"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu yelled while swinging his flaming leg upwards, aiming for Nasir's chin; the Sky dragon dodged the hit by leaning back just slightly, not even allowing the heat of the flames to graze him. This didn't deter the Salamander whatsoever; instead he followed up, lunging forward while pulling his arm back. "And, Iron Fist!" Thrusting his flaming arm forward, Natsu aimed right for Nasir's chest, though Nasir blocked the hit with his forearm, only receiving a burn on his skin while sliding back a few feet. "Tch…!"
"My!" Nasir spoke mockingly, his grin matching his tone. "I can see how Gaius fell to such strength, quite a group of formidable opponents I have before me! The son of Igneel is truly something else!" With that he lunged forward with wind violently wrapping around his open palm. "Sky Claw!" The incoming slash was powerful, strong enough to send the defending skidding across the ground a few yards. "That's power right there, human."
"Agh…" Natsu groaned silently, feeling his arms throb from Nasir's attack. Yet he had the audacity to grin at the sky dragon with that defiant grin of his. "That stung, but I'm pretty sure Wendy could do better, since you lost to her."
"You…!" Nasir's eye twitched in anger. He was about to rush in blind against Natsu until he remembered the other three dragon slayers. He was reminded of it when Sting used the opening to blindside and strike with a light infused kick to his side, causing him to stagger backwards. "Oof…! That's right; there are more of you…Son of Wessolgia…Skiadrum…"
Sting slid back to regain his balance before lunging forward once more, light covering his entire fist. "White Dragon's Punch!" Swinging his arm forward, Sting aimed his fist for Nasir's face, only to be surprised to see how quickly the sky dragon could move; Nasir shifted his body to the side, allowing Sting to completely fly past him. "…!" Before Sting could react, Nasir brought his leg up to Sting's gut, using his superior strength to kick the white dragon away into a nearby tree. "Guh!" After his back hit the tree, he stared at Nasir with a tiny grin sown on his lips.
Just as Sting was sent flying, Rogue used this time to strike, appearing from Nasir's very own shadow with darkness engulfing his leg. "Shadow Dragon's Talon…" He spoke silently while twisting his body, aiming his magic enhanced leg for the back of Nasir's head. Unfortunately, Nasir caught wind of Rogue's voice and turned, blocking the strike with his burnt forearm, stopping Rogue's momentum completely. "Wha-!"
"Take a dirt nap, Shadow human…!" Nasir exclaimed while bringing his free hand up and down onto Rogue's head, slamming the shadow dragon into the ground with incredible force. As he withdrew his arm, Selene moved in for a strike.
"Diamond Dragon's Armored Horn!" The diamond slayer shouted while charging headfirst towards Nasir. Her diamond coated body slammed directly into the abdomen of the dragon; not even Nasir could withstand such might and was forced backwards with a small shout of pain. "And Diamond Dragon's Axe!" Selene shifted her momentum to a twist, bringing her diamond shielded leg down onto Nasir's head in an axe like motion, looking for a devastating impact. Too bad for her, Nasir caught her foot at the last second, though the ground cratered under his feet under such might. "How…?"
"Diamonds, hm…? Interesting…let's see how they hold up against this!" Nasir opened his mouth, unleashing a Sky Roar upon Selene from point blank range; the powerful twister sending the Eclipse mage soaring into the sky before she landed harshly onto the ground. "How do diamonds stand against the crushing power of the wind?"
"Rather well…" Selene had to take a moment to pick herself up, but her body was covered in diamonds and there wasn't a single scratch mark on them. She could only give a sly smirk while Nasir grit his teeth in annoyance. "Diamonds are the hardest known material to man, dragon, and demon…did you really think a little breeze was going to so much as put a mark on them? Besides…nothing can break through my diamonds anyway."
"Nothing a little elbow grease can't fix…" Nasir said while cracking his knuckles. These dragon slayers were trained well. But he wasn't going to make the mistake of being defeated a second time.
Of course, that was assuming he'd get the chance. Natsu was high in the air with a large ball of flames raised over his head. "Dazzling Blaze of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu hurled the blazing sphere towards Nasir who noticed at just the last second.
"Pest…!" Nasir grunted while jumping back to avoid the radius of the Blaze. A smoke cloud formed upon contact, shrouding the dragon slayers from Nasir's view. "Using smoke as cover as a backup? Perhaps you're dumber than I originally thought…"
Before Nasir could continue, Sting slid in from the Dragon's blindside with his hands cupped together. "Who said anything about cover!? I'm right here! White Dragon's Pulsar!" From his gloved hands, a cylinder of light shot out, consuming the Sky Dragon while pushing him away forcefully; not only was it meant to deal damage, but blind him as well.
"Agh! Damn you, son of Wessologia…!" Nasir groaned while bringing his hands to his eyes to shield himself from the light, but as a result he could not see what was going on, and the white noise created from the attack rendered his hearing slightly useless for a short time.
Rogue used this time to emerge from Nasir's shadow, wrapping his shadowy figure around Nasir's body to prevent movement while his hands were engulfed with shadows. "Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!" Rogue pushed his palms forward, allowing the shadows within to rip and tear at Nasir, causing the dragon to let out a roar of pain in the process. Feeling he'd done enough, Rogue quickly unwrapped his shadow from around Nasir to allow Selene to move in.
"Don't get too comfortable!" Selene exclaimed while inhaling, cheeks inflated as she gathered magic within her mouth. Once she obtained the desired amount she threw her head forward, unleashing a vortex of small, but sharp diamonds towards their foe. "Diamond Dragon's Roar!" All Nasir could do at this point was defend against the attack by crossing his arms; those very diamonds he mocked moments ago were now causing him anguish as they dug into his scales and skin.
"And to end it all!" Just after Selene finished her roar, Natsu sprinted forward with a large blaze around his dominate arm. "Fire Dragon's Firing Hammer!" He thrusted his clenched fist forward, right at Nasir's face. Immediately after contact, a giant wave of flames followed suit, pushing the sky dragon into a boulder that exploded violently as it was overtaken by flames. "Heh! How was that, you bastard!?"
All fell silent for a few moments until Sting finally spoke up, panting softly. "Did we get him…?"
No. The wind picked up, completely shredding the boulder Nasir was in along with the lingering flames and smoke. Nasir's wings flapped as he hovered slightly over the ground. There were signs of damage along his body, but the effort he was putting it was much clearer than before. "That…was an entertaining opening act. I have to take you three far more seriously than I did that little girl."
"As I thought…" Rogue sucked his teeth. "I knew our attacks were hitting…but…"
"It didn't feel like we were actually doing that much damage to him, did it?" Sting knew what Rogue was going to say. "I know we hurt him…"
At that moment, Mii's words played back into Selene's head. These dragons were nothing to take lightly…even if they could knock Nasir out; there was no telling what he would do if he regained consciousness. That meant they had to slay him. "…"
"It's going to take much more than a few dragon slaying spells to even come close to putting me down!" Nasir exclaimed; suddenly, light blue scales started to form along his arms and legs; his claws and talons were revealed. It was the same level of power he used when fighting against Wendy, only this time it was notably higher. "Now that the little warm up is over…shall we begin, Dragon Slayers?"
.
.
Mii turned to look over her shoulder once more, finally coming to a halt along with everyone else. "I think we should go back. You felt that shift in the wind, didn't you?"
"Yeah, so?" Gray scoffed. "Four dragon slayers against a dragon that one of our own has already beaten? He doesn't stand a chance."
"No, I don't think you understand…" Chelia's expression became stern. "The wind had a very unsettling shift…"
"And that's usually not a good thing…" Raven continued. It was a little weird how they were finishing each other's sentences.
"See, the little ones here gets it," Mii grinned slightly while patting Chelia on the head, which in turn caused the pinkette to shoo her hand away. "We gotta go back and help them. Chances are Nasir's finally taking the dragonling gloves off, and it won't be pretty."
"Do you really think it will be that bad, Mii-sama?" Yukino was feeling worried now, especially with Sting and Rogue fighting.
"Sting is the strongest, he'll be fine…!" Lector reassured Yukino.
"Rogue is there too!" Frosch grinned.
"D-Don't call me 'sama' there's really no need for that…" Mii let out a nervous laugh. "But yeah, we should go back and help them out!"
"You really know a lot about these things, don't ya…?" Cana was well aware they just finished questioning Mii, but maybe there were some things left out.
"Were you holding back on us…?" Lucy stared at Mii.
"Well…maybe…" Mii rubbed the back of her head. "Okay, look. The truth is, I…" Once again, Mii was interrupted. Several lightning daggers flew past the group, causing them all to split in two directions: Mii, Cana, Happy, Lector, Frosch, Raven, and Chelia on one side, and Lucy, Gray, and Yukino on the other; and just before anyone could do anything else, a wall of lightning appeared between the two groups. "What the hell?! Why can't I finish a sentence!?"
"Lightning!?" Lucy's eyes widened at the element.
"Oh, almost separated perfectly…" Laura snapped her fingers before shrugging. "Oh well…I suppose this will do."
"Excellent work," Xen chuckled, appearing alongside Laura on Lucy's side of the wall. "You seem to have caught some little gnats, but they won't pose to be too much of a problem."
"You again…!?" Lucy took a small step backwards. She wasn't in the physical mood to deal with Laura again.
"Yes, long time no see. I haven't forgotten how you humiliated my comrade and I yesterday…" Laura said with a small huff, though her lips grew into a sadistic smile. "But that's going to change now that I'm aware of the circumstances." She then glanced over at Mii. "So, it really is you..."
"What is that supposed to mean!?" Mii rolled her eyes. "I've never seen you people in my life!"
"How unfortunate. It seems she's forgotten." Xen said with a small shrug. "It doesn't matter, you'll be coming with us soon enough anyway! Everything that occurs on this Island is tied back to you! But right now? This matter with the blonde is a separate issue. So sit tightly until we finish, understand?"
"You're the bastard that attacked the ship…" Gray glared towards Xen, who just wore a small smile.
"What do you want with Lucy-sama…?" Yukino questioned while reaching for her key ring, preparing to battle alongside Lucy.
"Let's just say…she's under suspicion for having something we want. If it's true she has it we're going to have to bring her in under custody of Pergrande. National affairs and all that, I'm sure you'll understand." Xen told the group. "So if you would be so kind as to step aside."
"I don't! Leave me alone!" Lucy shouted. She had no idea what these people wanted from her, but it was really starting to irritate her!
"I'm sure the Princess wouldn't mind a diplomatic debate about this…" Laura snapped her fingers as she realized she missed the opportunity. "Oh well, when I bring her your unconscious body I'm sure we can work something else."
"Ah ha! So you DO have Hisui…!" Mii shouted, trying to rip apart the electric gate before her but received a zap strong enough to send her staggering backwards. "Oof…okay, that didn't work…"
"Are you okay!?" Chelia asked while looking over Mii. "You shouldn't be moving that arm either…!"
"I-I'm fine…" Mii said while rubbing her arm.
"You're in for a surprise if you think you're just gonna take Lucy without a fight…" Gray said while slamming his fist into his palm. Gray was going to fight Xen, while Lucy and Yukino were going to fight Laura.
"I think…" Xen began while extending his arm forward, his shield of artificial ice forming along his limb. The shield then floated in front of Xen by use of telekinesis while two fingers were placed on the center of his forehead. "You're in for the surprise believing that you can face off against two of the Pergrande Kingdom's Commandants…"
.
.
"We'll see if this'll be fun or not!" Nina exclaimed before taking a position nearly identical to Gray's: a fist was in her palm as a chilling wind wrapped around her being. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Thrusting her arms forward, the blonde unleashed enlarged ice lances towards the pair of Strauss siblings.
"She's like Gray!?" Lisanna exclaimed in shock before taking evasive maneuvers, using her Tigress soul to move quickly through the incoming lances of ice, weaving through them with relative ease thanks to her increased speed.
"Another copycat? How unmanly, one is enough!" Elfman shifted to his Lizardman takeover, bringing up a scaled forearm to defend against the ice lances coming his way. As a result he hardly took any damage. "Now it's our turn!" Elfman dropped the Lizardman in exchange for Weretiger, and along with Lisanna the two rushed down the Roulette siblings. Elfman aimed a series of slashes at Julia while Lisanna did the same for Nina.
"Oh, these two aren't bad…" Julia muttered while leaning side to side to avoid Elfman's attacks. They were faster than she anticipated so some of the strikes managed to land, though she bit her tongue to prevent letting out any sounds of pain. The final slash was evaded with a leap back, and Julia placed two fingers on the side of her temple. "Let's see…ah! Sonic Spear!" As she said this, a green spear appeared in her grasp. "The luck of the draw."
As for Nina, she had an easier time evading Lisanna's strikes than Julia had with Elfman. Each slash Lisanna aimed was effortlessly avoided, though her claws did graze Nina's skin to draw a little bit of blood. "Ha!" Nina aimed her boot for Lisanna's stomach, using her physical strength to kick the youngest Strauss sibling away, forcing her to tumble along the ground. The blonde then held her hand up, forming a simple, but big bomb in the middle of her palm. "Bombs away!" And she chucked that bomb at Lisanna with massive force.
Lisanna caught herself on all fours, coughing slightly from the force of Nina's kick. Before she could do anything else, Nina already threw the bomb towards her. "B-Bomb Magic…!?" And the bomb exploded on her rather violently, creating a large cloud of smoke.
"Lisanna…!" Elfman turned his attention away from Julia to show worry for his sister.
"You must be pretty confident to look away from me!" Julia shouted while spinning her spear before thrusting it forward, unleashing a massive gust of wind that sent Elfman flying backwards before hitting the ground on his back.
"Ugh…I'm okay…" Lisanna groaned while picking herself up; another seal appeared above her as she changed into her half-bird takeover, using her wings to take into the sky with incredible speed, soaring above the Roulette sisters. She wasted no time diving down towards Julia with her foot extended, slamming her heel into the eldest Roulette with enough force to send the brunette barreling into the ground. Lisanna retreated back into the sky, well above the reach of either Empyrean wizard.
"Man!" Elfman used Weretiger's superior speed to lung at Nina while Julia was taken care of, aiming a powerful kick for the temple of the female. A direct hit! And one that caused the blonde to tumble before recovering. She wasn't even annoyed by this; instead she had a wide, satisfied grin on her lips.
"Aw yeah! This is better than I thought it was going to be!" Nina lived for the thrill of a good fight, no matter when and where it occurred. "Jules, you okay?"
"I'm fine," Julia said while dusting herself off, grumbling at the shoe-imprint on her face. "Just annoyed." Glancing up into the sky at the airborne Lisanna, Julia got an idea. She began spinning the spear around; creating a maelstrom that harmed everyone excluding her and Nina. The wind storm made it incredibly difficult for Lisanna to stay in the air.
"A-Ah…! Whoa…!" Lisanna was trying her best to stay in the air, but that changed the second Nina made use of Gravity magic, forcing Lisanna right into the ground with enough force to cause a small crater while Elfman was down to a knee. "G-Gravity magic too!? W-What are you…!?"
"W-What is this…?" Elfman struggled to even stay on a knee within Nina's gravity field. "How can you use so many kinds of magic at once? Are you like Luke…!?"
"Not sure who that is…" Nina said with a shrug. "But I can assure you I'm not like anyone you know. You ever hear of that thing called Random Chance?"
"That's us, we're pretty much embodiments of that." Julia said while tapping her temple with one finger. "Roulette Sisters is the name, Random Select is the game. And we're going to show the both of you just how terrifying 'Random Chance' can be."
.
.
Next Time: Random Chance!