lord Larcade?"
"Either way, keep your feelings about Natsu to yourself Yasmin. Most of those above us wouldn't take kindly to them," Brandish warned the Leichart woman. "Now go, do what you can to delay the Vampire reinforcements."
"Right," Yasmin nodded, vanishing in a flash of dark blue, leaving Brandish alone to her thoughts for a moment.
The future of the Empire shall be interesting… All thanks to you, Natsu.'
***POTD***
The castle at the heart of the fortress shook violently as the group began their attack. The King and Queen sitting on their thrones calmly, even as several Arch Vampires burst into the hall, clearly panicked by the assault.
"My Lord," the lead Vampire cried out, as the whole group dropped to their knees before the thrones. "The enemy have breached the rampart walls and culled three quarters of the Necro Lord's perimeter forces!"
"Is that so? Is it all of them?"
"Yes, my Lord, all of them, including the Vampire you warned us all about!"
"Then the time has come," the King muttered, still seated atop his shadowed throne. "I can sense… One Divine, and two Demonic presences…"
"I can sense the woman I fought in the past," the Queen sniffed, eyes narrowed into slits. "Irene Belserion… I'll not be denied my chance to kill her this time."
"I would not deprive you of the chance, my dear," the King smirked. "Make sure you rouse our Son and have him confront one of the weaker ones…"
"And you? Are you planning on rousing it?"
"I must if we are to stand any chance of winning, my dear," the King replied calmly. "I must wait for the pink haired one to arrive along with Alucard however, so make sure those two specifically slip through the defenses without making it look too obvious."
"Of course, I'll send word to the Arch Vampires," the Queen nodded stiffly, turning on her heel as she waved her right hand, dismissing all the Vampires in the room.
"Wife?"
"Yes, dear Husband?"
"Don't die. It would be a real shame if you did."
"You could at least ask me not to die with a shred of emotion behind your voice, dearest Husband?"
"Ours was an alliance of convenience, dearest Wife," the man chuckled in reply. "Though I'll admit that I'd be most unhappy if you were to die. Compared to most beings from this strange Reality, I find your mindset most agreeable."
"I do believe that's why we started working together, wasn't it?"
"Indeed. Yet now we find ourselves facing almost certain death," the King replied in amusement. One true God, two Devils, and several other powerful foes, all who can crush our forces quite easily."
"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose your lack of emotional response makes sense," the Queen replied, shaking her head. "Very well. I shall find our foolish Son and ensure he does something useful by taking out at least one of their number."
With that, the Queen dispersed into a swarm of bats, vanishing from the room, as the King chuckled to himself.
"How long has it been since I've felt tension such as this I wonder? Too long… Far too long indeed," the King smirked, as he made his way toward the spiral staircase, heading underground to the excavated ruins beneath the castle.
Upon arriving in the church, he looked over at the statue, which lay as dormant as it always had. But the King knew that soon, very soon, it would move once more.
"Show me a good war, like those of the long distant past…"
***POTD***
As the battle around the Vampire fortress raged on, Seilah had wisely decided to take a much stealthier approach. Having managed to sneak in during all the chaos, she was hunting her target, the Necro Lord.
Sneaking through various corridors and hallways, the Demoness checked every room, annoyed that she had yet to find him. Unfortunately, he seemed to be skilled in the art of suppressing his power, making him more annoying to track.
Reaching what appeared to be a drawbridge to the castle that loomed over the fortress, Seilah crossed it silently, finding herself entering a strange sort of cathedral area, where the Necro Lord stood waiting.
Before him, prostrating themselves, were multiple Vampire Necromancers, each deceased, their blood flowing up into his staff as he held it high above his head. Seilah watched as the Necro Lord began to grow in height, eventually hitting six and a half feet before ceasing.
"You were a fool to come here, Demon," the Necro Lord spoke darkly, slowly turning around to face her. "You aren't one of the ones the King deemed important. Therefore, you are disposable…"
"The only one here who is getting disposed of, is you," Seilah shot back, eliciting an amused chuckle from the Necro Lord. "My Master has ordered your extermination."
"Ah. So, you serve one of the stronger ones then? It matters little," the Necromancer muttered, shaking his head. "Your Fate was sealed the moment you entered this place."
"The only corpses you have access to here are those of your dead followers," Seilah pointed out. "Your form is still far too frail to combat me head-to-head."
"Foolish Demon, I'm a Vampire, and an older one at that! In addition, I'm also a Grand Master of Necromancy Magic and a Master Blood Mage," the Necro Lord hissed in reply. "You will not defeat me!"
"Your arrogance in your strength won't be enough to stop me from carrying out Master Natsu's orders," Seilah replied firmly, slipping into a defensive stance. "This is his first real task he's relied on me for… I won't fail!"
"By all means, do try and slay me," the Necro Lord laughed, dispersing into a swarm of bats and reappearing up on the third-floor balcony. "But know that all that awaits you is a grim fate!"
"Oh großzügiges Lebenselixier der sterblichen Rassen, gewähre mir die Kraft, diesen Dämon zu töten!"
Seilah watched in shock as the bodies of the deceased Necromancers all rose up in unison, flying into the Necro Lord's body, seemingly merging with it. The Necro Lord crouched down, seemingly grunting, as his body pulsed rapidly, before immediately doubling in size, causing the balcony to collapse from his newfound weight.
"What…!?"
The Necro Lord landed atop the dais at the end of the hall, now a fully revitalized humanoid entity. It was clear he wasn't entirely Human, with razor sharp teeth and pale green skin, his eyes the signature red of all Vampires.
"Behold! I am…REBORN," the Necro Lord roared, extending his arms outward as the windows around them shattered from his voice alone.
"W-What have you done," Seilah gasped, having not seen such Dark Magic since her time with Lord Zeref so long ago. "To defy the very laws of nature, stealing the remaining life essence housed within a corpse as your own is sacrilege!"
"The laws do not apply universally to those who refuse to acknowledge them," the Necro Lord smirked, flexing his newfound body before cracking his knuckles. "I claim one hundred of the damned in order to regress to my younger self. And, in exchange, I shall slaughter a thousand down the line in recompense!"
"That's insane… What type of Magic could allow such a thing!?"
"Heh. It should be obvious by now, little Demon," the Necro Lord laughed cruelly. "Blood Magic is the Magic that bears the most untapped potential! Within this kingdom of undeath, I have researched long into its aspects, unlocking the ability to manipulate one of the core tenets of mankind itself, bending it to my very will!"
"But that's-!"
"Impossible," the Necro Lord smirked, waving his arm to the right, as the wall collapsed just from the force his swing generated. "No… With this power…I CAN DO ANYTHING!"
The Necro Lord cackled with glee, as he was surrounded by the signature reddish hue all Blood Mages possessed, his raw Magical Power like an immense tidal wave that crashed down upon her.
The Necro Lord (One Hundred Bodies Absorbed + Suppressed) – 4.42 Billion MPI
"You are certainly one of the most powerful beings I've met," Seilah admitted quietly, steeling herself, as she glared up at the Necro Lord. "But you aren't going to win this fight."
"Ho!? And why is that, little Demon!?"
"Because… I am Seilah, Assistant to Natsu Dragneel, the Devil of this world," Seilah proclaimed loudly, as she opened up her own reserves. "And I will NOT suffer your existence any longer!"
"What," the Necro Lord hissed, as Etherious Aura flooded the room, the Demoness sliding into an offensive stance, coated in the pitch-black Aura associated with the Demons of Zeref. "Impossible!"
Seilah (PTS + Assistant Bond Established + Etherious Aura + Suppressed) – 4.77 Billion MPI
"Let's go," Seilah muttered, as the pair vanished, appearing at the centre of the room, their fists connecting with a resounding bang.
The entire building was blasted apart, the walls instantly being disintegrated, as the roof was blown off onto the fortress ramparts below, exposing their battle to the outside elements. The pair separated, before rushing one another and beginning to trade a series of fierce blows.
Attempting to strike the Necro Lord in the face, he dodged her punch and attempted to strike her with a returning punch of his own. However, Seilah had already anticipated his reaction, flipping herself to the left and kicking his fist off course with her left leg, before striking him across the face with her right.
Landing on one foot, she immediately followed up by spinning around and kicking him in the chest, sending him flying up into the castle behind him, folding an entire section of it in, giving her a brief moment to contemplate her next move.
'He's faster than I'd anticipated. I possess the slight advantage in raw power, but that won't guarantee victory here… My Macro Curse will be useless in this battle, which means I'll need to rely more heavily on Darkness Magic, Illusion Magic, and most likely, one of Master Natsu's Magics?'
Reaching into their shared connection, she tugged at the Magic she wished to borrow, feeling it come loose freely, bringing a small smile to her face. This happened to coincide with the Necro Lord's return, as he pried himself out of the collapsed wing of the castle, standing at the edge of the giant hole with a sneer on his face.
"Now you fight me for real, Demon!"
The Necro Lord shot toward her from his current position, his right fist cocked back as Seilah prepared herself, leaping out of the way at the last moment from his punch that shattered the floor apart.
Landing on a nearby bit of debris, Seilah immediately cocked her right arm back, curling her fingers as darkness overran her arm and hand entirely. The darkness then expanded in size, forming a claw shape, right as the Necro Lord shot toward her again, this time, his fist coated in Blood Magic.
"Blood Arts – Bloody Doton!"
"Etherious Aura: Dark Gravity Claw!"
Matching his attack with her own, the pair clashed, both combatants gritting their teeth as they struggled to overcome one another.
"Foolish Demon," the Necro Lord hissed, as the Blood Magic around his arm became more volatile. "Prepare to die!"
The Blood Magic around his arm was primed to blow, but Seilah wasn't too concerned, as the second part of her own attack took effect.
"Back at you."
"What-!?"
The Necro Lord wasn't prepared for Gravity to suddenly increased, immediately dropping down through several floors of the castle, before his attack detonated, taking one of the castle's supports out with it in a catastrophic explosion.
Seilah immediately cleared enough distance from the attack, landing across the bridge she'd crossed to enter the Necro Lord's domain. Sure enough, the Necro Lord emerged from the explosion, leaping right out of it with a furious scowl on his face, his body lightly damaged.
"Is that the best you can do, Demon!?"
Seilah didn't respond, immediately rushing the Necro Lord once again, as the pair exchanged an even deadlier barrage of blows. After crossing fists several times, the Necro Lord started striking her with a series of Blood Magic laced strikes, pushing through her guard as he dealt a fierce barrage of punches to her head and chest, before spinning around and striking her on the left side of her face, sending her crashing down into the ramparts below.
Seilah braced herself as she smashed through several buildings, flipping back upright and continuing to dig her heels in, coming to a stop near a section of the rampart walls.
"Alright… That hurt," the Demoness muttered, wiping some blood from her forehead and flicking it off to the side. "It seems he's taking me seriously now…"
"Foolish Demon," the Necro Lord shouted, as he appeared atop one of the nearby buildings. "You have no idea how outmatched you truly are!"
"Funny, I was going to say the same to you," Seilah smirked in response, which only further angered the Necro Lord, whose muscles bulged as his Magical Power spiked once again.
"You damn Demon… I'll show you the true difference between us," he roared, as Seilah sensed the life force of the Vampires in the area beginning to dwindle.
"No, he's absorbing them," the Demoness hissed, immediately moving to rush the Necro Lord. "I won't allow it!"
Before Seilah could reach the Necro Lord, she was forced to turn back, freezing in place for the briefest of moments as a sea of blood rose up to encircle the Necro Lord, shielding him from her attempted attack.
'Shit… Whatever he's doing, this won't be good!'
"Blood Arts: Vampiric Blood Commandment – Crimson Tide!"
With a roar, the circle broke, firing hundreds of tiny pellets of blood in Seilah's direction. The Demoness waved her hand, the blood spinning around her before being redirected into the Necro Lord's direction, only for it to simply be absorbed by his body.
"Fool," the Necro Lord chuckled. "I have explored Blood Magic more than anyone else on Earthland! None can match me in its use!"
Stepping forward, the Necro Lord was now shrouded by tendrils of blood that flowed in and out of his skin, almost like it were ethereal. His fangs had lengthened, and his skin had paled even more than it already had been.
The Necro Lord (Crimson Tide Enhancement + Suppressed) – 5.56 Billion MPI
"I'm not interested in matching you in its use," Seilah replied coldly, fists clenched as she released more power. "I'm only interested in making sure you can never use it again!"
Seilah (Base Form + Full Power) – 5.1 Billion MPI
"Heh. Then come try it," the Necro Lord smirked, as the pair rushed one another.
Seilah reached him in seconds, cocking back and striking him in the face with a darkness laced punch. To her shock though, he simply grinned through it, grabbing her by the face and leaping high into the air.
"What was THAT supposed to be!? Simply pathetic!"
Seilah grit her teeth as she tried to break free, feeling the Necro Lord cock back the hand with her in it, as they shot toward the ground and high speed. She braced herself as the Vampire smashed her through a several storey tall building, striking the ground below with enough force to split the earth for a good kilometer.
He then released her and flew back up into the skies, cocking back his right hand and firing a red colored blast of Blood Magic down on her position.
"Hehehehehahahahaha! DIE!"
Before the attack made impact, however, it was suddenly diverted off to the side, smashing into the castle and blowing a sizeable hole into it, much to the Necro Lord's shock.
"What!?"
Looking down into the smoke, he felt something was off. He could see a silhouette of Seilah, but something was off about it. The form was larger, far larger than she had been. Hearing a deep sigh, he was shocked to see the monster that emerged from the smoke of his attacks.
"It's been some time since I've gone this far…"
The Necro Lord slowly dropped down onto a nearby building as Seilah smirked evilly in his direction. Her form had become that of a true Demon, with near blackened skin, longer and wilder black hair that flickered behind her like it had a will of its own.
Her former clothing had vanished, replaced by a strange black miasma that quickly solidified into new clothing for her. A pair of black hakama that had Crimson Red pulsing lines running down its length, and a matching black open haori, the same Crimson Red lines pulsing along its length, originating from the symbol of the Devils emblazoned at the center of her back.
Her height had increased to twelve foot two, her muscle mass having increased to compensate for the increase in height, along with her horns, which now pointed upright, standing over fifty centimeters in length and fifteen thick.
Smirking, Seilah licked her lips, running her hands over her large biceps, seemingly enjoying being in the form once again, licking her lips with an elongated tongue, revealing her canines to be several inches longer than the rest of her teeth.
"It's been almost three hundred years since I've had the freedom to use this form… I'd almost forgotten how good it feels," the Demoness half moaned, her open haori blowing in the wind, exposing her shredded abdominal muscles with an eight pack, and almost revealing her enlarged breasts in the process.
Looking down, Seilah smirked, noticing the markings on her abdomen had changed since the last time she saw them, the symbol of the Devils etched into her in the form of a black tattoo. Above that, housed just below her breasts, was a black Fairy Tail Guild Mark, something which elicited a bout of Demonic laughter from the woman.
"My my… Times have changed, haven't they," Seilah purred, running a handover her exposed abs and upper abdominal region. "I think its time to remind the world why I was one of the founding members of the Tartaros Guild, and not just a mere lackey…"
Seilah cackled with sadistic glee as her Etherious Aura exploded, flooding the entire fortress with her killing intent. The Necro Lord was stunned speechless as he felt her power, not having predicted Seilah to be even a fraction as strong as she was now.
"T-This can't be… You can't be this strong," the Necro Lord gasped, as Seilah's eyes glowed an ominous red. "I refuse to believe it!"
Seilah (Etherious Aura + True Demon Form + Suppressed) – 17.78 Billion MPI
"No…No, I won't let it end like this," the Necro Lord hissed as he pointed at her. "I'm the one who is all powerful, a Master Blood Mage! My power cannot be rivaled!"
"Consider yourself rivaled, little man," Seilah laughed cruelly, instantly appearing in front of him and pulling off the Necro Lord's finger with no effort. "Ah Humans… So arrogant, so fragile…"
The next thing the Necro Lord knew, he'd been sent flying across the fortress, smashing into the rampart wall, causing it to collapse as he struck the open expanse of terrain beyond it, folding the earth in on itself, as the entire area shook violently.
"Oops," Seilah smiled, her elongated tongue poking out of her mouth as she realized that might have caused problems for the others.
Seilah was cut off from her musings, as the tremors grew far worse, something she hadn't anticipated. Quickly moving to the outskirts of the giant crater she'd made, she noticed the Necro Lord was still standing, albeit barely, his arms raised to the sky.
"I won't…I won't die so easily…Demon," the Necro Lord wheezed. "I'm not like the other trash…who comprise this Kingdom!"
Seilah's gaze immediately snapped toward the rampart walls, as a sea of blood poured through the giant gap she'd created when she kicked the Necro Lord through it. The blood moved quickly, pouring into the giant crater and engulfing the Necro Lord within its crimson depths.
"So, it appears this is his final gamble to try and defeat me," Seilah mused, as the pool of blood rapidly began to shrink, seemingly being absorbed into his form.
"A sea of power, all mine for the taking," the Necro Lord shouted, as the ground beneath him collapsed, his form vanishing into the dark depths. "MATCH ME IF YOU CAN, DEMON!"
Seilah's eyes widened as the entire crater was enveloped in one, massive Blood Red Magic Circle. The circle began rotating in an anti-clockwise motion, as the rest of the ground at the center of the crater fell away, an audible roar echoing from within its dark depths.
"Blood Arts: Vampiric Blood Commandment – Unholy Resurrection!"
A large explosion occurred deep within the hole, shaking the area further, as another powerful roar echoed from within the dark depths. Even through the smoke, Seilah didn't need to see what was happening, to understand it.
"The land that was once home to the mightiest of the mortal races…NOW MINE TO CONTROL," the Necro Lord roared, as he finally emerged to face her once more…
Only this time, much…much larger than before.
Now that Seilah finally got a good look at her foe, she couldn't help but frown, knowing that this was something her Master despised. Her new opponent, was a Dragon, one that had only partially succumb to the ravages of time, leaving behind bits of greenish tinged skin and the occasional visible organ.
"Disgusting," the Demoness sniffed, as the Dragon roared at her. "But not as disgusting as that."
Looking upon the Dragon's rotten back, the Necro Lord was fused into it from the waist down, seemingly controlling it somehow as if it were part of his own body. His own body had been altered to match, becoming more necrotic and the same greenish coloration.
"Now you've done it," Seilah muttered, looking down at her hands as she relayed the situation to Natsu through their bond, feeling him send through some helpful techniques for her to use to combat the Dragon.
"You foolish bitch! You've given me no other choice but to destroy you outright," the Necro Lord screeched, as the Dragon took flight. "Your body would have been great to use in my experiments, but now it can turn to dust! You're no match for me, or for the might of a Dragon!"
"We'll see about that," the Demoness muttered, as the Necro Lord's power surged even more than before.
The Necro Lord (Unholy Resurrection + Full Power) – 7.97 Billion MPI
Vanishing in a burst of speed, Seilah appeared just ahead of the Dragon's head, her right arm cocked back, fingers straightened, as a purplish black Aura coated her fingers.
"Etherious Aura: Gravity Dragon's Dark Etherious Claw!"
Whizzing past the Dragon's face, both it, and the Necro Lord, roared in pain, the skin on its face opening up as rotten muscle and tissue fell out of the gaping hole. The head arched back and fired a stream of bright green fire at her, but Seilah was simply too fast to be caught up in it, effortlessly dodging it.
"How could YOU possess Dragon Slaying Magic," the Necro Lord hissed, as Seilah landed a considerable distance away.
"The answer is quite simple. I am Seilah, Goddess of the Chill Moon, and the right hand of the Demon King E.N.D. Trash such as you could never impede our goals, no matter what tricks you try to pull!"
"You annoying little bitch, I won't stand for your insolence any longer," the Necro Lord roared, charging her position. "You will die by my hand!"
Seilah steadied herself, raising her right hand as she prepared to strike the Necro Lord down once and for all.
'To prove myself to Lord E.N.D…to Master Natsu, I cannot afford to fail in dispatching this disgusting insect. This is the beginning of our partnership, and its time I proved my worth to him… I must slay any who stand in his way of destroying Achnologia!"
The Necro Lord reached Seilah's position, attempting to swipe down at her with the Dragon's claw, laced with bright green fire. However, Seilah easily avoided it, dodging between the open claws, before kicking it away with enough force to trip the entire Dragon up, knocking it down on its right side.
The Dragon thrashed about, attempting to bite at her, but had its mouth promptly shut with a brutal blow to the chin, snapping all the bones holding its jaw in place. This left its mouth to flap uselessly about, as the Demoness went for the killing blow.
"Are you ready, Necro Lord? This is what it means to wield true power," the Demoness roared, as her arms and legs became coated in a deep purple Aura. "Etherious Aura: Gravity Dragon Slayer's Gravitational Larch Dance!"
Leaping up at the Dragon, Seilah began to hack away at its body with a series of brutal punches and kicks. Each blow tore through its scales like a knife through butter, as the Necro Lord roared in agony.
However, that wasn't the worst part of the attack.
For every blow, a chaotic barrage of Gravity Dragon Slayer Magic ravaged the area, forcing Gravity to rapidly shift in multiple directions every half a second and preventing any sort of counterattack.
In under thirty seconds, the body had been hacked to pieces, leaving little more than the writhing bones of the Dragon, and the Necro Lord, who couldn't move as he'd lost his legs fusing with the beast.
"This is the end for you," Seilah shouted, as she shot high into the air, raising her hands above her head as she formed a large sphere of Dark Magic. "Etherious Aura: Darkness Magic – Eclipse Cannon!"
Firing a colossal blast of raw Dark Magic down in the Necro Lord's direction, the Vampire could only watch in horror, screaming as the attack enveloped not just him, but a sizeable section of the fortress as well.
The attack shook the entire area to its core, slaughtering dozens of the Vampire forces, and reducing much of the once barren landscape into a melted, charred husk.
"There," Seilah huffed, her form reverting to its usual state, as she dropped down to one knee, clutching her head. "Ugh-! I suppose it has been quite some time since I've done that, hasn't it?"
Looking upward, despite her killer headache, the Demoness could only smirk at the charred remains of what was once the Necro Lord and his abomination of a Dragon. All he had worked toward, reduced to dust.
"The rest is up to you now, Master," Seilah smiled, as she sent back the abilities she'd borrowed from him through their link, deciding to lay down and ignore her headache.
***POTD***
As Seilah's attack concluded, Irene watched it from the tallest tower atop the castle, a small smile on her face. Her left eye bore a plus sign shaped symbol, utilizing a unique form of Sensory Magic known as Eye Magic to view the Necro Lord's demise as if she were right in front of him.
She watched as he clawed at his flesh, screaming as Seilah's attack charred him alive. The Spriggan couldn't help but smirk, wholly approving of the ruthless way Seilah had dispatched the troublesome Vampire.
"It appears we've won the first stage of the battle," Irene murmured, turning her gaze on the remainder of the undead legion outside the walls that had collapsed the moment the Necro Lord died. "Now, if only the rest could go quite as smoothly…"
Closing her left eye for a moment, the symbol in her iris vanished, as she turned around to face an all too familiar foe.
Standing before her was a nine-foot tall, pale woman with long, silky black hair. She wore a black suit complete with a white undershirt, leaving the top three buttons undone on both to expose her chest, revealing a rather ornate pendant in the shape of a cross.
Her eyes glowed Crimson Red, her face extremely beautiful, and she wore a pair of ruby earrings. Her hands were covered by a pair of white gloves, the outline of multiple rings on her fingers visible.
The woman smirked, her cherry red lips parting to reveal the visible fangs of a Vampire, as she licked her lips, clearly amused.
"Irene Belserion… Back again?"
"You knew I would come to kill you," the Spriggan replied darkly. "No one outright betrays the Empire and works to combat its goals, you know that…Alfreda"
Formerly One Of The Twenty-Four Arms Of Alvarez
Former Third Sword Of The Alvarez Empire
Former Commander Of Alfreda Squad
Former Overseer Of The Imperial Order Of The Una Vera Fides
Queen Of The Vampire Kingdom
Alfreda Quilphort
"Of course I knew you'd come," Alfreda scoffed in response. "You come in ignorance though, deluded into thinking you know what's best. As always."
"Your words are hollow to me after what you did. How dare you betray the Emperor, after all he's done-!"
"For all he's done," the Vampire Queen laughed hollowly. "That's precisely WHY I'm betraying him, Irene."
"What!?"
"Not that I'd expect you to care," Alfreda continued, her eyes narrowing. "After all, you likely know the truth anyway, and choose to side with him regardless!"
"I don't know what's gotten into you since we last spoke properly, but for old times sake, I'll give you this one chance to surrender," Irene sighed, shaking her head as she steeled herself for the inevitable. "I was caught off guard last time, not having expected to see you… But this time, I'm ready to put you down if I must."
"You've always thought yourself superior to the rest of us," Alfreda snarled, barring her fangs at Irene in response. "But not this time! I'm far stronger than the woman you once knew me as!"
"Not strong enough, Alfreda… Stand down."
"I refuse!"
Irene breathed in deeply through her nose, before letting out a disappointed sigh.
"Very well then, you leave me no other choice," the Spriggan sighed, spinning her staff out in front of her, dispelling the illusion on the blade at the bottom as she entered a defensive stance. "Alfreda Quilphort! For the crime of desertion, and betraying the Alvarez Empire… I sentence you to death!"
"Just try it," Alfreda hissed, Aura exploding out from her form, as the pair unleashed a monumental amount of Magical Power, shaking the entire fortress to its core…