A/N: Episode 283.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER NINETY: IKUSATSUNAGI
"When Ikusatsunagi shakes the earth... the purification will begin." Alok announced.
"You the head honcho?" Natsu questioned as Alok breathes deeply.
The explosions continued from down below.
"Your Eminence! Never mind the Purification Plan's offerings... Every one of our own branches is about to be wiped out!"
"You can't win now. Just give up." Akame claimed.
"How delightful youth is. I was once young myself." Alok stated, pointing his staff forwards as it began to glow. "But everyone grows old... as they climb the stairs of regrets. Until, ultimately, they reach despair!"
Purple blasts fired straight at Natsu and Akame. However, the two of them deflected it as they charged forward, shocking the Avatar members.
"Wha—?!"
"They deflected it?!"
"You both appear to be quite skilled wizards..." Alok stated, raising his staff into the air as it glowed once more. "...but can you deflect this?"
Two more purple blasts headed for Natsu and Akame, the two Dragon Slayers deflecting it once more, shocking the Avatar members.
"Wha...?!"
"Impressive. But..." Alok waves his staff around as a dark purple Magic Circle appeared. Alok slams his staff down on the ground, creating glass-like shields as Natsu and Akame both rammed into them, trying to push through.
"What is this thing?" Natsu questioned.
Alok's staff glowed purple again before he fired multiple purple blasts at Natsu and Akame, the both of them narrowly dodging.
"Your attacks can pass through it, huh?!" Akame asked, glancing up. "That's not fair!"
"All right!" Natsu charges forward again, with Akame following suit. They both tried to break the shields with brute force, struggling as they did so.
"What is he doing?"
"It's useless!"
"No one can break through His Eminence's Magic walls!"
The glass walls began to crack before finally shattering, freaking the Avatar members out. Alok aims his staff down again, creating more glass barriers.
"Get real!" Natsu shouted, him and Akame breaking the glass barriers with ease.
"These walls won't stop us!" Akame added.
"Impossible!" Alok exclaimed in utter shock.
Natsu and Akame both leaped into the air.
"Fire Dragon's..."
"Blood Dragon's..."
"...Iron Fist!"
"...Claw!"
Natsu slams his flame-covered fist down on Alok while Akame slams his red-coated leg at him, creating two explosions and causing the Avatar members to fly down the mountain and onto the ground below, grabbing the rest of Team Natsu's attention, along with Juvia, Dusk, Zack, Ezekiel, and Erza.
"There. We beat their boss. Now the Purification thing is finished." Akame claimed.
Alok began laughing, grabbing both Natsu and Akame's attention. "What's so funny?" Natsu asked.
"You lose."
"Huh?"
"I burned away my own face for this day. That was the price." Alok stated as he was hunched over. "I happily burned my face off."
"What are you talking about?" Akame questioned.
Alok raises his arms up. "Now, O covenantal god of battle! Deliver on the price paid and unleash your might for me!" He calls out. "Ikusatsunagi! I summon thee!"
A purple beam shot up into the sky, causing Natsu and Akame to glance up as the sky went dark. Both Natsu and Akame's eyes widened at the sight.
"What the...?" Natsu mutters to himself.
A shadow soon casted on the ground and a purple black hole appeared in the sky, the Avatar members could only stare up in shock.
"What is this?!" Lucy wondered.
Happy's fur was prickling up. "My skin is tingling!"
Dusk shivers as he rubs his arms with his hands. "I just got the goosebumps..." He mumbled.
"Is this...?!" Gray trailed off.
"I sense a vortex of Magic power!" Juvia exclaimed.
"Not good..." Zack muttered.
"Wendy!" Carla turns to look at Wendy, who was glowing pink as her Dragon Force was still activated.
"The air has changed!" Wendy informed.
"It's Grandfather's spell..." Mary claimed as she laid on the ground, holding her stomach while giggling. "Everyone, die! Everyone, die!"
"This is it! His Eminence's..."
"...sacrifice summon spell!"
Erza and Ezekiel slashed at the Avatar members with their swords, taking them down.
"Don't falter!"
"Purify them both!"
The ground soon rumbles and the Avatar members fall into the cracks, causing both Erza and Ezekiel to glance up.
"What's happening?!" Erza wonders out loud.
"No clue. But I doubt it's anything good." Ezekiel commented as the Avatar members were freaking out.
"Your Eminence!"
"It's going to get us, too!"
Purple lightning soon flashed in the sky and a gigantic foot appears.
"A foot?!" Lucy questioned.
"It's gigantic!" Happy exclaimed.
"Get out of the way! It's gonna crush you all!" Gray warned.
The gigantic foot stomps on the ground, causing the Avatar members to run away in fright.
"His own people..." Wendy mumbled.
"That's horrible!" Carla exclaimed.
Natsu grabs onto Alok's collar. "Stop this! You're taking out your own guys, too!" He shouted.
However, Alok only chuckles, grabbing Natsu's attention. "This is the Purification Plan." He revealed.
"What?!"
"The souls of the faithful Avatar devotees are the true sacrifice. The city and its people are irrelevant." Alok explained as another gigantic foot steps down. Jerome had a frightened look on his face. "The souls of those who die for Zeref are the ultimate offering. It is through them that Zeref will appear and lead us forward."
"You bastard!" Natsu spoke through gritted teeth.
"You're sacrificing your own comrades just for that?" Akame narrowed his eyes down at Alok. "You really are scum."
"You bastard!" Natsu spoke through gritted teeth.
Ikusatsunagi soon appeared from the sky as Alok laughed. "The battle god Ikusatsunagi will not be stopped until it takes every last life here!" He exclaimed as the Avatar members were running away.
"Umm, Grandfather? Are you... going to kill us, too?" Mary asked. "Uhh..."
Juvia had a shocked look on her face. "It's huge!" Gray exclaimed.
"What is this thing?!" Lucy wondered out loud.
"They summoned one of the Eighteen Battle Gods of Yakuma?!" Ezekiel questioned in utter surprise as Ikusatsunagi's eyes glowed.
"These guys... They don't give a crap about their own comrades?" Natsu asked, clenching his fist. "This ends now!"
"You're sure as hell right about that. Jeez. The one time we need a God Slayer, and Atlas isn't around." Akame sighed in frustration. "Oh well. Natsu, stand aside please."
"What are you doing?" Natsu asked as Akame began walking forward.
"I've gotten stronger since we last saw each other a year ago. There's a new spell I've been wanting to do." Akame replied, glowing red as he activated his Dragon Force while he walked.
The Avatar members continued running away. "So this is a battle god..." Briar muttered.
"The time of purification...!" Jerome exclaimed.
"It's huge!" Abel pointed out.
"Victory is ours." D-6 claimed. Ikusatsunagi raised his sword up as everyone watched.
"It's attacking!" Erza warned.
Ikusatsunagi slammed his sword down, creating an explosion and tearing the ground apart.
"It tore the ground apart!"
"This is insane!"
"G-Grandfather..." Mary mumbled.
Erza and Ezekiel covered their faces as the dust blew. Ezekiel looked up to see someone running on Ikusatsunagi's sword.
"Dusk! Do you see that?" Bruno questioned.
"Someone's on top of the sword!" Dusk exclaimed.
Akame was revealed to be running on top of Ikusatsunagi's sword.
"Man, that blood sucker's unbelievable." Zack commented.
"Go!" Bruno cheered.
"Akame..." Ezekiel muttered.
Akame continued running up the sword. "There is nothing you can do. Ikusatsunagi is a god of battle. His might is beyond human reach. Hear me, my brethren. Offer your souls. Sacrifice yourselves... for Zeref." Alok said.
"Damn you! You don't even care about your own friends' lives?!" Akame shouted in anger.
"Someday, you, too, will realize 'friends' are but a means to an end." Alok claimed as Ikusatsunagi struck a mountain.
"You're wrong! Friends are people who share the same goal and move forward together! No, they can even have different goals! They grow to smile together, support each other, and trust each other!" Akame shouted.
Alok narrowed his eyes. "That is nothing more than 'dependency.'"
"Call it whatever you want! But it's a bond that has always been my salvation! Don't underestimate the power... of friendship!" Akame yelled as he leaps into the air right in front of Ikusatsunagi. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art!"
"You can't hurt him." Alok stated.
Akame gathers magic power in his hands, spreading them before moving them in a counter-clockwise direction. "Scarlet Flow: Bloody Sea!" He calls out, releasing a wave of blood spears towards Ikusatsunagi's direction.
Akame's spell hits Ikusatsunagi as he was destroyed, leaving Alok in shock while everyone watched.
"The battle god!"
"His Eminence's battle god was destroyed!"
The sky soon went back to normal. "Impossible... This cannot be..." Alok muttered as Akame landed back down on the ground, deactivating his Dragon Force as he did so. The Avatar members trembled in fright.
"Our army of 2,000 has been beaten?!" Jerome exclaimed in shock.
"A nightmare..." Briar mumbled.
"Who are these guys? Who are they?!" Mary teared up.
Akame straightened back up as the Avatar members began backing away.
"He's a monster!"
"Run!"
"Wait! The Purification Plan isn't over yet!" D-6 exclaimed.
"We'll just have to do it ours—" Abel starts to say.
He was cut off by an iron club slamming into him. "Abel!" D-6 shouted, causing Lucy to look over.
"This here is Forbidden Magic. I'm confiscating it!"
"You're going to pay..." D-6 muttered before he was slashed down by a sword.
"You left your back wide open."
Gajeel and Lily soon arrived with the rest of Custody Enforcement Unit.
"Arrest 'em all! Don't let anyone escape!" Gajeel ordered.
"Gajeel-san?!" Wendy spoke in shock.
"And Lily!" Carla exclaimed.
"Arrest...?" Juvia spoke in confusion.
"Yep. He works for the Council now." Gray explained with his arms crossed.
"That's insane!" Happy exclaimed, stunned.
The Custody Enforcement soon charged as Lucy spotted Levy among them. "Levy-chan!" She called out, causing Levy to stop and look at her.
"Lu-chan?!"
"So the rumors were true! You really do work for the Council!" Lucy exclaimed as she joined hands with Levy. "It's good to see you!"
"But what about you?! I thought you were a reporter now! What are you doing here?" Levy questioned.
Natsu glances over, seeing Gajeel, Levy, and Lily. "Levy and Lily!"
"Natsu!" Levy exclaimed.
"It's been a while." Lily commented as Gajeel grinned.
"And... a Gajeel look-alike?" Natsu questioned, irritating Gajeel.
"How stupid can a person be?" Akame murmured, sighing quietly.
"Are you tryin' to pick a fight?!" Gajeel asked Natsu in irritation.
"Seriously, the Gajeel would never work for the Council!" Natsu claimed.
"I needed money to eat, and that old tree guy offered me a job." Gajeel explained.
"Oh, you mean Warrod!" Happy realized.
"And that's how I wound up above all the guilds." Gajeel stated as Happy was trembling. Gajeel then pointed at Natsu. "Also, you're under arrest, too, Salamander! For that nasty look in your eyes!"
He then addressed Lucy next. "You're under arrest for dressing sexy!"
Lucy made a noise of disbelief. "Juvia's under arrest for being clammy!" Gajeel exclaimed.
"Clammy?" Juvia repeated, deadpanning.
"You're under arrest for eating too much fish!" Gajeel tells Happy, who was indeed munching on a fish.
"Oh. Yumminess is a crime?" Happy questioned.
"And you! You're under arrest for, uhh... Just because." Gajeel addressed Wendy, who was trembling.
"Huh? Are you serious?" Wendy asked in disbelief.
Gajeel turns to look at Gray. "And you already know why you're under arrest, Gray. Don't expect any leniency from me." He said as Gray just stared at him.
Suddenly, Erza whacks Gajeel on the back, catching him off guard while Ezekiel flinched.
"Erza!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Erza is here!"
"And she's in a bad mood!"
"You're certainly acting cocky for someone who looks like Gajeel." Erza commented as Gajeel was rubbing his head.
"I am Gajeel!" Gajeel shouted.
"No. The Gajeel I know would never work for the Council." Erza deadpanned as Ezekiel gave her a look.
Gajeel sweatdropped. "Now listen here..."
"He really is Gajeel." Lily tells them with certainty.
"What?!" Natsu and Erza spoke in utter shock.
"Did you seriously think he was an imposter?" Levy questioned.
"Those two share the same brain cell." Dusk murmured in amusement.
"Then this simplifies things." Erza commented.
"We've found Alok!"
"Take him into custody!"
"Let go!" Abel shouted as his hands were cuffed.
"How humiliating..." D-6 muttered as he was restrained.
"Grandfather!" Mary teared up.
Briar and Jerome were restrained as well, with Jerome struggling.
"This is a nightmare!" Briar exclaimed.
"As you can see, we stopped Avatar's Purification Plan. But the real credit—" Erza started to say.
"I know." Gajeel interrupted. "When we stormed into their hideout..."
"No one is here, Gajeel." Lily informed.
"Check this out." Gajeel commented.
Gajeel was looking at Gomen, who was tied up and had a candle on his head. A message was written on an ice block.
'The Ultimate Elimination will be held at Malba.'
"'The ultimate elimination will be held at Malba...?' This looks like Gray's Magic." Lily realized.
"Yeah." Gajeel agreed.
Lily turned towards Gray. "We never would've found this place without your help." He claimed. "You have our thanks."
"Still, I did cause a lot of trouble. I'm sorry." Gray apologized.
"All that matters to me is that you're okay, darling!" Juvia exclaimed.
"You both had me completely fooled, too." Levy admitted, looking at Gray and Zack.
Zack lets out a laugh. "That just means we played our part right!" He grinned.
"You really need to work on your disguises, by the way." Gray added.
"Wha...?! You knew it was me?!" Levy spoke in shock.
"Umm, I don't understand what's going on at all..." Wendy commented, stunned.
"And why is Erza here, too?"
"I can explain later!"
"So those are Gray and Zack's companions?" Jerome asked himself as he was being taken away.
"The connection they share was too much for us..." Briar commented.
"In any case, the city is saved."
"And not even by us."
"Bah."
"We're unstoppable when we're together!" Natsu cheered, raising his arms up.
"We got to fight alongside each other again!" Juvia exclaimed.
"Have you grown a little, Wendy?" Gray asked.
"No. Not one bit." Wendy replied while smiling.
"It feels like we're at our guildhall!" Happy exclaimed.
"Yes, with everyone here like this." Carla agreed.
Lucy smiled. "I missed this feeling!"
Erza raised her sword in the air. "All right! Victory is ours! Raise a shout of triumph!"
Everyone cheered in victory.
Sting and Rogue eventually arrived. "Oh, man. We came here all worried about 'em..." Sting complained.
"And instead we find they've taken out an entire army." Rogue commented.
"Not to mention an insanely giant monster..." Sting chuckled. "Man. Remind me never to get on Akame-san's bad side."
"We have been on his bad side..." Rogue reminded while deadpanning.
"They're a sight to behold when they're all together, yes!" Lector exclaimed. "Don't you 'think so, too,' Frosch?"
Frosch ended up being missing. "Huh?!" Lector said, stunned. "Frosch is gone!"
"What?!"
"Frosch!"
Both Rogue and Sting had stunned looks upon seeing Frosch talking with Happy, Carla, Lily, Bruno, and Chii.
"Wh-Why is Frosch mingling over there?!"
Zack turns to glance at Frosch. "Wait... You're Frosch from Sabertooth." He realized.
"I think so, too!"
Akame widens his eyes as Zack crouched down. "What are you doing out here?" He questioned.
"Good question..."
Akame began to freak out. "That little bastard! He broke his promise!" He exclaimed in irritation.
"Promise?" Levy repeated in confusion.
"Zack kills Frosch..."
"Just promise me you and Frosch won't leave town, no matter what."
"You little..." Zack reaches for Frosch, grabbing Akame's attention as Zack holds Frosch. "...cutie-pie! You're so adorable!"
"Eheh!"
"Huh?"
Zack began to cuddle Frosch close to him. "Just looking at you soothes me!"
"I understand how you feel, but stop making that pudding face!" Ezekiel exclaimed as Akame recalled his battle with Future Rogue as well as Future Dusk's death.
"I can't help it!"
"He's planning to take my Frosch away!" Rogue exclaimed.
"It just goes to show how beloved Frosch is." Sting commented.
"Indeed. I think you're exactly right, Sting-kun. Yes." Lector agreed.
"C'mon. Let's go say hi." Sting suggested.
"M-Mm."
Sting, Rogue, and Lector rushed over to them. "Hey, Akame-san! Natsu-san!" Sting shouted.
"Great work, everyone!" Lector cheered.
"Frosch!" Rogue yelled.
"Sting-san and Rogue-san! It's good to see you again!" Wendy greeted.
"Lector, too!" Carla added.
"Give Frosch back!" Rogue ordered as tears still streamed down his face.
"Okay, okay. You don't have to get so upset." Zack tells him.
"I think so, too!"
Akame and Dusk both glanced down at the ground. "You know better than to leave my side, Frosch!" Rogue scolded.
"I'm sorry!" Frosch apologized.
Rogue's shadow soon disappeared.
"Now, now, Rogue-kun. Don't be too harsh." Lector tells him.
An image of Future Rogue and Future Dusk appeared in Akame and Dusk's mind.
"What?! You work for the Council, Gajeel-san? Seriously!"
"That's crazy!"
"Somehow I knew he'd say that."
"What did you just say?!"
Erza scooted closer towards Frosch, who was in Rogue's arms. Erza was about to grab him until Rogue turned around.
"Fine, then! You're under arrest, too!" Gajeel shouted.
Rogue walked away as Erza glanced down in defeat, making Ezekiel pat her on the shoulder.
"Please calm down, Gajeel!"
Akame and Dusk both shared a look as Akame gave a relieved smile, glad that Frosch's prophesied death has been avoided.
A/N: Y'all might get some of Zack's backstory with Zeref in the next chapter! I still haven't decided on how to write it, so it might be a while.
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.