Wow, I really need to step up my scheduling.
Enjoy!
Descend to my aid! Archangel Gabriel!" Elise shielded her eyes as light once again blinded her, but this time her stomach turned much more.
"Whatever this is," she called out. "I don't like it!"
"Stay on guard!" Ultear shouted. "Whatever this thing is, it's definitely stronger than the last three!"
"Hm?" Simon made a face as Tristan looked off to the side. Simon couldn't see out of Divine Territory, but Tristan looked concerned.
"Really?" He asked. "Abby, you know you haven't managed to complete that."
As Steph bounced back away from Quinn, he looked confused.
"Ah shit..." She heard him mutter as light shone brightly from behind him. "She's really doing it?"
Elizabeth looked frightened as the light shone brighter, but Drake had no idea why.
"What is that light?" Keita asked. "It burns on the inside."
"I don't like it." Drake said.
Natsu watched as Neptu paused, the attack he had prepared disappearing from his hand. Natsu turned and looked where Neptu was, seeing a gigantic circle of light in the sky.
"That isn't good." he heard Neptu say. "I didn't realize it would come to this."
"What're you talking about?" Natsu demanded. "What is that?" Neptu closed his eyes.
"Each Member of the Cross has an ultimate technique." He replied. "From what I can tell, only Elizabeth has yet to utilize it." He opened his eyes again and looked at Natsu. "Abigail calls her, The Archangel." Natsu looked back over at the circle of light in the distance, and a knot formed in his stomach.
"Be careful kids." He hissed. "It's not over yet."
Elise had finally regained enough of her vision to watch what was happening, but all she could see was a giant white magic circle.
But soon, something started to happen.
Elise watched as a pair of feet came out of the bottom of the circle, and soon the legs came with it.
"Holy fuck..." Reyna whispered, her hair flickering around in the wind around them. "It's massive!"
"I really don't like this..." Elise murmured. She watched as more and more of the creature appeared,, and soon it's entire body but it's head had come out. It appeared to be dressed in a tunic of sorts, and in it's right hand it held a staff. So far, it easily stood over thirty feet tall. Looking back at Abigail, Elise noted the woman was sweating.
"id she say again?" Ultear asked. "Archangel?"
"Yeah, and that doesn't-!" Elise had been in the middle of replying when the head of the archangel appeared.
A pearly stone cold face was on it.
"It's got a face..." Reyna muttered.
"This is still really creepy."Ultear said. Elise watched as the circle above the archangel disappeared, and Abigail doubled over. She was panting now, apparently whatever she'd just done caused a great deal of exertion.
"Gabriel!" She shouted. "Can you hear me?! Gabriel!" At first the being, Gabriel, did not respond. "Gabriel! I need you!"
And at this, Gabriel's eyes snapped open. He had no pupils, but his eyes shone a brighter white than his body.
"Mistress?" he asked, voice echoed and hollow. Yet somehow it sounded alert. "Where are you, mistress?"
"Behind you, ya big bastard." Gabriel turned around, which was a much bigger ordeal when your thirty feet tall, and knelt down in front of Abigail. She laughed through the exhaustion and stood up straight.
"You spoke." She said. "You really did."
"I am as you created me." Gabriel replied. "The vision you saw inside has been given shape."
"Indeed, Gabriel...Indeed." For some reason, Elise could see tears forming around Abigail's eyes as she looked at Gabriel. "I'm so happy...He'd have been so proud of me."
"What is that thing?" Ultear called out. At this, Gabriel stood back up straight and began to turn, looking down at Ultear.
"I am an embodiment of Mistress' magic power." He spoke. "My designation is Gabriel."
"What are you, Gabriel?" Reyna asked.
"As I said, I am the embodiment of mistress' magic power." He replied. "She created me from the ground up. She is my mother, my everything. My life is hers to wield as she pleases."
"So just another pawn in her sick games." Elise reasoned. "I see."
"No," Abigail spoke up. When looked at her, Elise noted she was wiping away the tears she saw before. "Gabriel means so much more to me than that. He was the ultimate test, the final project of my power...And it's worked. After so long...I managed to give him shape."
"Anyone else feel like she's going crazy over there?" Reyna muttered.
"It seems this incarnation of light means more to her." Ultear said. "That's why it can speak and has a face."
"But why, exactly?" Elise asked. Both other girls shrugged. "Well, whatever. Ul, think he'll work for us?" Ultear smirked.
"No use in not trying." She replied. She raised her hands, and they glowed white.
Nothing happened.
Elise made a face, but Ultear seemed just as confused.
"What happened?" she asked.
"It's not working." Ultear replied, sounding shaken. "I'm trying to send him to a timeline where he helps us, but it isn't working."
"Any idea why?" Reyna asked. Ultear stared down at the ground, before her eyes widened.
"Well," she said. "Arc of Time doesn't affect living targets..." Elise felt her stomach twist at this. She slowly looked back at Gabriel, who stood between them and Abigail like a sentry.
"Are you saying that giant mass of light is alive?" She hissed.
"It can't be," Reyna hissed. "Magic can't just create life."
"Well you explain it to me then." Ultear said. "Why won't he help us?"
"Allow me to explain." Gabriel said. "Your surprise indicates you expected such a spell to work on me."
"Well, yeah." Elise replied.
"It did not work because such spells will not work on me." He replied simply. "Indirect attacks will not hit me."
"Say again?"
"Gabriel isn't affected by anything but a direct assault." Abigail jumped in. "The light protects him."
"Well put mistress." Gabriel said. "Now, do you have any orders?" Abigail nodded.
"Yes. Please dispatch the three children in our way."
"As you wish, mistress." At this, Gabriel readied his staff. Elise allowed her skin to become covered in iron.
"Direct assault, huh?" She asked. "I think we'll be able to manage. You ready girls?"
"As I'll ever be." Ultear replied, water and ice whipping around her.
"Let's do this." Reyna replied.
"Guys, hold up." Drake stopped and looked over at Michael, who had called out to him and Keita before they'd jumped Elizabeth again. "I have an idea."
"Oh please share." Keita said. Michael nodded.
"Listen. When we defeated her the first time, her chest was glowing when she stood back up, right?" Drake made a face and thought back to this.
"Yeah..." He mumbled.
"And just a moment ago, she took out something from her shirt and made it glow. A necklace or something."
"Where are you going with this?" Keita demanded.
"I think that necklace is what prevents her from being defeated." Michael said. "Whatever it is, it's stopping her from losing. That's why she always says we can't win, because she'll keep getting up until we can't." Drake had to admit the theory was a bit out there, but did they really have anything else to go on.
"Okay, so what should we do?" He asked. "Attack it?"
"Probably wouldn't work." Keita said. "It's inside her magics protective barrier." Michael nodded at this.
"Right, so we can't do that." He said. "I do have an idea, though."
"What?" Drake asked, and Michael pointed to the sky. Looking up, Drake noted the Christina still hovering above the battlefield, dropping bombs on grunts who were attacks other people who'd come for backup.
"We need to get this to Ken." He said. "Our info, anyway. If Elizabeth has one of these necklaces, I'm willing to bet the other members of the Cross do as well. We need to see if Archive has anything about it."
"That means we'd be leaving her alone." Keita said. "She'd go and gang up on somebody else."
"Not if only one of us goes." Drake spoke up. They all went silent at this. Michael made a face.
"Decreasing our numbers against her would be a bad idea," he said. "But we can't let the numbers increase for somebody else.
"I'll do it." Keita said. "I can become a shadow and get up to the Christina that way. Making them land not only puts them in danger, but it takes more time. Time isn't something we have."
"Sounds good." Drake said.
"You sure, man?" Michael asked.
"Of course I am." He replied, beginning to walk away. "You just make sure she stays occupied."
"Thanks man." Drake said. "Good luck." Keita smirked as he turned to them.
"I don't need the luck." He replied. "I can get up the the ship just fine. Will you guys be okay?"
"Just go already." Michael said. Keita nodded and melted into the ground, a shadow fleeing the fight.
"Where's your friend going?" Elizabeth asked. "Running away?"
"Yeah he's a pansy." Michael replied. "Besides we didn't need him."
"That a fact?" Elizabeth asked. "That why when it was the three of you you still couldn't beat me?"
"He's dead weight." Michael excused, waving his hand. "We'll do better with him gone." Drake knew Michael was only saying that because he was bluffing. He really had no idea what they were to do. He knew because Drake had similar feelings. They were in a bad place.
"So what's the plan?" He asked in a low tone. "Surely you have one other than to wait and see if you were right about the necklace."
"Sure I do." He said. "Remember what I told you last week?" Drake made a face, but soon he smirked.
"Oh I do alright." He said, turning back to face Elizabeth. "Ready?"
"When you are." Drake smirked.
At this, both His and Michael's bodies erupted with their respective element. He could feel Michael's magic power increasing, and felt his own arms becoming scaly and and his own power increasing as well.
Michael had dubbed this Poison Drive.
"It's a magic amplification technique, like Keita and I have." He recalled Michael telling him. "Poison Drive, if you will."
Drake knew that he was more powerful in this state, but they'd keep Dragon Force for later. Pulling out that now would only heighten Elizabeth's chancing of turning it around on them.
"What is this?" The woman in question asked. "Your magic power has increased quite a bit."
"Let's just say we have been holding back a little for such a pretty lady." Michael said, voice heavy with confidence. "Now, let's see how effective your armor is!" Michael shot forward, fist reared back. Elizabeth didn't bother raising her arms to defend herself, and Michael's punch struck her abdomen.
Drake watched as the woman's face contorted in pain as she slid backwards on her feet. She didn't fall or even come close, but the boosted punch had clearly done more damage to her.
"Woah..." He heard her breath. "That was so much more powerful than a second ago..."
"That's kind of the point." Drake said. "Let's go, Michael!"
"Already ahead of you!"
"It seems the fighting is getting even more intense than before." Neptu said, explosions in the distance. Natsu was still lying down, the pain lessening. "Perhaps this will be closer than I anticipated."
"Closer?" Natsu demanded, getting on one knee. "You're damn right it will be. Those Cross members are putting up a much bigger fight than I had expected." He looked up to find Neptu regarding him coldly. "You'll see. It's only a matter of time.
"Indeed." Neptu agreed. "Only a matter of time until those kids fall over and don't get back up. And then, Once we've recovered, we will find Gin and take him with us, as he intended to. And we'll kill him and the demon he harbors inside."
"Do you ever shut your fucking mouth?" Natsu hissed. "I've told you a million times. You're not getting anywhere near Gin!"
"So you say, so you say." Neptu replied. "You could never understand. The path I walk has lead me here, and I know what must be done."
"Yeah yeah." Natsu hissed, getting to his feet. "You seem to like throwing your life story in everyone's face at a moments notice."
"When someone obstructs the path of justice, then yes, I will share it with them." Neptu replied. "The things I've seen, what the members of the Cross had seen...All of my hunters, it's all we need to know. Gin, and all demons, will die."
"Just shut the fuck up!" Natsu shouted. "None of that matters, you here me?! I don't care how many times demons have ruined you, or the others! Gin is still a good kid, and killing him doesn't make you a god damn saint! You're just a man high on his own delusions!"
"...None of that matters?" Neptu asked, looking down at his feet. "None of it matters? Let me tell you what does matter, Natsu." At this, Natsu felt the battlefield around them rumble. "When I was little, the Demon Drakhosz stole everything from me. My mother, my father, and eventually caused the rift between me and my sister. I lost everything I cared about to the flames of pain. Elizabeth, too, lost her family to him. Tristan, Quinn, Abigail, other hunters, all of them have experienced what happens when demons are not kept in check." Natsu made a face at this.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Natsu said. "But that doesn't make this right. What about those who care for Gin? They'll experience the same loss."
"The boy knows nothing of loss." Neptu seethed, the ground rumbling again. Allow me to share a story or two with you, Natsu. Quinn, The Base of the Cross, lived in a small village. His father was a blacksmith. He was killed by a demon."
Steph grimaced as the swords heat forced her back. It was on a whole other level than Nashi's fire. Not hotter, just hurt more.
"Any more tricks up your sleeve?" Quinn asked.
"He hopes that by creating weapons of light, he can avenge his father and make sure no one else goes through what he did." He said. "Elizabeth, the Left Arm, lost her family to Drakhosz as well."
Drake drove another fist into Elizabeth, causing her to stumble back.
"God damn it..." She seethed as Michael took Drake's place to attack her again.
"She hopes to become strong enough, so that no one - demon or not - will ever be able to hurt her again." He finished, but started again. Tristan, The Right Arm, nearly died in a wrecked hotel in his hometown. No bodies were ever recovered save his."
Simon covered both girls with his Adamantine shield, despite the cracks in was receiving.
"Stop hiding, kids!" He heard Tristan shout. "You won't solve anything by cowering behind a wall!"
"He hopes to create a world where everyone can be happy and obey laws set in stone." Neptu said. "And finally, Abigail, the head of The Cross, wants nothing more than to see her family one last time, and to tell them she's sorry for being weak. And above all else, her father. His name was Gabriel. Was, anyway"
Elise grimaced as the staff hit her in the gut and she was sent flying. She managed to recover well enough, but they hadn't managed to get past Gabriel yet.
And yet, the smile on Abigail's face wasn't mean. It looked genuine.
"Stories like this are all to common within my ranks, Natsu." Neptu said. "And you have the stomach, the guts, to stand here and tell me that none of that matters? That hundreds of lost lives don't mean a god damn thing to you?" Neptu erupted in purple flames at this. "No. I will not stand for that. I won't let hundreds of cries go unheard."
"What happened to you and yours is awful." Natsu replied, also erupting in flames. "And I'd hunt down the monster who did it until the end of time. If, however, he wasn't attached to a lonely, innocent kid who wants nothing more than to be left alone!" Natsu gritted his teeth. "You just refuse to see the connection, don't you?! The creature that killed your family and countless others is separate from the person attached to them!"
"Unfortunate losses." Neptu said. "But I think one life is enough of a cost for possibly thousands." Natsu glowered.
"I suppose that's why we stand on opposite sides of the battlefield." Neptu took a deep breath.
"You're right. It is."
Laxus made a face as he heard an explosion in the distance. The fight had been going on for quite some time now, and he could only hope that it was going well. Of course it was, he had faith in the others.
Looking up, Laxus noted Lucy wandering around the center of the guild hall looking confused.
"Lucy." he called, earning her attention. "What're you doing?"
"Oh, hey Laxus." She said. "I was just looking around the guild hall?"
"For what?" Laxus asked. Lucy sighed and looked around again.
"It's just..." She said, hugging herself. "I feel like I haven't seen Nashi in a while."
And I did it again, didn't I? I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try to get five!
Chapter 258: The Blessing