[X784, Worth Woodsea]
— Wendy Marvell —
A massive fiery explosion bloomed in the air, shaking the trees and painting the sky orange. Wendy and the others—Erza, Elfman, Lisanna, Hibiki, Lucy, Carla, and Ichiya—stopped in their tracks to watch the flare of magic consume the horizon.
"He's overdoing things again." Lucy said fondly with a shake of her head.
"At least it means he's winning," Erza agreed, leaning against the shaft of her spear.
"T–That's Natsu-san..?" Wendy gulped as she gazed at the sheer power that her fellow Dragon Slayer wielded. Even from here, the heat shimmered in the air. Erza let out a small laugh as she patted Wendy's head with her hand, which made a small warmth bloom in Wendy's chest.
It was Jellal who had done the same when they traveled together before leaving her at Cait Shelter. Her guildmates back home were kind, but most were much older. She'd always secretly wished for an older sibling she could look up to… someone who made her feel safe.
Meeting Natsu and Gajeel had been a step toward that dream. She had hoped they might know where Grandeeney was—or at least share the bond of being Dragon Slayers.
But right now, with Erza's hand still in her hair, Wendy thought… maybe this wasn't so bad.
"Natsu's a man," Elfman said with a proud nod, "but that looks pretty mild, all things considered." He cracked his knuckles over the unconscious bodies of Oración Seis subordinates they'd defeated.
Wendy didn't really participate in the fight since she wasn't really great at combat. When the attacking squad flew over to Nirvana, she had focused on healing Erza and Lucy while Elfman, Lisanna, and Ichiya-san defended them.
Hibiki had been buried in his Archive Magic the entire time, eyes glued to shimmering screens of data.
"That's considered mild?!" Carla exclaimed, aghast.
Hibiki chuckled. "I've heard Fairy Tail was rambunctious… didn't realize how true that was."
"You haven't seen half of it." Lisanna shook her head. "Did you know that Gildarts, the Ace of our Guild, once turned a whole mountain to dust when he accidentally tripped when hiking it?"
Ichiya nodded, sparkling. "Even Lucy-san here, with her wonderful perfume, is known to have destroyed the entire port in Hargeon."
"T–That wasn't me!" Lucy hammered, embarrassed.
"That's crazy!" Wendy blurted out. She'd heard rumors about Fairy Tail's destructive antics, but she'd never fully believed them.
Suddenly Hibiki's fingers began moving faster across his magical keyboard, brows furrowed. "Uh, guys… I think we have a problem."
"What is it?" Lucy asked.
"The direction." He pointed at the ongoing battle in the distance—Jura's massive stone golem locked in a titanic struggle with Nirvana. "It's walking toward Cait Shelter."
"What?" Wendy froze, as everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
Before she could process, a voice rang out. "Lookie here!"
Dark shapes emerged from the trees—at least thirty of them. Dark mages, Wendy realized. Another subordinate guild or Oracion Seis.
"Naked Mummy," Hibiki muttered. "I know them. A rather infamous guild led by the Zato and Gato brothers."
"That's right!" A man who heavily resembled a monkey spoke up. "They look important and strong, don't they brother Gato?"
"They sure do, brother Zato!" Another monkey-like man spoke up. "Do you think Hoteye-sama will pay us more if we bring him their dead bodies?"
"As if! Full Body Takeover: Beast Soul!" Elfman shouted as his body turned into a massive creature, his body size expanding rapidly until he towered over everyone. Two hammer-like arms that ended in sharp claws grabbed both monkey brothers before jumping away, dragging them both.
Lisanna was right behind her brother, having turned to her rabbit form as she kept hopping and kicking the rest of the Naked Mummy members. "Elf-nii and I'll handle this!"
Before she could answer, the ground beneath Wendy trembled. She turned, only to be horrified when a massive wave of thick, churning mud was surging towards them.
"Strength Perfume!" Ichiya roared, muscles swelling as his body grew in size. His long hair flowed behind him as he smashed both fists forward, generating an air cannon that split the mud wave apart.
From the settling dust, a man emerged—eyes closed, smile far too serene.
"Hoteye…" Lucy muttered.
"Bounty of 1,500,000 Jewels for Ichiya the Maestro," Hoteye intoned. "And 1,200,000 for Erza Scarlet, the Titania." His smile sharpened. "I will enjoy collecting them."
"You!" Carla cried. "What are you trying to do to Cait Shelter?!"
Hoteye spread his arms. "They will be the first to be turned by Nirvana… an entire guild of light, swallowed by darkness. We shall fight fire with fire! What will the rest of you light mages do, when it is your allies who have turned into an enemy!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it, men!" Ichiya shouted, inhaling a teal colored perfume. "Speed Perfume!"
In an instant, he flashed towards Hoteye's position, unleashing a punch towards the Dark Mage. Wendy struggled to follow the movement of the S-Class mage. 'Is this what S-Class mages can do…?'
"He's more reliable than he looks," Lucy said with a small smile.
"Ichiya may act eccentric, but he's always been a capable mage," Erza agreed.
Cait Shelter didn't have many mages, and none of them were S-Class. They didn't even have an Ace of their own. Wendy had no illusions to say that they were a relatively weak guild.
But remembering everyone's faces and how kind everyone was, she couldn't imagine what it would look like if everyone she had ever known forcefully turned to evil.
"Please…help protect my guild!" Wendy said, tears burning at the corners of her eyes.
A gauntleted hand appeared on her head, Erza's confident smile meeting her. "Of course we will."
"I've sent the news to everyone." Hibiki said, having used his telepathy to inform the other light mages. "You're not alone, Wendy."
Up atop the stone golem, Jura smiled as he fought with newer ferocity.
"Move!" Erza suddenly barked.
She grabbed Wendy and threw them both aside just as a yellow blur ripped through the space they'd occupied. It skidded to a halt, revealing Racer, missing a single hand.
Erza rose smoothly, sword in hand. "Lucy, can you fight?"
"Of course!" The blonde hair celestial spirit mage replied as Loke and Taurus flanked her. "Let's take him!"
"Hmph." Racer scoffed as his gaze settled on Wendy. "So Brain was right. You are a healer. The two of you shouldn't even be alive now with Cobra's poison running through your veins."
"Wendy is a magnificent healer. She had done her job wonderfully." Erza replied. "Now it's our turn. Hibiki, protect her."
"Got it."
"I–I can help!" Wendy protested.
Hibiki put a hand on her shoulder. "You've done enough. Be honest, you're magic's running on empty isn't it?"
"I—"
"You passed out after healing Ichiya once, and now you've put both Lucy and Erza back in fighting shape." Hibiki replied gently, "Erza is right, Wendy. You've done enough, now let's leave it to them."
Wendy bit her lip… then nodded, stepping back.
…
— Erza Scarlet —
She felt the wind be displaced as Racer blurred forward. Erza ducked by instinct beneath the fist that came for her head.
She turned on her heel and swung her longsword in a clean arc, only to strike nothing but air. Racer already gone.
Erza narrowed her eyes, forcing her breathing steady. Her gaze darted across the battlefield, trying to anticipate the flash of movement that heralded Racer's next strike.
There was a blur of motion and suddenly Loke was there, meeting Racer head-on. The Lion Celestial Spirit more than capable of following Racer's movements.
His fist glowed with golden light as he threw a straight punch. Racer dipped low, sliding beneath Loke's arm and snapping an elbow up into the spirit's ribs. The blow was deceptively hard for such a small motion. Loke grunted and staggered back, teeth clenched.
Lucy's whip cracked through the air as she aimed to catch Racer's ankle. For an instant Erza thought she had succeeded, but Racer twisted mid step, kicking the whip aside before appearing in front of Lucy driving a knee toward her midsection.
The strike landed. Lucy gasped, the air kicked from her lungs as she stumbled backward.
"Moo!" Taurus bellowed, charging in horns-first. The impact missed by a hair as Racer pivoted on the ball of his foot, planting his one remaining palm against Taurus's massive flank. A burst of force erupted as Taurus was shoved sideways like a boulder rolling downhill, gouging the earth as he crashed into the dirt.
Erza's eyes narrowed. Something was odd here.
Racer was on them again before anyone could catch their breath. He struck Loke twice in the ribs—two sharp, bone-vibrating hits—then turned on Lucy. She backstepped, whipping her weapon upward to intercept, but he spun low and swept her legs out from under her. She hit the ground hard.
"Pathetic. You Fairy Tail mages talk big," Racer sneered, "but you're all just weaklings in the end."
Racer made for Erza this time, only she managed to react. Dipping her head to the side, she let his fist pass by before moving to grab it. But Racer jumped back before she could touch him.
Racer moved again, towards Loke whose eyes narrowed. He caught Racer's next punch mid-swing, their arms locking. Racer's expression twitched for just a second before Loke's free hand ignited.
"Regulus Blow!"
The golden flash exploded between them, searing the air. Racer jerked back, half-blinded, and Taurus seized the moment—his hoof slammed down, sending up a geyser of dirt. Racer avoided most of it, but the cloud hung thick, forcing him to weave through obscured shapes.
Erza took the chance to look back, glancing at Ichiya's fight with Hoteye. Her eyes widened, as the two mages seemed to be moving in inhuman speeds.
That was it.
"Lucy!" she called, her voice cutting across the chaos. "Keep him busy! I have an idea!"
"On it!" Lucy shouted back, already whipping her whip toward Racer in a wide lash.
"I ain't letting you do whatever you want!" Racer snarled, "Dead Grand Prix!"
Sounds of revving filled the entire forest as numerous motorcycles came racing out of the tree line. Erza backhanded one of them that came towards her, sending it flying away as her armor shifted.
In a flash of light, she reemerged in her Black Wing armor and took flight. With one powerful beat of her wings, she was airborne. Distance was all she needed.
The battlefield shrank beneath her. One look was all it took for to piece together just what magic Racer really had. He moved at a regular pace, while Lucy, Loke, and Taurus were as slow as a snail.
'It's not that he's fast… he's making us slow.'
Some kind of time-affecting magic, bending the perceptions of everyone affected, slowing everyone else while keeping himself in real-time motion.
It was a powerful ability, though one with a clear weakness.
She swapped armor again mid-flight, the Gungnir Armor now wrapped around her form, silver and red plates locking into place. A long, gleaming spear materialized in her grip.
She steadied herself mid-air, waiting for the right moment.
Below, Racer struck Loke in the gut, sending him reeling. Lucy tried to step in, but he swept her legs again and darted past Taurus's charge.
Loke's voice suddenly rang out, "Solar Flare!"
A burst of blinding light engulfed Racer, making him flinch and shield his eyes for a precious second.
"Spear of Victory, Gungnir!"
Erza hurled the spear. The weapon sang through the air, cutting a spiral of golden light. Racer recovered enough to see the glint in the sky and instinctively twisted aside.
But the specialty of Gungnir was that it was a weapon that never misses. The spear curved mid-flight, following the Dark Mage's movements.
"What—!?"
The weapon struck home, sending a shockwave through the clearing as it drove into his chest and blasted him off his feet. Racer's cry was swallowed by the thud of his body hitting the dirt, dust curling around him as he lay crumpled.
Erza descended slowly, wings folding, her eyes locked on his unmoving form.
…
AN: Racer falls! Though he certainly made people work for it. Super speed is a busted ability that's always nerfed in mainstream media.
Should be a few chapters left of this arc now that more of the Oración Seis are getting defeated.
Dannis and Mira vs Brain coming right next!
Anyways, more chapters ahead on my Patreon and all that jazz. Check it out if you're interested.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter, cheers!