Chapter 21: Tower of Heaven
Part III
…
Previously on "Ultimate Fairy"…
"Magic Guilds are supposed to bring like-minded people together so they can share their dreams. They're not places for killers like you to team up."
"How dare you. BAWK." Astrodactyl spoke in an almost inaudible whisper. Suddenly, the volume of his voice immediately rose as the rage in his green eyes intensified at Fukuro. "How dare you claim to be serving justice when all you really do is kill people for money! BAWWK! People who serve justice stand for what is right and protect the innocent." Ben paused as he glared daggers at the owl-man. "You do neither of those. You're no hero or knight of justice…you're a PIECE OF SCUM!"
"Ben! Salamander! I'm telling you two. There's no way you can defeat him!" Simon yelled frantically.
Astrodactyl squawked. "I've beaten plenty of scumbags like this guy before, Simon. I'm not intimidated by this creep!" Ben narrowed his eyes at Fukuro. "This guy is going down!"
"I hate it that there are people out there that would pay someone to commit murder." Natsu snarled, the enraged scowl on his face growing stronger. "I hate it that there are people who would kill for money…and I hate that you're talking like you're in a real Guild! So me and my squawking friend here are gonna have to take you down a notch. You hear me, bird-brain? Let's dance!"
Flames consumed Natsu's body as his anger accelerated to new levels whilst green energy began to sizzle out from Astrodactyl's mouth.
Simon paused and stared up at Ben and Natsu with wide eyes. The expressions on their faces were quite livid. Things were really about to get rough…
"No, little Salamander and Take-Over wizard, you both are so naïve." Fukuro countered, unintimidated by Ben and Natsu's rage bubbling to the surface. "I am doing this world a great service by destroying those who commit evil deeds."
The large rocket pack on Fukuro's back began to discharge bright yellow flames, but he continued to hover in place.
"And since you two are evildoers," Fukuro continued, "you both must be destroyed! Jet Ho-Ho-HOU!"
With a burst of incredible speed, the owl-man blasted toward Astrodactyl and Natsu. The battle between the so called 'knight of justice', superhero, and Dragon Slayer had begun.
…
Before the Fairy Tail duo could react, Fukuro crashed into them with his left fist slamming into Natsu's abdomen and his right fist into Astrodactyl's torso. The owl-man continued soaring upward at insane speeds with a trail of gold light behind him.
"NATSU! BEN!" Happy cried out, worried.
Astrodactyl's eyes narrowed as his beak twisted into a scowl. He opened his mouth wide and shot out a beam of green energy straight into Fukuro's face. The sudden attack caused Fukuro to let go of Natsu and Ben and careen back a few meters.
"HO-HOU!" Fukuro cried painfully, rubbing his sore face.
Natsu turned his body forward and spotted one of the many chains that hung across the room right in front of him. He grabbed onto it and swung himself right back to Fukuro. He positioned himself to where his feet were in front.
With his legs wreathed in fire, Natsu shouted, "Fire Dragon Talon!"
Fukuro saw this and flew to the left to avoid the attack, grabbed Natsu by his right arm, and spun in place a few times. When he gathered up enough momentum, he threw Natsu across the large room. Before he could crash into the rock wall, Astrodactyl caught Natsu and held the mage from underneath his arms.
"Hang tight." Astrodactyl squawked. "I got an idea."
"What is it?" Natsu groaned, feeling a little queasy.
"BAWK! You'll see. It's gonna be a blast!" Astrodactyl replied.
The humanoid pterodactyl blasted forward, leaving a trail of green light behind him. Fukuro spotted the duo coming straight toward him and decided to follow their example.
"Thruster Ho-Ho-HOU!" The deadly assassin accelerated toward them as a couple streams of brilliant yellow fire shot out from his twin rocket-pack.
The two jet-propelled combatants flew straight at one another, locked in an aerial game of chicken. Just meters away from colliding with each other, Astrodactyl immediately went straight up and discharged an intense, green propulsion blast from his jetpack.
"Ho-HOU!" Fukuro was caught off guard by the blast and went reeling into a cage down below.
Astrodactyl stopped and hovered in midair. His attention was then caught by the sounds of sickly groans. He looked down to see that Natsu's face had turned green and his cheeks were puffed out due to his motion sickness.
"OH C'MON! BAWK!" Astrodactyl shouted in chagrin. "How are you sick already?!"
"Here," Happy flew up to the pterodactyl-like being and relieved Ben of Natsu. The moment Happy grabbed onto his black vest, Natsu perked up a bit. "Ugh…thanks little buddy. I feel better now." He grinned as his facial color returned to normal.
Astrodactyl blinked, confused. "How is it that you get motion sick with me and other forms of transportation but not Happy?"
Natsu turned to Ben incredulously. "Are you serious?! Happy's not a form of transportation! He's my friend. I mean…duh."
"I'M YOUR FRIEND TOO, YAH MORON!" Astrodactyl squawked indignantly.
Fukuro quickly recovered from the propulsion attack and, with a surge of speed, blasted towards Ben. "Ho-ho, interesting abilities, creature," Fukuro commented, "but evil cannot triumph over justice!"
Golden light gathered around Fukuro's right fist as he delivered a fearsome punch into Astrodactyl's chest. The Omnitrix bearer squawked painfully as he went sprawling back and crashed through two cages.
"Why you," Natsu snarled. "Happy, throw me at him!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy replied determinedly.
Happy spun in place a couple times before throwing Natsu straight at the owl-man. Flames ignited around his right fist as he cocked it back. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
Fukuro didn't flinch from the incoming attack. The dangerous killer simply ducked under Natsu's flame-coated fist and grabbed onto his right leg. Fukuro spun around and threw Natsu into Happy. They both slammed into the roof of another cage below, throwing up a dust cloud.
"Natsu! Happy!" Simon yelled, concerned.
Natsu and Happy were both lying on their stomachs; the latter had his eyes closed and was semi-unconscious. The Dragon Slayer groaned lightly, lifting his head up to glare up at the owl-man. Twin torrents of exhaust blasted out from Fukuro's twin rockets as he soared toward the duo.
"Ho-Hou! Face the light of justice, Salamander!" Fukuro reared back his right fist, golden light casting off of it.
All of a sudden, Fukuro was halted when a green energy whip wrapped around his right wrist. Astrodactyl pulled back and swung the owl-man around him at blinding speeds. Ben then disengaged his energy whip, which sent Fukuro flying across the room and crashing into another cage.
Astrodactyl came down and landed by Natsu, who was steadily returning to his feet. "BAWK! You okay?"
Natsu grunted. "Fine…that hurt though."
The duo's attention was regained by Fukuro, who had quickly recovered from Astrodactyl's attack. He hovered above Astrodactyl and Natsu with his muscular arms folded over his broad chest. Needless to say, Fukuro was impressed by his opponent's abilities and strength; especially Astrodactyl's since he too seemed to possess Jet Magic and another type of weapons magic he was unfamiliar with.
"Impressive," Fukuro commented, "you two are a lot stronger than I expected you to be; especially you, Take-Over wizard. This job may actually prove to be a challenge for once."
Simon watched the spectacle with a nervous drop of sweat racing down his face. Although Ben's current form seemed to have an advantage over Fukuro that still didn't mean Simon wasn't apprehensive of the owl-man's strength.
"I knew they'd be tough to beat…but I had no idea." Simon noted, wide-eyed. "And to think…there are still two more members."
…
Currently, at the top of the tower, Jellal continued to sit on his throne. He had been watching the entire fight between Ben, Natsu, Simon and Fukuro unfold since it started. Jellal turned to his circular game board attached to the side of his right armrest. He picked up a brown owl piece and moved it forward, knocking over a castle wall-shaped piece in the process. This indicated that Fukuro had defeated Simon.
"Shame on you, Simon," Jellal chastised calmly. "Defeated so easily at the start of the game."
He then picked up a red dragon piece and a black/green mini-hourglass and placed them side-by-side in front of the owl piece. Jellal's right hand held his chin in an intrigued manner. "Our next match is Fukuro versus Natsu Dragneel and Ben Tennyson. I was very much looking forward to facing one of those two or possibly both myself, but the odds do not look promising."
Jellal paused as another thought entered his mind. "However…I shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. This Ben Tennyson has proven to be a powerful, capable individual…as well as Dragneel. Perhaps I will get the matchup that I desire after all."
…
Era
In the Magic Council Headquarters, the council had come to a decision of whether or not to use Etherion to destroy the Tower of Heaven.
"Regarding our debate over whether or not to attack the Tower of Heaven," Org announced, "the final vote stands at four in favor and five against. Therefore, the council has decided against firing the Etherion Cannon at this time."
Siegrain gritted his teeth. To say he was frustrated with his colleagues would be an understatement. He knew of Jellal's intentions and that he would stop at nothing to achieve his twisted dream.
"You fools!" Siegrain exclaimed. "Extreme threats can only be countered by extreme measures!"
"Watch your mouth, Siegrain." Org rebuked sternly. "We have made our final decision. We believe it is possible to reach a peaceful solution."
"I'm telling you, you're wrong!" Siegrain countered. "While we're here wasting our breath debating the issue, Jellal is coming closer and closer to resurrecting the dead! I know you've felt it…the negative energy that's been slowly spreading across the land. It's because of the man he's attempting to bring back from the grave!"
"And who is that?" Leiji asked.
"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point." Michello added.
"I dared not speak his name, afraid that any mention of him would cause widespread panic should word get out. But you've left me no other choice…" Siegrain explained.
"Just tell us who you're talking about!" Leiji demanded.
"Explain yourself," Org said.
"He's resurrecting Zeref!" Siegrain yelled.
The eyes of every councilmember, save for Ultear, widened exponentially as their mouths slightly gaped open. Needless to say, the Councilors were shocked at this revelation. Jellal was attempting to revive the most evil Black Wizard the world had ever known. They all began muttering amongst themselves in apprehension. Ultear remained silent and closed her eyes in understanding.
"And you're absolutely certain of this…" Org inquired, opening his left eye. "You're sure?"
"I am." Siegrain responded. "I know Jellal's motivations all too well." He narrowed his eyes. "Such is the bond between twins…I call for another vote."
…
"Ho-HOU!" Fukuro flew toward Natsu, intending to deliver a torpedo kick.
Salamander quickly held up his left forearm and blocked the attack; however, it did make him slide back a few feet. That's when Astrodactyl decided to jump in. He activated his jetpack and blasted toward Fukuro, engaging his energy whip while doing so. The pterodactyl-like alien slashed his whip diagonally across his adversary's chest, which sent him flying back.
Astrodactyl then wrapped the whip around Fukuro's left ankle and forcefully reversed his momentum. Ben flew higher in the air as he began to spin Fukuro around him.
"BAWK!" Astrodactyl squawked. "Get ready, Natsu! I'm bringing bird-brain back to you."
"Got it!" Natsu crouched low and leaped up, igniting his legs in fire.
Ben then deactivated his energy whip and sent Fukuro hurdling toward Natsu. When the owl-man got within range, Natsu performed a flame-covered roundhouse kick on Fukuro's face. "Fire Dragon Talon!"
Fukuro let out a painful "Ho-Hou!" as he went careening back and crashed into yet another cage. A small dust cloud was thrown up from the impact. When the dust settled, Fukuro got up unscathed; however, his head was nearly twisted all the way around. He placed both hands on either side of his face and, after a couple sickening pops, he straightened his head back into place.
"Sorry to disappoint you." Fukuro taunted.
Astrodactyl cringed uncomfortably. "Okay…that's just…disturbing."
"Ho-Hou! And now the mighty hammer of justice will fall upon you-HOU!"
Fukuro crouched down as the thrusters on his rocket-pack activated. "Missile Ho-Ho-HOU!"
Suddenly, Fukuro's twin rockets disconnected from his back and blasted straight for Astrodactyl and Natsu. The former simply banked right while the latter sidestepped to the left to avoid the attack.
"Wow!" Natsu remarked sardonically. "Way to miss your target, dodo!"
"Seriously" Astrodactyl added, and then squawked. "You weren't even close, owl face."
However, like a boomerang, the rocket-pack arched downward and circled back toward Natsu. The pink haired wizard was quick to jump over the incoming rockets. Once again, the rocket-pack circled back.
"Owl Hands, NOW!" Fukuro shouted.
All of a sudden, two mechanical arms extended from the rockets; much to Astrodactyl's bewilderment and Natsu's shock. When the twin missiles zoomed by, the arms snatched up Natsu and the rockets began to spin him around in a circle at fast speeds.
Astrodactyl's eyes widened. He immediately knew Fukuro was trying to weaken Natsu by using his motion sickness; in fact, this kind of reminded him of when he used Gravattack to defeat Natsu a week ago. Natsu cried out as the rockets' speed increased and his vision blurred.
"Around the world you go-HOU!" Fukuro mocked.
Simon stared up at the scene in slight shock. "His attacks are so…bizarre." He commented.
As Happy regained consciousness, he could hear Natsu's screams. He looked up to see his best friend being spun around in a circle by Fukuro's rocket-pack. "NO! SLOW DOWN!" Happy shouted, frantically.
"I know my opponent's weakness very well, Salamander!" Fukuro said smugly.
"Oh no! It's transportation!" Happy cried.
Simon looked at Happy, who was flying above a cage to his right. "What do you mean?" He asked, confused.
"Natsu gets super motion sick!" Happy answered.
"Weaken your prey before you go in for the kill. That's the first rule of hunting." Fukuro stated.
Astrodactyl narrowed his eyes angrily at the owl-man.
"Did you forget about me already, bird-brain?!" He reared back his head and discharged a green star-beam straight at Fukuro. The assassin swiftly jumped to another cage on his left while Astrodactyl's attack destroyed the cage he had previously standing on.
"BAWK!" Ben turned his attention back to Natsu and flew toward him. "Hang on, Natsu!"
Astrodactyl engaged an energy whip once more, twirled it above him, and skillfully slashed it across the mechanical arms that were holding Natsu, promptly slicing them in-half. The Omnitrix bearer then scooped Natsu up again. He glanced down at his pyrokinetic friend, only to see that he was thoroughly nauseous.
"Ugh…terrific," Astrodactyl murmured.
The rocket-pack returned to Fukuro and reattached to his back. "Ho-Hou! I cannot tolerate your interference anymore, Take-Over wizard. It is time that I bring you to justice. Jet Ho-Ho-HOU!"
Fukuro surged straight for Astrodactyl with a trail of yellow light behind him. Astrodactyl turned around and focused more power into his jetpack. Fukuro gave chase to Ben around the entire room. Astrodactyl narrowly maneuvered around every cage and set of chains in his path, but the Trinity Raven member was persistent and kept on his tail.
As Astrodactyl kept his distance from Fukuro, he glanced down at Natsu to see his motion sickness getting worse. "Great," he muttered sourly, "Bad enough I got owl-brain catching up to me, but now I gotta carry a sick passenger to boot."
"You cannot escape justice, Take-Over wizard! Ho-HOU!" Fukuro's twin rockets discharged a bigger torrent of yellow fire, promptly granting him a burst in speed.
Astrodactyl glowered back at him. "Watch me!"
Without warning, a powerful, green propulsion blast fired out from Astrodactyl's jetpack and slammed into Fukuro. The owl-man lost control and hurtled into a cage below for the umpteenth time.
To keep Natsu from puking on him, Astrodactyl landed on top of a cage and sat Natsu down. He fell to his knees with his cheeks puffed out.
"Man. That motion sickness of yours will be the death of you one day, Natsu. BAWK!" Astrodactyl commented.
Natsu groaned as he steadily returned to his feet as his queasiness faded away. He glared down in a burning anger at Fukuro, who had recovered with his collision with a cage.
"I'm gonna make that dodo pay for spinning me around!" Natsu exclaimed furiously.
Without warning, the Dragon Slayer jumped off of the cage and barreled down at Fukuro.
"Natsu, wait!" Ben protested; however, it was too late.
Natsu cocked back his fist and ignited it with flames. "Fire Dragon…"
Fukuro quickly crouched low and leapt directly to the fire wizard. "Capture Ho-Ho-HOU!"
Before Natsu could complete his incantation, Fukuro opened his mouth impossibly wide and swallowed Natsu's upper body. Astrodactyl, Simon, and Happy sharply gasped in shock, which only intensified as Fukuro continued to gobble Natsu down.
"HE'S EATING HIM LIKE A SANDWICH!" Happy cried, mortified.
Astrodactyl's eyes bulged out while his beak hung open. Shock and disbelief was etched into his expression. Ben hadn't felt this flabbergasted since the time he thought that Erza had destroyed the moon back on Galuna Island a couple months ago.
"W-W-Wha…?!" Ben stammered.
All of a sudden, a raven haired figure fell from the ceiling and smoothly landed right behind Simon without notice. The figure was none other than Gray, who was as shirtless as ever. The ice mage had been running down a corridor, trying to find Sho. After Jellal had made his announcement over the tower's PA system, Sho had panicked and trapped Erza in one of his magic cards.
While Gray was searching for Sho, he had heard commotion coming from an open doorway. He consequently hopped in to investigate. However, the onyx haired wizard was taken aback when he spotted a bizarre-looking owl-man with a rocket-pack strapped to his back.
"What is that thing?" Gray asked.
Simon glanced back, startled by Gray's appearance. "You're here?"
Gray ignored Simon's confusion and felt his eyes widen when he noticed something else. "And what is it doing to Natsu?"
Fukuro pushed the rest of Natsu's body inside his mouth and swallowed him!
"He swallowed him whole!" Happy yelled.
"BAWK! How is that even possible!?" Astrodactyl squawked, dumbfounded.
Ben paused and mused for a moment. He realized he had no room to talk; after all, Upchuck could eat things that were multitudes bigger and heavier than his own size. Nevertheless, that still didn't mean Ben wasn't shocked when he saw his pyromaniac friend get eaten alive!
"My prey is not only tasty, but I gain their magic as well." Fukuro said tauntingly.
Astrodactyl shook away his shock and narrowed his eyes at the owl-man. He flew at Fukuro and engaged his energy whip, swinging it above his head. Ben wasn't the only one charging at the Trinity Raven member. With eyes full of rage, Happy soared toward Fukuro perpendicular to Ben.
"GIVE HIM BACK TO ME NOW!" Happy yelled.
"BAWK! You better spit him back up if you know what's good for yah, dodo!" Astrodactyl shouted with equal ire.
When Fukuro turned around, it could be clearly seen that his facial appearance had changed. A tuft of pink hair had grown from his forehead and his eyes had turned white.
Shockingly, Fukuro reared back his head and a blazing torrent of flames tore out of his mouth. "Fire Ho-Ho-HOU!"
Astrodactyl and Happy were completely taken by surprise and faced the full blunt of the fire attack. The duo went careening back and collided with the roof of a cage hard.
"Impossible…" Simon muttered.
"Ben! Happy!" Gray panicked
Thin trails of smoke wafted off Astrodactyl and Happy's bodies. The duo had sustained slight burns and scrapes. Happy's body was overflowing with pain as he struggled to stay conscious. For Ben, he wasn't too badly hurt. The form he was currently in was quite durable; nonetheless, he still felt the pain from that blow.
Astrodactyl groaned as he sat up, rubbing his aching forehead. "Man…" he squawked groggily, "just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder."
"When he devoured Salamander, he somehow gained his magic powers." Simon deduced.
"Weren't expecting that, were you-HOU!" Fukuro mocked; his right fist shrouded in Natsu's flames.
Simon lightly gasped as he took a cautious step back. "Their strength combined is terrifying."
A pyrokinetic-powered Fukuro held out his hand and summoned a fiery magic circle. "And now for the final blow! Ho-HOU!" Another flaming torrent blasted out from the magic seal and struck the cage Astrodactyl and Happy were on with enough force to break the chain, causing the cage to fall to the floor below.
When the dust cleared, Astrodactyl was hovering in the air while Gray was hanging onto a rusted chain with a semi-conscious Happy in his arms. By the time he had grabbed Happy; Ben had regained his bearings and gotten out of the way in time.
"Yep…that fire's pretty hot alright." Gray commented.
"Gray…" Happy said weakly.
"Ho-HOU! And who are you?" Fukuro inquired.
Gray ignored the owl-man's question and looked back at Simon. "Hey! I thought you were gonna catch that Sho guy and rescue Erza!" He yelled indignantly.
This immediately captured Ben's attention. He looked at Gray with an alarmed and confused expression. "What?!"
"That's where I was heading until this thing showed up." Simon responded.
"We don't have time to mess with him." Gray let go of the chain and landed on a dangling cage below. "We've got to find her."
"HOLD UP!" Astrodactyl flew down to Gray's eyelevel. "What are you talking about? What happened to Erza?"
"After Jellal gave that announcement for his stupid game, Sho trapped Erza in one of his cards and ran off." Gray explained. "We've got to find them." He paused as he gently laid Happy on the cage's roof. "Because if we don't, there's a good chance she'll wind up as Jellal's sacrifice. Normally I'm sure she'd have no trouble taking him down on her own, but she's helpless as long as that pyscho friend of hers has her trapped inside that card."
Simon lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry. I thought Sho could handle the truth. I never thought he'd go berserk like that."
"Gray," Happy begged weakly with tears streaming from his eyes, "save him. He needs you."
Gray was silent for a moment as he contemplated their current situation. Sho had Erza trapped inside a magic card and could be anywhere in the tower. If something wasn't done soon, she could be captured by Jellal and used as his sacrifice. To top it off, now a strange owl-man had eaten Natsu alive. He considered his options and finally hatched a plan.
The ice wizard stood up with his fists clenched. He turned his determined gaze to Astrodactyl. "Ben, listen to me, you need to get outta here and find Sho!"
"BAWK! What about Natsu?" The Omnitrix bearer queried.
"Don't worry about him." Gray assured firmly. "I'll take care of this freak and save his sorry ass. But you need to catch Sho and rescue Erza. You're the only one in here who can find them in time."
Astrodactyl contemplated for a moment and realized that Gray was right; however, Ben wasn't entirely comfortable with leaving the ice-make wizard to fight Fukuro alone.
He looked at Fukuro and then back to Gray. "Are you sure you can take him?" He asked anxiously. "This guy is tough."
"Hell yes I can!" Gray retorted determinedly. "What are you still doing here?! GO!"
Astrodactyl nodded and reached up to slap the Omnitrix dial on his left shoulder. His body was instantly consumed in emerald light. When it faded, floating in the air was a white ghost-like being with black cracks across its body. The Omnitrix disk was positioned on its chest.
"Ghostfreak," Ben whispered eerily. He looked down at Gray with his one eye and said, "Kick his ass twice as hard for me."
Ghostfreak became invisible and left the room by phasing through the rocky roof.
Gray felt better knowing that Ben was now on the search for Sho. He was confident that the shape-shifter could find him and save Erza. With that out of the way, the ice mage refocused on the matter at hand.
"When are you gonna learn to stay out of trouble? This is the last time I'm putting my neck on the line for you, Natsu." Gray turned to face Fukuro with rage in his eyes. "YAH HEAR?!"
Natsu's muffled yells could be heard from Fukuro's stomach.
"The digestion process has begun!" Fukuro declared. "In a mere ten minutes' time, Salamander's body will be completely dissolved into my own. Once that happens, I'll gain his magic powers permanently and then use them to bring you to justice!"
All of a sudden, waves of fiery energy wafted off of Fukuro's body. Gray jumped to the cage that Fukuro was standing on. The fire-powered owl-man and ice wizard were staring each other down.
"Oh yeah, I wouldn't count on it buddy." Gray retorted, getting in a fighting stance.
Fukuro got in a battle stance as well. "You'll fall too-HOU!"
"Ice Make: Lance!" Gray incanted as he shot a barrage of icy lances from his hands.
Fukuro whipped his head back and placed his hands over his mouth like a trumpeter. "Fire Dragon Roar!" He bellowed.
Gray was shocked when a torrent of flames blasted out from Fukuro's mouth.
"WATCH OUT!" Simon yelled. "HE'S TWICE AS STRONG NOW THAT HE CAN USE SALAMANDER'S POWER!"
Gray's ice lances were easily evaporated from the intense heat of the fire. Gray held up his arms to shield himself as the blaze engulfed him entirely.
"HO-HOU! You should know that ice is no match for fire!" Fukuro proclaimed, still shooting a stream of flames at Gray.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!" Gray could no longer suppress his yells of pain. The heat from the inferno consuming him was extreme.
"GRAY!" Simon and Happy shouted.
"It's no use!" Fukuro stated loudly. "Your friend was even stronger than you realized. You don't stand a chance against his flames!"
As Gray struggled against the fire, a sudden memory replayed through his mind. It was the day when he had first confronted Erza in the Guild Hall ten years ago. He could remember how angry he was when she had insulted him and warned him to leave her alone.
Gray clenched his teeth, feeling anger flow through his body. This, in turn, increased his determination and magical power. Despite the flames bearing down on him, a freezing, white mist cast off of his body. Gray let out a loud yell as his magic completely froze all the flames shooting from Fukuro's mouth.
Fukuro's jaw nearly dropped off of his face while his eyes bulged out in shock.
"He was able to freeze the fire…" Simon muttered, astounded.
Gray adorned a smug smirk as he stood confidently with only a few burns littered across his body. "Natsu's flames are way hotter, pal. But I expected that…because you're just some bird-brain poser."
Fukuro crouched low. "That's some impressive power you've got. Perhaps I should capture you too-HOU!"
The flame-empowered owl-man jumped at Gray and picked him up. He shoved his head and left shoulder into his mouth, preparing to devour him whole. However, before Fukuro could swallow him any further, he felt a freezing sensation in his mouth. Suddenly, the assassin's mouth was coated in ice.
"HO-HOU! SO COLD!" Fukuro squealed.
Gray pulled back and jumped onto another cage behind him to put some distance between him and Fukuro.
"I'M NOT GONNA WASTE ANYMORE OF MY TIME PLAYING THESE STUPID GAMES WITH YOU!" Gray roared, glaring daggers at the Trinity Raven assassin. "I'VE GOT MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO LIKE HELPING BEN RESCUE ERZA!"
Gray quickly experienced another flashback of a younger Macao and Wakaba mocking him for getting the crap beat out of him by Erza.
"Erza, I swear I'll bring you back home." The ice mage proclaimed.
As Gray was charging for another attack, another memory from ten years ago played through his mind. It was the evening he had found Erza sitting alone by the canal. He had been about to fight her until he saw something he never expected: she was crying. Just as she was gearing to fight him, he calmed down and asked her why she was always alone. Erza replied that she preferred to be alone because she would get nervous around other people. Gray then asked why she was crying if she was alone now.
Erza didn't have an answer for that. The two then sat together on the canal bank, simply enjoying each other's company. That day was the birth of their friendship.
Gray and Fukuro both let out battle cries as their fists connected. The former had bluish-white, icy energy flowing around his arm while the latter had intense, orange flames around his. After a moment, Gray was forced backwards and landed on another cage.
"Out of my way," Gray growled as he summoned a magic circle. An icy mist covered his forearms and hardened into a pair of sharp ice blades, causing Fukuro to arch a brow in confusion.
Gray leapt into the air, twirled his body around, and slashed his twin ice swords across a surprised Fukuro. "Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance!"
The owl-man assassin cried out in agony from Gray's attack. When the black haired wizard fell to a knee, his ice blades shattered into pieces. He lifted his head up to see Fukuro careening back uncontrollably. Natsu was promptly heaved out from Fukuro's stomach just before the assassin crashed into a cage. Said cage then broke off from its chain and plummeted to the floor below.
"He beat him!" Happy cheered.
Gray stood stationary as he panted lightly, lost in thought. 'She kept her heart shielded in armor because she thought that was the only way to keep it from breaking again…but it didn't stop the pain.' He thought solemnly.
"Natsu," Happy laid his head on Natsu's unconscious form, shedding tears of joy that his best friend was alive.
"That…was incredible." Simon commented, wide-eyed in astonishment.
"I hope she knows that her friends in Fairy Tail are ten times better than any armor." Gray mused out loud. "With us around, she'll never cry again."
Simon gaze up at Gray, still amazed over how he managed to defeat a member of Trinity Raven.
"Gray Fullbuster…he's more powerful than my investigations lead me to believe." Simon said to himself.
Exhaustion caught up with Gray as he fell to a knee with his head hung low. Happy saw this and began to worry. "You okay?"
"We're running out of time…" Gray said in a strained voice. He had pumped a lot of his magic power into that final attack. "…Ben…it's up to you…rescue Erza…" The ice wizard succumbed to unconsciousness and collapsed on the roof of the cage.
"Gray! You can't go down too!" Happy cried.
"Is it possible his concern for his friends increased the strength of his magic?" wondered Simon. The muscular man glanced over to Happy, who was trying to get a thoroughly motion sick Natsu to wake up. He smiled proudly. "You couldn't have chosen a better Guild, Erza."
…
Era
The Magic Council had finally reached a decision. The Etherion would be fired at the Tower of Heaven in one hour's time. Several council employees scrambled about in their preparations for firing the extremely powerful weapon.
Meanwhile, Yajima, a member of the council, steadily approached the office of his fellow councilmember, Siegrain. Inside the office, Siegrain had his head lowered, his eyes closed, and his arms folded over his chest. When he heard a knock at the door, he and Ultear, who had joined him in his office, turned to the door.
"Enter." Siegrain raised his head and opening an eye.
Yajima opened the door and walked into the room. "Please forgive my intrusion."
"Yajima" Siegrain stood up from his desk to greet his fellow councilor. Yajima walked over to the window behind Siegrain's desk.
"I'm sorry, Sieg, but I don't think this is a wise move." Yajima insisted. "Surely an intelligent man like yourself could come up with a more peaceful way of resolving this volatile situation."
"I wish there was another way, but the consequences of Zeref's resurrection are just too dire." Siegrain replied gravely. "That's why we must stop him by any means necessary. You understand, don't you, elder?"
Yajima sighed and lowered his head. "Yes we must stop Jellal, I agree." He conceded. "But can you live with the consequences of today's vote…?"
"Of course," Siegrain answered. "That's a burden I'm willing to bear."
The small councilmember turned to face the blue haired wizard with a serious, angry expression; veins bulging from his temples. "THIS BLAST COULD KILL THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE! Including your own twin brother! I hope you realize that the burden of his death and the countless others that will fall alongside him will fall squarely on your shoulders! Do you?!"
Siegrain looked straight at Yajima with seemingly empty eyes.
"I know what is at stake here…and I'm prepared to do what I must." Siegrain stated.
…
In the Tower of Heaven's throne room, Jellal continued to sit on his throne in the eerie darkness. He raised his head and smiled ominously. "…So, your move now, but you'd better hurry. Soon, the light will rain down upon our heads…"
…
In one of the many corridors in the Tower of Heaven, a pale, ghost-like being phased out from the floor and became visible. Ghostfreak hovered forward a few feet before tapping the Omnitrix dial on his chest. In an emerald flash, he transformed back to Ben.
The brunette sprinted down the hallway with a hard, determined expression etched onto his face. Ben decided to wait a minute before using the Omnitrix again. He had a feeling before the day was over, he would need every ounce of power it could spare.
He continued running forward, taking in deep breaths of oxygen. "I gotta find them." Ben told himself. "I gotta save her…Erza…" Ben reflected on a memory that had transpired five days ago.
…
Ben and Erza were in a magic-mobile, driving on a dirt road back from their successful mission in Peony; despite the fact that they had destroyed a volcano. The former had transformed into Feedback and powered the vehicle to the halfway point. When the Omnitrix finally timed out, Erza used her own magical energy to fuel the car the rest of the way.
The duo discussed various things during the drive; however, the main topic was smoothies. Erza asked what other kinds of strawberry flavors Ben could create. The teen hero simply smirked and replied, 'The possibilities are endless.'
That answer caused Erza's throat to become dry and a trickle of blood to drip from her nose. She had almost driven the car off the road until Ben brought her out of her awestruck trance.
Currently, Ben was telling Erza of the time when he had traveled to yet another universe and helped a guy named Rex Salazar stop a monster made of nanites. Erza listened attentively, amazed by the tale; although, she still found it to be difficult to believe.
"A monster made of nano-machines? A boy who can morph his appendages into mechanical weapons? I find that…highly unlikely." Erza said skeptically.
Ben shrugged. "Is it as difficult to believe as a guy who can transform into dozens of super-powered beings from other planets, and who's saved the world countless times and the universe on a few occasions?"
"Well…no," Erza admitted.
"And yet…here I am." Ben smirked shrewdly.
Erza smiled and looked away with closed eyes. "Touché, Ben. I must admit though, I do find it fascinating that other worlds exist and that you have traveled to them."
"Well, this is the only other universe besides mine and Rex's that I've been to. I gotta say… that day was rather interesting." Ben's smile soon faded into a frown as a gloomy thought entered his mind. He had only been in Rex's universe for less than one day. He had been in this world for a couple months now, and wasn't any closer to getting home.
Ben pondered on how and why Professor Paradox hadn't showed up yet. From what he knew, Paradox could normally go anywhere throughout space-time. Did Paradox even know where he was, or how to get him back?
It was then that the full weight of Ben's situation sank in again. He was trapped in a magical world he did not fully understand yet, separated from his friends and family for who knows how long…possibly forever. Though the people at Fairy Tail were great, he obviously still missed his family and friends.
'Mom, Dad, Grandpa Max, Gwen, Kevin….will I ever see you guys again?' Ben wondered.
Erza glanced at Ben and saw him wearing a dejected frown and a thoughtful expression on his face. She had seen a similar look from him back in the hotel room last night.
"Ben, is something wrong?" Erza asked, her voice filled with concern.
Ben didn't answer immediately, still gazing off into space. The teen hero let out a deep sigh before he complied, "It's just…I really miss my folks and my friends. I wonder if I'll ever see them again. Don't get me wrong, Fairy Tail is great and all…it's just…I still miss my home."
Erza was stoic on the outside; however, inside she was feeling sympathy for Ben's situation. The only known way for Ben to get back to his world was a blood-powered ritual, which required the blood sacrifice of over a thousand people, willing or unwilling. It was truly tragic.
Though the jacket-wearing teen was steadily adjusting to Earthland and making new friends at Fairy Tail, that didn't mean he didn't miss the people he cared for back home. In fact, Erza would be shocked if Ben didn't miss his friends and family.
Without thinking, Erza re-quipped her right arm gauntlet/glove off and laid her exposed hand on Ben's left hand. As a result, Ben was snapped out of his thoughts and turned back to Erza. He blushed lightly and felt his stomach flutter when she held his hand gently and squeezed it.
"I can't imagine what it must be like…to be so far from the people you love…the only way back being to commit murder on a quadruple digit scale." Erza paused and looked at Ben with a stern, yet caring expression.
"I'm sure you will see them again someday, Ben. Until then, maybe you can come to see Fairy Tail as your family. As you know, the members of our Guild are always there for one another and will always protect each other. I meant what I said back at the hot springs, Ben. If you ever wish to talk about anything, I'll listen…as well as the others." Erza avowed.
Ben's eyes widened and his mouth gaped slightly from her statement. He could feel the sincerity in her voice and he could see it in her brown eyes. The longer Ben gazed at Erza, the more he realized how beautiful she truly was. Ben's smile soon returned as a tint of pink flushed on his face.
"Thank you, Erza." Ben replied.
"There's no need to thank me, Ben. We're friends. And friends are always there for one another." Erza smiled warmly, causing a sudden warm feeling to arise from Ben's stomach.
'Man.' Ben thought. 'Why do I feel like this all of a sudden?'
…
Ben didn't let up on his pace down the stone corridor. That question he had asked himself that day still remained unanswered. Now, the teen hero had another inquiry to add to it. Why did he feel his insides twist so painfully when he saw Erza cry?
The Omnitrix wearer abruptly came to a halt and stood still in the hall. He took deep breaths as a couple drops of sweat raced down his face; a thoughtful expression on his face.
Hearing what horrors Erza had experienced in her childhood still made Ben's heart ache, naturally. He knew that being back in this tower, the object of her nightmares, and with one of her old friends-turned-evil was far from easy on her. He couldn't imagine the plethora of emotions raging through her right now.
Ben clenched his fists tightly. "Erza…" he murmured softly, "…I know this must be very hard on you. I can't imagine what pain you're going through. But I swear…no matter what…I won't abandon you. I won't allow you to die…"
He looked at the Omnitrix, knowing that it was fully recharged by now. He tapped the faceplate and scrolled through the holo-wheel. When he found the icon he wanted, he slapped down the core.
A flash of brilliant green light consumed Ben's body. As the flash died away, standing in his place was an eight-foot-tall, werewolf-like being covered in dark grey fur and a long, flowing onyx mane. It wore a tight, green suit with a white belt and green wristbands. Attached to its neck was a green collar with the Omnitrix symbol, and on his left shoulder was a green Fairy Tail mark.
"Blitzwolfer!" Ben howled. He then looked at himself and smirked. "Yes! This dog will definitely hunt…literally."
Blitzwolfer got on all fours and put his sensitive nose to the floor and sniffed a couple times. He then lifted his head and sniffed the air, analyzing the multitudes of scents pouring into his nostrils. After a moment of sniffing, one scent caught his interest.
It was faint, but it there was no doubt that it was sweat and…fear. As Blitzwolfer and Wildmutt, Ben was able to recognize the aroma of a certain pheromone secreted by humans when they were afraid or panicked.
It was definitely worth investigating, and Ben already had a hunch that the source of the smell was undoubtedly Sho. Blitzwolfer locked onto the scent and raced down the corridor.
…
Era
Around the Magic Council headquarters, four towers with large lacrimas on top had been raised from the ground around the building, each lacrima was a different color: yellow, blue, red, and green. All four of them were supplying magic power to an even larger lacrima floating above the building.
Naturally, this commotion has many of Era's townspeople concerned.
Inside the headquarters, there was just as much commotion as there was outside. Several humanoid, amphibious beings scrambled around, hovering in magic chairs as four colored magic circles floated around a black spherical lacrima inside.
Many of the councilors observed the preparations for firing Etherion with varied opinions.
"Such a critical decision to make…and while the Chairman is on leave due to his ailing health…" Org noted.
"It is our solemn duty." Leiji stated. "In his absence, we nine remaining councilmembers must do whatever it takes to maintain order."
"There's no need for you to worry, Org." Michello consoled. "I realize we're violating international protocol by initiating this massive attack, but we're protected under Claus 4 of the National Security Directive."
"The legality of this is not my concern." Org dismissed. "Our decision to fire an Etherion blast," he paused and turned to face Michello, "will put innocent lives at risk."
"If Zeref is resurrected, more will be at risk." Michello argued. "Sadly, an evil force of that magnitude can only be countered by such extreme measures."
Meanwhile, on a higher balcony, Siegrain watched over the Etherion preparations quietly with his arms behind his back. He was then approached by Ultear.
"The time has finally arrived, Master Siegrain…" Ultear said.
"Yes…"
"After all of these years, your dream will become a reality." Ultear continued.
"Let me ask you something…are you afraid?" inquired the blue haired councilor.
"No. Not in the least." Ultear responded. "I trust you wholeheartedly and I have complete faith in your judgment."
"Of course you're not." Siegrain countered. "Why would you be? Your life isn't in jeopardy."
"That's true." The raven haired woman conceded.
Unbeknownst to Siegrain and Ultear, Yajima was eavesdropping on their conversation from behind a nearby wall. He was using his Flattening Magic to make his body as thin as paper, allowing him to easily squeeze in tight spaces and hide easier from others, as he was doing now.
"I must admit, I'm a little nervous." Siegrain confessed. "If my plan fails, I will cease to exist."
Yajima's eyes widened upon hearing Siegrain's words. What could he possibly mean by that?
'What?' Yajima thought.
Siegrain clenched his right fist and looked at it with a rather dark expression. "Even so…I consider the risk to my life as small price to pay. I'm so close now…" His expression darkened further into what one would describe as evil. "My destiny awaits!"
Ultear remained stoic and replied, "Yes…"
...
In the Tower of Heaven throne room, Jellal sat calmly on his throne as he eagerly awaited the fruition of his plan.
"Just twenty-five minutes left…" He picked up a piece shaped like an ice crystal and used it to knock over a brown owl piece. This signified that Gray had defeated Fukuro. "…the time has come for us to say our farewells…Siegrain…"
…
In another part of the tower, running down a long corridor was a young man with tan skin and spiky blonde hair. His dark eyes were burning with rage and insanity as he took deep breaths in-and-out of his mouth and nostrils. Only one thing was running through his mind: revenge.
"HOW COULD YOU?!" Sho bellowed at the top of his lungs. "You lied to us, Jellal! You lied to all of us! I won't let you get away with it!"
"Calm down, Sho!" Erza consoled from inside the magic card she was trapped in.
"HE'S GOTTA PAY FOR WHAT HE DID!" Sho exclaimed.
"You're going to need my help to fight him." Erza banged against the card's barrier. "Release me from this card at once!"
"I can't do that." Sho replied. "I'm sorry, but it's for your own good. You're safe in there."
"Don't be stupid!" Erza reprimanded.
The hallway Sho was running through eventually lead into a large, peculiar room. He was currently standing on a wooden bridge with Japanese-style posts on the sides. There was a pond below the bridge and pink petals floated freely across the room, courtesy of the Sakura tree growing on one of the huge boulders in the pond.
Standing across the bridge was a pale-skinned woman with long pink hair tied on top of her head with two large pins. She wore a long white kimono with a red stripe in-between two black stripes around the waist, and a black collar lay snug around her neck. She carried a long katana close to her chest, which had a red and gold hand-guard and was in a red sheath.
The woman took a few steps forward. Sho growled as he brought up eight magical cards between his fingers, prepared to attack.
"Konichiwa. I am the one they call Ikaruga." She opened her calm, but deadly eyes. "Who might you be?"
"Get out of my way, lady!" Sho got in a fighting stance. "Don't make me hurt you!"
"Dear me," Ikaruga sighed, exasperated. "Why must I be burdened with such a boorish man?"
"I WARNED YOU! HYAHH!"
Sho threw out four glowing cards. They came together to make a light blue magic circle, from which dozens of other glowing cards soared out of. Ikaruga did not flinch and stood casually with a smug smile on her red lips. She pulled out her katana and, in one swift movement; she slashed the cards in half with astonishing precision.
"How'd you do that?" Sho uttered with wide, shocked eyes.
Ikaruga continued to stand calm and collected as she smugly smirked at Sho. "My katana is able to cut through anything with extreme precision."
"Well that sword of yours won't scare me!" Sho stated.
He held out four more cards and prepared another attack until an X-shaped gash appeared in the wood underneath Sho's feet. The card mage stood where he was in a petrified position, unable to move a muscle.
"No," He said through a strained voice as he collapsed to his knees, and then fell backwards. "I can't move."
"I just severed your nerves without cutting your clothing or flesh." Ikaruga explained. "Don't challenge my Mugetsu Style."
Ikaruga's eyes widened in interest, spotting the magical card Erza was trapped inside fall to the floor.
"Let me out of here!" Erza demanded. The card blinked gold every time she banged against its barrier.
"I can't…" Sho stammered; his entire body trembling slightly.
"Well, well what do we have here?" Ikaruga said. "I wondered where you were hiding, Erza."
"You've got to release me, Sho! She's too powerful for you to take on by yourself." Erza reasoned.
"Don't worry about me." Sho assured. "All that matters is that you're safe. I cast a shielding spell on that card; she can't harm you from the outside."
Ikaruga smirked when she heard Sho's statement. "Is that so? Well then," she reached for her katana handle, "then let's test that theory. Shall we?"
"Your spell won't hold up against her!" Erza argued, still pounding away against the card. "That's no ordinary sword she's wielding, it's magical!"
"You're safe. I promise." Sho dismissed.
Ikaruga took out her lethal blade and delivered a quick slash across the air.
"Trust me…" Sho's eyes suddenly widened when he saw that Erza was now holding one of her silver, magical swords behind the card's barrier. This shocked him, considering his shielding spell prevented her from summoning weapons and armor while inside the card. "She can cut across the dimensional rift?!"
Ikaruga's eyes narrowed at the blonde haired man. Amazingly, as she slashed her sword out in front of her, a barrage of blue magical blasts was discharged. Sho cried out as he went careening back and slammed into a bridge post. Erza relentlessly struck the weakening barrier of the card with her sword.
Sho cringed in pain from the attacks, and opened his eyes in apprehension. "Sister…"
All of a sudden, Erza Scarlet appeared out from a golden sphere of light, kneeling on the ground. "I suspected your attacks would weaken Sho's shielding spell," she opened her strong, determined eyes, "allowing me to cut right through it to freedom."
'A sword that can cut through dimensions is impressive enough, but her ability to use that power to her advantage is what makes her even more amazing.' Sho thought, happy tears falling down his face.
"You said your name is Ikaruga? Well I didn't come all this way for you." Erza stated bitterly. "Be gone."
The smug-filled smile never left her face. "My apologies, but I think I'll stay." Ikaruga retorted.
Without warning, Erza was taken by surprise when her Heart Kruez armor cracked and violently shattered into thousands of tiny fragments. She was left wearing only her white blouse and blue skirt. Erza fell to her knee, gritting her teeth as she clutched her left arm painfully.
"Sister…no," Sho muttered worriedly.
Ikaruga's eyes narrowed malignly. "You seem surprised. A skilled warrior like you should've seen that coming." The master swordswoman paused, and then began to sing, "Is what you gaze at…the evil apparition…far beyond the mist?"
"Your single-minded focus on Jellal has rendered you a fledgling novice, completely unaware of my katana flashing about you." Ikaruga taunted.
Erza was silent, glaring darkly at the pink haired woman.
Ikaruga smirked. "Yes, there's the look I've been waiting for."
Sho paled in horror from the serious expression on Erza's face. "I've never seen her like this." He muttered fearfully.
"You may be skilled, but you don't stand a chance against me." the Trinity Raven leader asserted.
"You're my enemy and I will defeat you!" Erza stated determinedly. In a bright flash, Erza re-quipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "I always do."
"I'd like to see you try." Ikaruga reached for her katana.
The two master swordswomen stared intensely at each other for a short moment before Erza charged at Ikaruga. Blue sparks showered over the bridge as Erza and Ikaruga's blades clashed. Erza went back and hovered in the air above her adversary.
Multiple flashes appeared around her as she summoned a dozen magical swords. "Heaven's Wheel: Circle Swords!" Erza swiped her twin blades in front of her, sending her swords straight at Ikaruga.
"Hmm…so that's your style. Mugetsu Style," Ikaruga said calmly as she swiped her katana forward in a pattern, effortlessly shattering all of Erza's swords.
The fragments from the broken swords pierced the wooden floor around Ikaruga and, astonishingly, none of them even made contact with her.
"That was my Yasha-senku." Ikaruga explained.
Sho's jaw dropped while his eyes widened in shock. "She cut through the swords?!"
When Erza landed back on the bridge, Ikaruga swiped her katana in front of her. Suddenly, cracks appeared around Erza's Heaven's Wheel Armor until it abruptly exploded into pieces. Erza cried out in agony as she careened back a few meters, landing on her feet.
"Mugetsu Style…" Ikaruga chanted as orange light illuminated underneath her.
"Please! Be careful!" Sho cried desperately.
"…Karuda-en!" A blaze of orange flames formed around Ikaruga. Then, a powerful torrent of fire ripped down the bridge, leaving a charred trench in the ground. The blast nearly sent Sho over the bridge, but he managed to hang onto the edge.
Erza had quickly re-quipped into her Flame Empress Armor and crossed her arms in front of her to endure the inferno; however, the force behind the attack sent her sliding back on the bridge. The re-quipping mage was still on her feet as the flaming torrent dispersed.
"Ah…the Flame Empress Armor," Ikaruga observed, "it's highly resistant to flame attacks, is it not? I'm impressed you were able to re-quip so quickly."
Without warning, the large armored gauntlets on Erza's arms shattered, causing her to clench her teeth in pain.
"How embarrassing," Ikaruga mocked, "to be so inappropriately dressed in that young man's presence. I suggest you adorn yourself with the most powerful armor you possess."
As Sho pulled himself back onto the bridge, he glowered at Ikaruga. "What a monster."
A red magical seal appeared under Erza's feet as red light consumed her body. When it died away, she was now clad in a black armor that was covered in spikes. Her hair was styled in very prominent spikes pointing outwards in every direction, a devilish shadow obscuring her upper face.
"Purgatory Armor Re-Quip complete!" Erza shouted with glowing, enraged red eyes. "You'll regret your arrogance…when I'm through with you!"
Another red magic circle appeared in front of Erza's right hand as she summoned a large, silver sword with black spikes jutting out from one edge to the top.
"No one has seen this armor and lived to talk about it!" Erza yelled venomously.
Ikaruga stood still, unintimidated by Erza's armor. "This is the most powerful armor in your collection? Let's test its limits."
Erza leapt at Ikaruga, letting out a thundering roar. She cocked her sword to its zenith from over her head and brought it down on the assassin. However, Ikaruga jumped back quickly to avoid the attack. Part of the bridge was ripped apart while a wall of water from the pond below was thrown up from Erza's powerful slash.
Titania slashed her sword in front of her, sending a strong gust of wind into Ikaruga. The pink haired woman chuckled amusedly as she slashed her katana at the gust. As a result, the wooden boards of the bridge were ripped apart and reduced to splinters.
With a deadly glint in her eyes, Erza crouched low and leapt into the air. She let out a fearsome cry as she came back down at Ikaruga, intending to strike her. The insanely fast swordswoman jumped back to dodge the lethal blade. When Erza's sword struck the ground, she jumped toward her opponent and slid the end of her katana along Erza's giant sword, throwing off sparks. She then delivered a swift swipe at Erza's Purgatory Armor before landing a few meters behind her opponent.
The Fairy Queen felt her blade grow heavier as she hunched over. Erza screamed loudly once more as her Purgatory Armor shattered into pieces, leaving her only in a few tattered articles of black cloth. Erza collapsed to her knees, a wave of agony flowing through her.
"I'm sorry, but you can't say I didn't warn you." Ikaruga said arrogantly. "You made a valiant effort but there's no armor in existence that my katana cannot cut through. Admit your defeat."
'No. This can't be happening. It's impossible.' Sho thought dreadfully. 'She can't lose…'
Erza's lips quivered as her body lightly quaked in pain. She kept her mouth shut and suppressed her painful cries. She wouldn't dare give this arrogant bitch the satisfaction of hearing her scream again.
'What can I do?' Erza pondered inanguish. 'Not even the Purgatory Armor stood a chance against her blade. How can I possibly defeat her when my armor is ineffective?'
"C'mon, Erza. The answer is quite simple." A familiar voice said inside her mind.
Erza's eyes snapped open in surprise from the voice. "That voice…Ben?" She murmured lowly.
Suddenly, an apparition of Ben Tennyson appeared in her mind. He was wearing his usual attire: his green hero jacket, black t-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. He wore a determined expression on his handsome face.
"Don't let that snotty bitch push you around like this." the Ben apparition encouraged. "You're stronger than this, Erza. I've seen it. I meant every word back at the resort, 'With or without armor, you're still Erza Scarlet: the strong, beautiful, determined woman that I've gotten the pleasure to know these past two months.' If you can't beat her with armor, then you're gonna have to do without it."
Erza's eyes widened as her mouth gaped slightly. A light blush grew on her face from Ben's statement calling her strong and beautiful, even though it was only a vision in her mind. Erza's brows furrowed as her determination swiftly returned. She shakily got back to her feet and turned to face Ikaruga with a renewed and hardened gaze.
Without a word, golden light engulfed her body. When it died away, Erza was now wearing a pair of long red pants with orange flames at the bottom. Said flames reached up to her knees and were outlined in black. The only article of clothing on her upper body was a long strip of cloth wrapped around her impressive breasts. Her hair was tied back into a long ponytail and a couple bangs hung freely on the sides of her temples. In her hands were two, long swords.
'You're right, Ben. I've been such a fool.' Erza scolded herself. 'I've always felt insecure without my armor, but now it's time to cast off those fears…once and for all.'
Sho stared at Erza incredulously. 'What is she thinking? She must be out of her mind!' He yelled inwardly.
Ikaruga merely lifted a brow at this unexpected development. "Is this some kind of joke? Why would you trade out your armor for an outfit made of regular clothes?" She inquired curiously.
"RE-QUIP!" Sho shouted.
"Is this peculiar choice of dress design meant to mock me?" Ikaruga asked.
"What are you doing?!" the card mage yelled, utterly confused. "You don't stand a chance against her like that. I'm sure you've got all kinds of heavy duty armor, right? You've got to stay strong!"
"I can't do that," Erza whispered solemnly, "because I've never been strong. It's all a lie." Erza paused as her conversation with Gray at the canal ten years ago played back through her mind. "As a child, I watched as those close to me suffered. I lost loved ones because I didn't have the strength to protect them.
"I tried to be strong…but when I was alone I couldn't hide my emotions. I decided that in order to convince everyone else that I was strong; I would hide my heart away inside a suit of armor. There, no one could see that it was broken.
"I wear armor to conceal my weakness from the rest of the world. Without it, I've been too afraid to fight." Erza proclaimed.
Sho listened on to Erza's speech with wide eyes and a slightly gaping mouth.
"Wear it or not, it makes no difference to me. I'll strike you down just the same." Ikaruga replied arrogantly.
"I thought my armor protected me, but it did more harm than good." Erza continued. "It shielded me from pain but it kept me distant from others. My heart was too guarded to connect with anyone…that is…until I joined Fairy Tail. Everyone was so warm and caring that my cold shell began to crack and I began to feel emotions again."
"Sister…" Sho whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek.
"I can't rely on my armor anymore. I know I'm strong enough to defeat you without it now." Erza's already determined gaze hardened further.
An intense moment passed as Erza and Ikaruga both got in fighting stances, ready to engage at any second. The former cried out as they both simultaneously leapt at one another. Within a blink of an eye, the two slashed with their weapons as they flew past each other. The swordswomen smoothly landed on their feet, their backs turned to one another and frozen in their stances.
Suddenly, glowing cracks raced down the blade of one of Erza's swords before it shattered.
Ikaruga chuckled in amusement. "Our battle…is over."
Right as she said that, a web of cracks appeared on her katana as it too exploded into a shower of metal fragments.
"Most impressive…" Ikaruga managed to say as she collapsed to the floor.
Titania of Fairy Tail had defeated the leader of Trinity Raven…without her armor.
Erza inwardly smiled. 'Thank you…Ben…whether you know it or not, you helped me cast off my fears.'
"Sister," Sho stammered in shock, "what you did…was amazing."
"Are you alright?" Erza asked.
"I think so." He replied.
"Defeat is quite bitter indeed." Ikaruga commented softly with closed eyes. "In all of my years I've only known the sweet taste of victory. It doesn't matter that you beat me because you and Jellal are both doomed to fail."
Erza tilted her head in bewilderment.
"What are you talking about?" Sho demanded as he returned to his feet, clutching his injured left arm.
"In fifteen minutes' time," she weakly lifted her right hand toward the ceiling and sung, "the light of justice…will come raining from the sky…it shall kill us all." Ikaruga's arm fell back to the ground. "What a wretched haiku." She then succumbed to unconsciousness.
"The Etherion blast." Erza realized. She turned to Sho. "Sho, go find Simon and my Fairy Tail friends and get them as far away from the tower as possible."
"What? Sister…" Sho said, confused.
Erza smiled. "I know this is hard, but will you do this for me? Please."
Sho was silent for a moment before he looked away. "Yeah," He responded, "but what about you?"
Erza turned away as anger and determination crossed her face. "I'm going to settle things. Once and for all…"
…
A couple minutes passed since Erza had defeated Ikaruga and left to take down Jellal. After taking a moment to catch his breath and recuperate, Sho was currently running across the bridge, back toward the corridor. He took one glance back in the direction Erza had gone.
'Good luck, Sister. Please…please come back.' He prayed.
The card mage laid his right index and middle fingers to his temple, preparing to send a telepathic message to Simon. However, before he could establish a connection, Sho froze when a loud wolf howl echoed down the hallway.
All of a sudden, a large werewolf-like creature covered in grey fur sprinted into view. "What the hell?!"
Sho was taken off-guard when the werewolf tackled him to the ground. The card wizard cringed in pain from hitting the stone floor, his body still injured from Ikaruga's attacks. Sho's eyes widened in apprehension as the grey-furred creature snarled down at him, rage burning in its green eyes.
Sho paused. 'Wait? Green…'
Blitzwolfer grabbed Sho by the front of his jacket and lifted him off the floor. "WHERE'S ERZA?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER?" He roared.
"Wait…T-Tennyson?" Sho stuttered fearfully.
"That's right! Now where is she!?" Blitzwolfer demanded furiously. "Gray told me you trapped her in one of your stupid cards."
"S-She…she got out." he stammered.
Blitzwolfer glanced up and took notice of the destruction done to the bridge as well as an unconscious pink haired woman in a white kimono lying on the floor. Ben dropped Sho back to the ground and tapped the Omnitrix dial on his collar. In a flash of green, he transformed back to human.
Ben stared down at Sho with a serious expression. "What happened here?"
Sho carefully returned to his feet and gave Ben a short explanation of how Erza broke out from his card and defeated Ikaruga. Ben took a quick glance at the fallen Trinity Raven member.
'So, she defeated that assassin without her armor, huh?' Ben smiled proudly. 'That's Erza for yah. With or without armor, she's always strong.'
Ben frowned and shook his head from his musings. "So, Erza's gone off to fight Jellal. Am I right?"
"Yeah," Sho nodded. "Listen, she told me to gather everyone and get as far away from the tower as possible. We have less than ten minutes before the Etherion hits!"