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[X784, Magnolia, Three minutes ago]
— Mystogan —
Mystogan heard the sound before he felt it.
There was a faint tremor beneath the ground, he followed its movements as it travelled towards the high hill where Mavis and Warren stood. His sharp gaze cut across the battlefield as he flew toward them.
A dark shape slithered through the earth beneath Warren's feet. Mystogan's eyes narrowed. He recognized it enough to know what it was.
'Earth Magic. Which probably means Sol of the Elemental Four.'
His staff shimmered with pale green light as he whipped through the air, propelling himself toward the hill in a flash of wind.
A sudden spike of magic pressure shot upward. The earth beneath Warren cracked open as Sol emerged with a sinister grin, hands gripping forward like a claw.
"Bon soir," Sol whispered. Spikes of jagged stone erupted from the ground beneath Warren.
Mystogan blurred into motion.
"Single Layered Magic Circle: Storm Breaker."
Mystogan's staff hit the ground with a metallic clang. A shockwave of magic shot through the earth, blasting the stone spikes to dust. Sol's eyes widened as the ground beneath him buckled and exploded in a burst of force.
Sol flipped backward, landing with surprising grace despite the soot and smoke covering his cloak.
Warren stumbled back, gasping for breath. "Th-Thank you!"
Mystogan's mask glinted as he turned toward Warren and Mavis.
"Focus on the war at hand. I'll handle him." Mystogan said calmly.
Warren nodded shakily and scrambled toward Mavis, who gave a nod to Mystogan as she continued to survey the battlefield, fully putting her trust in him.
"Tch." Sol brushed soot from his sleeves, his smile twisting into a scowl. "Fairy Tail… Always so selfless, aren't you?" His eyes darkened. "It's infuriating."
Mystogan merely leveled his staff, saying nothing back.
"I recognize you, Mystogan of Fairy Tail." Sol's smile sharpened. "Information has always been my strength in Phantom Lord. You are like a ghost. Always from the shadows, never in the spotlight. No one knows your full capabilities. But let's see how you fare against an S-Class mage of Phantom Lord!"
The ground beneath Mystogan rumbled.
Sol's fingers twisted in the air.
"Roche Concerto!"
The ground erupted. A barrage of massive rocks shot up was launched towards Mystogan's position. Each of them moved with bone-crushing force.
Mystogan's merely blurred, his body dissolving into mist as he vanished and reappeared behind Sol.
"Storm Piercer."
Mystogan's staff shot toward Sol's back, but the earth mage twisted at the last second. A wall of stone shot upward, blocking the blow as Mystogan's staff nearly punctured through it. The ground beneath Mystogan cracked as pillars of rock tried to wrap around his legs.
Mystogan's cloak flared as a pulse of magic exploded from his staff as he released another Storm Breaker. A spiraling blast of green tinted magic shattered the stone, hurling Sol backward. Sol flipped mid-air, landing in a crouch. His eyes burned with frustration.
"I don't get it…" Sol's smile trembled at the edges. "Lucy Heartfilia is merely a new member! Why do you all fight so hard for each other? Is she truly worth all this effort?!"
Mystogan said nothing.
"Fairy Tail fails their jobs more often than they succeed! I've seen the data, most of your jobs end in the clear destruction of everything around you!" Sol's eyes turned bloodshot. His smile cracked further. "Do you even know what Jose does to us when we fail?!" His hand curled into a fist. "He promised to kill me if I lost to you! And Aria…! He–!"
"A guild that threatens its own allies," Mystogan said coldly, "is no true guild."
Sol's smile vanished completely. His eyes narrowed.
"You… are so naive." Sol raised both shaking hands. "Fine then! All I have to do is kill you, right?! Then Jose will forgive me!"
The ground beneath Mystogan's feet shook.
The air thickened with pressure as deep veins of yellow and black magic coiled beneath the earth. Mystogan's eyes narrowed.
"Earth Magic Forbidden Art—"
Cracks splintered across the entire high hill.
"GRAND ENTERREMENT!"
The ground erupted.
Massive stone pillars surged upward as the entire hill began to collapse. A tidal wave of jagged rock and earth spiraled toward Mystogan, Mavis, and Warren.
"Two Layered Magic Circle: Fujin's Barrier."
Pulling out a second staff, Mystogan held them both up as a dome of compressed air shot outward, shielding them from the blast. Noticing how quickly the hill beneath them is caving, Mystogan blurred upward as he grabbed Warren by the back of his shirt. Pulses of air magic appeared that solidified the wind beneath his feet, creating invisible platforms in the air.
The shockwave sent debris flying across the battlefield as a deep crater formed where the hill had stood.
Smoke and dust filled the air.
Mystogan hovered above the chaos, his cloak whipping behind him.
"Mystogan, are you alright?!" Mavis' voice came through as she drifted upward beside him. She released a sigh of relief as he and Warren appeared unharmed through the smoke, with the latter hanging on the former's back.
"We're alright, Master." Mystogan said softly. "It was an impressive spell, but an unstable one."
When the smoke settled, Sol was gone. Only rubble remained.
"That was a forbidden spell, one that I assume required a massive amount of magical power." Mystogan said. His eyes scanned the ground. "Sol may have collapsed from the backlash." He shook his head. "To risk his own life for his guild. Despite everything, I admire his tenacity."
Mavis's expression remained calm. "No matter. This battle isn't over yet." Her eyes sharpened as she viewed the larger battlefield once more.
"Mystogan."
Mystogan turned toward her.
"I have an idea."
Warren's hand touched his forehead, a grimace took over his expression. "I… I can't reach everyone anymore. There's too much interference!"
Mavis's eyes gleamed. "Then we simply need to enhance it. Mystogan, use your magic to enhance Warren's Telepathy."
Mystogan nodded. "Understood."
"Enhance my magic? What's Master Mavis talking about?"
Mystogan ignored him as he flew higher, the battlefield sprawling beneath him.
"Get ready, Warren. I'm about to enhance your range and output to reach the entire field in one go." He held one staff in hand shone with pale blue light as he raised it high above his head. Two other staves floated in the air around him, magic circles surrounding the telepath.
Warren widened his eyes.
"Three Layered Magic Circle: Overdrive Etherna."
A soft chime rang through the air. Threads of shimmering light connected Warren's magic to Mystogan's staves. Warren gasped as the spell wrapped around his mind like a cocoon.
"Now." Mystogan's voice was calm.
Warren's eyes burned white.
Throughout the battlefield, every Phantom Lord mage froze.
A crushing wave of telepathic noise filled their heads — indecipherable whispers and fractured thoughts. They screamed, clutching their heads as their spells faltered, leaving an opening that the Fairy Tail mages immediately took advantage of.
Mira rushed forward with Elfman and Levy at her back. Mirajane's clawed hand tore through the Phantom Lord front lines, scattering them like ragdolls. Elfman's massive fist followed, the sound of breaking bones echoing across the field.
"Solid Script: Pitfall!" A massive hole appeared in the center of the field that swallowed tens of Jose's shades. A quick cancellation of the magic from Levy had them all buried beneath the ground.
Alzack and Bisca stood back-to-back, unloading precision shots of magical bullets into the stunned enemies. Loke unleashed a massive twister from his rings into the field as Cana's cards lit up the sky with explosions of light.
"Aquarius!" Lucy called out to her spirit, the mermaid heeding her words as water from the lake was absorbed into her urn at a rapid rate. She then hurled it at the Phantom mages with tremendous force, creating a tsunami half as tall as the guild building that lurched forward.
"Now!" Mavis's voice resonated through the battlefield.
A final pulse of magic erupted as every Fairy Tail member fought to their last breath, and the last of Jose's shades collapsed, disappearing into nothing.
Silence met the entire field before a loud cheer emanated from the surviving Fairy Tail mages.
"YAHOOO!"
"WE DID IT!"
However, a deep rumbling sound echoed from the direction of the Phantom Lord Guild, interrupting their celebrations.
A pulse of dark, overwhelming magic rolled across the battlefield as four separate, towering auras pressed down on their chests.
"W-What is this?" Warren gasped, still recovering from the backlash of connecting with hundreds of minds at the same time.
Mirajane looked up. "Looks like Dannis and the Master's fights are ramping up. They're up against Aria and Jose after all."
She stepped forward. "Mystogan, can you handle everything here?"
The masked mage nodded. "I got it. Go."
"Satan Soul!"
A flash of light covered her body as Mira switched from Lullaby to her original Satan Soul form. She immediately took flight as her bat-like leathery wings swung behind her, heading for the Phantom Lord Guild.
…
— Dannis Martell —
In a blink, dark steel met air, and the collision detonated through the room with explosive force. The shockwave blasted across the massive space, cracks splintering along the stone walls as Phantom Lord mages screamed and stumbled from the concussive blast.
Aria lashed out with a palm strike, an invisible blast wind rocketing from the motion, the shockwave howled through the air, cutting through debris and dust.
Dannis' one crimson eye flashed beneath his dark bangs. His hands gripped Obsidian tight as he raised it in a single motion. A black sheen of magic coated the blade. The shockwave struck his guard head-on, and the force pushed him back, grinding his feet through the stone beneath him, leaving deep scars in the ground.
He retaliated. His sword arm moved in a blur as crescent waves of black energy screamed toward Aria, tearing chunks of stone from the ground as they flew.
Aria merely stayed put, bubbles of air on his palm that he used to deflect the waves that neared his location. His head jerked to the side just in time to avoid the black blur of Dannis's blade slicing toward his throat.
The bubbles of air in his hand then exploded, Dannis' eye glowed red once more as his body rippled with darkness as his entire front turned pitch black, coated in Dark Armor. The shockwave from the explosion sent both men skidding backward.
"I–I can't even keep up!" One of the Phantom Lord members who was watching the fight, gasped.
"They're… monsters…" Another spoke dejectedly as a rivet of sweat flowed down his head.
Dannis paid them no mind. Mages below a certain power level could never contribute to a fight of their calibre.
"So sorrowful! So tragic!" Aria laughed, his mouth splitting into a wide smile. "Fly, Black Blade!"
Aria's arms swept wide. A monstrous gale howled into existence, thick enough to bend steel and crack stone. Dannis's feet left the ground as the wind hurled him backward. He twisted midair, planting his feet into the wall behind him.
Dannis launched himself off the wall at the leader of the Elemental Four, shattering the stone behind him. Aria's body shimmered, becoming transparent as he dissolved into an airy form. To anyone else, this invisible form would prove to be a problem. But for Dannis, it was exactly what he wanted as his dark coated blade swung forth.
Shing!
Blood spattered into the ground.
Aria manifested a distance away. A thin line of crimson trailed down Aria's chest, stretching from one shoulder to the next.
Aria's mouth twitched. His hand brushed the wound, and his smile widened. "Interesting…"
Gasps rippled through the surviving Phantom Lord mages.
"A-Aria… is bleeding."
"Impossible…"
"Looks like first blood's mine." Dannis said cooly, his blade dripping with Aria's blood. Very few people knew his magic contained the ability to nullify magic. It wasn't that powerful, far from the likes of Grilthos' ability. But using it to catch an opponent by surprise would yield great results. It was one of the reasons he kept himself away from the limelight.
"Hoo…." Aria let out a breath. "True enough, your skills speak true, Black Blade. Perhaps it is time for the both us to get serious."
"Why not?" Dannis indulged.
A wave of pressure rolled through the room as both combatants unleashed their full magical power. The building groaned under the weight of it. Windows shattered from the force, and deep cracks splintered up the walls.
Dannis's aura darkened to an inky black as black tattoos spread down the left side of his body. The darkness twisted around him like smoke, forming into segmented plates of black armor. A menacing helmet took shape, one that resembled a samurai, a purple and a red eye glowing beneath it.
Aria's magic howled in return. The air around him shimmered as spirals of dark green wind formed in the air. His body pulsed with a dark green glow, and the pressure of his magic distorted the space around him.
"Airspace—" Aria extended one of his hands before him, palm open.
"Void—" Dannis pulled his sword back, a point black light forming at the tip of the sword.
"ZETSU/BURST!"
Darkness and wind met in the center of the room in a blinding eruption. A cyclone of violent energy ripped through the room, and the shockwave tore apart the walls. Chunks of stone and steel collapsed from the ceiling. Parts of the floor beneath them splintered and fell away, revealing the building's steel frame beneath.
Dannis shot forward through the debris as he swung his blade in calculated arcs. Aria stepped into the strikes, his massive palms moving in smooth circular motions as he redirected the blows with controlled bursts of wind.
Palm strikes clashed against sword strikes in rapid succession — bam! bam! bam! — each impact producing mini shockwaves that splintered the ground beneath their feet.
Dannis twisted low, slashing upward. Aria spun his body to the side, letting the blade pass an inch from his throat. His palm lashed out, conjuring a spear of compressed air that struck Dannis's chest, sending him skidding backward. Blood dripped from Dannis's mouth as he caught himself, dropping to a crouch.
But before he could regain his footing, Aria was already on him.
A palm strike hammered into Dannis's side. The force cracked bone. Dannis's body twisted midair as he slammed into the nearest wall with a resounding crash. Stone and dust exploded outward as cracks raced up the surface.
Dannis coughed violently, spitting blood onto the ground as he forced himself to his knees. His breathing was ragged. A sharp, stabbing pain blooming in his ribs where the strike had landed. Cracked… maybe broken. That's bad.
A shadow loomed over him.
"Kowasu." Aria's hand descended.
Dannis's blade flashed upward just in time to intercept. A black crescent of energy erupted between them, deflecting the palm strike. But the force behind it was immense enough to send Dannis sliding backward, boots scraping against stone.
"Hoo…" Aria sighed, a faint smile on his face. "Interesting. Very interesting."
Dannis's hand tightened around Obsidian's hilt. "Glad you're entertained."
"I truly am." Aria raised his hand, palm open. "When was the last time mages like you and I could fight freely with our power like this?"
Despite everything, a small quirk appeared on the edge of Dannis' lips. "Too long." He moved.
Aria reacted immediately, his hand lashing out as a blast of compressed air rocketed toward Dannis, ripping apart the stone floor beneath it. Dannis twisted mid-air as he avoided the strike. He landed low and shot forward, his sword flickering toward Aria's midsection.
Aria met him with a bubbled air palm strike — bam! — the impact rang through the room as darkness and wind collided head-on. Dannis slid back from the blow, but Aria's arm jerked unnaturally from the impact.
Dannis was already moving again. 'Aria excels in long range. Don't give him that advantage.' A burst of dark magic beneath his feet sent him rocketing forward, becoming a blur of black steel and violet light.
Aria crossed his arms, twin spirals of air forming around his palms as Dannis' sword cut through the spirals with a burst of nullifying darkness. The blade went low, cutting a good line along Aria's thigh that immediately gushed with blood.
Dannis landed a distance away. He exhaled, controlling his breathing as best he can.
Aria's hand brushed the fresh wound on his leg. His eyes narrowed into slits of cold green light.
"I was always considered to be the pinnacle of the Elemental Four." He started to say. "Always considered to be second, only to Jose himself. Few would ever come close to my power, few would survive even a single bout with me." The air shifted. "Is this why I'm having such delight in this fight of ours?"
Aria raised his hand — and the ceiling above them shattered as an enormous vortex of air formed above his palm. Chunks of debris were sucked into the swirling mass as tendrils of compressed air twisted downward in the shape of massive snakes.
Dannis's eyes widened.
"Ten no Hayate!"
A cascade of pressure dropped down on Dannis. He planted his sword into the ground, darkness wrapping around him in a protective shell as a storm of wind erupted from Aria's hand. The floor beneath them was completely torn apart, steel beams twisted and broke as the force of the spell dug through the foundation itself.
Dannis gritted his teeth as his shield of darkness began to crack beneath the pressure. He shot forward through the storm, using his sword to cut through the hurricane-force winds.
He reached Aria in a blink, Obsidian flicked toward his throat.
Aria twisted at the last second — the sword passed beneath his chin as another thin line of red appeared on his neck, but Dannis adjusted mid-swing and drove his knee into Aria's stomach.
Aria's breath exploded from his lungs as his body folded inward from the blow. Dannis followed with an overhead strike — Aria caught the blade with his palms, but the force drove him into the floor, creating a small crater beneath him.
Dannis wrenched the sword away, instantly slicing downward in a blur of dark light, only for Aria to vanish into thin air.
Dannis's blade struck stone, cleaving through it like paper. He spun toward the sensation of air shifting behind him as a blast of wind slammed into Dannis's back. His Dark Armor absorbed part of the blow, but it was enough to send him crashing through the wall, where he tumbled through broken stone and steel.
Dannis pulled himself from the wreckage, blood trailing down the side of his face. He spit blood onto the ground and rose to his feet, sword in hand.
Aria was bleeding from his mouth now. His hand was pressed to his side, where dark blood stained his robes. His breathing was ragged.
"A bit more… and you'll be broken." Aria's voice was thin beneath the howling wind.
Dannis smiled faintly beneath the blood and sweat dripping down his face. "You first."
"No…" Aria let out a breath. "This ends now."
Dannis' vision sharpened as Aria lifted his palms in a deliberate manner. The winds above them began to coil, spiraling tighter and tighter and vibrating with sheer pressure. Dannis' instincts screamed at him as his eye glowed red, a very bleak future being painted in his mind's eye.
"Airspace: Zero."
Aria's hands came together, and a high pitched shriek of wind echoed through the world.
A massive vortex erupted between his palms, smoke and green wind swirling together into a singular, nightmarish storm. Jagged winds lanced out from the vortex, tearing apart the room in violent arcs. The air became thin. Dannis's chest constricted.
"This is my Airspace of Death!" Aria's voice reverberated through the air. "Despair, Black Blade, as all life within it will be consumed!"
Dannis fell to a knee. His chest burned as his lungs struggled to pull in air. His limbs trembled beneath the pressure. His vision blurred.
Aria's smile widened. "Breathe your last breath, Dannis Martell! I shall savor it for all eternity!"
Dannis's hand tightened around his sword.
"…No," he forced himself to his feet. His body screamed in protest.
Darkness rippled around him as his tattoos began to burn with violet light. His blade pulsed with black energy. His eyes sharpened beneath his bangs.
Dannis raised Obsidian toward Aria. "You… talk too much."
Black flames surged along the length of the blade. He whispered beneath his breath.
"Soul Rend."
Dannis shot forward as Aria's eyes widened. Dark energy screamed down the length of his blade. Shadowed figures with hollow eyes filled with malice appeared behind Dannis, the spirits of the fallen Phantom Lord mages, all called upon by their new master.
Aria tried to lift his hands, but he was too late.
Dannis's blade drove into Aria's chest.
The darkness exploded through Aria's body, the spirits wrapping around his limbs as his soul screamed. His mouth opened in silent horror as his magic drained from his body, the swirling vortex above them dying in an instant.
Dannis drove the blade deeper.
Aria's body convulsed as the soul-breaking energy lashed through him. His legs gave out beneath him. His body crumpled to the ground in a heap of tattered robes and blood.
Dannis stood over him, his breathing ragged. His body trembled as his legs continued to shake.
His vision blurred. His grip on Obsidian loosened.
Blood dripped from his chin as his legs gave out beneath him.
He knelt there, trembling, breath shallow — as the room settled into silence around him.
…
AN: The Soul Rend. The first of his spells that is a combination of Darkness magic and his Soul Curse.
Soul Rend → Channels darkness as well soul curse power into the user's blade in the form of black flames, delivering a strike that not only causes physical damage but also saps the opponent's magical energy and damages the soul.
This chapter was a damn joy to write. Fight scenes will remain the weakness of my writing so I hope this one is satisfactory. Didn't expect this chapter would grow this big, but I just kept adding things in until I found a good place to end the fight. A good 3700 words later and I found it.
Definitely one of the bigger chapters in the series.
I hope you guys enjoyed it, I sure as hell did.
Cheers.