So...488 happened.
Hey guys, Angel here. And if you guys saw chapter 488, you will know why I am writing this authors note. And if you haven't seen it yet, please just skip ahead to the chapter. You won't want to read this.
Gajeel's dead.
...If you didn't skip I'm sorry, it ain't my fault. I warned you. Regardless, with this, we face my biggest retcon ever. I cannot have this story continue with the notion that Gajeel has met his end. It's not possible. He's in the story, His daughter is one of the main six characters. It simply is not possible. It just isn't.
Now I'm not totally convinced he's dead as of now, but again, he is as of right now. What am I to do if I don't retcon it? Acknowledging Gajeel's death means Elise no longer exists either, and that would require me to go back through 212 chapters to erase her from existence. She's one of the more prominent main characters for God sake! Erasing her would completely change characters. It'd actually force me to completely take some out like Tetsu. I can't. I won't. So, yeah. There's that.
Enjoy, I suppose.
Drake ducked as an Olympian grunt flew over his head, and he turned in irritation.
"Watch where you toss those guys." He said, asking Damien chuckle.
"Sorry man, just getting us there quickly." He replied. Drake returned his eyes towards the arena in the distance. They were making good time all things considered. Because, you know, they were being swarmed at every intersection by the Olympian grunts. It was kind of difficult to get their quickly. Still, they were making good time.
"Let's get moving." Simon said, walking over to them with Ultear close behind. "We need to get there."
"We do when we do." Damien said. "Not like these guys are hard to deal with." Drake nodded in agreement.
"Besides, The bigger problem is Eris." The group went silent at this, unsure as to what to say.
"Nashi will be fine." it was Ultear who said this. "It's Nashi we're talking about." She smiled at this. "If anything I feel bad for Eris." This lightened the mood of the group considerably, and Drake nodded despite the doubt he felt inside.
"Let's just hurry up and go home." he said. "I want to kick Kronos' ass more and more the longer I think about it." The group continued on their way towards the Domus Flau, and Drake had his hands full with listening for anymore ambushes. At this point, he just wanted to go home. He was so tired from both the Games and time jumping everywhere. He just wanted to go back to his apartment and fall into his bed and never get out.
"More guys coming from the left." he said. Simon aimed both hands towards the street and, as soon as the group rounded the corner, he opened fire with heavenly light. The guys got completely blown away, and Simon sighed.
"I'm almost bored." He said. "They stay down so easily."
"Good." Ultear said. "It's less work for us." Drake's ears twitched, and he looked ahead of them.
"They're trying to ambush us in the square up ahead." He said. "We need to go around and stop wasting time."
"Lead on." Damien replied. Drake quickly found an alternate route towards the arena, and his friends followed close behind him. As he trekked on, he could hear explosions in the distance. Every so often his hearing picked up Nashi crying out in pain. He grimaced and shrugged it off as another cry came through.
Be careful Nashi...Please.
Elise turned both her arms into iron clubs and went after Nemesis, who gracefully dodged both of her strikes and back-flipped away. The woman laughed as Elise looked back at her.
"It seems you have no rhyme or reason to your actions." She said. "In accordance to your intent, obviously. Revenge doesn't really give much time for the those bent on it to think."
"Why don't you shut up and fight me?" Elise demanded. Nemesis smirked.
"Twenty years and you've barely changed, Elise Redfox." She said. "No time for talk, just battle. But again, why should we waste our breath? The timeline may very soon change drastically." Elise raised an eyebrow at this.
"You're after Nashi." She said. "That means you cannot allow her to escape. Why are you talking like you won't get her?" Nemesis took her sweet time coming up with a reply, before she sighed and looked down.
"I will not lie to you, Elise Redfox." She said, looking up at Elise, eyes darkening. "I have no faith in Eris at all. If END awakens in the city, she does not stand a chance. None of us do, not in the state she is in." Elise felt her stomach turn at this, but she was curious.
"Why do you say that?" She asked. "Nashi wouldn't do that much damage. She'd defeat Eris and that'd be that."
"You're a fool.'" Elise furrowed her brow in confusion, but Nemesis continued. "Nashi is not able to control the beast inside, at least not as she is. If she cannot keep it contained, she will destroy all she loves in a manic state. I am unsure if the process of rapid aging has had any effect on her ability to contain herself, but if it hasn't, we will soon find out."
Elise looked down as images of the girl flashed through her mind. Elise knew nothing of the state Nashi had deep within, but then again she wasn't sure just how many people had an idea. Natsu probably had some idea, but who could say for sure?
Elise took a moment to look at the city in the distance, which was outlined in the skyline as the day progressed. Nothing seemed all too wrong with it, but Elise could tell from the smoke stacks and various buildings with holes that 'nothing wrong' was the last way she could describe Crocus at the moment.
'Tell me one thing." She said, looking back towards Nemesis. "If this state is so uncontrollable, what exactly do you want with it? And her?" Nemesis stared at Elise for a moment, and shifted uncomfortably.
"It is not my place to say." She said. "Zeus has been...very cryptic in why he wants Nashi for himself. I do not, however, plan on asking him unless I must know." Elise knew very well getting an answer was unlikely, and she obviously hadn't gotten one.
"You know, I just realized something." Nemesis looked intrigued, so Elise continued. "You're the Goddess of Revenge, yes? Surely you can understand that with all of the pain you and your kind are causing Nashi...She's not going to take it sitting down. She's going to go after you eventually. And when she does, She'll be out for blood."
"I am well aware." Nemesis said. "However given the defeat Kronos suffered at your hands and his inability to magnify her power to the necessary levels, I believe that her going after us is exactly what Zeus wants." Elise's eyes widened at this.
"W-What?"
"I myself don't know." Nemesis looked down. "Zeus was never found of the plan Hades concocted, but if you do successfully return to your time...I doubt they have much option." Nemesis chuckled. "But that isn't important. What is important right now is defeating you and preventing both END's awakening within the walls and her capture." Nemesis took a much more offensive stance. "So, Elise Redfox, show me what your revenge consists of." Elise growled and advanced swiftly, swinging her iron swords at the woman. She dodged the majority of them, before she actually caught her right arm on the flat end of the blade.
"The blades that ended Kronos' life." She said, smirking evilly. "They're beautiful."
"Got off of me!" Elise said, shaking her arm. Nemesis refused to let go. The woman started to glow a dark red color, and she narrowed her eyes.
"The blades that ended the life of a comrade." She whispered. Elise's eyes widened as the magic power from the woman amplified beyond it's previous levels, and Nemesis threw a punch.
The fist struck Elise in the collarbone, but a minor explosion hit her as the knuckles did and sent her flying backwards with a cry of pain. Elise clambered upwards and stared down at the mark forming on her neck.
"What the hell was that?" She demanded. Nemesis chuckled darkly.
"I am the Goddess of Revenge." She replied. "What did you think I was going to do?" Elise analyzed what had happened for a moment.
"The blades that ended the life of a comrade."
Elise slowly realized what Nemesis was talking about. It made sense to her now.
"I see your game." She said. "Your magic power was amplified when you spoke of my blades ending Kronos' life." Nemesis smirked.
"Astute observation." She said. "My magic power, among many things, becomes amplified when seeking revenge." Elise made a face at this. What sort of magic allowed for such an affect? Had she somehow created a magic solely for her title as Goddess of Revenge?
"So it's come to this." She said. "Revenge for my friends or revenge for Kronos. I wonder who's passion will win out." Nemesis laughed.
"I doubt, in the end, passion will make a difference."
BOOM!
BOOM!
Nashi dodged multiple explosions as Eris laughed her head off.
"Where are you running, Nashi honey?!" She shouted from somewhere through the smokescreen. "I know you're here somewhere!" Nashi gritted her teeth as another building feel from the explosions.
"She's insane." She muttered, dodging another blast as it tore through the smoke. Nashi jumped high into the air and fire formed in her hands. Throwing a decent sized fireball in the direction of the blasts, Nashi watched Eris tear a hole in the dead center of her attack and smirk at her.
"Is this the power Zeus craves?" She asked. "Pathetic."
"Why the hell would Zeus crave my power?" Eris laughed and crossed her arms.
"Not your power, silly girl. The power that resides deep within your very genes. There, Nashi, is the power he seeks." Nashi raised an eyebrow at this.
"Genes? What the hell does my genetics have to do with anything?" This just caused Eris to laugh once more.
"Oh man, you really don't know do you?" She asked. "That's rich. Leave it to Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel to lie to their own daughter." Nashi really had no idea what the hell Eris was going o about, but all the vague statements and talking about her parents was starting to tick her off.
"Are you just going to rant all day?" Nashi demanded. "Or are we going to fight?" Eris shrugged.
"Depends. Changed your mind yet?"
"Not a fucking chance." Eris frowned.
"Then I suppose I have no choice." Eris raised both arms, and then ground beneath Nashi rumbled angrily. She jumped just in time to avoid the biggest portion of the blast a magic exploded outwards, but she got clipped by it and flew into the remains of a tall building. Before she could recover, however, the building exploded and this sent her tumbling down with the whole thing on top of her. Nashi groaned as she did her best to free herself, which got easier as random explosions Eris set off freed most of her lower body, which allowed her to wiggle out.
Nashi jumped to her feet and blasted fire at Eris, who again shot multicolored busts of magic right through it and towards more buildings and the like to explode. The woman was crazy, obviously.
"What the hell is this magic?" She demanded. "It's destroying everything." Eris giggled.
"I'm the Goddess of Chaos, remember?" She asked. "I specialize in destroying anything I so choose. It's fun."
"You're insane."
"Matter of perspective, hun." Eris smiled. "One more chance, come with me quietly and we'll withdraw from Crocus." Nashi gritted her teeth.
"What the hell did I tell you?" She demanded. "I am not going with you. Go to hell." Eris smiled darkly.
"Then prepare to experience the true meaning of destruction." Eris brought her hands together, and the ground began to rumble once more. Nashi had a feeling that she could've probably said it nicer.
Luke had a pretty difficult time balancing on Kaida's back, but he didn't really know what the hell he expected. She was a snake after all, not a horse.
"Look for the others." He said, knowing Kaida could understand him."They're probably the ones causing so much destruction." Kaida stopped and hovered in place, which forced Luke to grab onto her to avoid falling to the ground below. He observed the ground zero that had become the city of Crocus, looking for any sign of the others. Other than the occasional explosion, he couldn't really see anything.
"We should just head to the Domus Flau." Luke heard Kaida say this in his head. She had long ago mastered the ability to use telepathy in her snake form. "If they're anywhere, it's there."
"Yeah, you make a good point." He agreed, yelling over the wind. "Just be careful, I'd prefer to not fall a hundred feet to my death."
"Yeah, what a fucking shame that'd be." Luke ignored Kaida's stab and continued to look out for anyone he recognized. He really doubted that Nashi or any of the others were having trouble with the grunts. It was, however, the higher ups he was worried about. The way Elise spoke about them, however briefly, worried him. And that woman that had blocked their path on the road. Whoever she had been, she had radiated power like he'd almost never fault.
BOOM!
Luke turned in the sound of the explosion, which had sounded somewhere below them. He watched for a moment, and a woman with multicolored hair could be seen through the smoke she'd thrown up. After the smoke cleared, Luke's eyes widened.
Nashi was down there as well, on her hands and knees. From what Luke could tell, she didn't look very hot.
Luke was jumping off of Kaida before he new what he was doing. He felt Kaida's tail wrap around his midsection as he stated to fall.
"What the hell are you doing?!" She demanded. "I was kidding when I said it wouldn't be a shame if you fell before."
"Nashi's down there!" He shouted. "I've got to help her!" Luke looked back down as Nashi jumped away from the woman's explosions "Let me go! I'm going to help her!" Luke squirmed against the grasp of Kaida's tail, but she didn't let go. "Kaida fuck off! I want to help her!"
"Luke, that isn't some grunt." Luke looked over at Kaida, and her viper eyes watched him closely. "She's giving Nashi a hard time, so she would destroy you." Luke watched his snake friend before he looked back down as Nashi got thrown around by more explosions.
"You think I give a damn?" He demanded. "My sister needs my help. I want to help her. Who the hell are you to tell me I can't?"
"Sorry for giving a shit, then." Luke could tell from her tone she was pissed off now. He sighed.
"Look, I'm sorry for getting mad. I just..." He didn't really know what he was supposed to say.
"This isn't some petty fight, Luke." She said. "Like Elise said, that woman will aim to kill." Luke watched the woman below him, unsure as to what he could say to convince her. "And as much as I despise you...I really don't want you to die."
"That must be the nicest thing you've ever said to me." He joked, making her growl. "Sorry, Kaida."
"What does that...oh you asshole!" Luke grinned like a maniac as he caught her in her moment of weakness and pulled her tail away from his midsection.
This caused him to free-fall towards the battlefield below.
Just hold on, Nashi. I've got your back.
This feels like a lackluster chapter, but please understand...I need time to recover from what I saw this morning. Plus I'm winding down on content for this arc so there isn't much left anyway. I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!