After being sent flying, Cana, Natsu, Wendy, Happy, and Carla slowly rose to their feet, coughing and grunting as they waved their hands to fan away the dust. "Everyone fine?" Cracking her back, Cana rolled her shoulder, hissing slightly while squinting as she scanned her surroundings.
"Yep! What kind of magic was that?" Shooting up from the ground, Natsu smirked, raising his arms into the air while Happy hovered beside him, intensely rubbing his eyes. A little further to Cana's right, Wendy and Carla stood up simultaneously, the former coughing while the latter sneezed repeatedly.
"D-Did you get him, Cana?" At Wendy's question, she raised her head and looked at Cana, causing Natsu to shout. "No! You're not supposed to ask that, Wendy!" "Huh, why not?" Tilting her head in innocent confusion, she shifted her gaze to Natsu, who folded his arms. "I don't actually know. I just know Lucy gets mad at me when I ask that. I think she called it a red flag or something."
While Natsu scratched his head in confusion, the thin veil of dust surrounding them suddenly froze in place before crashing to the ground, allowing them to see Bluenote standing perfectly fine a distance away from them, causing their expressions to turn ugly.
"H-How can he still be standing after taking that magic?" Both frightened and astonished, Wendy nervously gulps, eyeing Bluenote while Natsu and Cana prepare to fight despite the obvious outcome. "Impressive. To think someone so weak could force me to use my full strength." Whistling in awe, Bluenote began walking to them, rubbing his neck while eyeing Cana.
"If you have any secret dragon-slaying spells, now's the time to use them, Natsu." Whispering to Natsu, Cana held a deck of cards in her hand while Natsu wryly smiled. "It's funny you say that because I do, but I don't have nearly enough magic power to use them. Even if I were in peak condition."
Just as Natsu finished speaking, Bluenote suddenly appeared in front of them, moving too fast for them to register; having arrived before them without warning, the three were a fraction too late to attack. Unable to resist, Cana was grabbed by Bluenote while the others were forced to the ground, which sank several inches under the immense gravity.
"Give me Fairy Glitter." Holding Cana by her neck, Bluenote eyed her while she forced a smirk. "F-Fuck you." She flipped him off, causing Bluenote to raise an eyebrow before creating a localized gravity field around Cana that crushed her, causing her to shout in agony. "ARGHRRRHHH!" "Ugh, l-leave Cana alone!" "S-Stop it!" Bluenote completely ignored Natsu and Wendy as he slowly increased the gravity around Cana.
"Give me Fairy Glitter before I crush you." He continued to simply stare at Cana, who remained silent other than screaming in pain, causing him to click his tongue. Dropping Cana, who gasped for breath, he raised his fist, a sphere of dense compared gravity hovering just before his clenched fist. "Fine. I'll just kill you all."
Just as he swung his fist downward, moments away from unleashing the devastating might of his gravity magic upon the helpless mage, a figure clad in black suddenly appeared as he punched Bluenote's stomach, sending him flying backwards. "Fucker. The hell you said you were going to do!?"
As the figure stood protectively before the younger mages, the immense gravity pinning them to the ground dispersed, freeing them as they stood up. "Heh, y-you came just at the right time, Gildarts!" Chuckling through the pain, Natsu gave Gildarts a thumbs up, causing him to flash a smirk as he looked at the others, his eyes lingering on Cana a second longer.
"Get out of here and take Cana somewhere safe; she's no longer fit to fight." Glancing at Cana, who gazed back up at him with a smile despite the tears escaping her eyes, Natsu nodded and carefully hoisted her onto his back. "Don't you dare lose, Fa-Gildarts." As Wendy, Natsu, and Cana walked away while Happy and Carla flew behind them, Cana left behind some words.
"Hehe, that brat Cooper would never let me live it down." Without looking back at the retreating mages, Gildarts's smile slowly vanished, replaced with an intense expression as he glared at Bluenote, who had been embedded in a boulder, patiently waiting, given how he effortlessly removed himself.
"You're stronger than Cooper." Smiling, Bluenote eyed Gildarts, who scoffed. "I'd better be. I'm his damn senior. Now shut up and accept this ass-whoopin', I can't forgive an old man for bullying my juniors." Clenching his fist, Gildart's magic power erupted from him, prompting Bluenote to do the same.
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As Gildarts and Bluenote face each other, Rustyrose, who was walking through the forest while humming to himself, stopped as he looked at two figures blocking his path.
"You Rustyrose?" As dolls hovered around Bickslow, he pointed at Rustyrose, who placed a hand on his head, behaving overdramatically like usual. "I go by many names, but yes. To whom might I have the pleasure of meeting?" Brushing back his hair, Rustyrose looked at the two mages, only to quickly transform his arm into a shield, protecting himself from two attacks, but he was still forced several feet back.
"We heard you attacked one of ours. You didn't just think Thunder God Tribe was going to let that slide, did you?" Raising an eyebrow from behind the mask, Bickslow curiously eyed Rustyrose while thrusting his palm forward, causing his dolls to be sent flying toward Rustyrose, who used his shield to block the attacks.
However, while Rustyrose focused on blocking Bickslow's attack, he wasn't able to fully react to Fried, who had gotten behind him, slashing his swords, cutting his clothes, and leaving a shallow gash on his arm. Wincing, Rustyrose summoned Belcusas, forcing Fried back as he landed several meters away from him.
Pinned between the two mages, Rustyrose clicked his tongue. "C'mon then, let me experience this so-called Thunder God Tribe."
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While three mages that returned to Tenrou Island fought against their opponents, a battle that had been ongoing for quite some time seemed to be nearing its climax.
Standing opposite each other, both injured, Azuma and Mirajane took a brief respite, their breathing uneven while nothing but destruction surrounded them, the consequence of their intense battle.
"This is what I've been searching for. A strong opponent to push me further." Faintly smiling, Azuma eyed Mirajane, only to tilt his head, dodging a beam of darkness magic. "Tch, fucking pervert. I couldn't give two shits about your perverted fantasies; strong opponents or not, all I care about is being strong enough to fucking slaughter you." Spitting on the ground, Mirajane glared at Azuma, who chuckled, having grown used to her excessively foul language during their fight.
Azuma then shakes his head and softly sighs, tree roots beginning to move, causing Mirajane to narrow her eyes, ready for yet another round. "Unfortunately, we've run out of time." "Huh, the hell shit-stain? I say when we've run out of time."
As the trees move to Azuma's command, the whole Island begins to shake, only for Mirjane's eyes to widen as she watches the Great Tenrou Tree begin to move.
"Great Tree Arc is my magic, it's a form of Lost or Ancient Magic. I can take control of a landmass and deprive it of magic power." While speaking casually, Azuma raised his head, watching as the Great Tenrou Tree began to slowly tip over. "Master Hades gave me the objective to take control of Tenrou Island…" As he finishes speaking, the Great Tenrou Tree crashes onto its side, shaking the entire Island.
Shifting his gaze, he looks to Mirajane. "... I heard from Master Hades that the tree serves as the Island's hub, granting protection to all Fairy Tail mages… I now have your friends' lives in my hands, so tell me, do you have the power to save them?" Leaping onto a branch behind, he glances down at Mirajane while across the Island mages bearing the crest of Fairy Tail were being drained of magic power.
Mirajane, able to sense the fluctuating magic power of her friends across the Island, glares intensely at Azuma. "Of course I do. No matter what is thrown my way. I will always have the power to save my family." Taking a deep breath, Mirajane crouched slightly, the ground cracking beneath her feet as she lunged at Azuma.
Coating her claws in darkness magic, she cut through every tree Azuma controlled to block her path, and when she finally broke through to him, a thick tree root slammed into her stomach, flinging her back while numerous razor-sharp leaves were thrown at her. Quickly gathering her bearings, she flipped herself off the ground, digging her heels into the earth to slow her momentum while she gathered darkness magic between her palms.
Just as the razor-sharp leaves reached her, she unleashed her attack, launching a large wave of darkness magic at Azuma, destroying the leaves directly in front of her while the attack continued onwards, crashing through his defense, forcing him to leap to the side, dodging it as it smashed through the branch he was previously standing on.
"Heh, I've plenty more of that." Mirjane smirked while eyeing his burnt forearm.