Haruka & The Fairy Tail Guild
Move, Haruka told herself desperately, but her body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside. Her vision started to blur as she fought frantically against the sound tearing through her soul.
Not even the thunderous howl of the wind could compare to soul-piercing sound. Haruka's vision started to blur as she glared upwards to the monstrous figure of Erigor, standing above them. Natsu was next to her, on his knees and struggling to stand, while Erza managed to stay standing but she was staggering weakly with every step. Both of their eyes were wide and panicked, bursting with pain as their whole bodies trembled.
The noise is killing them, Haruka realised, watching Natsu gasp for breath. Her heart was pounding like a drum in her chest. Above them, still standing on the steps of the train station, Erigor smirked as his demonic eyes glistened with joy.
"Beautiful!" The demon murmured hungrily. His scythe arm acted like a flute, pumping air out of the holes in his skin, while that unnatural energy was so intense it was paralysing. Erigor breathed in deeply, sucking the Magic out of the whole town. Haruka winced in pain.
"So much Magic! So rich!" Erigor was practically drooling as the awful music resonated around him. "Oh, there are so many strong souls here! This… is… delicious!"
Erza growled in protest, staggering forward quickly. Her eyes shone with fury and her scarlet hair was wild as she charged, yet Erigor just lightly swatted her to the ground. Erza looked like she was in agony, unable to use Magic, but her muscles clenched and her fists tightened as she fought to stand up again.
Erigor just scoffed. "Erza 'Titania', huh?" He mused. "You are strong. Most can't even move against this Lullaby." He looked at her curiously, like a bird of prey sizing up a particularly delicious rat. Erigor smirked smugly, his talons scraping against the stone ground. "I'll eat your soul, but it's such a shame to waste your body. Don't worry, I'll turn you into a demonspawn. I'm sure you'll be very…" Erigor licked his lips lecherously, his forked tongue rolling lecherously across pointed fangs. "…useful ."
Erza snarled like an animal, hair cover one eye as the other dilated in rage. She couldn't Requip any weapons, but she still found the strength to jump forward, her fist swinging furiously. Erigor caught the blow almost lazily, before knocking her into a heap with a sharp kick.
"ERZA!" Natsu roared. Every vein bulged on his forehead and smoke billowed from his body. "DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER!"
Haruka could see the strain on his body as he staggered upwards, but the fire still flickered across his fists. He slammed his fist forward, catching Erigor on the side, but the demon simply knocked Natsu to the ground with a backhanded strike. The blade of the wooden scythe stabbed into Natsu's shoulder as he dropped to the ground.
"Fools," Erigor mocked, glaring between Natsu, Haruka and Erza like they were a group of insects. His eyes shone with insanity. " I am a demon now. An Etherious, born from the power of Zeref, if you want to be technical. With the power of Lullaby combined with mine, I can use both Magic and Curse. I am more than a demon, I am a GOD! This song is the Curse of Mass Murder—the power to devour the souls of everyone that hears this music!"
Both Erza and Natsu tried to stand up again. Haruka had no idea how they managed it. The agony was so intense she could barely breathe. "Think of it like a straw," Erigor taunted. "This Curse is like a straw that drains the Magic out of your body. When all of your Magic is gone, then it sucks out your soul instead. It is the most painful way to die possible."
His grin widened. "Of course…" Erigor continued, almost conversationally. "Over such a large area it is a bit less effective. You may have as much as ten whole minutes before you finally die."
Even if he was talking like a man, Haruka could see the demon underneath the surface. Erigor might think he was in control, but Lullaby was running the show. The cause didn't matter, Lullaby just loved killing. Erigor could feel the suffering around him and he loved it.
"They will be the most agonising ten minutes of your life," Erigor promised with a maniac smile.
The guild. The townspeople. The horror of the thought made Haruka's blood run cold. She tried to cover her ears but it was useless. Even if Makarov could find a way to protect the guild, everyone else didn't stand a chance. It would be a massacre.
"I am the scythe of vengeance," Erigor proclaimed, eyes glinting with fanatic frenzy. "It is time you legal guilds suffer the consequences of forcing us out of the light!"
Haruka's hands were twitching. Both Erza and Natsu were on their feet again, trembling madly, but Haruka couldn't even stand. In terms of raw Magic strength, the other two Mages were much stronger than she was. No one else was close enough; they had to defeat Erigor before everyone died. It was all on them.
No, Haruka thought with determination; it is all on us.
Suddenly, the image of Celestica flashed before her eyes. The Celestial Dragon sparkled with starlight as she swirled beautifully in the air. Her body was translucent, and her wings shone like the night's sky as they washed over Haruka. She could instantly hear Celestica's voice in the back of her mind, as calm and as quiet as ever.
The Celestial Dragon, the memory of Celestica's voice was clear as ever, is the only creature that exists in both worlds at the same time…
Just like that, clarity struck.
It took everything Haruka had, but slowly she managed to focus on the Spirit World, pulling it closer. She closed her eyes, concentrating as her heartbeat started to calm down and the Spirit Magic started to dance across her skin. The air sparkled as she phased herself into the other dimension, and then the pain vanished. The noise didn't disappear, but it couldn't cut through her anymore.
Slowly and carefully, Haruka stood up, her eyes narrowing in determination.
Erigor was laughing. He was laughing right up until the moment when Haruka slammed her fist into his skull.
"Celestial Dragon's…" Haruka screamed, forcing the starlight from her knuckles in a blast like a laser beam "… Claw! "
The impact shattered the stone pavement as the brilliant white light washed Erigor away. In an instant, the demon shot through the air, colliding with a stone pillar in a cloud of debris. Haruka took a deep breath. Erza and Natsu stared at Haruka in shock. She just tightened her fists, pushing her red hair backwards and pulling off her jacket.
With a crack, Erigor crawled out of a demon-sized hole in the solid granite of the train station. He wasn't smug anymore. "But… But…" He stammered, staring at Haruka with disbelief. Her outline was sparkling with starlight. "…How could you…?"
"Because you drain human Magic only," Haruka replied coolly, dropping into a fighting stance. "Spirit Magic isn't so digestible."
The aura of the Spirit World surrounded her, glimmering in the darkness. Haruka was effectively summoning herself in the same way she summoned Celestial Spirits. It was a constant, exhausting drain on her energy, but it could protect her from Lullaby's curse.
Erigor's demonic face contorted with rage. "You think you can beat me just because you can use your Magic again?" He roared, drawing his scythe across his body. "I will devour you the old-fashioned way!"
The demon loomed over her. Sharp wooden teeth jutted from his mouth. He was monstrously large and hideously deformed, pulsing with demon energy. Haruka took a deep breath, trying to judge how much strength she had left. There wasn't much, and she was burning through it fast.
"No; I can't beat you," she muttered. She glanced towards Erza and Natsu, still wincing in pain with the sound. "Not alone."
She turned quickly, gathering Spirit Magic into both her hands and then grabbing Erza and Natsu by the shoulder. Her body protested with exhaustion, but she fought through it. Haruka took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Blessing of the Celestial Dragon!"
The white light was so intense it cut through the darkness. The power ripped through the Spirit World, and suddenly Haruka collapsed in exhaustion.
In an instant, strong arms caught her before she hit the ground. Natsu was above her, his body smouldering with determined flames. Erza was standing next to him, dual blades flashing into her hands as white armour appeared around her.
They were both surrounded in a halo of Celestial Magic, glaring at Erigor with pure rage.
"Haruka, you—" Natsu muttered, gently lowering her to the ground. The fire and starlight covered his body like a glittering shroud.
"You can thank me by pounding this punk into a pulp," Haruka interrupted with a smile, her hand lingering on Natsu's shoulder affectionately.
"How long will this last?" Erza demanded, glaring at Erigor with unblinking eyes. The aura of Spirit Magic covered everything, even her swords. The Armour Mage looked angrier than Natsu had ever seen her.
"Long enough," Haruka promised, as the three of them all focused on Erigor. Around them, Lullaby cut through the night. "We've got about nine minutes before everyone dies," Haruka warned darkly.
The night howled with wind and fury. Natsu's body exploded in flames, the fire burning so hot that the air crackled. His gaze was murderous.
"He's not going to survive nine minutes," the Fire Dragon Slayer muttered coldly, slamming his hands together as the street exploded in flames.