Earth land, Ishgar, Stella, Altair.
October 9, x791.
While things were starting to heat up in Altair, Elicia, who had been cut off from the perceptions of her guild mates, was moving stealthily through the hidden underground area of Zash Caine's manor.
'How in the world did Caine manage to build all of this under his mansion?' Elicia asked herself while swiveling her head from side to side while creeping along the ceiling of the underground corridor. 'I mean, building something this expansive under the capital of the country should have made a whole lot of noise, right?'
["You would think so."] Scylla replied. ["I mean, from what I can tell, you've already traveled far enough to cover the whole block above. ["And it's not like you've gone hundreds of feet underground or anything. You and those things have only walked down two flights of steps so far."]
'I know, right?' Elicia said while nodding emphatically. 'Either those people above are completely deaf, or Caine has some really good magic technology.'
["I'm betting on the latter."] Scylla replied. ["You should probably try to find that, too. I'm sure Fonzie would love to play around with it if you can get your hands on it."]
'Yeah.' Elicia replied with another nod. 'He'll probably be able to improve it, too. He always---'
*Rumble!*
Before Elicia could finish the thought, the entire underground facility shook, causing the five beings Elicia was following to stumble slightly. The shaking was bad enough that Ellicia almost lost her grip on the ceiling, as well.
'Hmm… Looks like things are getting serius outside.' Elicia said making sure her grip on the ceiling was still secure. '*Sigh* I knew splitting up was a bad idea. There definitely gonna destroy a huge part of the city.'
["Yup!"] Scylla replied while popping the "P." "And Fonzie's going to lose it. He's the leader of this quest, and the property damage is going to go on his record."]
'*Sigh* I kinda feel bad for whoever caused this. 'Fonzie's gonna really let them have it.'
["Yeah, he really is."] Scylla added with genuine pity in her tone. ["Anyway, let's keep moving. We don't' have all day."]
'You're right… No time to think about that now.' Elicia replied while suppressing a giggle. A moment later, after getting her expression under control, she continued. 'For now, we need to figure out what Zash Caine is up to. We can just enjoy the show later.'
["Agreed.] Scylla said with a nod.
Like that, Elicia and Scylla dropped the topic and continued to explore the underground facility.
Meanwhile, the battles in the city and on its outskirts continued.
Going back about ten minutes…
"I wouldn't resist if I were you." Shalnark said. "It will only make things worse for you. Instead, you should just answer our questions and receive a quick death."
"I swear." Evergreen said as she adjusted her glasses. "All you Dark Wizards say the same stuff. It gets pretty old, you know?"
"A real man never gives up!" Elfman shouted as his magic power flared. "[Take Over Magic: Beast Soul: Weretiger]!"
As Elfman was engulfed in the light of his magic power, Evergreen released a large amount of [Fairy Dust] from all over her body. Meanwhile, Shalnark and Franklin readied themselves for a fight. They were tasked with finding out what could have happened to Uvogin. And a group of Fairy Tail wizards seemed like the perfect place to start.
As the fight between Bickslow and Feitan began, Shalnark and Franklin appeared in front of Evergreen and Elfman, not letting them interfere with Feitan's fight. Naturally, this did not sit well with either of the two Fairy Tail wizards.
"We only need to get information from one of them, Franklin." Shalnark said without turning to look at his teammate. "And the one that Feitan is fighting will be enough for us to get information from. So, you don't have to worry about keeping either of these two alive."
"Hmph!" Franklin grunted in response as a battle hungry grin spread across his face.
*Bang!*
In the next instant, Franklin's head was snapped to the right as Elfman, now in his [Weretiger] form, blitzed towards him and landed a powerful hook on his left jaw.
However, this result surprised both Evergreen and Elfman, as they were expecting the large man Elfman just attacked to be sent flying. Instead, the only reaction Elfman's punch received was Franklin slowly turning his head back towards Elfman while his smile widened.
"Elfman, move!" Evergreen shouted when she saw Franklin begin to reel his fist back for a counter attack. "[Fairy Magic: Fairy Bomb: Gremlin]."
Not even thinking about it, Elfman leapt away from Franklin just before the punch came flying towards the side of his head. At the same time, thanks to his [Magic Power Detection], Elfman just barely noticed the invisible [Fairy Dust] that had saturated the area. He also noticed that thanks to Evergreen's control, not even a speck of [Fairy Dust] had attached itself to Elfman, the fur that came with his [Take Over], or his clothing, which had been shredded after his transformation.
*Boom~~~~~!*
In the next instant, before Franklin could react, the area where he and Shalnark stood erupted in an explosion that covered that entire stretch of road. A few moments later, when the explosion died down and the smoke cleared, the street was left with a rather large crater.
"Did we get him?" Evergreen asked curiously. A moment later, after her magic power that saturated the explosion site dissipated, she continued in an annoyed tone. "*Sigh* Never mind. I can feel his magic power signature clear as day. And the other one never even got caught in the explosion. Hell, he completely avoided my [Fairy Dust]."
"It takes a real man to survive an explosion like that." Elfman said loudly.
"Stop complimenting the enemy, you big oaf." Evergreen shot back without taking her eyes off the smoke from her explosion.
*Stomp!* *Stomp!* *Stomp!*
A moment later, Franklin, now covered in burn marks and torn clothing, stepped out of the crater. And based on his expression, he definitely was not happy. Though, he did not seem to be all that injured from the explosion.
And the reason for that was rather simple. Although he was unable to sense Evergreen's [Fairy Dust], his preternatural senses warned of the incoming danger just in time. As a result, he flared his magic power to its limit, using the magic power to create a defensive barrier around himself before the explosion hit.
A moment later, Shalnark, who, like most members of the Phantom Troupe, had preternatural senses for danger and being seen, made his way back to Franklin's side just as the large man stepped out of the crater fully.
"That was closer than I would have liked." Shalnark said in a solemn tone. "It looks like we'll have to take these two seriously.
"Hmph! I'll kill them." Franklin said as he raised his arms in Evergreen's and Elfman's direction. As he did, he spread his fingers, pointing the tips of all ten fingers at the two Fairy Tail wizards. "[Bullet Magic: Double Machine Gun]."
*Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!*
In the next instant, small magic power bullets fired from Franklin's fingertips at high speed.
Yet, before the bullets even began to fly, Elfman had already leapt away from Evergreen. Meanwhile, Evergreen once again ejected a large amount of [Fairy Dust] from all over her body. However, instead of dispersing it like she had earlier, she gathered it into a number of clusters that floated around her.
"[Fairy Magic: Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun]." Evergreen chanted as the clumps of [Fairy Dust] transformed into highly condensed needles and were fired to intercept Franklin's [Double Machine Gun] fire.
At the same time, Elfman, using the speed boost that came with his [Weretiger Take Over], vanished from where he stood before reappearing in front of Shalnark with his left hand raised, fingers formed into claws, and slashed at Shalnark's torso.
Yet, Elfman's speed did not seem to bother Shalnark in the slightest as he raised his right arm to parry Elfman's claw strike before throwing a front kick that landed on the Fairy Tail wizard's abdomen.
*Bang!*
As a result of Shalnark's kick, Elfman was forced backwards, his feet digging a pair of shallow trenches in the street.
"Not bad." Elfman said while rubbing his stomach. "That hurt a little. You hit like a real man!"
"Please, don't insult me like that." Shalnark said, his tone still solemn. "I don't hit like a man, a woman. Or a child…"
Reaching that point, Shalnark took his fighting stance as his expression sharpened.
"I'm not a warrior, or a wizard." Shalnark continued. "I'm a killer."
In the next instant, Shalnark vanished in a burst of speed. At the same time, Elfman narrowed his eyes and prepared for Shalnark to attack.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
A moment later, the sound of flesh impacting flesh echoed around the battlefield as Elfman blocked, parried, and dodged an onslaught of close quarters attacks from Shalnark.
'He's good.' Elfman thought to himself. 'Most of the attacks he's using are meant to either kill in one strike or incapacitate. He doesn't leave many openings, either. Still…'
With his thoughts reaching that point, Elfman's eyes narrowed a little further. Then, when he felt a punch aimed at his temple, he ducked his head while simultaneously stepping in closer to Shalnark.
*Bang!*
Then, with a powerful stomp, Elfman threw his left elbow into Shalnark's solar plexus. And that impact was so powerful that all of Shalnark's momentum came to a stop as his body folded around Elfman's elbow.
However, he did not get much time to recover, as his head was snapped backwards while his body was shot upwards by a right uppercut that closely followed the elbow.
*bang!*
However, before Shalnark could fly too high, Elfman unfolded his left arm and caught Shalnark's right ankle. Then, he was covered in the light of his [Take Over Magic] once again.
"[Take Over Magic: Beast Arm: Black Bull]." Elfman chanted.
A moment later, the glow faded, and Elfman was back in his base state. Though, his shirt was no longer present, as it had been shredded by his earlier [Take over]. However, there was one thing that was different than before.
While he was still gripping Shalnark's ankle with his left hand, said left arm was no longer that of a human. Instead, the entire arm was that of a black beast with even more exaggerated musculature than Elfman's usual arm.
*Bang!*
Then, using the added strength this new arm granted, Elfman pulled down with all his might, slamming Shalnark, back first, into the street, dense spiderweb cracks spreading from the point of impact.
"*Cough* *Cough*" Shalnark sprayed a mouthful of blood with each cough after being slammed into the ground.
In most situations like this, Elfman would usually talk to his enemy, trying to make them give up. However, this subjugation request called for the Phantom troupe's total elimination. So, there was no room for talking. Instead, Elfman was once again covered in the light of his [Take Over Magic].
"[Take Over: Beast Soul: Blade Liger]." Elfman chanted as the light of his magic power faded. "[Strike Claw]."
When Elfman reappeared, he had once again changed. Now wearing a pair of baggy black pants with red diamond patterns stitched near the bottoms, his muscular body had slimmed down slightly while he was covered in red fur. On top of that, a long, slim red tail with a golden tuft of hair at its tip grew from his back side. Also, the nails on his hands and feet were replaced with golden claws, a pair of appendages grew from his ribcage, folded around to his back and connected to a pair of golden blades that rested against his back and pointed upwards. And lastly, his face was adorned with long white whiskers, a pair of red ears that looked like a cross between those of a tiger and a lion sat atop his head, and a pair of long, golden fangs stuck out of his mouth while his hair lengthened into a long mane.
(A/N: I still say the red Blade Liger piloted by Leon in Zoids: New Century/ZERO looks the coolest of all the Blade Ligers.}
On top of all that, Elfman's arms were raised. And based on the way his golden claws were shining, it was easy to see that he was channeling magic power into them for his [Shock Claw] attack.
"Tch!"
However, before Elfman could bring his arms down to end the fight, he clicked his tongue before jumping away.
*Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!*
Less than a second later, the building nearest to Elfman was peppered with small holes from what looked to be gun fire.
Looking in the opposite direction, Elfman was afraid of what he might see. Because if Franklin, who had been exchanging fire with Evergreen had the space to fire at him… Elfman did not even want to think about what that meant for Evergreen.
Yet, when Elfman finally caught sight of Franklin, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Currently, Franklin was covered in blood from taking more than a few shots from Evergreen's [Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun] after he diverted his attention to save Shalnark. Even so, the massive Dark Wizard did not look as though the numerous holes in his body bothered him all that much. In fact, based on his expression, it looked like he considered those injuries little more than an annoyance.
After seeing the state Franklin was in, Elfman turned to look at Evergreen. And just as he had expected, she was completely unharmed. Though, she was breathing slightly heavier than usual due to the rapid use of her magic power.
"I'm glad you're okay." Elfman said, his tone carrying both relief and gentleness uncharacteristic for him.
"Of course, I'm fine." Evergreen replied haughtily as she flipped some of her hair over her shoulder. "He may be S-Class, but he's no match for someone as powerful and beautiful as me."
Despite her tone, the gaze she sent Elfman's way would let anyone who saw it know just how much she loved him and how much his concern meant to her.
A moment later, Shalnark, who, like Franklin, was blessed with preternatural senses and perception, walked up to Franklin, his expression grim. On top of that, also like Franklin, he was covered in blood. Though, he had no open wounds, he had coughed up a rather large amount of blood when he was slammed onto the ground.
"It looks like we might have underestimated them." Shalnark said coldly. "We'll have to go all out from now on, Franklin."
Franklin only grunted in return as he once again raised his arms, fingertips pointed at Evergreen and Elfman in preparation to use his [Double Machine Gun] once again.
Meanwhile, Shalnark also flared his magic power while ignoring his internal injuries. He then held out his hand, palm up.
"[Manipulation magic: Black Voice]." Shalnark chanted solemnly.
"I don't' think so." Evergreen barked as she materialized a new volley of needles from her [Fairy Dust].
However, before Evergreen could fire, intending to interrupt Shalnark's spell, Franklin cast his [Double Machine Gun]. However, his target was neither Evergreen nor Elfman. Instead, all his shots were aimed at the quickly condensing [Fairy Dust Needles].
*Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!*
*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
And as each of Franklin's shots landed on one of Evergreen's needles, a small explosion was triggered. Though, because the needles were not fully formed when they exploded, the explosions were far from powerful enough to even damage the street below them. Though, Evergreen was unable to cast her spell before Shalnark completed his.
"Based on what I've seen so far, I won't be able to use [Black Voice] the way it was originally intended to be used." Shalnark said as he raised the antenna in his hand. "But that's fine. Either way, you're going to die today. It's just a shame I won't remember how you met your ends."
With that said, Shalnark forcefully jammed the antenna into the back of his own head. Then, as soon as the antenna was inserted securely, the little bit of emotion on Shalnark's face vanished, only to be replaced by an expression that screamed: "Ruthless efficiency."
On top of that, thanks to their [Magic Power Detection], Evergreen and Elfman noticed that Shalnark's magic power output was rising sharply. Though, it did not rise in quality. Meaning, Shalnark's reserves would drop at a higher pace than before.
Still, neither Evergreen nor Elfman dropped their guard. A higher output meant higher attack power. Plus, Shalnark was an S-Class Dark Wizard. So, even if his magic power would empty faster than before, he still had enough to fight like this for several hours, at least.
At the same time, Franklin also flared his magic power to its limit as he adjusted his aim once again.
"*Sigh* I guess we're not gonna get out of this without going all out, are we?" Evergreen asked.
Though her question made it seem like she was unwilling to show her trump card, the smile on Evergreen's face as she raised her left hand to press her middle and index fingers against the bridge of her glasses told the opposite story.
"A real man always goes all-out.!" Elfman shouted as he touched the belt buckle on his waist. "And I'm a real man! [Amalgamate, Echidna]. [Blade Liger: Blades, Fangs, and Claws. Weretiger: Speed. Beast: Strength.]"
Elfman was once again covered in the light of his [Take Over magic]. Yet, when he became visible once again. His form was not that of a single humanoid monster. Instead, he was an amalgamation of the three he named.
Now, Elfman's upper body was that of the Beast. Yet, from his mouth, on his fingers, and growing from his rib cage were the golden fangs, claws, and blades of the Blade Liger. Then, his lower body was that of the Weretiger, with the exception of the claws on his feet, which were also golden like those of the Blade Liger.
As one might be able to guess, the release of Elfman's [soul Armament], Echidna, allowed him to mix and match traits from the different [Beast Souls] he possessed, increasing his combat effectiveness to another level.
"I knew you would say that." Evergreen said with a smile. "Well then, I guess I'll go all-out, too. [Petrify, Medusa]."
In the next instant, Evergreen's glasses glowed. Then, they transformed into a blindfold that covered her eyes. On top of that, a pair of nail-shaped daggers extended from what used to be the arms of her glasses, attached by chains. Then, those daggers began to float as the chains extended.
"Alright, let's start round two." Evergreen said as the chains connecting the daggers to her blindfold extended, and the tips of the daggers flew towards Shalnark at high-speed.