There was only panic as Cynthia stomped through Bosco. She was trying her best to control herself but it was becoming increasingly difficult with each passing second. The old scars on her body started to open up once again due to the stress and blood spurted from them. The pain just made her angry, and her anger fueled her emotions and her power as a result. Cynthia inhaled before shooting off a massive beam of darkened cerise flames from her mouth. These flames completely razed the ground while shooting off into the distance, causing damage to everything in its wake. "A-AHHHH!"
"She's gone completely berserk…" Rose was unable to even try and take control of Cynthia. Ironically, when Cynthia was out of control there was no way for Rose to do anything. Not to mention she wasn't sure if she could even control the power. It was so bad that her mind was starting to go fuzzy.
Cynthia just continued to blindly trek forward. Each step she took razed the ground around her, incinerating everything within a few yard radius! From a nearby cliff, Cosmic Star watched as Cynthia caused destruction in Bosco. "W-What the heck?!" Daryan exclaimed. "What's wrong with the kid? She's not normally like this…right?"
"No…something is very, very wrong…" Gaia placed a hand on her chest. "Someone has forced her powers to go berserk. We have to stop her."
"Let me do it." Alex said while stepping forward. "I was originally made to stop Cynthia in case she went berserk…Wendy's not here right now and as Cynthia's older sister it's my duty to watch out for her."
"We should let her do it." Shadowlore said with a nod. "What should we do?"
"Wait for an opening." Alex said as black trans mutated scales began forming along her body, forming obsidian armor around her body. Alex held her arm out, allowing it to shift into a blade. "I don't know what's going on, but I'll calm her down. We're both a lot stronger, but I know what I need to do to stop her."
Gaia did smile at those words. "The sentiment is nice, dear…but we've got work to do. Stop your sister before she hurts anyone."
"We'll be prepared to back you up." Magnus nodded.
"Just don't expect too much out of me..." Yakuza groaned. His ice wouldn't last long against that kind of firepower and he knew it.
"Right." Alex nodded before leaping down the cliff towards Cynthia. Her cheeks inflated and she wasted no time in attacking. "Earth Dragon's Roar!" The redhead parted her lips, releasing a torrent of sharp stone towards Cynthia. The rocks struck against the out of control dragon slayer and she stumbled back. "…Cynthia…" Alex said upon landing. "I don't want to hurt you, but I know you probably can't hear this right now. I don't know what happened but I'm going to snap you out of it!"
"…" Cynthia turned her head to Alex. Her frenzy made it difficult to discern friend from foe. With the Etherion burning through her body slowly the only thing she could do was attack anything in front of her. Cynthia lunged forward with blazing cerise flames around her arm. Cynthia swung her arm forward at Alex, whose free arm transformed in a thick black shield. The fire around Cynthia's fist exploded and the impact shattered the ground around the two siblings.
"Tch…!" Even though Alex's 'armor' was specifically made to mitigate damage from Cynthia's flames she could still feel the power her younger sister had. The exploding flames ruptured the ground and Alex slid backwards a few feet. Her arm was sizzling from impact but she was protected from a majority of the damage Cynthia dished out. "This would be a problem otherwise…good thing it's just fire…"
"AAH!" Cynthia gripped her head as her darkened red flames slowly began to expand. The Etherion within her bloodstream was taking even more of a toll on her small body. Causing destruction was merely an outlet. Cynthia stomped on the ground, creating multiple, incredibly large stalagmites that rose from the ground sporadically. If Alex wasn't careful they were no doubt skewer her like a kabob.
"Oh RIGHT, you have other elements now too…" Alex forgot that tidbit. As the stalagmites rose she began to dash forward, using her bladed arm to cut anything down that threatened to deal bodily harm. As she neared Cynthia her bladed arm shifted to something of a gigantic fist, which she swung directly at the chest of her younger sister. Cynthia crossed her arms at the last second, although Alex's strength was nothing to sneeze at as she slid back several yards from impact.
"ROAR!" Cynthia shouted while throwing her head forward, immediately unleashing a dual roar of omega flames and sky dragon slaying. The wind fed the intense flames, enlarging the funnel of red flames even more for a deadly vortex!
"Oh come on…." Alex braced for impact and inhaled. "Earth Dragon's Roar!" That was really the best Alex could muster. She didn't have the dual modes Cynthia had access to. The shrapnel of earth collided with each other and exploded, destroying the landscape instantly. Alex covered her eyes as Cynthia just continued to rampage. She could see the blood spurting from her sister's open wounds, which only worried her more. "Her body will never last in a state like that…ugh, Wendy, where are you…?"
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Lucy was wandering around Fiore in a daze. A black/red aura wavered around her body and she brought her hands to her arms, slowly trudging forward. This was the first time her body wasn't moving the way she wanted it to. To be more accurate, she wasn't even in control of her body at the moment. "A-Ah….." Everything was a haze. She didn't even remember passing out or waking up; when she came to she was just trudging forward. It felt as though there were an axe lodged in the back of her skull and her chest was on fire. Her body was in unimaginable pain and she wanted it to end. "N-Ngh…what's…happening…?" Lucy then fell to the ground, struggling to pick herself back up.
"Death…it is time..."
"W-Who are you…? What do you want with me…? Shouldn't I…be dead?" Lucy asked, but she didn't get an answer; just an incoherent screech that made her cry out in pain. This felt too familiar. Did this happen before? She had no idea how this could be.
"You must…live…live!" The voice repeated, although Lucy could barely make anything out with the screeching in her head. "To cause...destruction..."
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In the skies of Pergrande, the out of control Satoshi in his full Wind Dragon Aspect form flew about, letting out a powerful vortex of wind with each and every roar he released. The destruction to various towns was unfortunately unavoidable; however it did not faze Ashnard. He considered this as a declaration of war from Fiore and he was more than willing to send his own message. "Sending a Wizard Saint to attack us? All men, standby for battle! If those Fioran scum wish to send a message of war, allow us to show them why Pergrande is the strongest country in Earthland!"
"Yes, sir!" Nearly the entire army spoke at the exact same time.
Nercon sighed while leaning on the castle railing, staring up at the rampaging Dragon Aspect above. "The nerve of Fiore. They cannot keep the home security of their own country secure...they constantly have put Earthland in danger…and now they basically declare all-out war? Honestly, what is that royal family doing?"
"You needn't get so upset…" Rubicante remarked with his back turned to Nercon. "If Fiore wishes for its own self-destruction so soon, then it is only just that we, the strongest in Ishgar; ney, Earthland, grant them their wish."
"You are right…" Nercon still sighed. "Business is still as good as ever. But I've needed to spice up the selection of females. I think stopping by Fiore will help with that. I've seen a good selection of their females…breaking them in will prove useful. That's why I stationed her there after all. But enough about that….Patty are we ready to fire?"
At that question, the mighty behemoth known as Heracles appeared once again. Patty was manning the walking fortress as usual with a wide grin on her face. "Aye! Calibrations complete! Am I to shoot another dragon out of the sky!?"
"Precisely. Fire at will and hold nothing back. If the dragon survives we'll drop its mutilated corpse right on the capital." Nercon commanded.
"There won't be a corpse when I'm finished!" Patty said with a sadistic grin. Pulling a level down, the main cannon began to shine and a low robotic whirr sound echoed through the capital of Pergrande. A large accumulation of magic gathered within the massive cannon and with a wide smile, she ushered one command: "FIRE!" Heracles released a gigantic beam of raw magic towards Satoshi. The dragon aspect retaliated to this with a powerful blast of wind from his mouth, however it was swallowed by Heracles' overwhelming might and Satoshi was consumed by the beam that tore the clouds above asunder. There was a fading roar that echoed in the distance and Satoshi fell to the ground, severely injured. "Oooh! Crispy dragon!"
"To think they'd send one of their Wizard Saints at us…" Ashnard scoffed. He made his way to Satoshi's charred body. "Hm, still alive. Good. Traces of Etherion in the body, hm? Using that to attack other countries? How bold…I like it. I could take page from Fiore's tactics like this. But it's a shame things are going to hell…"
"Shall I keep going?" Patty asked. She was really feeling it now and just wanted to use her darling Heracles more.
"No…things are fine for now." Ashnard said. "I don't expect things to end in Fiore's favor. Unless they're capable of pulling out another miracle that can reverse this dire situation…but that's the magic Fiore is infamous for within Ishgar. I'll be quite curious to see what they're capable of pulling out this time."
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As for Joya, they had the misfortune of dealing with one of Fiore's stronger mages: Leon Shi. Not just regular Leon, but one who was hopped up on Etherion as well. Each step the enraged Dragon Slayer took melted the very ground around him. His eyes shone a bright emerald hue and there was likely very little that was going to get in his way. "…."
From the palace throne, Count Waltz rested his face against his fist and sighed heavily. "I assume that mage comes from Fiore, yes?"
Polka nodded to Waltz and gave a bow. "Y-Yes sir. From the reports, it seems he is a powerful mage…"
"A powerful mage? Well…I can't allow any harm to come to my loyal subjects. You are to get rid of him." Waltz demanded. Although such a command made Polka freeze up.
"M-Me, sir…? B-But I'm not…" Polka stammered. She wasn't trying to back talk the Count intentionally. "Jazz is much more capable than I..."
"You believe in your condition you aren't able to put up a fight?" Waltz laughed at such a thought. "We both know your magical ability is among one of the highest in Ishgar. I'm not simply praising you, this is merely fact. If one inferior mage on drugs is enough to make you hesitate, that reflects poorly on Joya's strength. The people need their strongest mage to defend them, don't you agree?"
"…" Polka paused. Her condition entailed her being sick, and overuse of her magic worsened her condition. It was nothing fatal, but could be so if she pushed herself too much. Even so, Polka was a devoted countrywoman. Her people were indeed in danger and she promised herself that she would protect them. "Very well…"
"Aw, little miss favorite is going to step up for once?" Said Rondo from the throne room entrance, arms crossed in front of her. "This should be a show. Anyways, Your Highness, those soldiers are getting completely mauled out there. Something should probably be done soon."
"I understand." Polka bowed her head to Waltz and Rondo before walking to the balcony of the castle. She could tell where Leon was due to the land that was melting away off in the distance. The meek female took a deep breath before lifting her hand into the sky, gathering magic on her fingertip. "Shooting Star!" The magic Polka gathered turned into a bright orb of light. She then hurled this sphere with precise accuracy towards Leon who was miles away.
"…?" Leon only noticed the twinkling light growing closer to him at the last second. His arm extended instinctively to grab the star, only for it to explode violently. The radius covered several miles due to Polka not holding anything back, but it was going to take more than that to put Leon down.
"I…I don't think it had much effect." Polka remarked; just as she did so, Leon automatically retaliated by releasing a powerful beam of acid and poison towards Polka's location, which happened to be the castle. "Oh…!" Polka pulled out what appeared to be a regular looking parasol. When she opened it up and held it out a large barrier formed. It took a bit of magic to protect the entire castle from Leon's might, but Polka seemed to be able to do so with only little difficulty. But she couldn't keep up such a defense forever and was grateful for when Leon's attack ended. "My goodness…he's so strong…it's almost frightening…"
"Strength like that is dangerous. Erase him." Waltz commanded.
Polka hesitated on that command. She didn't like the idea of taking someone's life…but Leon's presence was far too threatening for the wellbeing of Joya's citizens. "Whatever it takes to protect Joya…" Polka raised her hand up to the sky once again. There was a star twinkling above even in broad daylight. "Morning Star!" That shining star in the sky shone brightly before dropping down a massive, destructive beam of light directly onto Leon. Even the forsaken slayer in his state couldn't see this coming due to how quickly it occurred. Once the star made contact the impact created a widespread dome of light that began to spread out from the initial point of contact. Polka watched the destruction she caused with a frown on her thin lips. It wasn't long before she started coughing profusely. "…."
"As expected of Joya's strongest." Waltz praised with a smug grin.
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Desdemona snickered at the destruction being caused all across Isghar. It was very much to her liking and precisely what she was intending. Luke, Roxanne, and Audrey had all been let loose within Fiore on her accord and now it was only a matter of time until they produced the chaotic results she was anticipating. She even hung Orga's body outside just as she said she would so anyone coming would see her. In fact she did this precisely because she knew people were en route to Fukomakura. There was one thing that did catch her attention, however. "Ophelia. There was something I want you to explain."
"Yes, Mother?" Ophelia tilted her head.
Desdemona held her hand out, displaying the image of Lucy trudging along the ground. "What is this? I recall ordering you to end her life. Yet she still lives. I know you're a good girl that listens to me. So why does Lucy Heartfilia wander?"
"Oh? That." Ophelia held a proud grin. "Tell me, Mother. Have you heard of a being called Lambda?"
"Yes." Des replied flatly. Ophelia felt her momentum come to an immediately halt. "Lambda is a being from another world. A world where magic is far more abundant than it is in Earthland. He feeds off of magic and uses it to sustain himself. I felt his arrival into our world roughly 200 years ago, although I have never laid eyes on him myself. I heard he spent his time the large Kingdom of Pergrande."
"Precisely!" Ophelia did try to get the moment back into her control. "As it turns out, someone got a hold of Lambda and did a bunch of experiments on him...he somehow ended up not only in Fiore, but inside of that girl as well! We had a conversation, and I decided to let him have a bit of fun. Turns out she won't die as long as he's inside of her."
"I don't recall giving you permission to do that." Des replied while eying Ophelia, who clenched her hand into a fist. "But I suppose it cannot be helped. Lambda is a creature with incredible power. To think there was someone out there who got their hands on him...hm..."
"Mother...?" Ophelia tilted her head.
"I want to see how it turns out. The one responsible for changing Lambda into a creature that preserved life into one that desires death and revenge. Lambda does have the power to inhibit a person's body, but he was never intended to do so like this, or for long period's of time. In fact, Heartilia should have already been dead within a day of Lambda entering her body. The fact she persisted for a certain amount of time..." She tapped her chin, before turning the image off, looking at the front doors. Alas, her train of thought about Lambda would have to come to an end. "It seems we've got some guests arriving…" She was speaking to all members of the guild, even those lesser ones who were there to obey her every order. "Please give our guests the time of their lives, am I clear?"
"Crystal, Mother…" Ophelia responded with a widening grin.
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Just outside of Fukomakura were several familiar figures; those who had the most to gain from challenging the guild that decided to cause so much havoc. Thanks to Freed and Levy's efforts the location of the guild was able to be tracked down. Natsu, Happy, Gray, Erza, Laxus, and even Mii were ready for this. Storming this with such a small force wasn't going to be easy, however this was what was agreed upon while the others went to try and figure out what happened with Cynthia. "This is the place, huh?" Laxus said while cracking his knuckles, lightning beginning to spark around his being as his coat wavered in the ominous breeze.
"No mistake." Natsu replied with a nod. He could pick up Juvia's scent from within the building that was just in front of them. "It's time to pay these bastards back…100x over. They wanted war…and now they're getting it."
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Next Time: Ruin, Part 2.