[X784, Edolas, Royal City]
— Mystogan —
Steel screamed as Mystogan twisted aside, one of his staves catching the shaft of Erza Knightwalker's spear. The impact shuddered through his arms as for a moment, their weapons locked together.
Knightwalker's crimson hair danced in the wind, her expression cold and focused beneath the visor of her winged helmet. Mystogan's cloak fluttered around him as magical energy crackled from one of the staves on his back.
Not a second later, his body dissolved into a cloud of mist as Knightwalker's spear transformed again. The weapon elongated, jagged hooks erupting along its length as she swept it through the space where he had stood.
The mist scattered as the attack passed harmlessly through it. A heartbeat later, Mystogan reformed atop the roof of a nearby building.
A sudden explosion had them both turn, one of the towers and entire batteries of Edolas siege weapons were being reduced to scrap. Defensive towers collapsed in clouds of stone and dust. Edolas soldiers scrambled through the streets in confusion.
Of all the things to happen, Grimoire Heart's airship appearing over the city was something he really didn't expect. But he took solace in the fact that Makarov and Mirajane were free.
He had seen them earlier, flying in the distance with Lucy and the Exceeds. It meant that Gajeel and Levy's mission was a success.
That alone sent a surge of relief through him. With Makarov and Mira in the field, the situation within the Royal City had improved dramatically. But it didn't mean they were done yet, since many things could still go wrong.
Chief among them was the fact that the majority of Fairy Tail was still stuck as Lacrima, Lisanna among them. It wasn't difficult to find them, considering another major mountain-size lacrima had appeared atop one of the floating islands above the city.
His grip tightened around one of his staves. He needed to find a way to reverse it.
He had an idea in mind…but that would mean defeating Knightwalker first.
As she slammed the butt of her newly transformed spear to the ground, the orb at its center glowed. The world suddenly grew heavier as a tremendous force of gravity began pulling him in her direction.
The roof tiles beneath Mystogan cracked before launching and orbiting the spear itself spinning with it at its center.
Without hesitation, Mystogan became mist once more, the gravity pulling uselessly on vapour. Reforming atop another rooftop, he thrust out his hand as five of his staves floated around him.
"Five Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song!"
Five brilliant magic circles appeared in succession at the tip of each floating staff. Light gathered upon each one, combining into a single focused beam of magical energy that launched itself towards Knightwalker.
"Rune Save!"
Knightwalker spun her weapon, the spear transforming into a massive pike lined with jagged runic blades.
She planted her feet and met the beam head-on with the steel of her new weapon, fracturing it into hundreds of smaller beams that exploded outwards in all directions as a whirring sound appeared from the impact.
Long lines of buildings that were hit erupted on impact, shattering and disintegrating whatever wall or rooftop that were swallowed beneath the barrage.
Yet through the destruction, Knightwalker charged. Mystogan followed in her wake as he cancelled the beam and dropped from the rooftop, their weapons colliding once again.
Knightwalker's spear turned to a halberd that swung down, Mystogan catching it with two of his staves before pushing her back.
The halberd then turned to a lance, then a hooked pike, then a double bladed spear. Every variation flowed seamlessly into the next.
Mystogan had to admit, she was really good. Probably as good of a weapons' master as their Erza. The way their abilities translated here was also quite interesting, from Earthland Erza's requip to Knightwalker's shifting weapon.
The battlefield became a blur as staff and spear met continuously, the ringing of steel constantly pinging as they clashed.
Knightwalker thrust her lance that Mystogan parried. Switching her grip, she swept low as Mystogan dodged, vaulting over the strike.
Her lance transformed mid-motion, turning back to a spear that extended several feet.
Mystogan dissolved once again to mist on instinct, the blade passing through empty air. Reforming behind her, he swung a staff toward the back of her helmet.
Knightwalker ducked, the weapon missing by inches. She spun as an armored elbow crashed into his ribs.
Mystogan grunted as the impact launched him across a rooftop. Knightwalker pursued relentlessly, her spear transforming into a long silver lance.
The orb near its center began glowing. "Ten Commandments, Judgement Spear!"
The weapon fired a barrage of luminous projectiles, each one moving faster than one of Bisca's bullets.
Mystogan crossed two of his staves. "Two Layered Magic Circle: Fujin's Barrier!"
A spherical shield of wind appeared as the projectiles detonated against it in rapid succession. An explosion covered him as smoke began to swirl, following the current of the sphere.
Mystogan launched himself forward the moment the attack ended, utilizing the cover of the smoke to gather his floating staves around him as they began to rotate.
He appeared right in front of Erza, her widened eyes telling him that he caught her off guard. She was in the middle of switching stances, thus an opening.
Mystogan grabbed one of the staves and thrust it forward, "Storm breaker."
Compressed air condensed into a rotating sphere before he launched it, hitting her right in the center of the breastplate. To his surprise, she grit her teeth and used her fingers to maneuver her spear around, turning it to one with a wide spearhead with the edges on the side curving inwards.
"Mel force!"
A vacuum wave erupted from the tip of the spear, launching it simultaneously with the Storm Breaker. The vacuum wave and compressed storm collided, then passed one another.
BOOM!
Storm Breaker struck Knightwalker's breastplate directly.
The armored woman was blasted backward, smashing through two rooftops before crashing into a tower
The vacuum blade reached Mystogan, too fast. He dissolved into mist at the very last second, the attack missing his neck by inches.
But not his mask.
It got caught, cutting at the base before the rest turned back to mist as he reformed, landing on a rooftop.
Knightwalker slowly climbed from the rubble, covered by dust as a trickle of blood fell from the edge of her mouth.
She stood, and froze. Her eyes widened. "...You."
Mystogan's expression darkened, seems like he was finally exposed.
The face of a man who had supposedly vanished years ago, the missing Crown Prince, Prince Jellal.
Knightwalker's spear lowered. For the first time since the battle began, she looked genuinely shocked.
"Your Highness…?"
Mystogan opened his mouth, but before he could answer, a voice interrupted.
"That's enough."
Both fighters turned to see a lone figure standing upon the street below, a black crow perched on his shoulder.
'Dannis…' Mystogan recognized easily, though it was the Edolas version of him. Despite the clear similarities he shared with his Earthland counterpart, their differences couldn't be more glaring.
His one eye gazed at all the destruction before turning back to the two, his calm expression breaking slightly as he met Erza's stare.
Knightwalker herself looked shocked. But that shock quickly turned to anger, then…something else. She looked pained, and sad.
"You…" Her voice quivered as her grip tightened around her spear.
Mystogan raised a brow at the exchange.
"I thought I'd find you here." Dannis said, "Just follow where the destruction is most rampant, right?"
Knightwalker said nothing, but Mystogan suddenly understood.
'These two knew each other.'
The crow hopped from Dannis' shoulder, as it flew upward. The rebellion leader stopped a few feet away from the captain of the Edolas guard.
"Erza..." The way he said her name wasn't that of a commander addressing an enemy, but like greeting an old friend.
Knightwalker's eyes trembled. "You have no right to call me that."
"Why? Because I've turned traitor? You know full well that Faust is the one to blame. Why did you even listen? When I saw you march to the family manor with a hundred soldiers by your side, I—"
"What else am I supposed to do?!" Erza screamed. "I am Captain of the 2nd Magic War Division!"
"Is that all you are?" Dannis' one eye narrowed. "I remember a kind woman, who used to climb the eastern walls with me when we were little. I remember a girl who stuck by me when the other nobles scoffed when I told them I wanted to join a magic guild. I remember a person who trained relentlessly in the yard, claiming loudly for all to hear that she would become the strongest soldier in Edolas to protect it against all manners of people and creatures who seek to harm it. The one thing you didn't expect was for the harm to come from inside the walls."
Knightwalker bit her lip, each word sending metaphorical blades stabbing into her heart and resolve. For the briefest moment, Mystogan saw not a general nor a knight, but a woman remembering happier days.
Mystogan realized then. Childhood friends, perhaps even closer than that once. People separated by the kingdom's cruelty. People now standing on opposite sides of a war.
"Look around you," Dannis said, gesturing to the Royal City around them. "We're so close, Erza. So close to ending Faust's tyranny." He took a step closer, his voice almost pleading. "I'll never ask you to fight against your own, but for this one time…walk away please."
Knightwalker looked down, hands trembling around her spear. The proud commander of the Royal Army suddenly looked exhausted.
"...Fine."
Mystogan widened his eyes.
Knightwalker began to turn away, her spear returning to its normal form.
"I'll return to the castle to ensure King Faust's safety." Her voice was calm again, then she paused. "Do what you have to do."
And then she was gone, a crimson blur disappeared across the rooftops.
Mystogan watched her leave, shaking his head. 'She's not so different from our Erza after all.'
After a moment, he turned toward the rebellion leader.
Edolas Dannis offered a respectful nod. "It's been a while, Your Highness."
Mystogan inclined his head, the old title still felt strange after spending years as a Fairy Tail mage.
"I assume you have some kind of plan of some kind?" Edo Dannis asked.
"I do." Mystogan said, turning toward the distant palace. "We have to get to the Anima chamber within the castle. I'll fill you in on the way. Everything depends on us securing that room."
"Understood," the rebellion leader nodded.
Without another word, the two men departed together, leaving behind the ruined battlefield as they headed toward the royal castle.
…
AN: *gasp* I'm alive! This fic is seriously kicking me in the butt right now, but I think I finally got somethings to work, starting with this chapter. Expect some more regular updates for Dark Swordsman now.
There we go, a Mystogan-centric chapter! I thought it was necessary since Mystogan is technically the second main character of this arc after Dannis.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this one. Writing a fight scene with Mystogan is always fun since he has such a unique fighting style. Erza Knightwalker is also really cool, she was very underutilized in the manga, I think.
Cheers guys. Edolas should have one or two chapters remaining now.
Advanced chaps on my P-Page as always! Chapter 112 is available right now, at the time this chapter is uploaded. Check it out if you're interested!