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[X784, Tower of Heaven]
— Gajeel Redfox —
Gajeel was utterly annoyed.
Not because the guy he was fighting was particularly strong. No—Vidaldus Taka was more annoying than powerful. What really ground his gears was the fact that Levy was caught up in the whole thing.
That damn rocker had gotten his disgusting hair all over her and used that freaky magic to mess with her mind.
Now she stood across from him in some twisted rockstar outfit, eyes wild with manic energy, tossing around elemental words with a recklessness that didn't suit her one bit.
The Levy he knew was precise, intelligent, and creative. The current her showed none of those traits. She was just shooting out words like "FIRE!" and "STORM!" like some newbie who'd just learned how to spell.
He had to pull back his punches lest he hurt her. It ticked him off since he really didn't like holding back.
He ducked a flaming whip of text that roared past his head and scowled. His skin hardened, shining into a coat of dark iron. The next blast, a sonic wave made up of the word "SOUND," slammed into his chest and reverberated against the steel. It hurt quite a bit, but he endured it.
Thick hair courtesy of the rocker mage slammed onto his back that merely had him stumble forward slightly. He swiped his arm, sending small blades of iron towards Vidaldus which he adeptly deflected using his guitar.
'Enough of this,' he thought with a growl. 'Sorry about this shrimp, but this is gonna hurt.'
Calling more magic from his significant pool, a silver aura appeared around his form before he charged forward. He deflected a wild text-based blast with a swipe of his steel arm, then vanished in a blink with a burst of speed.
He reappeared behind her and swung a massive metal rod-arm at her back. It sent her flying into a stone pillar with a solid crack. He winced—more from guilt than concern. He knew she was tougher than that.
Before she could slide down, he launched bolts and nails to pin her to the wall, securing her before turning to Vidaldus.
The freak was already mid-riff, and Gajeel could feel the magic thrum in the air. His limbs felt heavy, his eyes starting to blur.
From what he can tell, his current opponent had two specific magics. One to manipulate his hair, and another that manipulates sound.
It was the latter that was more dangerous. His Sound Magic had the capability of manipulating the mind, but Gajeel had an inkling of how it worked. Putting two bolts of steel to both ears, the ringing that caused his headache instantly disappeared.
Gajeel grinned.
With a roar, both of his arms morphed into twin swords, the edges jagged and meant to hurt. He swung upward, cleaving through the wall of hair that had rushed at him. Then again, his arms kept swinging, shredding through every piece of hair and gave the damn rocker a haircut.
By the time he was done, Vidaldus stood there completely bald, a look of shock on his face. He stood dumbfounded—until Gajeel ended it with a heavy steel knuckle sandwich to the back of the head.
The rocker crumpled to the floor, out cold.
"Tch." Gajeel clicked his tongue, his skin reverting to normal. "Damn weakling."
"Gajeel!"
The yell snapped his head around. He flinched as Levy glared daggers at him. She was still pinned to the wall, hair mussed, outfit torn, and cheeks flushed red.
"Why the hell am I nailed to the wall?! And why am I dressed like this?!"
Gajeel scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, uh… that's the brainwashing thing. I guess you didn't remember any of that, did you? You got mind controlled, shrimp. Had to restrain you and take him down." He started pulling the nails out of the wall with a casual shrug.
"...Is that why my back feels like a building was just dropped on it?" Levy groaned as she dropped to her feet.
"…I might've hit you. A little."
"A little?"
Before she could throttle him, the wall to their right exploded in a rain of dust and debris. Gajeel's nose twitched—unfamiliar scents, but not hostile. He shifted into a partial iron form anyway, stepping in front of Levy out of instinct.
Emerging from the hole were two people Gajeel didn't recognize. His sharp eyes noticed Fairy Tail's guild mark the moment they appeared, but he kept his guard up just in case.
"Freed and Evergreen?" Levy apparently recognized. "Right…I heard Jellal's announcement say that the Thunder God Tribe was here."
Gajeel narrowed his eyes. "Friends of yours?"
"Yeah…" Levy explained quickly. "They're Fairy Tail mages. Strong ones."
The green haired man, Freed, looked up as he sheathed a silver rapier to his side. His eyes narrowed the moment they saw Gajeel. "Levy and…Black Steel."
Evergreen nonchalantly waved her jeweled fan. "We heard noise of combat here. So it was you two, huh?" She eyed the unconscious form of Vidaldus. "Good job."
"It's just the two of you? I didn't think you guys like to separate. Where's Bickslow?" Levy questioned.
Evergreen frowned. "That's the thing. We got separated the moment the tower shifted. As far as we can tell, Bickslow's running around solo. Normally I wouldn't be worried, but this Jellal character has plans to take out Dannis of all people. It wouldn't be safe to be alone in these circumstances."
Gajeel exchanged a glance with Levy, who nodded at him.
"Let's stick together then." Gajeel suggested. "Might not know the two of you that well, but strength in numbers and all that."
Freed gave a brief nod. "Agreed."
…
— Ivan Dreyar —
Ivan held Bickslow by the neck as he snarled. "So this is the power of my son's bodyguard? How disappointing." The totems that Bickslow had used for his seith magic lay wasted around the hall.
He ignored the choking Bickslow as paper dolls clustered by his hand in a sphere and exploded, a powerful wave of dark magic being released that sent the smoking and charred body of Bickslow flying back towards the wall.
Ivan wasn't in a good mood ever since news of his guilds' destruction reached his ears. After his excommunication, Ivan still possessed the barest of feelings for his son.
After all, due to his efforts, the boy had grown truly strong. The lacrima inside had turned him into a sickly failure into a person worthy to be his successor.
But after the little brat had turned against him by destroying his guild, any familial mercy that Ivan would have granted had decimated away. He had vowed the next time they met, it would be one that would lead towards death.
He didn't care for Lumen Histoire any longer. After much research and investigations inside the guild building and even Tenrou Island, he had already determined that any knowledge of the secret of Fairy Tail lay with Makarov himself.
So he had no qualms of killing Laxus if it comes to it.
A low groan had him look towards the injured Bickslow. "Oh, still alive? I guess that speaks something of your capabilities."
Before he could go and finish the masked mage, he heard footsteps before the owners rounded the corner.
"What is—Bickslow!"
Two mages that Ivan recognized as Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser watched wide eyed at the current form of their comrade. The only thing that took Ivan in surprise was the fact that the ice mage was both shirtless and pantless, with only his underwear protecting his private parts from showing.
"...Why are you naked?" Ivan questioned with a sweatdrop.
"HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!" Gray claimed comically as he questioned how his clothes just disappeared. "Wait, that doesn't matter! Juvia, we have to take him down, now!"
"Yes, Gray-sama!"
They both took stances immediately as Ivan matched it. Just before the first move was done, Ivan suddenly jerked his head up and raised a finger in the air in a signal of a timeout.
"Wait, give me a second."
"Wha–" Gray responded incredulously as Ivan rushed back to the end of the hall and shoved his fist into the wall and broke it. With his arm now exposed to the open air, Ivan grabbed onto the person flying up the side of the tower and pulled him into the structure.
With that done, Ivan threw Natsu and Happy onto the floor between him and his current opponents.
"Ow!" Natsu clutched the back of his head. "What was that for, asshole?!"
"Aye, sir…" Happy mumbled with swirls in his eyes.
"Natsu!" Gray claimed in surprise once more.
"I was doing my job. No one gets up the tower except Dannis Martell and Erza Scarlet." Ivan declared. "No one gets to sneak up without my permission."
"Well, it doesn't matter then. I'll just have to defeat you!" Natsu claimed.
"Careful, Natsu!" Gray glanced at the broken Bickslow. "This guy's strong."
"Juvia agrees with Gray-sama." Juvia supported. "His magic is not to be underestimated."
Natsu took a whiff into the air, frowning. "Hey bastard! Why do you smell like Gramps and Laxus?!"
A cruel smirk appeared on Ivan's face. "That would be telling. Now then, shall we begin this dance?"
"Happy, get Bickslow and find some cover!" Natsu ordered his cat.
"Aye sir!" The cat flew and carefully grabbed the masked mage by the back of his shirt and flew away.
"I'm surprised none of you recognize me." Ivan's magic began to coil around him, "I guess it's understandable since Gildarts took plenty of the limelight in our generation. But I guess reminding you youngsters of my power once in a while should be fun."
Ivan's arms shot forward as he finished the chant. "Dollstorm Formation: Thousand Talismans."
A deluge of paper erupted behind him—sharp, glowing talismans infused with curses and dark magic. The mass split mid-flight into three coordinated arcs, each targeting one of the mages.
Juvia dove forward, her arms melting into water and spinning like a whirlpool. Her water shield expanded outward, deflecting the initial wave, but each talisman that struck hissed inside the water as the acid enchantments activated. They sizzled against her defenses.
Gray shouted, casting wide. "Ice Make: Shield!"
A vertical blast of ice erupted in front of him in the shape of a snowflake, defending him from the barrage. The talismans carved into the ice, but the shield held strong.
Natsu, true to form, didn't dodge at all.
He charged, weaving through the paper storm with wild agility, flames bursting around him as he batted away the paper projectiles with burning fists. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he roared, his arms swinging out in crescent arcs.
Explosions rocked the corridor as dozens of talismans combusted in bursts of dragonfire.
Ivan's eye twitched. "Persistent brat."
In an instant, he was behind Natsu, paper wings flaring wide, his palm raised for a finishing blow.
"Dark Mark: Internal Disruption!"
A paper seal glowed and launched toward Natsu's back—only for a spike of ice to intercept it.
Ivan snarled as Gray landed in a crouch beside Natsu. "You don't get to hit him that easily."
Then came Juvia, using the mist from the fire and ice clash to vanish momentarily—only to reform behind Ivan in a cyclone of high-pressure water.
"Water Slicer!"
The blast struck his side, sending him skidding backward, boots grinding against stone. His coat hissed where the water met paper enchantments he had prepared as armor, steam rising from the reaction.
He gritted his teeth. 'These brats are working better than I expected.'
A massive heat surge behind him cut off the thought. He whirled just in time to see Natsu leap into the air, engulfed in a full-body blaze.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
The headbutt connected, slamming into Ivan's raised arms. He slid back a full meter before stopping himself, smoke rising from his forearms, which were now reinforced with talisman-wrapped bindings.
He grinned savagely.
There was real pressure now. A fight worth the blood.
"Very good," Ivan said, his voice calm despite the heat still clinging to his face. "You've earned the right… to see this."
His hands clapped together in a swift seal. The talismans behind him congealed into a floating mass, each one marked with different characters. The pressure in the air increased tenfold.
"Secret Art: Puppeteer's Graveyard."
The corridor darkened further, and dozens—no, hundreds—of humanoid forms began to form from the papers, each with blank faces and glowing red eyes.
Each puppet was as capable as any other mage. Each one was inscribed with histories of combat. A mimicry of a lifetime of battle.
Ivan pointed forward. "Crush them."
As the first wave of paper warriors surged forward, the trio of Fairy Tail mages set their feet, their magic flaring in perfect sync.
Only for a sudden wave of wraiths to burst through the door and engage his puppets in a massive clash.
…
AN: I really enjoyed making Ivan's fight with the trio. Teamup battles are real fun.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, cheers!