Chapter 228

Just In Time

While glaring dangerously at Cobra, I took a stance, putting up my fists. "What the hell are you doing here?!" I demanded. "You're supposed to be locked up! Unless you broke out somehow!"

Cobra scoffed. "I didn't exactly break out, you know. If you must know, I was brought here by those two chumps from the magic council, one guy with a scar on his face and the other with glasses. Supposedly, a little birdie told them you were dealing with some trouble with dragons, so they let me out for my services."

Two people came to mind based on those single characteristics he mentioned.

"You mean to tell me that Lahar and Doranbolt let you out?" I scowled. "I find that hard to believe. How do I know you're not lying through your teeth?"

"I can hear the skepticism in your voice," Cobra huffed. "Look, if you don't want to believe me, that's fine. I couldn't care less. Right now, I don't have the time to deal with you. So, why don't you hurry up and get lost already?"

Before I could give a rebuttal, the rock dragon let out a roar, causing me to jump as I looked toward its direction just in time to see it lunging straight for us, opening its gaping maw.

"I'll crush you, pathetic human!" he roared. "And I'll make you watch as I devour your little friend, Willy Falconer!"

But before I could even think about fighting back, Cobra promptly stepped in front and unleashed a powerful tornado-like whirlwind of purple and red vapor from his mouth, and blasted the beast right in the face, causing it to recoil as it held its face in agony, roaring in pain.

This action surprised me as I looked at Cobra.

"Hey! What are you doing standing there like a moron?! I thought I told you to get lost!" he snarled. "Don't you have to hurry and recharge your magic? You wouldn't want to keep your girlfriend waiting back at the palace!"

"Wait! How do you know about that?!" I demanded out of bafflement. "I haven't told you anything!"

Cobra sighed. "Good grief. I'm getting real tired of answering questions like that," he huffed. "Like I've been telling everyone else, I can hear everything from the movement of your muscles to even your thoughts. Then again, you were a mindless puppet back then, so you probably don't even know. Besides, I can tell by looking at you that you're running on empty, and you don't have the time to worry about me, isn't that right?"

I growled in irritation, knowing that he was right.

Cobra then turned his back to me, facing the rock dragon. "Look, I can tell that you're still holding a grudge for what happened back when you were Shark, but I ain't giving you an apology. If anything, the one who you should be having a grudge against is Brain. We've both been used and double-crossed by that bastard, and he's long dead now. If you really want to settle the score, that's fine with me, but how about you wait until after we deal with these dragons first?"

A brief silence passed between us as I thought about what to do. Part of me didn't want to let Cobra go because I didn't trust him for a second, but also, he was right about not having the time to deal with him, nor was it the right moment to do so. So, with those thoughts in mind, I decided as I spoke out to him.

"You're right about one thing. I don't trust you for a second, even if you claim to be helping us," I said. "But you're also right when you say that now isn't a good time for this. Although I didn't expect you to be helping me or you letting me go like this."

Cobra whipped his head around as he barked. "Don't get the wrong idea! I'm only doing this for my benefit, got it?! Plus, I don't want to waste my time for a traitor like you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Keep talking tough," I said while waving a hand. "But… in all seriousness, I owe you one, Cobra. And I always make a habit of repaying my debts. I'll make sure to repay you for your help."

"Just get out of my sight, will you?" Cobra scoffed huffily. "If you don't mind, I've got a dragon to kill, and I can't do it while babysitting you."

And with that, I took off running as fast without looking back.

"Who would have guessed that I would get help from Cobra? Then again, I didn't think that Lahar and Doranbolt would ever think of letting that guy loose. They must have been desperate. Either way, I can't afford to think about that right now. I have to find some water and then head back to Mercurius."

I jogged along, making my way until I could hear the faint sounds of running water. Following the sounds, they grew louder and louder until I was welcomed to a sight for sore eyes.

A vast water canal lay before me, filled with crystal-clear water.

"Finally! It's about time!" I said thankfully. "I thought I would never be able to find any water! Now, I'll just help myself to a little drink."

I dunked my head into the water and started gulping down. Every swallow filled my body with regained strength as my magic returned until my thirst was quenched. I soon pulled my head out of the water, feeling much better.

"All right! I'm finally back to full strength! Now I can head back to Mercurius!"

But as I was about to set off, when a blast of white came shooting out and tore straight through my hip from behind, causing me to let out a scream of pain and surprise as I fell to my knees.

As I held the fresh wound that was now spilling blood, I looked back to where the blast came from, only to see a group of four mini dragons snarling and roaring at me.

The four mini dragons began firing their beams at me, but thinking quickly, I jumped into the water, allowing myself to sink to the bottom and use the water for cover.

"Damn it! I let my guard down! I should have seen that sneak attack coming!" I cursed in my thoughts. "But at least I managed to recover some magic, so I should be able to heal this up."

But as I began casting my healing magic, several beams shot down from above the water, forcing me to swim forward to avoid them.

"Geez! These things just won't quit! But I don't have time to deal with them, so I'll have to hurry and heal this and get out of here!"

I focused on healing my wound while swimming away from the beams until I was far enough a distance away. The pain also eventually ceased as my healing magic closed it up. No sooner than that, and raring to go, I launched myself out of the water and into the air, spreading my wings and using Aqua Jet, and took off, flying towards Mercurius.

"Just hang on for a bit longer, you guys! I'm on my way back!"

But I hadn't gone more than a few yards forward when three more white blasts shot at me from below. This time, I narrowly dodged them all while weaving, and as I looked down, I could see the mini dragons again. There were even more of them standing on the tops of rubble and buildings, all of their focus on me.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" I complained loudly. "Can't you guys give it a rest already?!"

But of course, the mini dragons didn't listen, nor could they answer. They all simply roared and hissed at me as they started shooting their beams at once.

I started dodging and weaving the attacks while making torrents of water each gush from my fists.

"WATER DRAGON: WING ATTACK!"

In a fit of irritation, I unleashed multiple shockwaves at the mini dragons, taking out all of them at once. At first, I thought I managed to take them all out, but unfortunately, I couldn't have been more wrong. As I looked toward the area where they were, I saw the scattered remains of their bodies, showing that I destroyed them. However, there was still a large number of them, almost as if I hadn't done any damage to them at all. If anything, there seemed to be more of them.

"Damn it! These things keep swarming faster than a school of fish on migration!"

They then started firing at me again, but as I crossed my arms, bracing myself, the beams shot right past me. Not only that, but they were also easy enough to avoid, unlike the last few times. Not thinking much of it, I took a breath, gathering magic into my lungs, and let out a breath attack.

"WATER DRAGON ROAR!"

While unleashing a mighty torrent of water from my mouth and moving my head from the left to the right, I made the attack sweep across the landscape, taking out even more mini dragons.

I looked around, seeing that the ruined buildings and the piles of rubble had been entirely laid out.

"That should take care of them. Now then, Mercius, here I - ."

But once again, just as I was about to start leaving the area, I heard the sounds of roaring and inhuman screeching again. As I turned around, I was suddenly met with three mini dragons jumping at me from above. Before they could fall on me, I shot forward while straightening my hand, cloaking it with water.

"WATER DRAGON: BLADE!"

I rapidly sliced through them instantly, cutting them cleanly in half. Then, as I looked down at the ground, I could see even more mini dragons.

"Damn it! This is getting annoying!" I complained. "If you guys are looking for a fight, I'll gladly oblige!"

However, as I readied to attack, the mini dragons scattered in different directions like a startled school of trout. As they did, a few fired a few beams at me, but unlike the previous attacks, they were easy to avoid, and some completely missed me. Seeing this, I couldn't help but be confused.

"Wait a minute. What's going on here? Why are they all running around like this? And, for that matter, why are they all launching such haphazard attacks? Especially since the last one had me breathing through a hole in my gut. Surely, they know I can take them all out, even with their numbers. It's almost like…"

Then, it hit me. At first, considering these things appeared mindless, I didn't think it would be possible, but it was the only thing that made sense.

"Like they're buying time! They're trying to keep me distracted! Damn it, why didn't I notice?!"

The mini dragons all fired in my direction a third time, but this time, with a powerful blast from the bottoms of my feet while avoiding them, I took off toward Mercurius as fast as my magic could carry me.

"Hang on, you guys! I'm coming! Please be OK! Stay alive until I get there!"

My heart was pounding from the stress and worry as I willed my body to go as fast as it could, praying that everyone at the palace was unharmed and Zirconis hadn't gotten to them yet.

The palace grew closer and closer with every few feet, and I didn't see any sign of Zirconis or the others, which made the dread creep into my stomach even further. But I still had some hope that everyone would be all right and that I would be worrying over nothing.

But when I finally could see the top of the palace, a horrible sight met my eyes, making them widen with horror.

Bodies lay scattered on the ground, most belonging to some royal soldiers and others, including the exceeds, the Lisannas, Yukino, and even Wendy. They were all severely wounded and bloody, as numerous mini-dragons stood above them.

The only one who managed to stay standing as he bravely stood to protect Hisui while surrounded by mini dragons was Arcadios, who was just as in rough shape. His armor was in shambles, with even his cape tattered and singed, and blood was leaking all over his body from various wounds.

But the worst part of the horrific scene was Zirconis, who stood tall, holding Mira, who was just as bad as everyone else, if not lifeless, by the tips of his claws, holding her dangerously above his gaping maw.

"MIRA!"

While letting out a shriek, I desperately shot toward Zirconis' trying to get to him while reaching out my hand, but Zirconis glanced in my direction as a mocking smirk pulled the corners of his mouth as it let go of his victim.

As Mira began to fall toward the darkness of his mouth, I felt something inside of my body break as I let out a bellowing scream of horror and rage and exploded in black and blue while I fell into darkness.

NO POV

In a different part of Crocus, amongst some rubble in front of the clocktower, Ultear sat alone, slumped to her knees, looking forlorn as she stared at the ground. She appeared to have thrown herself into despair as tears trickled down her cheeks.

In events prior, after learning from Natsu that Future Rogue had murdered Future Lucy and was responsible for everything, Ultear proposed killing the present Rogue to erase his future counterpart from the present. Naturally, Natsu shut this idea down, believing that the present Rogue was innocent and didn't deserve death.

At first, Ultear agreed with Natsu, promising him not to do so, but later on, after seeing Rogue struggle against his shadow, which was tempting him to follow his future's destiny, she decided to break that promise, believing that killing the present Rogue would be the only way to end this madness. But as she thought about doing so, Ultear also remembered Natsu's previous words about not present Rogue, most notably believing that if they took an innocent man's life, then they would have strayed off from their path.

Those words made Ultear realize what she was about to do, and even everything she had done to atone for her sins, she hadn't changed and didn't deserve the right to live, no matter what she did.

With every pang of tears, as she gazed up towards the sky, Ultear recalled all the misdeeds she had done, the lives the woman had ruined, and the people whose lives were influenced by those she ruined.

"I've lived my entire life in the shadows… ruled by darkness…. thriving in it. I've deceived, mocked, and even killed countless victims, and yet…"

She then began remembering her fight with Gray, from which she learned about being deceived by Brain as a child, and her interactions with Natsu and the gang, along with Jellal and Meredy.

"...I still receive kindness and compassion. Gray allowed me a second chance in life, so I wanted to atone for my sins by helping found Crime Sorcière. But in the end… I didn't change. I'm still the kind of person who would murder an innocent if given the chance. I'll never find salvation, nor do I deserve it."

Then, she remembered something from when she was a child and during her time with Grimoire Heart.

Back in those days, she was still researching the magic she would come to use today, Arc of Time. During her research, she discovered a forbidden spell that would allow its user to turn back time for the entire planet. However, upon telling Hades, the old man forbade its use because of the heavy price to pay, which was, as you would expect, the caster's life and their remaining time.

In addition, another person's words came floating into her mind.

"No matter how much the past shapes you, it doesn't make you who you are today, and you shouldn't need to punish yourself for something that happened in that time, and who you were in the past shouldn't be who you have to be anymore if you want to change. So, to answer your question, I think everyone has a chance to be forgiven if they're willing to let go of the past and want to change."

Those words replaced the self-loathing in Ultear's heart with a newly found resolve as she clenched her fists, bracing herself for what she was about to do.

"I didn't want to use such a spell back then, but now… if this life of sin and sorrow… can be used to return the world as it once was, then so be it!"

The mage raised her hands, both radiating a rainbow-colored glow that spread throughout her body. Then, she slammed her palms into the ground, and the light surrounding her exploded, ascending to the sky as she called out the name of the spell.

"ARC OF TIME: LAST AGES!"

Those were the last words she would say as she and the rest of the world became swallowed in white as the clock turned one-thirty.

WILLY'S POV

I jogged along, making my way until I could hear the faint sounds of running water. Following the sounds, they grew louder and louder until I was welcomed to a sight for sore eyes.

A vast water canal lay before me, filled with crystal-clear water.

"Finally! It's about time!" I said thankfully. "I thought I would never be able to find any water! Now, I'll just help myself to a little drink."

But suddenly, just as I was about to approach the canal, various images assaulted my mind, depicting me getting wounded by the mini dragons, being distracted by them, and most horrifyingly of them all, the party over at Mercurius lying on the ground in their own blood and Mira falling towards the mouth of Zirconis.

"Wh-What the hell was that just now?!" I couldn't help but exclaim. "Were those… visions? I was taking a drink from the water, and I was attacked by the mini dragons. Then, they all abushed to me and tried keeping me from heading to Mercurius."

Knowing that and not wanting to take any chances, I stealthily jumped into the air, hid atop a building, and waited. And sure enough, just as I foresaw, four mini dragons approached the canal, searching around.

"No way! They came just like I knew they would! But how?! Could someone have used their magic to make me foresee the future or something?! If that's the case, then every one of those visions was real, and…"

I then realized something that made my blood run cold with horror, remembering the last part of my vision. As quickly as I remembered, I rocketed into the sky as high as I could, and while spreading my wings, I shot straight towards the palace, using every last bit of my strength and magic I could muster. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping me up.

"Come on, body! Don't fail me now! I don't care if I'm running low on magic! Please help me get there in time! I've already lost so much before! I don't lose anyone else again!"

"Please… Just hang on, guys!" I screamed at the palace. "Wait for me! Don't you all die on me!"

NO POV

Back at Mercius, things hadn't been going well for the girls. They all fought valiantly, but Zirconis seemed to shrug off the damage with every attack they threw. To make things worse, they had all started to grow weary of and running low on magic.

The Take Over Sisters couldn't maintain their forms much longer and were reduced to their normal states. The only one who managed to stay in the fight was Wendy, who replenished her magic to an extent thanks to eating the air, but even with that, she began to grow weary, and Zirconis wouldn't let up.

"Damn it! I can't believe I'm out of magic already!" Future Lisanna panted. "And Wendy's fighting that guy all by herself!"

"There's got to be something we can do to help her!" said Lisanna. "Even though Wendy's a dragon slayer, she's not a fighter like Natsu and the others! Mira, can't you help her with your Satan Soul?"

Mira shook her head. "Even if I could, Wendy's the only one able to do any damage even though it's minimal," she said grimly. "And I don't know how long she can hold out.

Wendy stood her ground as best she could but grew wearier as Zirconis leered at her.

"You looking a bit tired there, girlie," he remarked. "What's the matter? I thought you said that your magic was the kind to defeat me unless all that talk was just a lie. Guess you're all useless without that brat to save you."

Wendy then looked back towards Mira. "Listen! I need you guys to get out of here now!" she called out. "I can take of Zirconis!"

"There's no way we're leaving you, Wendy!" admonished Mira. "We can't just leave you alone with him!"

"But you're all running low on magic power!" Wendy protested. "The least I can do is buy you enough time to get away!"

Zirconis growled. "Hey! It's rude to ignore me!" he snarled. "And if you think I'm going to let you get away, you've got another thing coming! After all, I won't be satisfied unless I devour at least one of you!" He then smirked as he cackled. "That way, I can brag about it to that little punk if he ever makes it back! That'll really set him off! I can imagine the look on his face!"

Mira then snapped back at him. "You really are as disgusting as you are stupid!"

Zirconis looked at her as Mira continued to rant.

"Do you really think things will go your way if you go through with that? You've got another thing coming! There's no way Willy will fall for that kind of tactic!"

"Is that so?" Zirconis leered. "You humans are all the same. Always prattling on and on even when you're on death's door. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious. Enlighten me, little girl. What makes you so confident?"

"Because Willy made a promise!" Mira answered. "He promised he wouldn't turn into a dragon, and I have faith that he won't! He always makes good on his promises! So, you can do what you want, but you won't get your way! Neither you nor Future Rogue!"

Then, no sooner than she said those words, Mira saw images flash in her mind. Mostly of herself making a final stand against Zirconis before falling to her death into Zirconis's mouth, battered and defeated, much to her shock and surprise.

"Wait…! What was that?!" Mira exclaimed.

The others also saw brief instances of their futures and were just as surprised.

Zirconis growled as he glared at Mira. "I've had just about enough of this! I can listen to you babble on and on, woman, but I'd rather devour you like the little morsel you are along with the rest of you!"

He then lunged straight in Mira's and Wendy's direction, but thanks to the knowledge both girls had gained from their visions, they quickly jumped out of the way, and Wendy was quick to unleash a breath attack.

"SKY DRAGON ROAR!"

With a powerful blast of air, Wendy nailed the jade dragon right on the chin, causing him to stumble while grunting in pain.

"Mira! Are you all right?!" Mira called out.

"Yeah! I'm fine!" confirmed Wendy. "But what was that just now? I saw some kind of vision!"

"Me too!" said Mira.

"I did, too!" Lisanna also said. "Does anyone have any idea what's going on?!"

"I'm not sure," murmured Future Lisanna. She then looked at the Eclipse Gate. "Could it be because of the Eclipse Gate or something?"

"We can worry about it later!" Mira then shouted. "If those were real visions, we need to stay on guard so they don't come to pass! Lilly! Arcadios! Protect the princess! We're going to have company soon!"

Lilly promptly changed into his battle form. "Roger that!"

"Princess! Don't leave my side no matter what!" Arcadios told Hisui.

Zirconis recovered as he wiped his cheek, growling in irritation. "Damn it all! You little brat! I'll have you all in my belly if it's the last thing I do!"

He opened his mouth while charging magic power, preparing to unleash a breath attack.

But then, a bellowing dragon-like roar came from above, causing everyone to stop and cover their ears. Even Zirconis was caught off guard, causing him to look up and cease his breath attack. Just as he did, a bright blue comet made of water came streaking across the sky, heading straight toward him as a familiar voice screamed.

"DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ART: HIDDEN WATER FORM!"

Upon hearing that voice, Mira looked up and saw the comet, and her face lit up in a mix of surprise and elation. She knew what, or rather who it was.

"It's Willy!"

The person in question burst out of the comet, and the water around them formed the same large serpentine creature as he brought back a fist.

"AQUA LOTUS: LOCH NESS JAVELIN!"

While screaming out at the top of his lungs, the boy swung with every ounce of strength and momentum, punching Zirconis smack on his cheek as the creature made of water snapped its jaws around his face. The impact created a mighty explosion that shook the entire castle as Zirconis was sent flying across the area, falling face-first into the ground as he was planted while skidding along a few feet before coming to a sudden stop. The stop was so sudden that his legs swung upward, and his back bent in a way that made him look like a scorpion before returning to their original position, hitting the ground with a thunderous thud.