"You think she's mad I called her old?" Cygnus questioned the others while pointing at the clearly upset Edna. "I mean to be fair…"
"Cyg, I'm not picking sides here." Jaxon began while crossing his arms. "But I don't think you of all people should be calling people old, old man."
"I'm 22 IT'S LIKE YOU PEOPLE DON'T EVEN AGE I SWEAR!" Cygnus shot back with an annoyed tick mark on his forehead. Looks like Edna wasn't the only sensitive one when it came to age.
"Is now really the time to be taking shot at each other's age?" Heather questioned while narrowly avoiding a crystal lance that Enda hurled at her. "I'd rather you two focus on the dragon trying to impale us with crystals."
"In all honesty with all things considered, I think you might be the oldest one here…" Enda pointed at Heather with a knowing smile on her lips.
"What's that supposed to mean!? Are you calling me old? I'll have your head." Heather glared towards the crystal dragon while pointing her hand forward, a magenta magic seal forming in the palm of her hand. "Poison Dragon's Twin Fangs!" From the seal, two dragon heads composed of deadly toxins shot out, both of them aimed directly for Edna with the intent of sinking their fangs into the dragon.
"Lame." Edna responded while holding up two arms, allowing crystal scales to form along the limbs. The poison dragons bit down on Edna's crystal covered arms and immediately dispersed, leaving the poison dragon slayer agitated. "Crystals have reflective properties, didn't you know that? Little tricks like poison won't work on me."
"Then try this on for size!" Lyon slammed his fist into his palm, a chilling wind blowing throughout the area as he prepared his ice make spell. "Ice Make: Ape!" With that exclamation, an ape composed of ice appeared before him. The ape then charged towards Enda, raising both hands into the air before bringing them both down on the crystal dragon. A shockwave and tremor occurred from impact…only to reveal that Edna blocked the ape by holding her palm flat against its fist. "What…!?"
"Ice? How dull. It doesn't have that shine, you know?" Crystal coated fist then shattered the ice ape in a single blow. Edna then dusted her hands off before a pair of wings spread from her back and she took to the air with a grin on her lips. "You humans are so lame, you can't even come up here, can you?!"
Milliana puffed her cheeks out in irritation at Edna's mockery of them. "I-Is she just toying with us!?"
"I've reason to believe so…" Hibiki said while staring into the sky at the airborne Edna.
"This is really annoying…" Melody decided it was her time to strike. Placing one fist into her palm, arms thrown forward as sliver magic seal appeared before her. "Silver Magic: Arrows!" From the seal, a plethora of large silver arrows shot out in attempt to shoot Edna now.
"Crystal Slash." Edna responded to Melody's assault by pulling a wing back and throwing it forward, unleashing a rain of crystal shards that clashed with the incoming arrows while others rained down towards the group. They did their best to avoid the rain, though not everyone came out unscathed and had some cuts on their skin as a result. "See? Humans have boring abilities, nothing that even comes close to a dragon."
"You almost beat Reve in an asshole contest…" Cygnus stated while dusting off his shoulders.
"Don't go giving her too much credit now…" Reve chuckled slightly.
"Yeah, I'd say she's at least a quarter of the way there." Jaxon commented before looking at Cygnus. "You wanna stop goofing off already?"
"Had the let the kid have her fun. You know how it is, respect your elders." Cygnus grinned before placing one hand out, slowly bringing it down. "You've been doing a lot of talking, but humans are a little more down to earth than dragons are, care to see?" With this motion, the gravity around Edna intensified without warning.
"W-What the..!?" Edna was ill prepared for the shift in gravity and found herself plummeting to the ground, only to halt herself from a powerful collision with the rocky dirt, but that was the least of her worries.
"THUNDER PUNCH!" Jaxon yelled at the top of his lungs as lightning coated his arm; in one swift motion he slammed his fist into Edna's nose, the crackle of lightning and boom of thunder echoing across the island from impact.
Edna was sent tumbling backwards from the force of Jaxon's punch, only to place her hands on the ground to come to an eventual stop. But by then, Reve was already pointing a sawn-off shotgun in her direction with that patented grin all over his face. "Bang." With the click of the trigger, several beams shot out of the shotgun, only to split into even more beams with equal power. Every beam collided with Edna to create a large cloud of smoke in the area.
"Whoa, did that work!?" Melody questioned with widened eyes at the White Eclipse display.
"If it didn't we're just getting started!" Cygnus yelled.
"Well well…" Edna emerged from the smoke with her clothing torn and markings along her fair skin. "I guess if a bunch of humans get together they can provide a little entertainment. I was hoping you weren't done though, I haven't gotten any exercise in a while and I was hoping to stretch my legs a bit…"
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"Razor Wind!" Nasir flapped his wings, creating razor sharp wind with the intent of tearing through Gildarts and Jura before they could cause too much trouble.
"Iron Rock Wall!" Jura shouted while lifting up his index and middle finger, creating a wall of iron and solid rock to effectively block Nasir's attack. The wall didn't fall even after Nasir's powerful winds, leaving the Sky Dragon flustered and shocked.
"What!? Why hasn't my wind been working against you!?" Nasir shouted in anger towards the Wizard Saint.
"No matter how loudly the wind bellows…the mountain will never bow to it." Jura responded before pushing his open palm forward, a yellow glow appearing around the iron rock wall. The wall shattered into large debris that flew towards Nasir, who used his wings to aerodynamically evade the pieces of rubble sent in his direction.
"I've got you!" Gildarts exclaimed while rearing his arm back from above, bringing it down towards Nasir's head with nothing but his raw physical strength. Nasir blocked the hit by crossing his arms, though impact caused a minor explosion and the ground beneath him shattered and cratered.
"No, I believe it's you that's been caught!" Nasir swung his tail at Gildarts…only for it to be snagged within the ace's grip.
"Heh." Gildarts merely grinned at Nasir who had yet another look of shock on his face.
"Iron Rock Fist!" Jura exclaimed from behind the two of them. From his location, several large fists composed of iron and rock flew towards Gildarts and Nasir. Gildarts released Nasir at the last second and allowed the sky dragon to take the onslaught of punches that dove him into the very earth. Eventually the onslaught did stop, and everything was quiet for a moment.
That was, until, a whirlwind ripped apart the ground underneath Gildarts and Jura. The two of them weren't expecting it to happen so suddenly. Even though they could detect it at the last second, they were thrown off their feet and whipped around by raging wings. The two high class wizards were slammed into each other, and then the ground. Nasir rose with some damage on his body, but with a wide grin. He could see the damage on his opponents from just one strike. "Don't get so cocky, humans! I am still a dragon, far superior to the both of you in strength!"
"He is quite strong..." Jura admitted with a calm exhale. "His wind is nothing to scoff at."
"That one hurt..." Gildarts admitted, but he had a grin on his face as well. "I was hopin' that wouldn't be all. I fought Acnologia, so I know a strong dragon when I see one. And right now, the two of you don't even compare."
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Another fiery explosion occurred; Lisanna let out a cry of pain while tumbling across the charred landscape. Her body was covered in second degree burns and she was hardly able to stay conscious. Brax was way out of her league and trying against such a force was suicide in itself. "Haaa….ha…." Lisanna was on her hands and knees, and even then she was hardly capable of keeping her balance.
"Come on; call it quits already, will ya?" Brax sighed while dusting off his coat. "The only thing you're doing is embarrassing yourself and getting my coat dirty. And I'm just trying to have a little fun here. But I'm done playing around, I should really get moving…" Brax reeled his arm back before hurling a flame coated chakram at the exhausted Lisanna. Before it could reach, a beam intercepted the weapon and caused an explosion to which the weapon was returned to the sender. "Eh?"
Lisanna stared up before her with her blurry vision, spotting a female with long white hair standing in front of her. A smile crossed her lips as she mumbled "Mira-nee…" before she hit her limit and passed out.
The figure Lisanna was actually looking at was none other than Angel, who merely rolled her eyes as the unconscious Strauss mistook her for the still missing eldest sibling. "I'm not YOUR sister…but you remind me a lot of mine."
"Oh?" Brax quirked a brow while holding one chakram over his shoulder. "A new challenger?" Shortly after speaking, Ultear, Cobra, Racer, Hoteye, and Midnight arrived on the scene. "Oh, what's this? Another group? You guys sure have this place stacked."
"Who's this guy? He's rather obnoxious…" Hoteye gestured towards Brax who merely shrugged, taking no offense at all.
"He's not our top priority right now," Ultear responded. "But if he's in the way, we'll have to make quick work of him."
"Ah, I'm tired of fighting for now." Brax said in a nonchalant attitude that took Crime Soricere off guard. "I only really appeared to deliver a message…and I assume you aren't with the group that just appeared a few hours ago. But if you're looking for your Princess, she's with a comrade of mine. Though I suggest you hurry, because as time passes she's falling deeper into his spell." It was then the Commandant gave an ominous chuckle before disappearing in a veil of flames.
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"So that's what's going on over there…" Raven rubbed the back of his head as Sting explained Jura and Gildarts' appearance on the island. "Those two can surely beat that annoying Sky Dragon!"
"There's something that's been bothering me since we've been here…" Lucy was awake now and rubbed the back of her head. "I know dragons can transform at will…if they really wanted to crush us with little resistance why haven't they fully transformed already?"
"Rise and shine, you two." Mii was leaning against a tree with her arms crossed, speaking to both Lucy and Yukino. It had been a little bit of time since the encounter with the Commandants. "And to answer your question, there is a reason for that. While Dhegensea does have control over the dragons thanks to Drake…if those dragons actually fully transform now, it would not be good. They'd lose control of themselves and Dhegensea wouldn't be able to regain control for a while. So basically…"
"We would lose all sense of self and ravage this island before we have a chance to actually get on the mainland; and when that time comes we'll be horribly exhausted and unable to put up much of a fight once we arrive. That transformation is a double-edged sword, you see." Eizen spoke from top a large incline. "Is that what you were going to say, Chosen?"
"Eizen…" Mii's lips curled to a slight frown at the sight of the Silver dragon while the others just got on guard. "Is there something I can help you with? It's a little touching you came all the way down here just for lil old me."
"Man, can't we catch a break…!?" Gray grit his teeth while preparing to use an Ice Make spell in the event Eizen attacked.
"Relax humans. I'm not here for you. I'm here…" Eizen pointed to Mii. "For the Chosen. Dhegensea has requested your presence and sent me out to find you; and color me surprised to see you hanging around the same humans you betrayed twice within a matter of 24 hours. I thought you were investigating those white coated humans?"
"I don't need you prying into my business." Mii placed her hands on her hips. "I did in fact run into some of those people and got some information on them for your information. But after being around these people….I don't really fancy heading back to that old lizard…"
"Mii?" Lucy looked at Mii with a quirked brow. "Are you…"
"Just follow my lead." Mii told the others with a slight smile.
"You're asking us to trust you?" Cana had a stale expression while taking a quick sip of her flask. She, along with everyone else, already had their doubts about this.
"Hey, I've been with you guys for a few hours and I haven't told a single lie. That's a new accomplishment for me!" Mii replied with a grin.
"I'm not sure whether to be impressed or worried…" Lucy said with a comedic sweat drop.
"And I hope you haven't forgotten the chain of command!" Mii suddenly pulled out Dragon Hadlar, holding one end of the double sided shotgun at Eizen while the other side faced the group. "As the Chosen, my word goes above yours, isn't that right?"
"But in the end it is the King who makes the final ruling…" Eizen remained calm in the face of Mii's defiance. "You know you can't toil with the word of Fate, Chosen. And if you were to stay with these people…who knows what could happen to…"
"S-stop!" Mii suddenly shouted. "Don't you dare."
"What's going on? I don't think we should stand here idly…" Selene warned the others.
"Simply come back and all will be well. Our King has another assignment for you, and you'd do well to return to accept it." Eizen stared at Mii who seemed to be having some sort of struggle.
"Ah…" Mii let out a heavy sigh before closing her eyes. "Whatever happens, you guys shouldn't move a muscle." She clicked the trigger…and from the back end of Dragon Hardly, a massive bullet shot out and immediately caused an explosion that consumed the group, incinerating everything in the area. A large cloud of smoke formed along with the smell of burning grass filling the air. Afterwards she hopped on the incline next to Nasir with a slight smile on her face. "Now can we go?"
"Of course…" Eizen chuckled before walking off with Mii.
As the smoke cleared, the group was revealed to be unharmed, just surrounded by charred landscape. "What the hell was that?!" Cana shouted angrily. "What is that girl thinking!? She nearly killed us!"
"If she wanted us dead…we would be." Rogue's tone was rather low. "I'm not sure what she was thinking, but ending our lives was the last thing in her mind. She burnt the grass around so Eizen wouldn't be able to tell we were alive by our scent…and with the large radius of the blast any scent tracking is rendered useless…" He then brought his hand up to pinch his nose. "The smell is rather distracting…"
"What's her problem…? She keeps changing sides…!" Lector groaned. "Even after Yukino helped her with her injury…"
"I think there's something more at work here…" Yukino replied. "But I think we should focus on moving forward…"
"Next time I see that girl I swear…" Luke grumbled.
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"Sir, you've a visitor!" A dragon soldier entered the throne room and bowed to Dhegensea.
"Another human ambassador I take it?" Dhegensea sighed. "Send them away."
"Say the King doesn't have time for such nonsense." Venoma commented from her seat while waving a dismissive hand.
"A-Are you sure…?" The soldier questioned which immediately got a glare from Dhegensea. "I-I mean…y-you should know…t-the guards at the front said the same thing…a-and some pulse came from the…person, and they just dropped…dead."
"Dead?" Dhegensea's eyes widened before finally deciding to change his mind. "Let them in, NOW."
"Y-Yes SIR!" The soldier nodded and hurried out the doors.
Moments later the doors reopened and a lone figure walked into the throne room. "It's been a long time, Black Dragon King. I've heard you've finally sprang into action with your ideals."
"Indeed…" Dhegensea nodded while standing up from his throne, walking towards the unexpected visitor. "Though I never expected you to arrive at my doorstep…Black Wizard. Or should I say…Zeref?"
Zeref gave a tiny smile to Dhegensea while clutching one particular book in his grasp. "We've much to discuss, Dhegensea….and oh so little time to do so."
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Next Time: Unexpected Visitor.