Chapter 16: Battle of the Swordsmen

Back to the present…
Castle Volkihar

The tower crumbled to pieces and three fighters fell to the castle below. Erza and Kagura were on the defensive the entire ride down. Wrath didn't let something as pesky as the pull of gravity stop him from slashing at the two women. His massive bloody sword chopped at the two warriors even as they broke through the ceiling of the castle's main floor, falling down into the antechamber.

Crashing into the room, all three fighters landed on their feet. For a tense second nobody moved, all three stuck in their defensive poses. The air was thick and heavy while the Wizards stared down the Demon, the latter staring back from behind his obscuring hood with burning scarlet eyes.

"Be careful," Erza warned her companion. Her regular armor disappeared and she Requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor. "This man is a force to be reckoned with. He almost killed Natsu when we first met."

"I'm aware," replied the Mermaid Heel woman. Keeping her eyes fixed on Wrath she drew her sword out of its scabbard, the metal glinting in the light poking out from the holes in the ceiling. "He was more than a match for Jura. We cannot take him lightly."

To their surprise, Wrath lowered his weapon and tilted his head back. While Erza and Kagura couldn't see his expression from the darkness of his cowl, it appeared as if the demon was looking at them with intrigue. "Ah yes, Jura," he repeated. His grip tightened on his sword while he basked in the glorious memory of fighting the Wizard Saint. "That one earned my respect. I wonder how you two will compare to him."

Kagura's eyes burned with anger. "Respect? Since when do demons know of anything like honor?"

Slam!

The whole castle shook as Wrath stabbed his sword into the ground. "And what right do Humans have to speak of honor?" he retorted, his angry voice echoing throughout the castle. "Sniveling, worthless Humans, who have become weak. In my fifty years of being sealed away, you've all become weak. Even your so-called Wizard Saint barely got my blood boiling. It sickens me!" he spat. He drew his massive sword out of the ground, a geyser of blood shooting into the air from the ground that had been stabbed.

"Enough!" Erza shouted. She held two swords in her hands and crossed them menacingly. "Where's Hibiki? What have you done with him? And why have you taken him in the first place?"

"Why ask questions when you already know the answers?"

Erza grimaced. "So it's true. You were after his Archive ability!"

"The power to access all stored knowledge is a useful one. Even I must admit how useful Magic has become in the past five decades."

"Where is he?!" demanded Kagura.

Standing up straight, Wrath pointed out the window, to the far west. "Thirty miles from here, there lies a chapel that was once part of the Pride's former religion. He and the others took the spineless Wizard there to force him to use his Archive to find the Tree of Life."

"Hibiki will never agree to that!" Erza shouted. She knew Hibiki. While he wasn't powerful by any means, he was a man of integrity and she trusted his spirit.

But Wrath shook his head. "Your faith in him is pointless. Pride let Sloth…convince the boy." Wrath gave a rare shudder. "Even I do not dare imagine what horrors Sloth can do to him."

"You're surprisingly forward. Isn't telling us all this going to harm your plans?" Kagura asked.

"I am a Demon. But I would never shame myself by trying to deceive someone else. Not even an enemy. And it matters little if I tell you or not." He gripped his sword with both hands and took up a defensive stance. "You two will not leave here alive. And as for your Dragon Slayer pests…"

Erza's eyes widened. "Look out!" she yelled at Kagura.

"RAAAAAAH!" screamed the angry demon as he held his sword up high and stabbed it into the ground. A shockwave rattled the castle to its very foundations. While the three were in the empty antechamber with an already destroyed roof, the others weren't so lucky…

Meanwhile…
Castle Volkihar Cellars

"Hey Natsu!" Sting grinned as he reached into the darkness of the cellar and pulled out a wine bottle. "Found the good stuff!"

"Let me see that!" Natsu grabbed the bottle and blew off the dust. "Whew! This thing's at least sixty years old! Wonder how good it is?"

Gray rolled his eyes while he, Gajeel and Rogue searched from room to room. "Would you guys knock it off! We're looking for Hibiki, not the wine cell-"

A sudden rumbling got the Wizards attention. The Dragon Slayers and Gray all looked up just in time to see the stone celiing start to collapse.

"EARTHQUAKE!" screamed Happy, diving underneath Natsu for cover. The other Exeed took cover under their Dragon Slayers as well.

Cursing, Gray put his hands together. "EVERYONE GET TO ME! NOW!" He held his hands up as the stones started to rein down on them. "ICE MAKE: SHIELD!"

The group huddled next to Gray as he brought up a shield of ice. However, even with that protection from the falling rocks, they still became trapped underneath the rubble. "Will this is just dandy!" groaned Gajeel. "Now what do we do?"

"Too bad there isn't a rock Dragon Slayer," whined Rogue. "They could just eat our way out."

"It's easy!" Natsu brought his hands together. "I'll just blast us out."

"YOU IDIOT!" Everyone shouted.

"Natsu, use your head!" Sting insisted. "If you use your fire now, you'll burn up all our oxygen! And we don't know how far down below we are! You might end up burying us even further!"

"Well we gotta do something! Gray grunted as he held the shield up from the tons of stone. "My shield isn't going last forever and we're running out of air!"

A hand went to Gray's shoulder. When he turned his head, he saw Gajeel and a full-sized Lily.

"We've got an idea."

Meanwhile…
Castle Volkihar Antichamber

"YOU BASTARD!" Erza roared. She recklessly charged at the demon in vengeful rage. She knew Natsu and the others were down below, now buried underneath tons of rubble. "You'll pay!"

Wrath swung his sword and met Erza's blades head on. The impact of their blades shook the very air. Even the demon was impressed by Erza's swordsmanship as they traded blows. Over and over again their swords clashed with each other, sparks flying like fireworks.

Jumping backwards, Erza held both swords over her head. "I'll end this now!" she declared, summoning a flurry of blades. Circle Sword!"

The Armored Wizard launched the ring of blades at Wrath. Grunting in annoyance, Wrath brought his sword up and blocked the attack. As blade after blade struck the bloody sword Wrath stood his ground. Gritting his teeth, the mongrel pushed back and shattered the ring of swords. Rearing his massive arms back, Wrath swung his blade and unleashed a wave of hot red blood.

"Sanguniem pluviis."

The speed which the red wave turned into a barrage of bloody spears almost caught her off guard. Yet she vaillantly fended off the attacks, batting them aside with her swords. "This…is nothing!" she shouted.

"Step aside, Erza!" said a charging Kagura. "That sword is dangerous!"

"And you think yours is better?" chided Wrath, who swung his blade at the attacking woman. "Sanguniem pluviis."

The attacking red spears shot towards Kagura. The Mermaid Heel Wizard smirked and retailiated by dicing the spears to bits. She jumped into the air and slashed at Wrath, who answered her blade with his. The two remained locked for a moment, staring each other down. However, Kagura's eyes flickered with recognition when she got a closer look at Wrath's sword. "That's-"

"Kagura!"

The distracition was only a split second but enough to give Wrath time to let go of his sword with one hand and smash his massive fist into Kagura's face. The woman was catapaulted across the antechamber, only saved from being smashed into a wall when Erza caught her.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," Kagura said, nursing the side of her face. "He's strong. I can see how he felled Natsu easily." She shook off the damage and stood on her feet. "Erza. His sword…"

"I know…" Erza nodded, switching to her Clear Heart armor and katana. She knew that fancy armor wasn't going to win this day. "I noticed it too."

"So…" interrupted Wrath. "You know of Crimson Tide?" he asked, holding up his huge sword.

"Yes," Kagura nodded. "It was a legendary blade, which would store the blood of its victims and use it to repair itself using the iron within. A blade that can never be nicked or broken. I recognize it from books."

Erza shook her head. "But I don't understand. How much blood is that thing holding? It's gushing blood!" Her eyes stared at the massive weapon, blood pooling at Wrath's feet.

Chuckling, Wrath held out the sword. "That is it's power in the hands of a human. But this sword, this relic, is a part of me. My rage is shared with my sword now. It's overflowing with my hot angry blood."

Kagura took up a stabbing stance, grimacing at the huge monster. "You've corrupted your weapon!" She glared at Wrath with angry eyes. "You have no right to call yourself a warrior!" She moved as fast as lightning. Her blade was aimed right at Wrath's black heart and she put all her force into her strike to pierce his thick armor.

Dropping, Wrath moved faster than Kagura expected. She was stunned when her body was stopped in its tracks. Wrath had put both arms in front of him to block the strike, her blade piercing him but stopping just short of reaching his chest. Clenching her teeth, Kagura tried to push the blade that extra inch…

"I recognize this sword," Wrath noted. "Archenemy. It's a fearsome as its reputation says."

Gripping her sword tighter, Kagura tried to pull it out of Wrath's arms but it refused to budge. "How? Archenemy should have pierced you!"

"Had I been a normal man, it would have. However…" Steam erupted from Wrath's red eyes, "I am not ordinary man. I…am…WRATH!"

Wrath kicked Kagura hard. The sudden impact was made all the worse by the sickening sound of ribs breaking from the hit. Blood came out of Kagura's mouth while she was sent flying. 'Impossible! Even Archenemy isn't enough to pierce him? How did Jura survive this? He's too strong!'

Jumping into the air, Erza caught her friend. "Kagura! You okay?!" Erza knew that Kagura was in bad shape as she started to cough up more blood. 'This is bad. That hit alone was almost fatal.' Clenching her teeth, she turned and glared daggers at Wrath. "You…"

"Face me, Erza Scarlet!" Wrath demanded. His need for battle was insatiable. "Your ally Jura cracked my armor. Your friend there nearly pierced my heart! Show me your mettle!" Grasping Crimson Tide with both hands he stabbed the massive broadsword into the ground.

"Mare Rubrum!"

A tidal wave of blood erupted in front of him, ready to consume the women. Erza stood her ground and donned her Sea-King Armor. She could dodge it but to do so would doom Kagura. Her shout filled the antechamber when she slashed the red tide, cutting a space big enough for her and Kagura to avoid the tidal wave.

"Hmph!" Wrath pulled out his sword and took up another stance. "Armor against water, eh?"

"Your blood magic is strong. But blood is still water."

"Is that so?"

The Demon and Wizard clashed once again. Each warrior fought with all their might. Wrath's blood magic and his brute strength were put up against Erza's speed and swordplay. With his blood attack's effectiveness reduced thanks to Erza's armor, Wrath suddenly found himself on the defensive, pushed back by the Armored Wizard.

Locking blades with her, Wrath stared into her determined eyes. Erza saw something odd when she looked closer underneath his cowl. Wrath…was smiling. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Wrath simply said. "You impress me, Wizard. Your determination reminds me of someone I knew so long ago." Breaking the bladelock, Wrath threw a massive fist at Erza. As she jumped back, he stabbed his sword into the ground again.

"Again?" She felt the ground rumble at her feet and braced herself. "Another tidal wave?"

"Wrong. Your armor protects you against water attacks. But that's meant for Wizards. Not Demons." He held up his hand and clenched it into a fist. "Vere Rubrum."

The ground beneath Erza's feet erupted, enveloping her in boiling hot blood. "ARGHHH!" Erza screamed, sent flying into the air, her limbs and back burning from the magma-hot blood. Stunned from the attack, Erza was unable to defend herself as Wrath appeared in front of her, his blade held high over his head to cut her in two.

"Erza!"

A shadow appeared in Erza's peripheral. Kagura jumped to block the strike, cringing from the pain in her side.

While Erza plummeted to the ground, Wrath easily blocked Kagura's next strike with his armguards, his hand grasping Kagura's head. "Pathetic. Just like with Jura."

Erza looked on in horror as the demon slammed Kagura into the ground, the floor shattering from the strike. "Stop!" she screamed, struggling to her feet before Kagura was killed.

"Just like with Jura. You had a golden opportunity and you threw it away to save your friend." Wrath hauled his fist back and prepared to smash Kagura's skull. "Weak."

A bolt of lightning stopped Wrath from killing her. The lightning struck his side, making him reel backwards. Erza ran to Kagura and made sure she was still alive. Looking back up, she smiled in relief when she saw her backup.

"So, you're Wrath," Laxus said, crossing his arms while the Thunder God Tribe stood behind him. "You're shorter than I expected.

"Laxus…"

Makarov's grandson looked at the state the two were in and was shocked. For them to be this injured meant that this Demon was powerful. "Go get her to safety. We'll handle it from here."

"Right," Erza picked up Kagura and ran to the exit. "I need to get her to Wendy."

Wrath seethed in fury from being denied his kill. "And who said you could leave?" he shouted as he swung at Erza. Another lightning bolt hit Wrath in the side, the demon skidding backwards.

"And who said you could attack my friends?" Laxus removed his coat and flexed his muscles. Lightning crackled from his body.

"I'm going to destroy you!"

To be continued