"The sky's looking pretty dark…" Meredy looked up at the sky above, noticing how some stars were starting to become visible. "I don't know how much time we have left, but I'm starting to get a little nervous…"
"We're going to be cutting this incredibly close, that's for sure…" Blues grunted. "But I can tell we're getting closer to the site of the Mystic Water. The scent is unmistakable and I've never been near it before."
"Just a little farther!" Juvia exclaimed. "We have to hurry! Who knows how badly Cynthia-san is suffering right now…!"
"I'm still worrying about the others as well…" Aira voiced her thoughts aloud. "We still haven't heard any word on Leon, Takeru, or Mirajane…"
"I'm sure they're fine." Kuro Chi said with a mumbled and a nod.
"I'm still worrying about Ena…" Erza admitted. The skies were too quiet after the rain…there was no word from Ena or Kurthnaga after their confrontation. "I'm sure she's okay…but…"
Blues held his arm out to halt everyone from advancing. "Wait…something's coming." Everyone stopped moving and stayed silent for a few moments until…an explosion of acid occurred just a few yards away. Several draconian soldiers were thrown back from the force of the explosion. "Acid?"
"That means…!" Aira's expression almost instantly lit up.
Aira's hunch was correct. Leon made his return by leaping over the incline in his Acid Drive, unleashing several beams of acid at the soldiers that survived. He took them out with relative ease and landed on the ground just in front of the group, exiting his drive while letting out a sigh. He was covered in bruises and other marks, but he was fine overall. "What a workout…" He then turned around and merely greeted them with a wave. "Oh! Hi guys! Haven't seen you since yesterday."
"Leon!" Aira rushed over to Leon, unable to contain her happiness. "Are you okay?! Are you hurt!?"
"Oh yeah, I'm fine! Just a little banged up…but its fine, I've had worse." Leon replied with a grin.
"Haven't seen him since yesterday and he looks like he's just fine…" Erza shook her head. "Listen Leon…we need to inform you of what's going on, and quickly. There isn't much time left before the Council eradicates this island…"
"Whoa, what…!?" Leon's eyes widened in surprise. "But there are so many innocent dragons here…!"
"We know, and that's why we have to get moving," Erza stated in a firm tone. "We're almost at the Mystic Water Lake, so let's keep moving."
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"The sky's looking dark…" Rogue said while glancing up at the sky. "I can only assume this means we're beginning to run low on time…"
"This isn't good…" Selene sighed. "I can tell we're getting closer, but at this rate we're really going to have to push through the dragons if we want to save everyone in time. Ah…how's Kagura? Is she awake yet?"
"Lemme see…" Cana dug in her pocket and pulled out Kagura's card. "Ah…her breathing is more noticeable but she doesn't seem to be awake yet. It looks like she'll just have to sit the rest of this out."
"We could use her strength too…" Sting put his hands behind his head before letting out a sigh. "I have faith we'll be able to make it. We've been through worse."
"Albeit with a much larger time frame…" Luke pointed out. "Still no word on Tak and Leon though…"
"And Mira's still missing too…I'm worried about her the most…" Lucy said while rubbing her arm. "Everything we've heard about her all day today is that the worst has befallen her…but I refuse to believe that."
"I'm sure Mira's fine, she's tough, ya know." Natsu stated without any worry in his voice. He then stopped when feeling a familiar presence in the air. "Hold on a moment…"
"What's wrong, Natsu?" Happy questioned.
"Someone's watching us…" Natsu replied.
"We really can't catch a break today, can we…?" Gray let out a groan of annoyance while preparing to fight. "I hope it's not those Commandant bastards again…"
Lucy shuttered at the thought of Xen and Laura coming after her again. "Those two need to leave me alone…I don't even know what they want from me…"
"…" Selene remained silent while tilting her head. She took a few steps forward before, eyes narrowing while staring at the shadows. "Is that…?" Before she knew it, a lone dragon soldier lunged from the shadows, but before it could strike a shadow katana ran through the dragon and killed it on the spot. That was all Selene needed to see before a smile graced her lips.
Takeru emerged from the shadows while letting out an exhausted sigh. "Man…that guy's been avoiding me all day…" He then noticed the group, eyes widening as he didn't expect them to come back so soon. "Serena?! Guys?"
"Tak!" And without thinking about it Selene practically threw herself at Takeru, bringing them both down to the ground. "There you are! I was so worried!"
"Found Tak." Draco raised a finger, unable to hold back the goofy grin.
"That's one less thing to worry about," Chelia said with a small laugh. "But we can't relax just yet…we still have to move before this isle blows up with us on it."
"Wait what." Takeru blinked.
"We've got a little explaining to do…just follow us to the city entrance and we'll tell you on the way." Yukino said with a minor sweat drop on her forehead.
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Jellal and Lucius were still locked in the middle of fierce combat. Jellal used Meteor to his upmost advantage, attempting to out speed the commandant, but to his surprise Lucius was quite nimble as well. Neither of them were making any progress against the other, therefore resulting in a stalemate that wasn't going to end anytime soon. "How strong are you…?" Jellal questioned while panting softly.
"That's a question I should be asking you," Lucius responded while running a hand through his hair. "As I said before, none of my opponents have lasted this long in a one on one contest with me. Your strength is truly notable…I'm almost glad I cannot use my Reaper's Spell against you, for I'm having too much fun with this."
"You sure seem to know a lot…" Jellal responded. "If this is true, then you should know exactly why I don't have the time to be messing around with you. Return the Princess now."
"Ah, that's the crux of the matter, is it not?" Lucius chuckled. "We don't have time, yet here we are, squandering what little time we have let. The regal lady would be thrilled to know we were fighting over her…if she was conscious, that is."
"Tch…" Jellal clenched his fist, now realizing that he was going to have to finish this as quickly as he possibly could. Before anyone could make a move, a sword flew right between the two male's, aimed directly for the unmoving Hisui. "What!?" Jellal acted first, using Meteor to speed towards the blade and shot a blast that sent it right back to the sender.
Marshall, standing at a height of 6 feet and 5 inches, grabbed his blade after Jellal deflected it, a grin plastered on his lips. "Now that I have your attention…"
"Who's this?" Lucius asked Jellal as if he knew.
"The more important question is…which one of you is the stronger one?" Marshall asked while eying both Lucius and Jellal, the red aura around him steadily growing larger with each passing second.
"Ah…" Lucius saw the prime opportunity in this and began walking off. "That would be the blue haired fellow. This lovely lady and I were going to head over to the castle. Come now, Hisui dear. We've an appointment and we cannot be late."
Hisui visibly cringed before nodding, following right behind Lucius. "Y-Yes…"
"Wait!" Jellal attempted to go after the pair, but Marshall was already right in front of him with his sword at the ready.
"Sorry, but you're mine now." Marshall swung his sword horizontally at Jellal who narrowly evaded the sudden strike. Marshall's swing was so powerful a shockwave went out for at least a mile, utterly decimating everything in its path.
"What strength…!" Jellal thought to himself while keeping distance using Meteor.
"Don't run away from me now!" Marshall yelled angrily while lunging towards Jellal; though he wasn't capable of keeping up, he was able to strike from afar with a series of slashes, sending incredibly large shockwaves at the heavenly saint.
Jellal had to be evasive, maneuvering as best he could to avoid the large shockwaves. Unfortunately, one clipped his leg and sent him spiraling to the ground. He tumbled before catching himself; however Marshall left no room for reprieve and began unleashing countless sword strikes, his power growing still. "He's like a raging bull! Just attacking and attacking…!" Jellal thought while swaying his body to avoid Marshall's strikes. Finally, an opening was spotted. Jellal clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it into Marshall's kidney, halting the assault right there; he then followed up with a heavenly magic infused roundhouse to Marshall's skull, knocking him down to the ground. To finish it, he planned on kicking Marshall while he was down…but to his surprise everything about Marshall changed in that vital second. Marshall, while still on the ground, merely shifted his body in a lazy manner to avoid Jellal's finishing kick. "What…?"
"It's pretty comfortable here…" Marshall yawned, almost as if he forgot he was fighting Jellal….and at the same time whenever Jellal sent an attack, Marshall just happen to twist and turn out of the way. He was dodging…but it wasn't on purpose. He was trying to get comfortable, but he just couldn't, no matter what position he lay in. He honestly didn't even want to move.
"What is this…from anger to laziness…?" Jellal thought to himself before raising his hand, creating a sphere of heavenly body magic. He threw it towards Marshall, where a blinding explosion occurred on contact. "That had to have done it…" As the dust settled, Marshall was seen standing once again…only this time there was a green aura around his body.
"You know…" Marshall began with a devious smirk curling on his lips. "I like your magic…it makes me…green with Envy." With that, Marshall's eyes flashed a yellow glow before the exact same aura Jellal used for Meteor wrapped around Marshall. With this, Marshall sped towards the unsuspecting Jellal and clocked him in the face; the momentum carried sending Jellal tumbling along the ground before coming to a halt with widened eyes.
"What…? He copied my magic…but how…? Who are you?" Jellal grit his teeth while standing upright.
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Minerva swiped her hand, sending several spikes of Territory towards the fire demon Daityas conjured up just moments before. The spikes impaled the demon's arm, resulting in a roar of pain before it spewed out incredibly how flames from its mouth, completely incinerating everything in its path. "I don't think that had as much as an effect as I would've hoped."
"HOT HOT HOT!" Toby was flailing around the flames, worrying about the wellbeing of his sock over anything else. "IT'S GONNA BURN MY SOCK!"
"Toby, please calm down…" Yuka used his anti-magic field to create an area free of flames. It was all he could really do at this point while allowing the others to take action.
"Allow us, beautiful Minerva!" Eve said with Ren right beside him. Eve extended his hand to unleash a small snowstorm from his palm that raced towards the fire demon. "White Fury!"
"Air Burst!" Ren followed up with a quick burst of wind to fuse with Eve's White Fury, creating an intensifying snowstorm that froze over the residual flames the demon left behind.
"And for good measure…" Waiston puffed his cheeks out, unleashing a Frozen Dragon's Roar; the funnel of ice combining with Eve and Ren's attacks. The triple attack struck the demon's chest directly, though before any major damage could be dealt the natural heat of the demon dispersed the attack. "Nothing?!" The demon then let out a roar before slamming a fist onto the ground, creating a pillar of flames directly underneath everyone which they had to avoid by jumping to the side.
"That thing almost flame broiled my hair!" Yes, that was Jenny's prime concern at the moment. But to be fair her body and clothing was bruised and torn.
"This thing is really tough…where did it even come from?!" Kuro Crane asked while panting softly.
"That doesn't matter too much right now, let's just blow it down!" Orga exclaimed while pointing his palm forward, black lightning beginning to surge from around his body. He clenched his fist, and in the next instant a bolt of obsidian lightning dropped down from the sky above to smite the demon. A direct hit, though it was hard to say if it did any damage as well.
Rufus placed two fingers on his temple, a red magic seal forming behind him. "Memory Make: Whirlwind Fang!" With a swipe of his free hand, several tornados were sent towards the demon in attempt to snuff out the flames. The demon was consumed by the tornado; however it merely dispersed them afterwards with its overpowering strength. "W-what!?"
"Nothing we do is working…this isn't looking too good…" Jenny was being serious about the situation now.
"I'm going to take care of this." Kuro stepped forward, alone, with a serious expression on his face.
Someone was about to move forward but Waiston held his arm out, shaking his head. "No. Let him take care of this. I trust he has something in mind."
"I heard Fullbuster fought a demon and gained its powers…" Kuro mumbled while steeling himself, taking several steps towards the stationary demon. "I've conquered them all…the flames of a dragon…a god…but not the flames of a devil….and I refuse to fall behind anyone…" With Kuro approaching, the demon threw its fist towards him in attempt to crush him. Kuro held his hands out and stopped the flaming fist with his own two hands, sliding back in the process. "So…whether you like it or not…I'm taking…your power!"
"W-What on earth is he doing…!?" Jenny shouted with concern in her voice.
There was a bright glow as a tattoo began to spread along his arm. His previous training with Daityas allowed this to be possible. The flames of the demon began to weaken before Kuro finally had a Devil Slaying Tattoo on his arm. Once he was done he reared his arm back, devil flames appearing along the limb. "Flame Devil's…Thermal Fist!" The impact of the punch was more effective than anything thus far; the demon was sent tumbling back across the field. "And…" Kuro inhaled, flames beginning to circle around his mouth. "Flame Devil's Rage!" The new Devil Slayer spewed flames forward, completely consuming the demon. There was a distorted roar before the demon was ironically incinerated by its own flames in a sense. Once it all died down, Kuro let out a heavy sigh while dusting off his hands. "That was something!"
"And he just shrugs it off after?" Ren blinked.
"White Eclipse…" Minerva placed one hand on her hip, letting out a distasteful sigh. She actually really couldn't stand anyone from the guild.
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Time until Etherion Fires: 60 minutes.
The sky was dark; stars twinkled in the night. Now, just about everyone was gathered in front of the gates leading to the city excluding Erza's group, Jellal, and Hisui. "It looks like we all made it…" Levy said while going over everyone. "Erza's group is still missing…along with Ichiya's, but I guess they're still working on the Christina…Mira is still missing too I see…"
"Where could she be…?" The injured Lisanna mumbled under her breath.
"We'll probably meet them inside the city." Laxus nodded. "Speaking of, how about we quit talking and just kick this gate open already?"
"I concur…" Joker made his comment and everyone was on edge. "What?"
"Okay whose bright idea was this?" Lucy narrowed her eyes at Joker while looking at Dealer. Ace, Daigo, Spade, and Heartless were comically sweating as everyone had eyes on them.
"We don't have time to argue." Freed stated before his gaze went in Cynthia's direction, and she was looking worse. The red scales completely covered her arm and hands, while also reaching up her neck and nearly reached up to half her face. "I wish Erza's group was here already…"
"We'll just have to rush inside…Which I can't wait to do. I've been waiting for this all day…giehehe…" Gajeel grinned. He then sniffed the air, looking over at the others. "The hell…did it just get a little colder or is it just me…?"
"I think the temperature did drop a little…" Tia said while cautiously looking around.
Cobra's ears perked up slightly. He heard something approaching and it was doing so rapidly. "Something's coming…!" There was actually a little bit of worry in his voice, though no one would have the time to understand why in time. It all happened so quickly; a blue magic seal formed underneath the entire group and a large glacier rose within the chilling wind. In a flash of light, nearly everyone was consumed within the frozen prison, wearing shocked expressions from the very last second of realization.
"Wh-wha…?" Lucy's eyes opened slowly, only to realize her arms and legs were stuck within a glacier. "Huh!? E-Everyone!?" She looked around, unable to spot anyone within the artificially created frozen wasteland. "W-What's going on!?"
"Finally…" Xen dusted his hands off while letting out a minor sigh. "We've got you right where we want you, and none of your friends are going to interfere with us this time."
"That's right! This time you're ours." Laura said with a sinister grin.
Lucy's eyes widened in fear as the severity of the situation began setting in. They were all trapped and there was no way out…and at the worst possible time.
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Next Time: Eternal Ice.