"Oi oi!" Natsu roared out as the mages stormed the castle. As expected, Drake's dragon soldiers were swarming around the city, but that was about to change as a beeline to the castle was made. "Get out of our way! Do you hear me, Dhegensea! We're coming for you!" While shouting, the Salamander reared his arm backwards with flames flaring around his fist. "So move IT!" Natsu brought his arm down in one swift motion, an explosion of flames occur visible from the castle; the dragon soldiers flew back from such monstrous force.
"We're coming through whether you like it or not!" Gajeel extended his arm out, creating a green magic seal before him. "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demons Logs!" Several iron lances shot out from the seal, striking the soldiers that failed to block or evade them.
Suddenly, from the skies above, Adamantine dropped down; his impact creating a crater in the city while destroying a few buildings along the way. Arms crossed, staring down the weaker dragon soldiers with that cold stare of his. "Sorry I'm late…" Adam spoke as the weaker soldiers began to cower in fear at the cold aura emanating from off the dragon. "Sidney needed something to be done first and foremost."
"Adam!" White Eclipse mages were nearly jumping for joy at one of their strongest allies joining the fray.
"Speaking of Sidney…" Adam began; however before he could finish a puff of smoke appeared right in front of him. The Ghost Mage himself returned to the scene along with Zalen.
"About time you showed up." Reve shot at Sidney.
"You're all taking too long." Sidney merely replied before stepping on the ground, a magic seal forming under his foot. "Resurrection: Frankenstein." With that mumble of an incantation, a 50 foot tall cliché Frankenstein monster rose from the ground, wreaking havoc on anything that Sidney didn't deem an ally.
"You know how he is." Zalen said while adjusting his glasses. "But enough talking, shall we move forward?"
"I wouldn't prefer anything else." Adam nodded with a slow grin creeping onto his lips. "Time to show these lower dragons what real strength is all about." In order to do so, Adam merely exhaled; unleashing a powerful Ice Roar that completely decimated a large portion of the city, freezing over buildings and any unfortunate dragon soldiers that happened to be caught in its path.
While the others finally began their charge of the city, Wendy, Cynthia, Chelia, Spark, Romeo, Jack, Raven, Carla, and Alex made their way into a house. With Cynthia succumbing to the infection, Chelia no longer possessing the ability to use magic….they were going to drag the others down if they tried to fight. "Here…we can rest in this place. With the others pushing forward I don't think we'll have to worry about being in danger."
"That's good…" Chelia gave a weary smile and a nod before sitting down, letting out a heavy sigh. "I can't fight anymore…so I'd only slow everyone down."
"You're the reason everyone can keep fighting right now. If not for you, we'd be stuck in ice." Raven wrapped an arm around Chelia's shoulder and gave her a smile. "Guess I'll just have to teach you how to string a bow now, huh?"
"Hehe…Yeah, I'd like that." Chelia nodded.
"Question." Alex raised her index finger. "Are you two finally a thing or something? Last time I saw you guys, you were..." That question alone caused the faces of both Chelia and Raven to redden and they shook their heads while shouting "N-NO!" in unison.
"Really? Not yet?" Spark blinked.
"Gross, if you ask me." Jack waved his hand dismissively. He wasn't in the mood to witness some gushy love stuff in front of him!
"I think they're totally in love if you ask me…" Cynthia managed a painful giggle while keeping her eyes shut. "A-Ahah…"
"And what about you two!?" Raven pointed at Cynthia and Wendy. Unfortunately, Cynthia could not answer right now, since she was in the midst of suffering.
"You've really seen better days, Sis…." Alex said with a small frown while glancing at Cynthia. "Hang in there, okay? While we're here, nothing's gonna get to you...!"
"Her temperature is through the roof…" Carla placed her hands on her lap with a worried frown. It was so bad the bed that Cynthia was lying on started to melt and the immediate area around her was sweltering. "G-Geez…it's so hot in here…"
"Cynthia please just hang on for just a little longer…" Wendy pleaded, subconsciously rubbing her injured leg.
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Two yellow flashes clashed on the ground. Jellal and Marshall were locked in close combat while using Meteor to try and outmaneuver the other. Jellal was still in shock that Marshall was capable of copying his magic but he could not stay stunned about this for too long. The two and their high speed blows were unable to get the upperhand on either of them. Eventually they flew back to gain space. "This is ridiculous…" Jellal muttered under his breath. "It's almost as if he's had this magic for years…"
Marshall merely gave Jellal a grin while clenching his fist. He then lifted his arms above his head, creating a large black sphere within his hands. "Altarius." Marshall was busting out this move, one of the strongest in Jellal's own arsenal, and without another word he hurled the sphere directly towards the sinner.
"…!" Jellal's eyes briefly widened, not having expected Marshall to pull out that move. But Jellal followed suit, his action mirroring Marshall's as he created his own Altarius sphere above his head and threw it towards the incoming one. The two spheres collided for a few seconds before collapsing on each other, a large explosion occurring in the process, kicking up a large cloud of smoke. "Meteor." Jellal whispered, using this time to take to the sky, however as soon as he escaped the cloud of smoke, Marshall was right below him. Only this time…Jellal had that knowing look about him. "Be judged by the seven stars…" That's right…right above Jellal, several seals were drawn in the sky and linked by the sinner himself.
"Be judged by the seven stars…" Marshall spoke exactly as Jellal did; it was almost like looking directly into a mirror. On the ground below Marshall, seven seals were drawn and linked by the Empyrean.
"GRAND CHARIOT!"
They both had the same idea and executed it at the exact same time. Several beams of light unleashed from the seals, colliding right in the middle with both mages caught in between. Several bright explosions occurred on the spot, consuming Jellal and Marshall. Both of them fell to the ground; Marshall landed on his stomach face down on the ground while Jellal landed on a knee, panting heavily from feeling the force of his own attack. "Ah…" He looked at Marshall, assuming his sudden attacker was finally down for the counter. "That dragged on a little longer than I would've liked…" He winced in pain while standing up, beginning to walk off. But then he heard a chomping sound. "What?"Jellal turned around, eyes widening at what he saw.
Marshall was sitting cross legged on the ground, picking up whatever was around and began stuffing it in his mouth. It didn't matter what it was, he was eating it. Dirt, mud, rocks; it all went down the hatch. From envious, to gluttonous. "Man, this is good stuff…" He mumbled as what he consumed was actually beginning to heal his injuries.
"You must be joking…" Jellal clenched his hand into a fist. This cycle was never going to end if he couldn't keep Marshall down…but then he realized he didn't have to keep Marshall down for two reasons. One: Marshall wasn't paying attention to Jellal and just kept eating. It looked like he wasn't going to stop either. Two: Jellal had more important things to do than tussle with Marshall, so with that in mind, he made a quick leave.
Marshall just kept eating the dirt without a care in the world…until Hubert's boot smacked the back of his head and put him into the ground. Immediately Marshall hopped up with a growl. "What the hell!?"
"You were in Glutton Mode." Hubert merely responded while adjusting his glasses. He was accompanied by Nina, Julia, and Cecelia, who wore a sly smile on her lips.
"This isle has many fascinating mages on it…" Cecelia remarked with a coo. "It's a shame I didn't get the chance to bother any of them, I would've loved to see how they fared. Speaking of…who was that man who just left? He looked quite familiar?"
"Oh, him?" Marshall scoffed while rubbing the back of his head, bringing himself up to his feet. "Think that was Jellal. Y'know, the one Kaiho has been looking into."
"What are the chances you'd run into him…" Julia replied while rubbing her arm.
"Wish I got to fight him…" Nina sighed.
"Perhaps next time." Hubert adjusted his glasses before leading the way back to the ship they arrived on. "But for now, it's time for us to leave. I'd rather not be around when this island is sent to hell."
"Don't act like you're the top dog here, Hubert." Marshall scoffed once again, though he did follow everyone else back to the ship. The mysterious Empyrean Dawn was gone for now…
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"We finish this." Erza stated before sending all 50 of her swords flying towards the airborne Mii. There was no remorse in the action as all of her blades intended to impale and skewer Mii in some way.
"I couldn't agree more!" Mii nodded before raising her hand, several feathers spawning off her angelic wings. "Angel Feathers!" These feathers flew forward and multiplied by the second, clashing with Erza's swords before canceling each other out. Erza used this time to fly in and close the gap between then; aiming several slashes that Mii nimbly avoided. "Ah, what did I tell you before? No touching!" Erza grunted and continued her slashes, finally catching Mii off guard with a diagonal slash right along her chest; such a slash had intent to seriously injure. Blood immediately poured from the wound and began to stain Mii's one strap dress. "…!" Mii froze for a second, having Erza believe that was already the end of it. The red head then tilted her head down with a smile. "Did you think that was it?"
"What…!?" Erza was surprised Mii didn't even so much as flinch from such a deep wound. Her shock allowed Mii to land a roundhouse kick to her head, sending her spiraling backwards. Mii's lower body strength was amazing and Erza was now experiencing this first hand.
"Bang bang~" Mii cooed while clicking the trigger of her pistol, releasing several large emerald bullets towards Erza in rapid succession.
Erza flipped and regained her aerial mobility, just in time as Mii released her bullets. Erza's grip on the blades in her hand as she flew forward, slashing through the bullets one by one with relative ease. She then took to the air above Mii as a heavenly glow wrapped around her body; Erza descended in her Giant's armor with her fist reared back, swinging it down at Mii with monstrous force and momentum behind her. "HA!"
"Woah!" Mii crossed her arms as Erza slammed her fist into Mii. The force was so incredible a shockwave boomed out and Mii was thrown towards the rocky ground, a small 'boom' occurring as a large cloud of smoke formed around her.
Erza landed on the ground, shifting to her Flight Armor in the event Mii retaliated instantly. She was dual wielding the lance from her Lightning Empress Armor and her Aqua Sword from the Aqua Empress Armor "…"
"G-Geez…" Mii rubbed her head, coughing as some dust got in her lungs. "With force like that, I swear you're actually trying to kill me." Standing up, the traitor dusted herself off and stood up straight. Despite the hits she took, she was standing just fine.
"How…" Erza began; however before she could finish a large explosion of flames occurred from the Mystic Water Lake. "…!?" Erza sensed it. A life force just faded away…and it worried her because she didn't know who it was.
"Oooh…" Mii bit her lip and shook her head. "Looks like Gaius just eradicated someone over there…" Giving a shrug, she turned her attention back on Erza. She dropped her pistol in favor of Dragon Hadlar, pointing the double shotgun at Erza. "Too bad about that. But you should be focused on me." With the click of the trigger, a massive bullet shot out of the barrel, taking the form of a beam-like explosion that utterly destroyed the terrain it traveled across.
Erza used the speed of her Flight Armor to avoid the massive explosion, though just narrowly. She then aimed to close the gap between them once again while crossing her weapons before her. "Sonic Claw!" Once passing Mii, she struck with the Aqua sword first before striking with the Lightning Lance, doubling the damage dealt due to the water conducting the electricity. Mii's body went into literal shock for a few seconds as Erza slid past her. Erza turned to see how Mii handled that attack.
"You're ruining my dress…" Mii finally commented while turning around, sparks dancing around her body. "I don't ruin your clothes, do I!?"
"What on earth…" Erza couldn't believe this! No matter what she threw at Mii it was like she wasn't doing any damage! It was almost as if… "Wait a moment…Mii…" Erza's mind then flashed back to Mii's battle with Gaia on their first trip. Mii got hit pretty hard several times and shrugged them all off with ease. "I thought you just had high endurance at first, but this clearly goes beyond that…do you…do you not feel pain?"
"Ding ding!" Mii replied with a grin. "You finally figured it out! Don't feel pain. Never have, never will. Who needs it? It's kind of a drag, don't you agree? I mean, if I broke your leg you'd stop walking. If you broke mine, I wouldn't care!"
"You think pain is just an inconvenience…?" Erza questioned.
"It brings people down. But I don't want to feel pain." Mii's voice briefly grew a little somber before shaking her head. "But enough about that." Mii sped forward and swung her boot at Erza's chin, sending Erza right into the air. Mii flapped her angelic wings once and took off after Erza only to soar higher than her, pulling Dragon Hadlar apart into two separate guns and began unleashing a storm of bullets down at Erza. "Extensions!"
"Agh…!" Erza caught herself once again, flipping into her Adamantine armor. The bullets bounced harmlessly off her shields, but that was about to change.
"Tiger Stance!" Mii yelled from above, slamming her boots onto Erza's shield to force Erza back to the ground. This was only the beginning as Mii continuously stomped on Erza's shields with her surprising amount of physical strength, slowly beginning to chip away at the scarlet knight's defenses. It wasn't long before Erza's back hit the ground and her Adamantine armor was starting to be reduced to nothing. Erza had no choice but to save her armor for later and take the full force of Mii's stomps, letting out several cries of pain in the process. Eventually, Mii finally stopped and sat on Erza's stomach, pulling the knight's arms above her head slowly, though the force was incredibly strong. Mii was really planning to rip Erza's arms off.
"W-What are you…!?" Erza tried to wrestle her way out of his position; however…though Mii was slim and had a nice figure, she was a lot heavier than she looked. "M-Mii…!?"
"I told you, didn't I? I'm here to rip off your arms." Mii stated in a blunt tone. "Truth be told, I've been waiting for this ever since you ditched the Tower of Heaven."
Hearing those words made Erza's eye widen. "Y-You were at the tower…!?"
"Of course…" Mii paused, almost as if she couldn't quite remember. "I didn't expect you to remember me, considering you up and left. What a surprise that over a decade later I'd find you going to the same place I was looking for: The isle of the Dragons. You even brought your friend Jellal as well…I might do the same thing to him!" As Mii spoke, she began tugging harder, causing Erza to let out another cry of pain. "Your screams are nice, they kinda turn me on." Mii admitted with a sinister grin.
It was odd for Erza…she would've remember Mii. And even if she didn't when Jellal laid eyes on Mii he should've recognized her regretfully. There was no memory of Mii within Erza or Jellal, but Mii seemed to hold some sort of hatred for them. At the same time…Erza could tell it wasn't true hatred….there was something going on that perhaps maybe even Mii was unaware of…or was she…? Erza didn't have time to think about these questions as Mii was actually getting closer and closer to not only breaking but removing her arms. "M-Mii…! W-Wait…!"
"Orders are orders." Mii replied with almost a sad tone as she tugged even harder. A second more and that would've been the end for Erza…but thankfully that was far from the case. Someone intervened, a fist slammed right into Mii's face, forcibly removing her from Erza. Mii tumbled along the ground for a few seconds before catching herself on her feet, glaring forward to see who had the audacity to interfere. "Who the hell…?!" And once seeing who it was, she tilted her head curiously while placing her hands on her hip. "Oh…so you are still alive."
"Wha…" Erza was in a bit of a daze. Blinking once, she looked up to see who it was that came to her rescue, only for her jaw to drop in shock as a small grin stretched along her lips.
"I'm glad I made it in time…" An injured Mirajane said while reverting from her Satan Soul. A soft smile graced the demoness' lips as she placed a hand on her gravely injured side, which was bleeding profusely. Looking over her shoulder at Erza, she nodded slowly. "Are you okay, Erza?"
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Next Time: Pain.