The sun was still shining brightly over the battle ridden country of Fiore; it was the afternoon now; the fighting had been going on since morning and it was still going on just to give an idea of how long Fight for Fiore had been going on. Hours and Gajeel still had yet to have a single fight, and it was really started to get to him now. In fact he was ready to throw down with Bickslow or Evergreen to get his irritation out. "Come on, I'm starting to get bored here!"
"We're almost there…! I think…" Levy said in attempt to calm Gajeel down.
"Just a little further…" Freed confirmed. "It was down this path…" He went to point in the right direction, however just as he did, a rune barrier began to form, and it wasn't his doing. "W-What the…!?"
"Freed…!?" Bickslow questioned on instinct.
"That's not Freed…" Evergreen confirmed. The rune barrier covered a wide area but there was not a person in sight. "Is this from that guy…?"
"No…" Levy shook her head. "I don't think so…there's something different about these runes…"
Gajeel held his arm out, stopping Levy from walking forward. "Wait…" The iron dragon's eyes narrowed, pierced features scanning the area for a few seconds. It was then his red eyes caught a black vortex swirling around just a few feet before them. "What the hell…?"
The black vortex's size began to increase before a flash of light occurred, temporarily blinding everyone. When the light faded, there was a mysterious figure in a white coat, their hood covering their face. "…"
"A white coat…?" Levy blinked. "I've seen that before…I think we all have…"
"Whew…" The figure exhaled heavily before moving their hood off their face. It was an unfamiliar face to them. Wes: the 12th rank in the 13 Commandants of Pergrande; his appearance was a little altered, however. There was a misty black aura wrapped around his being and his person was already covered in bruises and injuries, yet he seemed to be operating at 100%. "It's been a while since I've had a jam session! Why don't we rock out!?"
"What the!?" Levy's eyes widened; Wes exactly matched the description Lucy had told her about some time ago after leaving the Isle. "B-But I thought this guy was dead?!"
"Pssh, you can't kill the jam!" Wes exclaimed before holding his hand up, water beginning to surge around his arm before taking the shape of a guitar. "Now then, let's rock!"
Meanwhile…somewhere nearby, another mysterious figure in a white coat was overseeing the incoming fight against Wes. In their hands was an open book leaking mysterious letters along with the same misty black aura that surrounded Wes. A sly smirk crossed their lips as they spoke. "People are often forgotten one way or another…whether it be through the sweet embrace of death, or the memories that just slowly fade away. But time…time never forgets…"
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Hosonaga sat comfortably in his chair, looking around at all the lacrima that contained magic stolen from others. It was quite the rainbow of a collection and he couldn't enjoy it more. "How wonderful…" The Client whispered while snapping his fingers, commanding several of the lacrima to fire at him all at once, infusing him with the magic of several mages. He could feel the varying power enter him all at once, and it was almost a little too much for his body to handle. Hosonaga had a violent spasm and he grit his teeth before the pain vanished and he slumped over, panting heavily. "Yes…" He breathed out. "I can feel the power of all these mages…magic is truly something else. Some better than others…but it will all be mine in due time. No mage is going to come out of this situation…"
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"Okay, Luke-san…" Sting said with a wide grin as the white-sliver aura radiated from around his body. "I'm going to give this my all, so I don't want to see anything but your best, understand!?"
"Heh…" Luke rubbed the bottom of his nose with his index finger before giving a smug grin to Sting. "You'll get nothing but my best, Sting. But I'm glad you're giving it your all, because you're not gonna get past me without it."
"Heh…." Sting's lips curved up before he pulled his arm back, sliver light wrapping around the limb. "Here I come! Iron Fist…of the White Sliver Dragon!" The white dragon leapt forward and threw his fist towards Luke with incredible power behind it. Luke crossed his arms just before impact, but a beam of white sliver shot out as soon as collision was made, forcing Luke to slide back several yards.
"Gnk…" Luke grunted lowly as he was forced back. He was going to prepare a counter, but by then Sting was already leaping high into the air for the overhead advantage.
"Time to finish this! Sabertooth is counting on me, and I do not intend to let them down on my title as guild master!" Pointing his hand forward, a sphere of white sliver formed before turning into a massive beam that shot down towards the ground at a violent velocity. "WHITE SLIVER DRAGON'S HOLY NOVA!" Once making contact with the ground, the beam of magic erupted into a large dome of white sliver that covered a large radius, completely obliterating everything nearby. Sting landed on the ground, panting heavily from the use of magic while peering intently into the smoke to see if his attack was strong enough to finish off the copycat of White Eclipse.
As the rumbling ground settled and the dust began to clear, there was a figure standing within the smoke…it was a heavily damaged Luke; one covered in bruises and damage marks…but he was still standing, hunched over and panting heavily. "H-Heh…t-that was something else…" Luke admitted with a pained grin. "But now…it's my turn…" He swiped his hand horizontally, creating a black and white magic seal underneath Sting that resembled the White Eclipse guild mark. "Secret Slayer Art: White Eclipse!" On that command, beams of black and white god slaying magic rose up into the air with Sting right in the middle; the white dragon let out a cry of pain until the attack slowly subsided and he fell to his stomach, breathing heavily while staring up at Luke with blurry vision; this match was decided.
"Looks like the man of many magics has escaped yet again." The Client almost sounded disappointed that Luke managed to worm his way out of a loss yet again. But he was a patient man and figured it was only a matter of time. For now, he settled with Sting's magic.
"Geez…I feel like that guy is practically salivating at the thought of me losing." Luke exhaled while rubbing the back of his head. "I'm gonna feel this in the morning…" He then glanced down at Sting, who didn't seem like he was in the mood for words at the moment. "Awkward…right…so…I'll see you around…and we'll have another bout without such a hefty cost next time." With that, Luke just left.
"…heh…" Despite losing, there was a small grin on Sting's lips. "Sorry, Lector…but I guess White Eclipse had the upper hand this time…but next time…"
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Chelia, Cygnus, and Orga were having an intense fight. Although, most of it was due to Orga and Cygnus, with Chelia knowingly being the weakest one in the battle. "Gravity God's Impact!" Cygnus swung his fist in a downward motion at Chelia, however the former god slayer's evasion caught him off guard.
"Pardon me…!" Chelia leapt up, using Cygnus' head as a footstool. She then preformed a front flip with the momentum she gained from leaping off Cygnus and twisted her body around while taking aim at the Gravity God. "No hard feelings…!" She pulled back the bowstring before releasing a gigantic wind arrow that struck Cygnus right in his back.
"Gah!? What the hell!?" The Eclipse mage was thrown off his feet from the force of Chelia's attack, landing on his butt with a thud and a large mark on his back. "That little bow and arrow stings…!"
"Doesn't it!?" Chelia chirped before turning to take aim at Orga…but she froze because the lightning god slayer was already before her with his fist raised, black lightning surging around his fist. "Eep…!"
"Lightning God's Knuckle!" Orga exclaimed while slamming his fist right into Chelia's gut. The impact was enough to force Chelia off her feet and send her flying right into the rune barrier with a powerful echo.
"Agh…" Chelia attempted to stand, but her breath was short and the lightning made her body feel numb and slow to respond.
"Not bad, big guy…!" Cygnus grinned before taking this chance to increase the gravity around Orga, making the bulky male's knees buckle. "But how about I show you how a Gwydion rolls!" He rushed forward, slamming his fist into Orga's chest. The mighty blow did send Orga crashing into a building due to the force of gravity behind it.
Orga pulled himself from the building, black lightning sparking around his mouth. "Lightning God's Bellow!" A potent blast of black lightning soared towards Cygnus, who crossed his arms to defend against the hit. Cygnus grimaced, since God slaying was effective against him. If Chelia had her magic, he'd be in a losing matchup, but he managed to grin.
"That the best you got!?" Cygnus lurched forward and returned fire. "Gravity God's Bellow!" From his mouth, a wave of golden gravity exploded forward, slamming against a defending Orga with equal intensity. He then rushed again, infusing his fists with gravity, while Orga's were covered in lightning. The two of them proceeded to go blow for blow with each other. Heavy impacts were made on both sides; Cygnus's gravity fists weighing Orga down with each strike, while Orga's lightning fists shocked Cygnus to the core.
Since the two of them were distracted with one another, Chelia took the chance to aim at both of them. She was expending a lot of her bow's magic, but she wasn't going to be ignored either. "Hurricane Shot!" She fired a small arrow, which quickly turned into a large twister. By the time Cygnus and Orga realized what was coming, it already struck them, knocking them off their feet and blowing them backwards a great distance. "I might not have magic anymore, but I'm still a member of Lamia Scale! I'm not going down that easily!"
"Damn..." Cygnus really felt that one. Between a hit like that and Orga's magic, he was starting to feel the strain already. "I respect your moxie. Most nonwizards would've just bowed out already."
"Indeed!" Orga laughed a bit. Despite the circumstances, he was enjoying himself a bit. "Unfortunately, I cannot let myself be bested by you two. Sabertooth is number one, and we have a debt to repay to the man that started this!" The lightning around his body only intensified.
"You said it! I don't plan on losing!" Cygnus turned to Chelia and pointed his hand forward, multiple waves of golden gravity expelling from his palm. These waves compounded on one another as they reached Chelia, pinning her to the ground. He then turned and did the same to Orga, forcing the giant man onto a knee.
"Ngh!" Chelia clenched an eye shut. Cygnus' gravity was crushing her into the ground, and she could barely move as a result. In a moment like this, she realized and remembered her new position in life. She wasn't a mage anymore. She really couldn't fight like she used to.
Cygnus then lunged forward whilst unleashing his sword, Rebellion. "Take this!" Cygnus swung his sword diagonally across Orga's chest…or rather, that's what would've happened had the Sabertooth giant not stopped the blade with his hand, blood leaking from the cut. "….Oh."
Orga grimaced slightly at the wound, but it was worth it to bring Cygnus in close. The god slayer then released his signature lightning that conducted through the blade, giving Cygnus one hell of a shock due to the fact he was a demi god. Before the eclipse mage could pull away, Orga aimed a kick at the Eclipse mage's chest to send him staggering back right into Chelia. "Now…" He pointed his hand forward, gathering lightning within his hands before throwing them forward, unleashing the massive beam of obsidian electricity directly towards Chelia and Cygnus. "120mm Lightning Cannon!"
"Oh shit…" Cygnus' eyes widened at the large beam of lightning rushing his and Chelia's way.
"Aheh…I didn't expect to get far anyway…not like this…" Chelia mumbled while shutting her eyes, a soft smile stretching on her lips. "Go on Wendy, I'm sure you'll make it far…" And as soon as she uttered that, there was a massive explosion on contact. Both Chelia and Cygnus were lying on their faces in the ground.
"And Orga wins!" The Client exclaimed as beams dropped down on Chelia and Cygnus. Cygnus' magic was taken…however The Client instantly realized that Chelia literally had nothing. "What…? But wasn't that item magic…?" Baffled and slightly annoyed, he shrugged it off and made due with what he could take as the rune barrier vanished so Orga could keep going.
"I will fight for your sakes as well. It is only the right thing to do." Orga said with a firm nod to both Chelia and Cygnus.
"Mmmgh…I sure wish…I could still self heal…" Chelia's vision was blurry, but she could still see that there magic within the bow she was using. "H-Heh…just as I thought…" Her head then hit the ground as she lost consciousness.
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An explosion of ice and acid occurred; both Leon and Gray were thrown in opposite directions before sliding along the ground. Leon didn't miss a beat, cheeks inflating as acid swirled around his lips in a miniature vortex. "Acid Dragon's WAVE!" From his mouth, pure destruction in the form of acid shot out, corroding the ground it traveled over while racing towards Gray at dangerous speeds.
"Ice Make: Cocoon!" Gray crossed his arms, ice wrapping around his body in a defensive manner. Unfortunately for him the acid ate away at the shell quickly, leaving him to deal with some acid burns and the brunt of the attack. Gray was thrown violently along the ground before coming to a halt, keeping his hands on the ground. "Agh…Ice Make: Geyser!"
Leon was dashing towards Gray, not wanting to give the icy fairy any leeway. His charge was cut incredibly short when a geyser of ice rose from the ground to encase him. His acidic aura began eating away at it instantly, but it was still taking far too long for him to even get a limb free. "N-Ngh…"
"Ice Make:…" Gray spread his hands apart, forming a bow and arrow composed completely of ice; he pulled back on the bowstring, taking aim while Leon was still focusing on trying to get himself free. "Super Freeze Arrow!" Gray unleashed the bowstring and the arrow flew towards Leon at incredible speeds; an icy explosion occurred on impact, sending Leon soaring backwards until he hit the ground, sliding roughly on his back before hopping up. "Still standing!? How durable is this guy…!?"
"That hurt, Gray…." Leon said while dusting himself off. However the signs of damage were evident and he was slowed a little by it, but it wasn't going to slow him down. "But if you want me to stay down, you're going to have to hit me a lot harder than that!" Leon exclaimed before forming two green spheres within his hands. "Acid Dragon's Corroding Missile!" Leon then threw both spheres forward, one after the other; each sphere ended with a moderately sized green explosion.
"I'll be sure to do that then…" Gray mumbled as his shirt flew off, Devil Slaying tattoo beginning to stretch along his arm. With a simple swipe of his arm, the temperature in the area dropped instantly and Gray froze the incoming spheres of acid and made them shatter harmlessly.
Leon kept running, leaping into the air as acid swirled around his fist. "Acid Dragon's Steel Fist!"
Gray drew his arm back, allowing purple ice to form around it, and it swung it forward to clash with Leon's. "Ice Devil's Frozen Impact!" The two fists collided, entering a fierce stalemate before a large explosion occurred with the two mages right in the middle.
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Hisui was standing along as multiple wizards stared her down. Hosonaga offered them a deal. The first wizard to knock her out would keep their magic and have a chance to face Hosonaga. Considering the frantic state of the country right now, this was a deal many were going to accept. "Sorry Princess, but this is for the good of Fiore!" The first one to make a move was a wind mage. He threw his hand forward, releasing a potent blast of wind towards Hisui. The Princess was shocked that someone actually attacked her and dove out of the way, a bit harshly. She was no fighter, but she knew how to handle herself.
"Please stop this! This is exactly what that man wants!" Hisui exclaimed. Hosonaga just laughed in response. "This country is better than that!"
"I don't want to lose my magic! It's all I have!" Another wizard said, throwing multiple orbs of fire towards Hisui, who scrambled to her feet in order to dodge. Numerous firery explosions occurred all around her and she kept her head low to avoid them.
"I don't care about any of you. Get out of my way!" An ice wizard expelled his hands, creating a thick frost that nearly froze most of the opposing mages over. They were in his way and he wanted to take down Hisui! "What does it matter if this country is going to be magicless in a few hours!? I'll keep mine! You guys are out of luck!" A frozen spear was formed in his grasp, and he threw it right at Hisui!
"Ah...!" Hisui managed to stop in time, but the frozen spear did cut her thigh, causing her to cry out. She fell forward, hitting the ground with a wince. "Ow..."
"Don't you see, Princess?" Hosonaga shook his head. "They don't care about this country, or the other people. At the end of the day, the only thing a mage truly cares about is their own magic. It's what sets them apart from the rest of the world. When there are no mages left, what do you think will happen? Not even the Council could stop them. Nobody could. And when I'm the only one left with magic, maybe I'll take my talents across this country and see where it gets me!"
Hisui scowled towards Hosonaga. "You don't understand the first thing about wizards, magic, or people."
"Hm...?" Hosonaga quirked a brow, as multiple wizards were standing in front of Hisui. "I understand that they are selfish people. Just look at this country, thrown into turmoil because nobody wishes to lose their magic! Despite how common they may seem, mages are and always will be rare! The people who aren't wizards outnumber them all 100 to 1! Why would anyone want to lose something that makes them stand out amongst the population!? Look at me now! A man who was born with no magic, and now I have dozens at my disposal!"
"You are wrong!" Hisui said while standing up defiantly. "People are fighting not just because they are selfish, but because they are scared. Scared for themselves, scared for the people they care about. Without magic, are afraid of how they may protect their friends and families. I can't deny everyone has their own reasons for fighting in this conflict, but there is one thing I will not allow. You will not turn my country against itself for your own selfish desires. I will not allow you to sow fear into the hearts of Fiorans because you threaten their very beings." She then turned to the wizards. "You are all better than this! You do not have to give into fear, for it is exactly what that man wants! Fight not for your magic, but for the protection of Fiore and its people!"
"What...?" There were some quiet murmurs at Hisui's words, while Hosonaga was clenching his fist in slight irritation.
"This man has chosen to make an enemy of Fiore. He cannot fight all of us at once...so he intends to make us fight each other. Fiore's greatest strength isn't just its magic, but it is our bond as a nation! We've overcome many trials together, and this is just another one!" Hisui exclaimed. "So please, do not give into this man!"
"Don't listen to her! She's just stalling!" Hosonaga pointed a finger forward. "If you don't attack her right now, I'm taking all of your magic this instant!"
"A-Ahhhh!" This was enough to incite fear in at least one person. The fire mage from before hurled another fire ball at Hisui, while everyone else only watched. Before it could reach the princess, however, a blade sliced through it. This blade was a chainwhip sword that had an incredibly far reach.
"Huh?" Hisui quickly turned around to see who her savior was. A woman with long green hair and yellow eyes. She wore a black dress with matching two inch heels. She sauntered forward with a hand on her hip, looking towards the crowd disapprovingly. Hisui couldn't help but think she'd met this woman before...
"Attacking a harmless woman? Have you no shame?" The woman shook her head. "I think the Princess's words ring true. You are all so afraid of what you might lose, you haven't even considered the real threat." She then pointed to Hosonaga. "This one who thinks he alone can control magic. A man who cannot even grasp the weight of what he's stolen. He attempts to sit on a throne built by the hard works of others and claim superiority, when in fact, it is pathetic."
"You...!" Hosonaga glared. He looked over to the wizards, realizing they were losing their will to fight on his command. "Don't you listen to her...! I'll take away your magic, I swear it!"
"You will do no such thing." Hisui said while stepping forward. "You will take mine, and you will leave these people alone. I am a combatant here, and I yield to them. Therefore, as per YOUR rules, they get to keep their magic. Are we clear?"
The Princess' determination was too much for Hosonaga. But in order to appear as if he had control of the situation, he laughed dryly. "Okay, Princess. I'll play your game for now. But don't think this will be the end of it." A beam of magic dropped down on Hisui, sapping her of her magic. Hosonaga couldn't help his scowl. "Celestial Spirit magic!?"
Hisui tilted her head. "I'm sorry if it's not what you were hoping for." There was a faint grin on her face. Even though she was a mage, it isn't as if she was using her magic.
"...Tch." Hosonaga sucked his teeth as his Thought Projection faded.
Hisui then turned to the dozens of wizards that stood before her. "Thank you for choosing to believe in me. Now, I ask that you attempt to stop as much fighting as you can. I believe sooner or later, someone will challenge that man and put an end to this. The best we can do is ensure he doesn't get anymore than he already has."
"Yes!" The dozens of wizards nodded duitifully. They had no reason not to follow the woman that was putting her people above all else!
"And..." She turned to the green haired woman, but she was already gone. Hisui was surprised. "Ah...I didn't get the chance to thank her..." But on the horizon, she could see a number of Councilmen approaching. They were being led by Lahar and Doranbolt. "Perfect timing...!"
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Avani Kanemoto, the ninth wizard saint, was busy carrying some groceries back to her guild. Unfortunately she went shopping when The Client began this Fight for Fiore, but at the same time, luckily for her, she had yet to run into anyone either. The town of Onibus was coming into view, which was good; if she could get home before encountering anyone, all the better. "Ooh…" She flinched slightly, placing a hand on her stomach while giving a soft frown. "I know, it's dangerous…but don't worry, I'll be safe…" How reassuring this would've been had a rune barrier not formed in front of her at that very instant. "Ah…!?"
"Huh!?" Cynthia slid to a halt just in front of the barrier, flailing her arms around in a comedic manner as she tried not to run right into it. She let out a sigh before turning to Avani, tilting her head curiously. "Eh…? You're my opponent…? But aren't you…" She paused, remembering seeing Avani in the Council Meeting during the Isle of the Dragon incident. Avani was a Wizard Saint, and this caused a slow grin to creep up on the lips of the young ambitious girl. 'If I could beat a Wizard Saint…' She thought, but at the same time Avani looked like such a nice woman.
"Oh man...!" Avani huffed before setting her grocery bag down, rubbing the back of her head as she stared at Cynthia. "I have to fight a kid…!? I really don't want to…"
"Man…" Cynthia sighed. The guilt of having to fight someone like Avani was now getting to her despite having the idea of toppling a Wizard Saint. "Now I don't wanna fight you either." Ultimately, she shook her head and threw her hands up. "No. I'm not doing it."
"Neither am I!" Avani shouted to the sky. She wouldn't fight a child! She couldn't! There was silence, until the runes began to shine brightly. Then, two shocks hit both women, causing them to cry out in pain. "AAAGH!?"
"AAAAH!" Cynthia clutched her chest in agony.
"You don't get a say in the matter!" The Client exclaimed. He did not want a repeat of what happened with Hisui. He was not going to allow the weakness of the human heart to interfere with his plans! This was the first pair that decided they didn't want to fight, and he wasn't going to have that! "Either both of you fight, or these runes will continue to damage you until both of you fall and die, and I'll just take your magic either way! It doesn't matter to me what outcome you choose!"
"Ngh!" Cynthia clenched an eye shut. This man was serious!?
"I..." Avani closed her eyes, both arms wrapped around her stomach as the pain assaulted her from all over. She couldn't do this. She didn't want to do this. But she had something precious she needed to protect, no matter what. Her eyes dulled slightly as her instincts took over. As if sensing her will, the runes suddenly stopped attacking both her and Cynthia.
"Huh?" Cynthia panted heavily, glancing over to Avani. "What are you...?"
"I'm sorry." Avani said with a low tone. As much as she didn't want to, suddenly...she had to.
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Wendy paused from her current location, staring into space for a moment. "Huh…?"
"Wendy?" Carla stopped, looking over at Wendy with a confused look. "Are you okay…?"
"Yeah…I'm fine…" Wendy nodded slowly. "I just felt an ominous change in the wind…it's very unsettling. Ah, come on, let's keep going…"
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Next time: Grounded Lunacy.