Sorry, it's been a while. I hope you'll enjoy it.
Spedyalarm - Not yet, but he will.
Changeling501 - I don't see it that way. Considering how Night Terror knows nothing about what was going on within the Thunder Palace, he needed to get inside so he could back them up. It's less about trusting his guild but more about coming to their support.
Guest - Thanks so much, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.
kira444 - I know what you mean. I have to do quite a lot of research, because I've forgot what happened.
mdhunter111 - That's a little mean. He's doing his best with what he can do in the situation. Night Terror will find a way as you are about to read. Also, if Night Terror did nothing, then what's the point of writing this story? I might as well tell the readers to watch the anime.
Foxfire573 - Sí, será difícil para él, pero aún no ha terminado. En este capítulo, veremos cómo se aleja de la autoridad de Laxus y la preparación para la batalla final del arco. Espero que lo disfruten.
wellingtonlucas282- No problem, thank you for reading.
Lelouch of Zero- Definitely. I knew there was a reason why I saved Ur…just as planned…yeah, let's go with that. Anyway, for Flare, this is one more step closer on the path to becoming a strong mage and she'll have an important role during the seven year time skip. Even thought she's only making hair puppies at the moment. And yes, Ur was totally bad ass in the last chapter. This chapter will be difficult for Night, but he won't give up that easily. Thanks for reading.
Hady09 - …that…doesn't make any sense. That would just kill everybody inside the Thunder Palace including the Thunder Legion. Talk about a lose-lose situation.
MDM11 - Thanks so much, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Also thank you for the suggestion, as always, I'll try my best to fit them all in. Enjoy the next chapter.
Skull Flame - That's fine, I think it's about time I updated my harem list anyway. It's been a while since I updated. We will quickly see Night's decision and how it would impact the war. Thanks for reading.
ShadowSsP - That's so kind of you, thank you so much. I'm so glad you are enjoying it. I promise to write more harem moments after this arc. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.
Guest - Thanks so much :D
TwinstarDragon - Ah! Mì-fhortanach, you mean. It's been a while since I've updated the Phobos lore, huh? Yes, you could say she's a romantic.. or just really wanted those two to suffer…or maybe a little bit of both.
Haha! I guess. I'm so glad that you mentioned the Phobos clan having a laugh at Night Terror's expense. It makes me think that, no matter what, they will always be watching over him. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Thank you for reviewing :)
Chapter 30: Terror Of The Thunder Legion
Kardia Cathedral
A steady tapping sound echoed through the nave; the only thing breaking the peaceful silence of the cathedral. The sound was coming from Laxus tapping her foot against the stone floor as he sat on the steps up to the alter, looking down at Night Terror with his head leaned against the knuckles of his hand. He smirked confidently down at the him, drinking in his victory and enjoying every single second of it. Freed stood not too far away with his back against the cold, stone wall; his face was stern and serious as he stared at the Phobos, flinching slightly with every movement he took.
Finally, Laxus took a deep breath and decided that it was time to speak, "Well, well, well. I've been waiting for this for a long time," he said, before he raised his arms on either side in a welcoming gesture, "Let's get this over with, huh? Welcome to the Thunder Legion, Night Terror. We're happy to have-"
"Yes, yes," Night Terror sighed wearily, taking more interest in admiring the cathedral's interior then to him, "You chose an wonderful place to take as a base. I do not think I have been in here before. What is that peculiar scent?"
"It's incense," Freed answered cautiously.
"Incense," he repeated, "I must get some for my abode. It is very nice."
"As I was saying," Laxus muttered impatiently, "Now that you're one of us-"
"Do not bore me with your dramatics, Mister Laxus. I may have agreed to be part of your… legion, but if you think you have any authority over me than you are sadly mistaken. If it was not for the threat of the Thunder Palace being unleashed I would have defeated you as soon as I arrived," he drawled as he inspected a nearby wall statue, "Excellent craftsmanship. I should visit more often."
Laxus narrowed his eyes at him, "The only reason why Magnolia isn't a burning wasteland right now is because I generously gave you the offer to join the Thunder Legion. You owe me, Phobos. Now show some respect to your new master."
"Respect? Choice? Generously? Those are words I never expected to come from your mouth," he turned towards him, "Shall I recite the words on the enchantment? It read, 'For those who possess Phobian Fear magic, if you enter Magnolia's boundaries, then the Thunder Palace will be released without delay. The entire town and all its inhabitants will be annihilated by the power of lightning. However, if the Fear magic user declares his allegiance to the Thunder Legion, then the Thunder Palace will not be released. Join the Thunder Legion or destroy Magnolia'. That is the exact conditions in order for me to survive within the Thunder Palace. It says nothing about taking orders from you, therefore…" he turned back around and admired the interior of the cathedral once again, "…I will ignore every single request until another member of the guild arrives to defeat you."
CRACK!
Night Terror moved out of the way in time for a lightning bolt to shoot by him; the lightning bolt instead hit several pews, incinerating them into nothing but ash in a split second. The Phobos glared at the destruction before he turned back to the mage. Laxus' face was filled unbridled anger; his arm was outstretched and the palm of his hand crackled with electricity.
Night Terror shook his head, "There is no need to throw a tantrum," he said, "Did you really expect me to take orders from you as soon as I joined."
"Fine then," Laxus growled before he glared at Freed, "Make changes to the Enchantment. Make it that if Night Terror doesn't follow my command then the Thunder Palace will erupt."
Freed gave a curt nod, "Of course, Laxus."
Night Terror gripped his claws hands into fists, "Are you that desperate for power!?" he snarled furiously, "there are hundreds of lives in Magnolia and you treat them as if they are nothing but playing pieces! Do you not care for them!? For your guild!? For your own grandfather!?" he turned his head sharply at Freed, who flinched suddenly at his attention, "How about you Mister Freed? Do you think killing innocent civilians is justified?"
Freed opened his mouth slightly as he tried to muster a response, "Well…I.."
"That is exactly the problem with Fairy Tail," Laxus interrupted, "Caring is for the weak. The guild is full of weaklings, idiots and trash who know knowing of what it means to be a mage or what it takes to be strong. It's been hours since the game started and they haven't even made it close to my position. This wouldn't have happened if gramps bothered to separate the wheat from the chaff. I can only think of four people that has what it takes to be a true mage. Erza, Mystogan, Mirajane, if she stopped with cutesy crap, and you," he said, pointing at him, "if all of you were part of the Thunder Legion then we would be unstoppable."
"You are lying," the Phobos said, "You do not want us because we are strong. You want us because you are afraid of us turning against you. Our existence is the only thing stopping you from becoming guild master. I assume that is why you sent me away, is it not?" he deduced, making him flinch slightly, "Mister Laxus, Maighstir Makarov never used fear to earn our loyalty; instead he cared and supported us. And what have you done for me to swear loyalty to you? You threatened to destroy innocent lives! Something I would willing give up my freedom for! You may be strong, Mister Laxus, but you will never be worthy of the title of guild master! Not as long as you use fear as a weapon!"
Laxus merely smirked at him, "Fear as a weapon? You see the irony of that coming from you, Phobos."
"Do not think for a second that you understand what it means to be a Phobos. My clan would never use terror for such evil."
"Is that so," the mage said as he smirk grew wider, "Let's put that to the test. I even have your first target."
Streets Of Magnolia
Darting through the narrow lanes and the deserted alleyways, Lucy, with Happy flying alongside her head, ran through Magnolia; twisting and turning left and right in effort to avoid anymore of Freed's traps. Lucy was briefly informed on what was going on and it sickened her that Laxus would do something like this. As soon as the Thunder Palace appeared, however, she and few other members set out to warn the citizens while Levy stayed behind to try and take down Freed's Enchantment from over the guild hall; something easier said than done. Natsu and Gajeel were still unable to break free, so they were out of the fight, Erza and Ur were somewhere in the city and Lucy was hoping that Night will return as quickly as possible.
Feeling exhaustion take over her, she slowed down to a jog and then to a walk while Happy glided around her head.
"Come on, Lucy. You can't slow down now," Happy encouraged as he landed on her shoulder.
"I know," she muttered, "But I can't think of a way to do it. Look," she said, pointing down the street where hundreds of people had gathered for the festival; unaware of the danger and the war ranging on around them, "There's too many of them and I don't want to risk a stampede."
"What about that megaphone the master has?"
"They already put an Enchantment on the lacrima that powers it," Lucy sighed as rubbed her chin in thought, "If only we coul-" she stopped suddenly when she saw a familiar figure standing at the end of the lane they were on; his shadowy cloak waving gently in the breeze. Her eyes widened in surprise before she sighed relief, "Night! Thank goodness, you're here."
Happy looked around as well and saw the Phobos himself, "Good timing, aye!" he chirped as Lucy ran up towards him, "You can take down Laxus before-"
However, before he could finish, they were shocked to see Night Terror leap at them like a panther to its prey and swipe his metal claw down at them. The sharp points of the claws just missed Lucy's face by an inch, causing it to slam down on the ground they were standing on. The pavement exploded by the impact and knocked Lucy and Happy backwards; they fell in a heap a few meters back with debris and dust surrounding them. Lucy gritted her teeth in pain befofe she leaned back up and stared in shock at Night Terror standing over her, his silvery claw ready to swing down on them again.
She grabbed Happy and rolled away before he could hit them. She scrambled to her feet and backed away from Night Terror while he slowly walked towards her, looming over them intimidatingly.
"Night!?" she cried out, "What are you doing!?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he shot his shadowy tendrils towards her in order to pin them down, but she dodged out of the way just in time.
"Lucy, what's wrong with him?" Happy uttered in fear as he shook in her arms.
"I-I don't know," she stammered, "Night, please! Why are you attacking us!" she shouted as she backed away. However, the Phobos, once again, didn't answer her and continued to slowly pursue her, "Why aren't you talking to us!?"
Night Terror held his tongue at her question. He couldn't risk breaking one of the rules that Laxus introduced for him.
Any Phobos in the vicinity of Magnolia can not converse to any member of Fairy Tail either orally or in writing. If the Phobos breaks this rule then they shall release the power of the Thunder Palace immediately.
Laxus had then introduce another rule which had seal his fate.
Any Phobos in the vicinity of Magnolia must obey the orders or the leader that had recently pledged allegiance to. If the Phobos breaks this rule then they shall release the power of the Thunder Palace immediately.
Lucy furrowed her eyebrows in concern and took a few more steps back, "Happy fly off and see if you can find the others. I don't know what's wrong with him, but I'll hold him off."
"But Lucy, you can't!" the blue cat complained.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
"No," Happy said as he gave her a deadpanned look, "I mean you can't physically do that. You suck at fighting. You wouldn't last five seconds."
Lucy growled in anger, twisted around and launched Happy over the nearby houses as if he was javelin, "Just get out of here!"
"AHHH!" Happy screamed before he disappeared into he distance.
She then turned back towards Night Terror with a serious expression; she slowly reached for the keys on her belt, ready to use them at any moment.
"Night…if you're being made to this then I understand. I don't know how Laxus is doing this, but we'll find a way to help you. Until then…" she said as she took off one of the keys on her belt and held it out in front of her, "…I will have to hold you off…I'm sorry," she sadly told him as she took a deep breath, "GATE OF THE GOLDEN LION: LEO!"
'Damn! Not Mister Loke,' Night Terror thought in dread, 'Any Celestial Spirt except for him would be perfect.'
In a flash of glorious light, Leo the lion, or Loke to his friends, stood before Lucy in a fighting stance. He peered at Night Terror through his shades and frowned in confusion.
"Night? You're my opponent?" he murmured before he glanced back at Lucy, "My lovely spirit mage, why are we fighting against Night. What's going on?"
"I'll explain later. Just try and hold him off…and don't call me that."
Loke hummed in concern before he turned back around and tightened his fists, "I don't know why you're doing this, Night…but I have to protect Lucy with the power of our love…"
"Not in love!" Lucy pointed out.
"…do your worst, Phobos," he snarled as he glared at Night Terror intensely.
Lucy, however, stepped to his side and brought out her whip, "Don't be stupid, Loke. You're not my shield. We'll take him on together. Okay?"
"As you wish," Loke said as Night Terror produced several tendrils of shadows from his robe, "I'll try to make an opening while you subdue him."
"Fine, but try not hurt him," Lucy uttered in slight concern, "Something's wrong with him and I'm worried."
Night Terror's shadowy tendrils shot towards Loke, but he leapt out of the way before he could be hit by them. He jumped, ducked and dodged around the powerful shadows before he finally found a place to stop. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes in concentration.
"O regulus…" he growled, "…Grant me strength!
Suddenly, he began to emit a bright orange and yellow light from all over his body, powering himself up with his magic and forming a suit of armour all around him. The light was so bright that the shadowy tendrils couldn't get near him and Night Terror was forced to retreat them back to his robe. Loke, seeing an opportunity, shot forwards and released a barrage of kicks and punches at him, hoping to overpower him with his magic. Night Terror used his claws to deflect each attack, making sure none of them landed. He was still injured from his fight against the Misery earlier and he was using what little strength had led and kept his ground.
Meanwhile, as the two were preoccupied, Lucy ran up to them and raised her hand with the whip and swung it down towards the Phobos' neck. But, sensing something coming towards him, Night Terror slammed his fist into Loke before he grabbed his arms; he then twisted around and caught the whip in his other hand and pulled it out of Lucy's hand and tossed it away from her.
"No!" Lucy cried in shock.
Night Terror took the time that she was distracted to slam Loke into the ground, making the spirit yell in pain, before the Phobos threw him into a nearby wall, smashing the bricks into little pieces. Loke groaned as he fell onto his hands and knees and half-crawled out of the debris. He was about to charge at him again, but he suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine and his muscles lock into place. A wave of fear washed over him and the spirit found himself unable to move an inch.
"Damn…it," he spotted out as all his instincts told him to run. He glared up at Night Terror who loomed over him darkly whilst emitting enough Fear Magic to stop him, "…that's…cheating…"
Night Terror, reluctance evident in his movement, raised his arm and stretched out his metal claws, aiming to slam it down on top of him…when suddenly Lucy came up behind him; her whip back in her hand and ready to strike.
"Fear Magic scares other forms of magic!" Lucy yelled as she swung her whip down at his shoulder, "But I can never be afraid of my friends!"
The whip hit him…but she gasped when she saw it sink into the inky blackness of his robe as if it there was nothing. She tried to reel back, but Night Terror suddenly seeped back into his own shadow and disappeared before her. She looked around frantically and backed away, hoping to spot him, but, as soon as she felt something metallic grab her shoulders and dig into her flesh, she knew that it was too late. Night Terror looked down at from behind and used his shadows to wrap her in a tight cocoon; she struggled in his grip and yelled as flailed hopelessly.
"Night! Please stop!" she cried, "I promise! We can help you!"
Night Terror flinched at her shouts and closed his eyes as he couldn't bare to listen to her struggle. But then, at that moment, a bright, blindingly light caught his attention. He whipped his head around and was caught off guard as a recovered Loke slammed his fist into his stomach, using his spirit magic for extra power.
"REGULUS! GATLING IMPACT!" he roared as he continued to unleash a fury of punches at Night Terror.
The Phobos was sent hurtling back by the attack and made him release Lucy from her bindings. Once the attack had died down and Loke was done, he stumbled backwards, but caught himself before he could collapse. He gritted his teeth in pain as he felt like his insides aphid turned into mush and the skin burned by the brightness of the spirit's magic. He only had time to spit some blood out of his mouth before he felt Lucy's whip wrap around his neck.
"Loke now!" she cried as she pulled the whip back.
The spirit charged forwards as his body flowed brightly with magic power, "I'm sorry, Night," he called out as he raised his fist, "But this is for Lucy and the guild! REGULUS! IMPACT!" he roared as he swung his fist at his masked face…
…only for Night Terror to catch his wrist, stopping him from getting any further.
The force generated by the punch ripple through the area through a sonic boom, knocking Lucy off her feet by the impact. Loke gritted his teeth in pain at the failed attempt to attack him before his eyes widened as he felt one large tendril of shadow wrap around his body tightly.
'No, I am sorry, Mister Loke,' Night Terror thought sadly, 'But what I am doing is for the safety for the innocent people of Magnolia. I hope you can forgive me once this nightmare is over."
The tendril of darkness shot Loke up into the air, claiming higher and higher until it couldn't extend any further. It then turned towards and rocketed downwards and slammed him through the roof of a nearby building which exploded on impact.
Lucy held her arms over face as debris rained down all over the place, but, once she looked up, she gasped as she saw Loke completely unconscious in the middle of the destruction. His suit was dirty and his sunglasses were cracked; he laid on the debris for a few seconds before he disappeared in a flash of light back to the spirit world where he will be, hopefully, healed up quickly. She closed her eyes and did her best to maintain her emotions; she turned back to Night Terror and gave him a saddened look.
"I…I know you didn't want to do that, Night. I understand," she said, making him bow his head in shame, "B-but…I haven't given up yet. Loke fought for our guild and that includes you. And I hate that Laxus is making you do this," she narrowed her eyes in determination and reach for another of her keys, "I'm sorry. But I'm not done yet. All I have to do is keep you here until the others arrive," she said as she took out another key from her belt and held it out in front of her, "GATE OF THE MAIDEN; VIRGO!"
'Virgo,' Night Terror thought, 'Perfect.'
In a brilliant flash of light, the maid spirit stood before Lucy and curtseyed before her. She plainly glanced up at Night Terror before looking back at Lucy before she nodded.
"I see. Princess, please stand behind me and I will protect you," Virgo said as she got into a fighting stance.
"No, I'm going to fight along with you," Lucy said as she stepped forwards.
However, Virgo, looking straight ahead, held up her arm to prevent her, "Princess, please allow me to fight on my own."
"But Virgo-"
"I insist," the spirit firmly told her, "After all…" she turned her head around and saw that her cheeks were red and there was a line of drool coming from the side of her mouth, "…I've been waiting to be punished by those hard claws of his for ages. I'll take everything he throws at me."
Lucy and Night Terror sweat dropped.
"Is this really the time for this!" Lucy shouted at her.
"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," she said, giving her a thumbs up.
Night Terror ignored what she said and shoot towards her. The spirit, rather than fighting, held up her arms wide and embraced the attack that was coming towards her.
"Almost there," she whispered.
"Pay attention, you silly masochist!" Lucy yelled at her.
Virgo closed her eyes and awaited what was coming to her…but was surprised when the Phobos stopped before he, grabbed her by her shoulders and leaned his head down to whisper into her ear. Lucy was taken by surprise by this and took a step back as she watched from afar. Soon enough, Night Terror pulled back, gave a quick glance at Lucy before he sank into his shadows and disappeared in seconds. Lucy expected him to emerge from from somewhere for a surprise attack, but was shocked to see that he had left.
"What just happened?" Lucy muttered before she ran up to her spirt. Virgo's eyes were wide in shock as they stared ahead and her body was stiff. She knew something was wrong, "Virgo. What's the matter?"
"It's Night Terror…" Virgo eventually uttered.
"Yes, what about him.
"He…he…he…" the spirt pouted crossly, "…he teased me again. I can't believe I fell for it," she said before he cheeks blushed a little and bit her lip, "How humiliating."
Lucy rolled her eyes, "What did he say to you!"
"Oh right," Virgo said, realising the situation they were in as she frowned seriously, "Night Terror has informed me of Laxus' whereabouts."
"That's great!" Lucy cheered before she frowned, "But what about him? Did he explain to you why he's doing this."
"He only told me one other thing," Virgo told her, "Defeat Freed before it's too late."
Guild Hall
"Night attacked you!?"
"No way!"
"There has to be a mistake!"
Lucy sat on a wooden chair and sadly shook her head while everybody had gathered around her. Happy was perched on the table top beside her and looked down at his paws in despair.
"I'm sorry. But he did," Happy told them.
After Night Terror disappeared, Lucy had met up with the others before they all made their way back to the guild. She told them what had happened while Happy backed her up. The others were shocked to say the least. Natsu looked down at the ground and gritted his teeth together in anger, Mira, Levy, Juvia and Flare looked horrified, Ur and Cana frowned in concern while Gajeel hung around at some distance, listening in silence. Lisanna was upstairs tending to the injured they had managed to gather from the battle as well as Makarov. As soon as the Thunder Palace was conjured up and the elderly master leaned what Laxus was planning, he suddenly took a turn for the worse in shock. He was stable for now, but it was clear that he needed a lot of care.
Flare gritted her teeth and looked as if he was on the verge of tears, "You're lying! He would never do that!"
"Flare, calm down," Ur shushed her as she placed a hand on her shoulder
"DAMN IT, NIGHT!" Natsu roared as he began to sprint to the door, "I'LL KICK YOUR ASS FOR TH-"
SLAM!
He groaned as he fell onto his back, having just run into the Enchantment and simply bounced off it.
"I'm still working on that, Natsu," Levy sighed as he rubbed his sore nose.
"Listen," Lucy said, catching everybody's attention, "I don't think he wanted to do it. I think Laxus is forcing him to do it."
Happy gave her a curious look, "How do you know that?"
She raised a single finger up, "Simple. He showed himself before he attacked and made sure we got out of the way in time. Night mainly uses stealth to fight, so why would he do that?"
"He was giving you two a warning," Cana hummed in realisation, "How does this involve Laxus though?"
"I don't know," Lucy said, "I just feel like it is. It definitely felt as if it was a targeted attack. I mean, why go after me particularly and…well, I'm not exactly in Laxus' good books."
"No, this is something else. Something that Laxus wants from Night Terror," Mira said with a saddened frown, "Laxus has always wanted Night to join the Thunder Legion ever since he created it."
"He does?" Levy asked.
"Yeah. I didn't know that," Cana inquired, "how do you know?"
"I overheard Laxus and Master Makarov talk about it a few years back. He wanted Makarov to force Night to join the legion, but he told him that the only way that was ever going to happen is by asking Night himself. I can see why Laxus was desperate. With Phobian magic on his side, the legion would be unstoppable. They would probably be the strongest team in the entire kingdom…of course, Night always turned him, because he preferred working alone," she sighed and frowned sternly, "I think this might be a way of getting revenge on him for turning down his request for all these years by forcing him to attack his friends."
"That's despicable. Juvia is upset."
"You can say that again," Ur said.
"DAMN IT LAXUS!" Natsu roared as he charged towards the door, "HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO NIGHT YOU-"
SLAM!
"STOP DOING THAT!" everyone shouted at him.
Ur rolled her eyes and turned back to Lucy, "So, he told you that Laxus is at the cathedral and we need to defeat Freed. It's possible that he must be under the effect of his Enchantment magic."
"Great!" Natsu cheered as he jumped back to his feet, "All we need is to take him out and Night's all good. He can help join us kick Laxus' ass. That doesn't sound too bad."
"Aren't you guys forgetting something," Gajeel spoke up, catching everybody's attention, "The Phobos is still out there and we have no idea where he is. What makes you think he hasn't chosen his next victim."
Flare glared at him, "He's not choosing victims, metal for brains. Don't talk about him like that!"
"You know what I mean, pipsqueak," Gajeel growled, "As long as he has control over the Phobos, then he can order him to attack any one of us. And I know exactly who it is going to be," he said before he laid his red eyes on Levy.
Levy's eyes widened in surprise, "M-me?"
Ur groaned in annoyance, "He's right. Your magic is probably the only thing that can take down the Enchantments. It makes sense that he would want you out of the picture."
"Then we'll have to protect her," Flare said.
"What? From Night Terror?" Gajeel pointed out, making the young girl look down at her feet shyly, "Don't make me laugh. None of you will last five seconds."
Natsu leaned over to Happy and whispered into his ear, "You reckon he's still feeling butt hurt from the time Night totally kicked the crap out of him."
"Aye! It's obvious, really," Happy whispered back.
"I can hear you, boneheads!" Gajeel shouted at them.
Mira bit her lip and looked down at the floor, her hands clenching at her dress tightly. She took a deep breath and looked up with a determined expression on her face, "I have an idea," she said, catching everyone's attention, "Cana, Juvia and Ur will go after Freed and defeat him. Lucy and Flare, you stay behind and look after the other members along with Lisanna…and I will protect Levy."
The others looked at her in surprise.
"You will?" Juvia asked, "Are you sure that's wise?"
Mira frowned and gave a destined smile, "Don't worry about me. I may be rusty, but I know how to fight," she said as she clenched her fist tightly, "This is for Night, after all. I'm going to give it my all."
Rooftop
Meanwhile, Night Terror stood on the edge of a rooftop and stared sadly at the view of the guild hall was in the distance. He sighed in concern as he looked down at his claws before up at the balls of lightning lacrima that hung over Magnolia ominously. He turned his head away from them and focused on Fairy Tail once again.
Of course, he felt terrible about attacking Lucy and Happy. He would have rather put his own life on the line then to harm harm. He was his best friend…but he knew that it was the only way of defeating Laxus.
'Miss Virgo will convey the message onto Miss Lucy and, hopefully, they will understand what I meant. It is likely that Mister Laxus would not have let me leave the cathedral and run the risk of me defecting almost immediately. Which was I had to goad him into creating more rules for me so I could leave without causing suspicion. I may not be able to talk to a member of Fairy Tail, but Miss Lucy's spirits are not included in the Enchantment, meaning I would not break the rules. I only wished Mister Loke had not appeared first. Since he was a previous member of Fairy Tail, I cannot risk talking to him just in case. I must apologise to him afterward,' he thought to himself, 'Now all I have to do is wait here until Freed has been defeated and I will be free to fight Laxus.'
However, as if by magic, the communicator lacrima pulsated within his robe and he pulled it out in front and accepted the call.
'Speak of the devil,' he thought drearily as Laxus' face appeared from within the crystal, "Mister Laxus? How may I be of assistance?"
"What the hell are you playing at!?" Laxus snapped at him, "Why didn't you take out blondie!?"
Night Terror gave a weary shrug, "Alas…I was defeated. It happens sometimes."
"You're really trying my patience," he snarled.
"Oh, what a pity," he said sarcastically, "I promise I will do better the next time."
Laxus growled furiously before he took a deep breath and calmed down, "Fine then. I guess we just have to add another rule for you. One you couldn't possibly mess up on. Freed are you there?"
The lacrima crystal changed colour slightly as Freed's face appeared in it, "Loud and clear, Laxus."
"Good," Laxus said as he appeared once again with a smirk, "I need you to add one last rule."
"But Laxus, it's-"
"I don't care! Just do it!" he snapped at Freed, "set up an Enchantment that says that Night Terror must fight and defeat a member of Fairy Tail without holding back or allowing them to win or else he sets of the Thunder Palace. Do you understand?"
"Yes…Laxus…" Freed said with a reluctant sigh.
Laxus grinned through the lacrima crystal up at Night Terror, "Let's see you get out of this one. Oh…and I also got your next target. It's a certain bothersome Word Mage at the guild hall."
Night Terror almost smashed the lacrima by how tightly he was gripping it in his claw, 'Curse you, Mister Laxus,' he thought before he closed his eyes, 'My fellow guild members, please get to Mister Freed quickly.'
Outskirts Of Magnolia
Freed muttered under his breath as he pressed the tip of his sword against the Enchantment barrier that enclosed the town, adding more rules to an already complex Enchantment. He frowned in concentration as the ancient ruins flowed out of his sword and implanted themselves into the barrier until all of them had settled. He sighed and moved the sword away before his ear picked up the sound of people coming this way. He turned his head around and saw Juvia, Cana and Ur approaching him cautiously; he narrowed his eyes at them before he turned his full body around.
"Funny. I wonder how you were able to find me," he hummed as he poised his sword in front of him.
Juvia and Cana stepped forwards but Ur stopped them by putting her hand up in front of them.
"Don't go towards him," she told them, keeping her gaze fixed on him, "Who knows what sort of traps he has around here."
"There has to be a way to tell," Juvia said as she scoured the area with her blue eyes, "Some sort of magical energy that we can detect."
Cana shook her head, "No. Freed's magic is tricky. I reckon only Levy could identify any in the area," she grumbled before she glared at Freed, "Get over here now. You can't take on all of us."
"And what do you expect to do with me?" he sighed as he slowly stepped towards them, "I may be outnumbered, but I still retain the higher ground."
"We want you to take down the Enchantments. All of them. Even the one that's making Night do Laxus' bidding," Ur demanded as she clicked her knuckles, "I kicked one of you Thunder Legion morons to the curb and I'm hungry to do it all again," she said coldly.
'So cool,' Cana and Juvia thought secretly.
Freed raised an eyebrow at her words before he swung his long blade in front of him. Suddenly, they were surrounded by a magical ruins that formed four walls of blue magic. They looked around and cursed in anger; they had already fallen into Freed's trap without them realising it.
"This…" Freed declared with a smirk, "…is a special Enchantment. Usually, I would have all of you trapped and let you battle amongst yourselves until one of you is defeated…but I decided that I too hunger for a skirmish," he waved his hand dramatically and glared sharply at all three of his opponents, "Defeat me and you will be freed, but if all of you fall by my blade then the rest of your guild will be better off dead. I must warn you as Laxus' right hand man…I won't go down so easily."
All three mages got into a fighting stance.
"We'll see about that," Cana growled.
She produce three cards from seemingly nowhere and threw them towards Freed, hoping to cut him while he was unprepared. However, the mage zipped forwards and deflected the cards easily with his sword before he pointed the tip of his blade at a shocked Cana's heart. Before he could get any closer, he was forced to jump back as a leg, frozen over with solid ice, almost smashed into his face. He flipped backwards acrobatically before he leapt back into the air as a jet of water shot out towards him, almost hitting him by a few centimetres. He landed in a crouching position and stuck the tip of his blade into the ground; he whispered to himself a spell and the ground beneath his opponents burst as if a massive explosion had occurred. They leapt and ran out of the way before they could be damaged by the explosion, but it was clear that they were caught off guard by the attack. They glared towards Freed…only to find that he was no longer on the ground, but was hovering in the air using dark purple magical wings that have sprouted from his back.
"I thought we were here to fight," he mocked, "Surely you can do better than that."
Ur tsked and got to her feet, along with Juvia and Cana, and narrowed his eyes in determination.
"Cocky bastard," she muttered.
Streets Of Magnolia
With caution in every step, Levy walked down the empty streets of Magnolia. Her eyes darting around as she kept her sights to the shadows, trying to see any sort of movement or flicker. She took a deep breath to calm her beating heart and hugged her book full of notes to her chest for comfort.
"Come on," she mumbled, "Where are you?"
She suddenly felt a child run down her spine and instantly knew that he had found her. She turned around and saw Night Terror step out of the shadows of a nearby alleyway and stand still, waiting her with his hollow black eyes. She gulped nervously as he, as Lucy informed her, stayed silent and made very little movement.
"Hello Night. Looks like you've found me," she called out before she gave him a light smile to ease the tension. He watched as he bowed his head to the ground and grip his claws tightly, "It's…fine. I understand. Laxus found out that I can take down Freed's Enchantments and now…he ordered you to take me down, right?" she said. However, he didn't move an inch, "Juvia, Ur and Cana are dealing with Freed. Is there a way you can hold on until then?" she asked him.
He shook his head and pointed up at the lighting lacrima that still hovered in the sky, 'I am still bound by Mister Freed's Enchantment. I am sorry Miss Levy,' he thought.
Even through she can't hear his thoughts, she looked down at the ground and frowned.
"I see," Levy muttered angrily, "Laxus is holding the town hostage and made you the trigger. I never would have thought he would do something so terrible," she looked up at him and gave him a brave smile, "I can't fight you. There's no chance that I'll last for more than a minute with my magic…but that doesn't mean I'm going to let Laxus win."
Night Terror frowned in confusion before he sensed somebody behind him. He turned around and his eyes widened when he saw Mira walk up the street and stop a few meters behind him. The warm and gentle smile that usually had was gone and her eyes were filled with commitment. Her face was steely and hard and her hands were clutched into tight fists. As soon as the Phobos laid his eyes on her, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing herself for what's to come.
"Night…" she eventually said, "we can't let Laxus win. Not like this. That's why I will have to defend Levy myself."
'Miss Mira?' he gasped in surprise before she began to glow brightly with magic power.
Mira leaned back and stretched her arms beside her. She grew taller and her muscles bulged with power; her hair grew longer and stuck straight up wildly and her ears grew into a point, resembling elf ears. Once the glowing ebbed away, Mira was revealed, but she looked very different from how everybody in the guild knew her.
Her eyes had became darker and a scar-like marking crossed jaggedly over her right eye with similar marking on both of her thighs. Her skin became paler, her lips turned a darkish purple and her white hair shone brightly not only that, but her teeth had become sharp, ready for tearing into her victims. Her forearms and hands were covered in green scales with each sprouting a fin-like protrusion on its outer side. Behind her was a thick, long scaled tail that whipped behind her and two black dragonesque wings on her upper back. Instead of her usual dress, she more wore a revealing dark red one-piece suit which exposed her arms, legs and part of her front. The edges of her clothing was golden and it had a spiked collar that stuck up around her neck and held up by a pink bow whilst her legs were covered by high-heeled thigh-high red, black and gold boots.
Night Terror took a step back. He had never seen Mira in this form, but he knew what it was because of the nature of her magic: it was her Satan Soul magic, a form of Take Over magic that enables her the power of a demonic being. It had been many years since she used this spell ever since she retired from taking jobs; just after Lisanna was almost killed. Night Terror had never seen only part of this magic and not the full take over before.
'Satan Soul?' he thought as Mira narrowed her shape eyes at him.
Mira looked ready to kill as her body emitted powerful magic, she crouched down slightly before she launched at him and swung her claw downwards. He leapt out of the way just in time to avoid the swipe, but she, as swift as the wind, sprung up and smashed her fist into his stomach, knocking him off his feet and colliding through the wall of a nearby building. He yelled out in pain as blood spurt from his mouth, the brick wall he went through landed on him, covering him in broken bricks and mortar.
Mira felt her heart clenched painfully at what she did to him but fought of the instinct to stop by biting the inside of her mouth. She stalked towards where Night was and passed a worried Levy.
"Mira please-" she called out to him but a sharp glare stopped her.
"I can't hold back, Levy. You know that," she hissed in a dark voice, making the smaller woman look away in regret, "Get out of here before you get in the crossfire. You still need to take down the Enchantment over the guild. The battle is far from over."
Levy hesitated for a few seconds before she nodded and ran away. Mira turned back to the building in time to see Night Terror crawl out of the debris and stumble back onto his feet. He glanced at Levy's retreating form, but, before he could anything, Mira stepped in front of his view.
"Your fight is with me," she declared before she launched at him at break neck speeds.
Night Terror was prepared. He caught Mira in his shadows before she could get close enough and slammed her into the ground. She hissed in pain and growled as she thought against her imprisonment until she was freed. She stretched out her wings and took off into the air, soaring and zooming through the sky as if she had been doing all her life. She zigzagged all over the place, going faster and faster to ensure that Night Terror couldn't keep up with her. When she knew it was time, she zipped down with the heel of her boot aimed at his head, but Night Terror reached up and caught her leg.
He spun around and threw her back into the air, hoping to disorientate her, but she managed to stop herself from flailing in the air and flapped her wings steadily. He made a pillar of shadows below him and launched himself upwards towards her, but she zoomed down towards him and met him head on. The two entered a vicious scrimmage; swiping, punching, clawing at each other in order to dominate the other. Mira flew back sharply, raised her hands up and pointed them at Night Terror
"EVIL EXPLOSION!" she roared as a ball of darkness formed in her hands exploded right in front of him.
Night Terror raised both arms in front of him to protect himself from the explosion and grunted as he was blown back by the powerful spell across half the town before he landed on his feet on the road beside the canal until it skidded to a full stop. He took a deep breath before he raised himself up and locked claws with Mira as she attempted to attack him again. The two mages fought against each other; while Mira was willing to use all her strength, Night Terror, on the other hand, was feeling reluctant. This was his guild mage and his friend, he did not want to go all out.
"Night," he raised his head to look into Mira's demonic eyes as she fought against him, "Laxus…is making you do all of this. Making you fight us, because of the Thunder Palace," she gave an animal-like growl, "I'll never forgive him for this! Never! After what's he done to you and to his own family. The master has fallen ill because of him… I'm sorry that I have to tell you this now."
'The Mhagstir,' he thought in fear, 'Has fallen ill? What happened? Is he alright?' he questioned to himself despite knowing that they won't be answered.
Mira glanced at the canal and a small flicker of a smile appeared on her dark lips, "Do you remember this place, Night? It was a while back and you probably had bigger things to worry about…but this place was the first time we spoke to each other."
-Six Years Ago-
"Yeah! That's right! You better run, you worthless maggots!" a pre-teen Mirajane shouted as six of the local boys ran away from her in fear, "Don't let me see any of you again!"
It was always the same. Just because she was a girl and she had a weird type of magic, the boys of Magnolia thought they could pick a fight with her. They were the ones that started the fight and Mirajane made sure that she ended it, using her Take Over magic to coat her hand with scales and gave herself claws. She never injured them…seriously. Just a few bruises, black eyes and few scratches just to teach them a lesson; they'll then run off to their mommies and they'll complain to the guild and she'll be in trouble again.
Just another day being a demon child, she guessed.
One of the boys, who was holding his bruised arm, looked over his shoulder and shouted, "We'll get you next time, freak!" he shouted before he ran off again.
Mirajane gave him the middle finger as he ran before she sighed and felt the cut on her cheek she received during the fight. It was a lucky shot. She would have to make sure to give that kid an even harder ass kicking the next time. She snarled in anger and was about to walk back to the guild when she sensed somebody approach her from behind. She whipped around, expecting to find another opponent, when she found herself face to face with a young Night Terror.
She stepped back and grimaced at the sight of him. Ever since she and her siblings had joined the guild not too long ago, she knew very little about the Phobos. He kept to himself in the dark, shadowy corners of the guild hall and hardly spoke to anyone apart from Makarov. She, honestly, found him a little creepy. She quickly shook of her surprise and snarled at him.
"What do you want, huh?" she spat at him.
In response, he reached with one of his metal claws into his cloak and pulled something out. Mirajane tensed the second he moved, thinking that he was about to attack…but was racked with confusion when she saw a band aid in between his claws. He peeled off the little things that concealed the sticky parts before he reached forwards and gently placed it over the cut on her cheek and smoothed it down with one of his claws. She was so shocked that she just allowed him to do it without realising it.
"Chunnaic mi do bhlàr na bu tràithe," he said in Timorin, "ceadaich dhomh bhi buailteach do d' lotan."
(Translation: "I witnessed your battle earlier. Allow me to tend to your wounds.")
"Huh!?" Mirajane shouted, snapping out of her stupor, "Hey! Don't do that! I can take care of myself, you bastard!"
Night Terror raised both claws up in defence, "Gabh mo leisgeul."
(Translation: "My apologies.")
Mirajane tsked and turned away, "I don't understand a word you're saying," she muttered. She reached up and felt the band aid over her cut, feeling it already healing her, "Thanks…I guess," she grumbled reluctantly with a small pout.
Night Terror nodded before he looked down at their arms which were still covered in scales. Mirajane saw the subtle movement of his cloaked head and moved her hands away from his sight.
"I know, I know," she said bitterly, "I'm a cruel, heartless demon. You don't have to tell me."
Night Terror shook his head. He reached out and gently took her clawed hand and lifted them up to his own hand. She was about to snatch her arm away from him, but instead watched as he pointed at her hand and then up to her. He then did pointed at his other hand before pointing to himself.
"Chan e deamhan a th' annad," he gently told her, "Is e dìreach do dhraoidheachd a th' ann agus chan eil gnothach sam bith agad ri cò thu dha-rìribh."
(Translation: "I don't think you're a demon, It's just your magic and has nothing to do with who you truly are. Just like how my claws have nothing to do with who I truly am beneath this cloak.")
Not understanding what he said, Mirajane snatched her hand out of his and marched away in anger.
"Whatever. Don't talk to me again," she snapped as Night Terror watched her march away.
-Present-
'I remember,' he thought to himself as they were still locked in their power struggle. A small smile graced his lips 'I remember it perfectly well, Miss Mira. I wish I can tell you that.'
Mira closed her eyes and smiled sweetly despite her demonic appearance, "I…I wasn't the nicest back then. You talked to me and yet I didn't listen to you because I was so ignorant and thought people everybody hated me because of my magic. But I know now that you were being kind to me. You didn't hate me for my magic. I wish it didn't take me to long to realise that," she admitted as a tear drop roll down her cheek, "But I understand you now. I worked so hard ever since so we could be closer. People see you as an evil, menacing mage, but I know that you're the sweetest, most kindest and most caring person I know. And I know that you're suffering right now. You don't have to say anything because I'm listening with my heart," she clenched sharp teeth together and glared in determination, "But you can't give up now. We are so close to helping you, but I can't risk Laxus ruining it all by using you. That's why… you need to fight me…fight until we solved everything. If Laxus wants you to battle your own guild members than give it everything you've got and fight me. I can take it," she said with a grin, "All I'm saying is…don't…hold…back."
Night Terror looked at her in absolute disbelief at her request; the confident smile on her face reassured him that this was the best path to take. After a few seconds of careful consideration, he frowned in determination and mustered what strength he had left.
'I understand. I will do my best,' he thought before he conjured a shadow tendril and slammed into her stomach.
She was knocked back several feet before she skidded on the ground and climbed back onto her feet into a crouching position. She watched as Night Terror extended his arm out in front of him and formed a long, sharp broadsword from his shadows; its edge seemed to shimmer darkly before her eyes. Then, from behind him, two angel-like wings also made from shadows rose from his back and fanned out, showing off a plumage of black feathers six meters wide. The large wings flapped slowly at first before they began to pick speed until Night Terror was hovering high in the air above the ground, looking down at her expectantly to follow.
Mirajane smirked before she followed him into the skies. She zoomed towards and swiped at him hut he parried her attacks with his sword swiftly. The two mages battled in the sky, clashing their weapons as they zigzagged and soared in the air. Night Terror would cleave, stab and slice with his dark sword while Mira would swipe, kick and punch in retaliation. The people down below were amazed and stared in awe at the display that happened over their heads as they flew nearer and nearer to the cathedral. With one flick of his sword, Mira was pushed back as few meters; she, in response, held both hands together and made a dark seal appear from her cupped hands.
"DEMON BLAST!" she bellowed as beam of darkness shot towards Night.
The Phobos waited until the beam was close enough before he raised his sword and swung it down and cleaved it in half, escaping the attack with a swing of his sword. The force of the attack, rippled around him and created a mighty boom that echoed across the town. He twisted around mid-air and extended his sword arm towards Mira. Suddenly coiling out the tip of the blade, came a humungous shadow serpent that shot towards her, opening its wide jaws to snap at her.
"Bìdeadh Nathair!" he cried out as the shadow serpent bared its fangs.
Mira flinched at the sight but reached out both her strong claws and held onto the serpent's jaws before they could bite down at her. She grunted as she held its powerful jaws back and was knocked back a few meters because of the force. But then, with a savage roar, she regained her balance and used all her strength to pull apart the jaws and ripped the serpent in half, tossing what remained of the body away and allowed it to disappear into nothingness. She narrowed her eyes at Night and took a deep breath as she concentrated.
"Try and escape from this, Night," she hissed before she brought her hands together, "SOUL EXTRACTOR!"
Within her cupped hands, a large black globe of darkness formed, getting bigger and bigger until it was the size as her head. Night quickly soared towards her to meet her head on before she could finish the attack…but he was too late. From the globe, a giant beam of darkness shot out and came roaring at him; it came at him with such power that he almost didn't defend himself in time. He raised the blunt side of his sword up and took the blunt of the attack head on. It felt like he was taking on Phantom Lord's Jupiter Canon all over again, but, unlike last time, he had been overusing his Fear Magic; he was exhausting himself by the second.
However, he still wouldn't let it defeat him.
He fought back, pushing the beam back with his dark sword and using his wings for extra energy. He gritted his teeth in anguish as flew closer and closer towards Mira, who watched him like a hawk. He got closer…and closer…and closer until…
BOOOOMMM!
The force of Soul Extractor, that was kept back by Night, was under too much pressure, causing it to explode outwards in all directions and swept across the town. For a few seconds, the skies above Magnolia turned dark as if it was suddenly in the middle of night before it turned back to normal. Windows shattered, pavement and roads cracked, people screamed and ran away from the battle. However, unknown to them, Mira and Night was caught in the blast and were knocked out of the skies.
They fell to the ground with a heavy thud right on the road beside the canal, smashing the brick tiles by their impact. They groaned in pain, but they still slowly and steadily got back onto their feet and faced it each other, ready to begin another round of heavy combat.
Freed stumbled back as he was hit by another magical attack; only deflecting it at the last moment with his sword. He gritted his teeth and glared all three of his opponents standing around him; they were all bruised and injured from their ongoing battle but it was clear that they were not giving up. He got into another fighting stance and pointed his sword put towards them.
"This is getting ridiculous. None of you are even close to my level," he coldly told them, "Give up now or-"
"Shut your mouth, Freed!" Cana spat, "You're just as tired as we are!"
The green haired mage smirked, "What do you know, hmm? How many times have you failed to become an S-Class Mage now? I've honestly lost count," he said, making her growl in anger, "You're clearly not destined for the Thunder Legion. Otherwise you would have thought better than to fight alongside a…mature mage and somebody who sought to destroy our guild not too long ago," he added, earning an angry look from Ur and for Juvia to look away sadly, "Not a single one of you has got what it takes to defeat Laxus. Once he takes control, we'll have all of you expelled."
"What makes you think we want to join your shitty legion, huh?" Ur snarled, "You think we care about your little club? I've trained a few mages and I've battled alongside much more and, as far as I'm aware, Fairy Tail is one of the best guilds I've ever worked with. I don't regret a single time I've spent here. Watching my student grow more powerful, drinking and having fun. This is the best decision I ever made. Cana will and is going to be a S-Class mage and Juvia is as part of the guild as you and anybody else. Don't you dare insult them like that. That's why I'm going to kick your ass. What you're doing now to my guild mates, to my friends, to my new home…" she growled as she narrowed her eyes, "…it's really pissing me off."
'So cool!' Cana and Juvia secretly thought.
Freed clicked his tongue, "Is that so," he muttered, "Let's see if you're words hold any weight."
Suddenly, to their surprise, Freed's body began to turn into purple runes which dispersed and scattered in the air. They looked around to try and see where he had teleported to, but he had vanished. Ur suddenly sensed somebody behind her and whipped around; only for her eyes to widen in shock as she saw the point of of Freed's blade heading straight for her.
"Dark Écriture!" he shouted as he body began to form from a swarm of runes, "SUFFERING!"
However, before the blade could hit her and to be cursed by Freed's attack, somebody else stood in front of her and took the hit for her.
Juvia screamed as the blade hit her heart and she collapsed to the ground, withering in pain as Dark Écriture took ahold of her. Cana and Ur immediately kneeled down to her side to tend to her as she suffered. Freed, on the other hand, took a step back in surprise; he wasn't expecting for her to do that and was caught off guard.
"Juvia! Juvia!" Cana yelled as she gripped her shoulders to stop her from shaking.
After a few seconds, Juvia finally stopped her withering and collapsed; her breathing was laboured and tears streamed from her eyes. The after effects of what Freed did was taking a toll on her and she was in absolute agony to the point that she looked as if she was going to pass out at any moment.
"J-J-Juvia's…f-f-fine now," she stammered out as she fell limp in Cana's arms, "I-I-It..has…p-p-passed."
"You idiot!" Ur snapped at her in concern, "Why did you do that? I could have taken it!"
Juvia slowly turned her eyes to her and gave her a tired smile, "W-what…you…said…e-earlier. Y-y-you were…so…k-kind…" she said before her slumped backwards as she fell unconscious.
Ur gasped in fear while Cana held her up to make sure she was comfortable. The elder woman turned her eyes up and sent a deadly glare at a surprised Freed.
"You bastard!" she shouted.
"That…that was her fault," Freed uttered before he shook off his shock, "She shouldn't have got in the way."
"How-" she cried, but before she could attack him, Cana interrupted.
"Wait Ur," she calmly said as she looked down at the unconscious form of Juvia in her arms. Her face was stern and her eyes held no warmth; she turned her head away from her and looked at Freed who flinched at her glare, "Hey, Freed. Would Laxus do that for you?"
He frowned in confusion, "What are your-"
"Would Laxus take an attack head on for you? Like Juvia did? It's a simple question. Yes or now?"
Freed hesitated slightly as he wasn't too sure how to answer, "W-well…"
"I thought not," Cana interrupted sharply, "We may not be the strongest fighters in the guild or have the most experience in magic, but at least we look out for each other and care for one another. I mean, look at Juvia. She's barely been here a month and she was willing to suffer so Ur wouldn't. That may look stupid to somebody like Laxus…but, where I'm standing, that's the bravest thing I've seen since I joined," she narrowed her eyes at him while Freed stern expression seemed to break slightly, "When did you stop caring for the guild? I remember when you joined. You were welcomed warmly by everybody and we accepted you as one of our own. You seemed happy…so when did you stop?"
"I-"
" Was it when you joined Laxus? Surprise, surprise," she sighed, "You, Bickslow, Evergreen and Laxus used to care about us. You were a part of Fairy Tail. Then suddenly you all changed…and now we're here. Several of guild members are injured, the master has taken ill and you're forcing one of the loyalist and most caring member of the guild to attack his friends against his will. Are you happy now? Is this what you wanted?"
Laxus faltered slightly at her question; every single word seemed to stab into him like a knife. He was loyal to Laxus and the legion…but before that he was a member of Fairy Tail. He had friends that might as well be his family. They laughed, smiled and enjoyed every single day with them…but he closed that part of him when he joined Laxus and he felt so lonely. Fairy Tail meant everything to him, however he now tortured them because Laxus ordered him to. He was hurting his family…and it was all for nothing.
A single tear fell from his eye which was followed by another and another. His sword dropped out of his hand and he fell to his knees; tears of sorrow flowing down his cheeks as he held back a sob. Ur sighed and stepped out of the fighting stance she was in; she knew that he wasn't going to battle anymore. Cana shook her head and laid Juvia on the ground gently while Freed continued to weep.
"I…didn't want to…I…didn't…Laxus just wanted to…" he sobbed as he held his hand over his face, "…I'm sorry…I…"
"Freed, look at me," Cana softly said, the mage looked up and saw her smile gently at him, much to his surprise, "Take down the Enchantments and, once we're done with everything, we'll just enjoy the harvest festival. With everybody."
Freed swallowed some saliva before he wiped the tears from his eyes, "I'll…I'll do it," he whispered before he closed his eyes, "I'm sorry Laxus."
Night Terror looked upwards as he felt the Enchantment disappear into nothingness, freeing the entire town from its imprisonment including the guild hall where Natsu, Gajeel and Makarov still reside. He took a step back and lowered his claws, making Mira do the same thing with caution in her movement. He stayed still for a few seconds to be sure before he looked down at Mira, a relieved smile appearing beneath his mask.
"It is gone," he told her, causing Mirajane's eyes to widen, "Mister Freed's Enchantment has fallen. Everyone is safe."
Mira, still in her demon form, blinked in astonishment, "Does that mean we can end this fight right now?
"Indeed, Miss Mira," he said with a nod, "We can stop fighting."
She stood there for a few more seconds before she returned to her normal form; her clothes were torn slightly and her hair was messy, but she didn't pay a moment's attention to it. She rushed towards him, wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his chest, trying to hold back tears as she embraced him.
"Thank goodness," she whispered, "I don't want to do that ever again."
Night Terror looked down at her before he reached down and hugged her back warmly, "I am truly sorry, Miss Mira. I feel like I failed the guild."
"Don't be. You did everything you could," she told him as she enjoyed the feeling of his arms around her.
"Thank you for understanding," he gratefully said, "Mister Laxus made a fatal error. He knew how much faith I had in the guild and used it against me…but he did not know how much faith the guild had in me. With that, I was able to gain the upper hand."
She gave a warm smile at that before she frowned sadly as she thought back on what she said during their battle. Especially, the part with how she treated him in the past."
"Night…I'm really sorry back when we were younger," she slowly said, "Before we arrived at the guild, Elfman, Lisanna and we're treated badly because of our magic and I guess…I wasn't expecting somebody to look at me in any other way. It's only recently that I realised what an idiot I was being and I feel so terrible about-"
Before she could finish, however, Night Terror gave a soft chuckle.
"Oh yes, I remember that," he said as she stepped back and looked up at him, amusement evident in his tone, "You were quite rebellious. It was rather endearing."
Mira pouted and gently slapped his chest lightly, "It's not funny. I treated everybody horribly."
"But you do not now. So, you have nothing to worry about, Miss Mira. We were all different people from when we were younger, so do not dwell on it more. Demon or not, you are my friend and ally and I will not have you in any other way," he kindly told her, "Is Miss Flare safe?"
"She's fine. She's helping out in the guild hall. Bickslow attacked her but Ur defeated him," she informed him seriously.
As soon as she said that, Night Terror stiffened slightly and leaned back up straight. The relived warmth he felt soon turned into vicious rage at the thought of his student being attacked by an S-Class mage. Although, he didn't show it in his body language, Mirajane knew somehow that Night Terror's blood was boiling in rage.
"…I see…" he whispered as a wave of murderous intent flowed off him, making her shiver, "…that is good…I may need to talk to Mister Bickslow after this…yes, just a little chat," he hissed as he clenched his clawed hands in fury.
"Oh dear," Mira giggled innocently, "Looks like I got Bickslow in trouble. Silly me."
He was brought out of his dark thoughts by the communication lacrima. He retrieved it from his cloak and, before Laxus could say anything to him, spoke into the crystal.
"My deepest apologies, Mister Laxus, but I will have to resign from being a part of the Thunder Legion and return to my former guild. Thank you for having me and make sure you are prepared for when I arrive. See you very soon," he said, in a stern tone.
"NIGHT! DON'T YOU-"
"Miss Mirajane," he said as he held out the lacrima out to her, "Would you like to do the honours?"
"Gladly," she said as she took the lacrima and smashed it to pieces in her hand, stopping Laxus from find finishing his sentence.
With the Enchantments gone, there is nothing stopping our heroes from going after the final player in the entire war. However, Laxus is still highly skilled in battling and magic and taking him down will not be easy. The fate of Magnolia and the guild hall will soon be decided as the fighters all gather for one final showdown at Kardia cathedral.
Hello everybody! Happy 2024!
I hope you'd enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took so long to get this published, but I kept on running into writer's block…not the greatest way to start the year, huh? Anyway, I hope you liked it nonetheless and thank you so much for your support.
Thanks for reading :)