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[X784, Tower of Heaven]
— Lucy Heartfilia —
"Regulus Impact!"
A brilliant column of light burst from Loke's fists, the air rippling with heat as it shot towards their current foe. Lucy shielded her eyes briefly, peering between her fingers as their opponent swerved midair with an unnatural burst of speed.
The owl-headed man, Fukuro, cackled gleefully as he activated the jetpack strapped to his back, weaving effortlessly through the crumbling stone pillars.
Lucy grimaced as he saw Fukuro digging into a nearby wall with clawed hands before bursting through the roof overhead, raining debris. The owl-headed man had a truly disgusting ability to consume his opponents and take their magic as his own. He had even swallowed Virgo and gained her powers of Earth Magic.
"Regulus Gatling Impact!" Loke shouted, darting after him with blazing fists.
Thankfully, Loke proved to be more of a match for him. The Lion Spirit launched a volley of punches, each one firing concentrated beams of searing light. They tore through the air in an erratic pattern, forcing Fukuro to twist and swerve wildly. Some blasts clipped him, making him squawk and lose altitude momentarily, but the owl quickly righted himself.
Lucy's eyes sharpened. 'He's tough... Did eating a celestial spirit's body boost his endurance?'
"Who-whoo! You're strong!" Fukuro hooted. "I wonder what happens if I eat you too?!"
With a manic grin, he dove at Loke, his fist enveloped in condensed white energy. Loke caught it with a grunt, their magic flaring as the ground beneath them cracked. The Lion twisted his stance and retaliated with a radiant punch straight into Fukuro's chest.
The owl-man was launched back like a ragdoll.
"Now!" Lucy cried.
She sprinted forward, her Celestial Whip flashing out with expert precision. The golden line wrapped around Fukuro's ankle mid-flight. With a sharp pull and a pivot of her hips, she yanked him sideways into a spiraling crash against the stone wall.
A resounding crack echoed through the chamber.
Lucy grinned triumphantly—right before Fukuro recovered faster than expected.
With a mechanical hiss, his jetpack reignited, jerking them both into the air.
"Whoaaaa—!"
Her feet left the ground. She dangled helplessly behind him, clutching the whip tightly as they zipped around corners. The world blurred in a dizzying whirlwind of stone and torchlight.
"LUCY!" Loke roared behind them, giving chase. But even the Lion Spirit's speed couldn't match Fukuro's jetpack enhanced flight.
"Hey! Stop flying like a drunk bird!" Lucy yelled.
"Hoot hoot! We're taking a trip!"
They whipped around another corner at breakneck speed, before suddenly stopping as they rammed something heavy.
Lucy's momentum carried her forward, and her forehead collided painfully with the stone floor.
"Ow—! What the hell, idiot?! Why'd you—"
She looked up to see the wall of solid steel that Fukuro apparently ran into.
Only, the wall of solid steel was 6 '2, had rugged black hair, and was named Gajeel Redfox.
"Guys!" Lucy exclaimed happily, her heart soared with relief.
"Lucy!" Levy said in surprise, rushing over with concern in her eyes. "Are you alright?"
Lucy scrambled upright, dusting herself off. "Yeah, I'm fine… Thank god you're here."
Fukuro, meanwhile, barely had time to process before Gajeel grabbed him by the face and slammed him into the ground with a deafening boom.
THWAM! THWAM! THWAM!
Each hammer blow echoed through the corridor, iron-coated fists mercilessly pounding Fukuro into the floor.
Lucy sweatdropped at the brutal sight. 'I am never getting on Gajeel's bad side.'
Levy's other companions, people she didn't recognize stepped up then.
"You're Lucy, right? Were you alone?" asked the green-haired one.
"Yeah, I was. Sorry, who are you?" She noticed their Fairy Tail guild marks but didn't recognize them. The man had his on the back of his hand, while the woman had hers above her right breast. Lucy blushed slightly at that.
"I'm Freed, this is Evergreen." Freed said. "Did you see anyone wearing a metal visor anywhere? He should have wooden totems flying around him at all times."
Lucy tried to remember if she saw anyone matching that description. She shook her head. "No, sorry. Haven't seen anyone like that."
Freed cursed under his breath.
"Which means Bickslow is still missing. I don't like this Freed." Evergreen looked worried.
"Me neither." Freed crossed his arms. "We have to–"
They were interrupted by a flash of light as Loke appeared from the corner glowing brilliantly with light.
"LUCY! I'VE COME TO SAVE YO–"
Loke skidded to a stop, blinking at the scene—Fukuro getting pulverized, Gajeel punting him repeatedly like a war machine, Levy tending to Lucy, and Freed and Evergreen standing calmly by.
The light around him dimmed, and he straightened his jacket with a sheepish grin.
"Well, it seems my dazzling entrance was unnecessary. Thank you for protecting my precious master."
Levy waved with a bright smile. "Hey, Loke! So this is your Celestial Spirit form, huh?"
"Indeed! I took special care to look this handsome for ladies like you and Evergreen," Loke winked, producing roses seemingly out of thin air.
"Loke." Lucy gave him a strained, exhausted smile. "Don't flirt with them."
"Hehe, sorry, sorry."
A final loud clang snapped their attention back to Gajeel.
Lucy watched wide-eyed as Virgo was suddenly spat out of Fukuro's gut like a cannonball, landing softly on the ground. A blast of metal sent Fukuro flying through three walls, disappearing with a distant crash.
"Tch." Gajeel clicked his tongue before rolling his shoulders. "Black Blade was damn right. I really needed a workout."
"Virgo!" Lucy ran ahead and hugged her spirit. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Thank you for saving me, Princess. I apologize for being eaten. Feel free to punish me however you want." She said with a deadpan smile.
Lucy laughed, wiping the tears of relief from her eyes. "No punishments today. Just glad you're safe."
"Huh, would you look at that?" Loke suddenly piped up with a small smile.
"Hm? What is it?" Lucy asked.
"You might not have realized Lucy, but you're keeping both of us materialized right now." Loke's smile widened. "Can't you feel it? You've gotten stronger."
She indeed felt it—the steady flow of her magic, it was strong and unwavering. There was no strain or dizziness in keeping two of her stronger spirits here.
She gasped softly before a bright smile appeared on her face.
"Thanks, Loke."
"Yeah yeah, this is all well and good." Gajeel, ever the party pooper, piped up. "Can we keep moving now?"
"Alright!" Levy chirped, nodding in agreement. "Now let's go find the others!"
Lucy nodded, determination rising inside her as they began to move forward down the crumbling stone halls.
…
— Jellal Fernandez —
Jellal stared down the chess board before him. He reached over and roughly knocked over the pieces representing Ivan, Ikaruga, Vidaldus, and Fukuro. He also set aside the figures of Sho and Bickslow to signal their place outside the game.
He chuckled lowly, amused despite the circumstances. "I lost four pieces while they only lost two… This game is proving far more unpredictable than I'd anticipated."
He leaned back lazily in his throne, golden eyes gleaming with interest.
"Ikaruga's fall especially... That one surprised me. I had hoped she would put up more of a fight. I suppose even the so-called 'Blade of Flowers' was no match for the one called the Dark Swordsman."
Orion stepped forward, his brow furrowed in concern. "My lord, we are now fully outnumbered. While I will remain confident in your power, the Thunder God and the Dark Swordsman are no slouches themselves."
Jellal grunted in agreement. "It doesn't matter. Erza is on her way here, the one piece that truly mattered."
He supposed there was nothing wrong in sticking with the original plan of sacrificing her instead of Dannis Martell. Her strength would suffice in the revival of Zeref.
"We end it quickly," he said coolly. "Before the others arrive."
Orion bowed low. "Understood. My lord, do we have an estimated time on Etherion?"
Jellal let a flicker of impatience and irritation show on his mask of indifference. The council had proven to remain stubborn as always. Siegrain had done what he could to push them toward the decision, but the hesitation was maddening.
At this point, perhaps it would be simpler to wipe them all out and seize the weapon himself.
Jellal's fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest of his throne as he answered, "Not yet. But soon. Very soon."
He rose gracefully from his seat. When Erza arrived, he would end this farce himself.
"And when she comes," he added, "I'll deal with her personally. You—do whatever you wish with Simon."
Orion bowed once more, a silent ghost fading into the shadows beside him.
The minutes dragged. The only sounds were the distant rumble of crumbling stone and the faint whisper of ocean waves crashing far below the tower.
Then, Jellal smiled. "You have arrived."
Footsteps echoed through the chamber as two figures entered the throne room. Jellal's heart quickened with anticipation.
"Jellal!" Erza's sharp and fierce voice rang out. She stood at the forefront, scarlet hair whipping around her. Simon flanked her, his one remaining eye burning with barely contained rage.
"I'm going to put a stop to this madness!" Erza declared.
Jellal chuckled softly. "Not even a proper hello? I'm truly hurt, Erza."
Her sword tightened in her hand.
"Shut up!" Simon bellowed from her side. All the pent up anger he had felt this entire time was finally released it seems. "We're done following your whims! This is the day you die, Jellal!"
'Die?'
The notion almost amused him.
"Is it truly?" He questioned as he disappeared from his throne, appearing beside Simon in a flash with a fist glowing a dark yellow color. "And pray tell, are you going to be the one to kill me?"
With effortless precision, he drove his fist into Simon's gut.
The impact was like a cannon blast. Simon's body hurtled backward, smashing through multiple walls..
He knew it wouldn't be enough to kill the one-eyed man. Simon was by far the strongest of the four original comrades he and Erza had.
Without a word, Orion flickered from view, his orders clear—to keep Simon busy and out of the way.
That left only her.
Jellal turned back just in time to catch the gleam of Erza's sword descending toward him in a swift, brutal arc.
He raised a single finger, and a shimmering hexagonal shield of magic materialized that blocked the sword in a clang.
"You and I have unfinished business!" Erza growled, pushing against his defense with all her strength.
He peered at her over the glowing barrier, the corners of his mouth lifting in a smile both nostalgic and cruel.
"Yes," he agreed softly. "Yes, we do."
…
AN: Finally entering the third act of the Tower of Heaven Arc. There should be no more than three or four chapters left.
Also, Laxus and Dannis will finally reunite in two chapters.
Anyways, I finally posted the Skyrim fic. I'm really excited for it. Three chapters are available here, while thirteen are available on Patreon. Go check it out if you're interested please, thanks!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Cheers!