Silence…everyone was safe and unharmed from the blast of fire launched in their direction. It took a moment for them to realize that they were safe and unharmed. "W-What…?" Lucy looked around slowly, noticing the entire guild hall was untouched. "What happened?"
"Do not worry, my children…" Makarov said while letting out a somewhat heavy sigh afterwards. "I will not allow that man to destroy this guild a second time." The old master was responsible for the safety of everyone; by use of his Three Pillar Gods technique, he was able to protect the guild hall and those inside from anything dangerous. Old he may be, but he was still the Guild Master, and more than capable of protecting the guild during this time of need.
"Thank you so much, Master…" Mira said with a nod of appreciation.
"How did you like that display of power!?" Aiden exclaimed with a widening grin. He was truly going mad if he wasn't already, drunk on the power that he so desperately craved. "I understand there was a man with a similar goal a short time ago. But this is not my first time challenging Fiore directly. I have ensured that I made no mistakes. I am a threat to be taken seriously. So, Fiore! I will give you one hour to make your decision to hand this country over to me. If you do not…then I will just destroy it and build it from the ground up, it doesn't matter to me either way. But if you want to live, then you'd best decide quickly." With that, the lacrima transmission cut out.
"We have to stop him and save the others…" Erza was the one who made this immediate decision. "We don't have much time left either. Lucy, Gray, Elfman, Juvia, we have to get going."
"I'm coming too." Pantherlily wasn't even taking no for an answer. "Levy, please stay here with the others."
"I refuse…!" Levy shook her head. "Even though they were after Gajeel…he still tried to protect me, so I want to do my part and save him too…!"
"Are you sure, Levy-chan…?" Lucy questioned, but the look in Levy's eyes told her she was completely serious and that was something Lucy could respect 100%. "All right! Let's go save our dragon slayers!"
"Come on, Happy…" Carla tugged at Happy's backpack. "Let's go get them back."
Happy used his paws to wipe away the tears that threatened to fall. With a nod, he stood up properly. "A-Aye…"
"Based on the location the blast was fired from…" Levy was quick to pull out a map of Fiore, doing a few calculations before pinpointing Aiden's new hideout. "Here..!" She pointed to an area in southern Fiore. "It has to be around this location...If it's another tower…then we really shouldn't miss it."
"Excellent work, Levy." Erza was glad they had Levy on their side.
At that moment, Alex burst through the doors. "Is everyone okay!?"
"Alex!" The others exclaimed.
"What did you find!?" Carla asked.
Alex pointed to the map. Levy calcuated the approximate area, but Alex was able to pinpoint it exactly. "It's right here. It's a tower, but not exactly a super large one. I couldn't get too close without risking being seen, and I'm not stupid enough to charge in all on my own. The very second I found it, I came back here. But I had to cover my tracks. They have a literal bloodhound that almost caught me."
"So what are we waiting for!?" Jack leapt from his seat.
"You're coming too?" Lucy stared at Jack.
"Course I am!" Jack crossed his arms. "Plus, I wanna rub it in Natsu's nose that he needed saving."
"Hey, I like the way you think." Gray and Jack exchanged similar grins.
"I am, too." Ace stepped forward, giving Lisanna a nod for her to come with them. She looked to Mira, who gave her a smile and a nod in response. Elfman also approved as well. "This guy wants to be a threat again, but he doesn't learn. So this time, I'm ready to help you guys take him down for good."
"You guys be careful...!" Spark said, worriedly.
"He's going to pay for hurting our comrades a third time. This time, he will not get away." Erza's eyes turned into a glare.
"I'll get the Jupiter Cannon ready again." Bisca looked to Alzack and lifted Asuka into her arms. "We'll need all hands on deck for this one!"
Gray looked to the others. "All right team, let's move. We don't have much time left!" Gray, Happy, Carla, Juvia, Lucy, Erza, Jack, Ace, Levy, Pantherlily, and Lisanna were all going to make a beeline towards Aiden's new hideout!
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Standing on the White Eclipse balcony, Reve could only grit his teeth at Aiden's speech. What was more surprising was the beam of corrosive poison racing towards the guild! "Shit…" Without another moment to spare, Reve quickly brought forth the strongest gun in his arsenal: The Eclipse Cannon. Pointing this cannon forward, Reve released a massive sphere of Eclipse Magic that raced towards the incoming beam of poison, colliding with it before it exploded violently. "Damn…!"
"Well this is a fine mess, isn't it!?" Luke groaned. "What are we supposed to do…?"
"What do you think?" Reve said while hopping down from the balcony into the snow. "Cloud, Cygnus, you're both with me. We're going to get our guild mates back."
"It came all the way from the south, there's no way we're going to make it in time…" Cygnus said while rubbing the back of his head.
"Come on guys…it's almost insulting…" Jaxon said with a sigh, twisting his finger around to create a tornado that lifted Reve, Luke, and Cygnus into the air. "There, go get them back." Without another word the three Eclipse mages were off! "Tak already left mid speech; no doubt he's livid…"
"…." Mary crossed her arms, seemingly staring into space until Reiss approached her.
"Mary…!" Reiss called out; he had Micaiah and Tyson with him too. "Let us go too, please!"
"What?" Mary quirked a brow at such an absurd request. "What makes you think you're ready to head out into a dangerous situation like this?"
"I…" Micaiah was slow to speak, unsure how to phrase what she wanted to say. "I had a premonition…and I fear something bad is going to happen…and I would feel much better if we could back them up…"
Mary remained silent for a second before letting out a heavy sigh. "Fine…go talk to Jaxon, then. I suppose if you can't handle at least this, then that training would've all been for nothing. And I'd hate to think all that time I spent working on you rookies went to waste." That last part was enough to instill the fear of failure within the trio of rookies."
"A-aha…thanks, Miss Mary…!" Tyson nodded before running off with Reiss and Micaiah.
Micaiah had to stop halfway for a second when someone called out her name. She turned to face one of the newer recruits. Her name was Vanya, a woman with white hair and chocolate skin; her eyes were white, but that was because she was blind. Her magic did allow her to at least see the outlines of her surroundings. "Micaiah-chan…?"
"Oh Vanya…" Micaiah flashed a smile…even though Vanya couldn't see it. "Don't worry; I'll be right back, okay?"
"Okay…" Vanya nodded slowly.
After that, Jaxon air lifted Micaiah, Reiss, and Tyson into the air and off to the south. "Geez…Do you think they'll make it in time…?"
"...There's no way they're going to make it." Sidney stated bluntly before signaling Jaxon to follow him. Before the other S class even knew it he was running alongside Sidney down the mountain trail.
"W-Wait…" Jaxon started. "Where are we going, exactly…?"
"You'll see." Sidney replied. "I need you to come with me. There's something you can do…that I can't."
That was ominous…the fact that Sidney was acting this way really meant that Aiden was serious. "A-And what's that…?" Jaxon asked only to not get an answer. Yeah, it was getting really ominous all right…but it was clear that Sidney needed his help, and for the Ace of White Eclipse to ask something of him…that showed just how serious this situation was.
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"Sir…! Reported incidents of damages are racking up!" Lahar said while staring at Siegrain. "What do we do?"
"It's simple this time." Siegrain said with a small scowl. "He believes that he has eluded us, however thanks to our new trick…we have him right where we want him. Where was that transmission coming from?"
"It appeared to be coming from the south of Fiore." Lahar explained. "I assume the mad scientist will have stuck with his old tricks and built yet another tower…"
"Then we have our destination." Siegrain said while standing up. "Send a squadron of Councilmen to the south of Fiore right now. We will catch this man in the act and apprehend him once and for all in the name of Justice! He will not be allowed to get away with another one of these schemes as long as I'm in office, do I make myself clear!?"
"Yes, sir!" Lahar saluted before shouting to several councilmen. "You heard Siegrain! I want a full squad ready in 5 minutes, we have NO time to waste, do you understand me!?"
"Sir yes sir!" Several soldiers exclaimed in unison.
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A beam of light was racing towards another city near southern Fiore; this was Dawn City, home area to the mysterious Empyrean Dawn. Kaiho Lazuli, the acting guild master of the guild stood outside while listening to Aiden's speech. His brow quirked in confusion, not quite sure what exactly it was the man was after, but he knew that the city was in danger and there was only one thing he could do. Kaiho lifted his hand, creating a barrier that formed around the entire city just as the beam of light crashed into it. There was a small struggle before the barrier held and the beam dispersed, leaving Dawn City untouched. "What a mad man…" Kaiho breathed a small sigh of relief.
"ALL PRIASE LUCIUS!" The townspeople were exceptionally grateful for Kaiho saving the town the way he did. It was obvious they held him in high regard even for the smallest thing. He was truly a man to be respected…and feared under the correct circumstances.
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Reve, Luke, and Cygnus: the first ones to arrive on the scene thanks to Jaxon's tornados. The three Eclipse mages rolled to a halt just before the entryway to Aiden's new tower, all of them looking up at it. "First, as always." Reve said with a cocky grin before dusting himself off. "All right, looks like we're doing this again…we don't have any time to waste either. Luke, Cyg, you're up."
"Gladly…" Luke began with a wide smirk. It was then he and Cygnus began to inhale, but were stopped by Fairy Tail's group running up into the scene.
"Hold it…!" Erza exclaimed while narrowing her eyes. "I didn't expect you to be here, White Eclipse…why is there only so few of you?"
To that, Cygnus sighed while shaking his head. "Erza, Erza…do you really think that matters right now? We were about to run up inside and take care of this situation ourselves. Plus they stole a few friends of ours, so we gotta show this idiot that he made yet another mistake. What's with all the backup?" He gestured to Alex, Ace, and Jack.
"We're here for the same reasons you are." Alex said calmly.
"Don't get in our way!" Elfman exclaimed loudly, pumping his arms into the air. "It was very cowardly of them to steal our friends behind our backs, and as a Man I will not let this action stand!"
"Yeah, that's nice…" Reve shook his head before taking aim at the steel double doors in front of them. "Now step aside, and let the professionals handle this one." He clicked the trigger…and the doors just exploded.
Lucy placed her hands on her hips, tapping her foot on the ground at Reve's excessive show of power. "Was that REALLY necessary, Reve?!"
Reve paused for a moment. As much as he would've loved to take credit for that, he couldn't. "That wasn't me."
"It was me." Minerva, Yukino, Frosch, and Lector appeared soon. The ace of Sabertooth waved her hand around, a sphere of spatial magic swirling around it. "I'm not partially in the mood for wasting time with idle chitchat. Sting and Rogue have been taken and I don't intend to stand around and do nothing about it."
"M-Minerva-sama is right…!" Yukino gave a firm nod. "We have to save them and the other dragon slayers that have been taken. We don't have much time either…!"
"Fro thinks so too…" Frosch said quietly. "Fro is also really worried about Rogue…"
"Sting-kun is strong, but even he needs a little back up sometimes, so we're here to help!" Lector nodded firmly.
"Lovely." Reve's voice made it clear that he really couldn't care less; he just wanted to get moving already. "As long as you stay out of my way, we should be able to do this with little difficulty, got it?"
"Not everything is about you…" Juvia said while rolling her eyes in annoyance. Either way, they all had similar goals in mind and it was about time they got moving to save their guild mates that were in trouble. Plus, if Blues was in danger, she wanted to give him a helping hand as well. Without another word, the members of the guilds stormed the entrance to Aiden's new tower in hopes to stop his misguiding plans once again.
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Emeraude clapped slowly at Aiden's display of power, placing a hand on her hips after. "My, my…that was quite a show you put on. I'm surprised you're giving such little time for them to respond."
"If they really cared about this country, they'd simply hand it over to me without putting up much of a fight. It doesn't get any simpler than that, my dear." Aiden explained with a simple wave of his hand. "This is the third attempt, and as they say…third time's the charm."
"I see…" Emeraude was beginning to understand. "I think I understand the type of person you are, Mr. Scientist. You are…quite mad. Yes, science is the result of testing the same hypothesis and seeing what went wrong to change it…but you…I don't think you've realized the line between science and insanity. Insanity too, is also defined as repeating the same thing constantly and expecting a different result. You, my friend…are insane."
"Bah!" Aiden waved away such an accusation. "I am a true scientist, isn't that right, Hyde!?"
"But of course." Hyde replied with a tip of his hat, not saying anything more on the matter since he did not want to get involved in the argument between these two.
Emeraude rolled her eyes in response to this. "Well, you've already begun your insane ploy. And I have the front row seat to it all. I do hope you are capable of providing something interesting for a change. But I must ask...why are you so fixated on dragon slayers?"
"Dragons are the mightiest creatures in the land." Aiden responded. "Dragon slayers are just miniature dragons. The power they wield is inherently destructive for the sole purpose of killing a dragon. In fact...did you know that dragon slayer lacrimas, are just the hearts of dragons?"
"Hm?" Emeraude lifted a brow in response. Although the way she sounded didn't make it clear if she knew this information or not.
"That is precisely why I raised Cynthia to be a weapon. The incredible magic power she was born with, coupled with the dragon lacrima I slaved so hard to obtain and modify...it was a process that was worth it!" Aiden said with a bit of pride. "It's why her power was so potent. She and that dragon heart were a perfect match."
"You still haven't answered my question. Why the dragon slayers?" Emeraude tapped her foot. Aiden's grandstanding and pride as a scientist was understandable, which is precisely why she needed him to get to the point.
"Also for insurance." Aiden answered. "As I'm sure you know, there is an Island of dragons just off of Fiore's coast. I know not their intentions, but I would hate for them to interfere if they so choose. So using Dragon slayer magic is my deterrent."
"Those dragons won't do anything." Emeraude said.
"And how can you be so sure?" Hyde lifted a brow. "You speak with confidence, yet hide your knowledge."
"I know." Emeraude cut her eyes at Hyde, despite his doubts. ""If it doesn't involve them, they aren't going to strike you. Simple as that."
"Regardless…" Aiden's glance shifted over to the security cameras, noticing that there were several unwelcomed guest parading around in his newly built tower. They showed up about as fast as he expected. "It seems some ants have arrived and wish to pick off what we've gathered for this little picnic. Wizard Hunters, Predator's Reign…if you wish to add onto what I've already paid you, take the stage and handle our guests. Each mage you take out is 30,000 extra jewel, however it only goes to the guild that takes out the mage. If you want to earn your keep…then put on a show."
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Next Time: On The Clock.