Third Person's P. O. V:
After having been released from Freed's Enchantment, Natsu and Gajeel have gone looking for Laxus by tracking his scent, but so far, neither Dragon Slayer has found him, which frustrates Natsu greatly.
"Laxus, show yourself NOW!!" Erza demands as she runs through another street.
Meanwhile, the Walker is heading straight for Kardia Cathedral, in the centre of town, to Laxus. She was determined to stop him, no matter what.
Suddenly, a loud explosion blasts through the streets, causing Natsu, Erza and Reina to pause running and jerk their heads around.
Erza says with a hard expression, "That came from Kardia Cathedral!" Erza takes off running right after that.
"Laxus..." The bluenette murmurs to herself, gazing up at the building where the massive explosion had come from, before she dashes forwards again.
Eventually, Erza arrives at Kadia Cathedral, though she doesn't notice that Natsu has also arrived. "So, here you are!" The two exclaim, gaining the attention of Laxus and Mystogan.
Natsu jerks his head to the Requip Magic user and says in greeting, surprise in his voice, "Erza!"
She glances at Natsu and says in return, "Hey!" Erza says in relief, "You've made it out of there."
Just then, a blue haired figure jumps down in front of them, face set in a hard expression. Noticing Erza and Natsu, Reina greets, a smile briefly appearing on her lips, "Hey, Erza! Natsu! What's up?"
"Rei! You're alright!" Erza says in relief at the sight of the lightning mage. "I'm glad."
"Right back at ya!" Reina answers.
Natsu asks, looking at the masked man, "Wait! Who the heck is that guy?"
Erza and Reina follow his gaze. The Scarlet responds, "That's Mystogan."
Mystogan gasps softly and covers his face with his right arm. Laxus's eyes dilate as he tells Mystogan, "You're wide open!"
Lightning crackles around Laxus's left fist as he raises it into the air. With a grunt of exertion, the blonde man throws his arm down and sends a blast of lightning at Mystogan. The lightning blast strikes Mystogan head-on, creating a dust cloud. In the process, Mystogan's bandanna is ripped off his head, causing Reina and her teammates to gasp.
Underneath the bandanna is spiky blue hair just like Jellal's. Mystogan straightens up and glances back at Reina and her teammates, revealing olive green eyes. Even the red mark around his right eye is the exact same as Jellal's.
"Jellal...?!" Erza gasps in shock.
"What the...?!" Natsu murmurs, just as surprised as the others.
The Walker stares in disbelief at the blue haired man, her blue eyes wide. The last they'd seen of Jellal, was when Natsu defeated him and he'd supposedly died in the Tower of Heaven as it had exploded. Reina heard all about it during her travels. She couldn't understand how Jellal could come to be here....
Mystogan looks away from them.
With tears pricking her eyes, Erza questions in a trembling voice, "But, how...? Y-You're still alive...?"
"Ah, so you know this guy?" Laxus muses aloud.
"Wait! I don't get it!" Natsu says in confusion. "So, Mystogan is really... Jellal...?"
"Jellal, I..." The redhead stammers.
"Erza, please, forgive me," Mystogan says softly as he looks away from her. "I was afraid you'd see this."
Erza gasps when tears slide down both her cheeks, and she blinks her eyes.
"I'm not your friend Jellal. I do know of him, but, I'm not him." Mystogan turns to the stunned S-class mage, her brown eyes wide as they waver and she gapes at him. The blue haired man turns away again as he closes his eyes and murmurs, "I'm sorry. I must be going."
Mystogan disappears in a wisp of smoke.
"Hey, wait up!!" Natsu calls, throwing out his hand as a red tick mark appears on his head. "Well, that made my brain hurt!" He mutters as he slumps his shoulders. Natsu suddenly perks back up as he says, "I can't think about it right now." He raises his gaze to Laxus. "Alright, man!! It's you against me!" Natsu looks at Erza as he adds, "I'm gonna take care of this clown! Is that cool with you?"
Erza doesn't respond as she's frozen with shock from Mystogan's appearance, her eyes still wide. Reina shouts as she glances at the redhead in concern, "Erza!!"
Natsu snaps with a glare, "Wake up!!"
Ezra screams as she's hit with the lightning attack.
Reina gasps with worry.
"That's a nice face you're making!" Laxus taunts. The lightning fades.
Crouching, Reina launches herself at Laxus, flipping around, and he goes to attack her with lightning. However, Reina deflects it with her Arc of Reflection. It forces her back.
"Rei!" Natsu exclaims worriedly, as he kneels beside Erza, who is still unconscious. Reina grits her teeth as she continues to push back against Laxus's attack.
"Oh? That's quite impressive, Rei! Now I finally get to see that Arc of Reflection Magic of yours in person. But you're still no match for me!!"
When the lightning fades, the bluenette is revealed to be standing there with her arms held out in front of her, as she breathes heavily.
Reina straightens her stance as she glances at Erza and feels worry for her.
"I'll beat you into the ground!" Reina growls, her eyes changing as she glares at Laxus.
Laxus sneers back at her and says, "Ha! Not bad! I wonder how much more of it you can take?! Want to find out, Rei?!"
But before the lightning mage could attack Laxus, Natsu shouts angrily, "THAT'S ENOUGH!!" He says challengingly as he points a finger at the blonde haired man, "I told you, you're mine, you jerk!! Let's go!"
Laxus responds with a sly smirk, a chuckle in his voice, "Hey! Didn't even notice you!"
A dumbfounded look appears on Natsu's face as his jaw drops in absolute shock. Natsu then slumps his shoulders as he holds up his right clenched fist, flames swirling around it, and says threateningly, "Oh, you're about to notice me, pal!"
Reina remains standing there as Natsu faces off against the Lightning Magic user. Her eyes return to normal. She just couldn't understand how he knew about her eyes, and she's afraid he might end up telling Natsu and Erza. Laxus shrugs off his black coat as he chuckles with eagerness. He tugs his headphones off just as the pinkette leaps into the air.
"I'll burn you to a crisp!" Natsu swings his fist forward with a war cry, but Laxus easily dodges it.
Reina watches Natsu with a concerned expression as Erza stutters worriedly, "N-Natsu...!"
Natsu cries out again as he charges for Laxus once more. Laxus questions in a bored tone, "Didn't anybody ever tell ya? You've gotta think before you act, kid!!"
Natsu flies at him, his arm pulled back. Lightning crackles around Laxus's hands as he yells in an extremely flustered tone, "Now, get lost, you runt!!" Much to Laxus's surprise, Natsu jumps up and dodges the lightning attack. He throws more lightning at the pinkette.
Weaving around the electricity, Natsu calls, "FIRE DRAGON: TALON!!" With a grunt, Natsu swings his leg up in a flame-covered kick that barely knocks the older man back.
Laxus goes to punch Natsu but the Fire Dragon Slayer flips around and lands on his hands and feet in a crouch, skidding back a bit.
Erza tells him warningly, "Be careful!"
Glancing back at her, Natsu replies, grinning, "I'm okay! You don't gotta worry about me!"
With a twisted grin, Laxus launches himself forward and rams his lightning-covered foot under Natsu's chin, jerking the pinkette back with a grunt of pain.
Laxus snatches up Natsu's right wrist in a vice-like grip, and demands as he pulls his other arm back, "Where do you think you're going, you little punk?!"
The Dreyer then proceeds to punch Natsu's face with small but painful bolts of electricity, making him cry out. Laxus's assault was halted when Natsu twists his right hand around and latches it around Laxus's wrist, causing him to look at Natsu with a hint of weariness, his left blonde eyebrow raised.
Grinning back, Natsu responds, "I'm staying here!" His free fist lights up with fire as he adds, "This spot is just perfect for me!"
Natsu punches Laxus with his flames. Laxus returns the favour by tightening his grip on Natsu's wrist and sending lightning through it, before punching his face with electricity again. Natsu tightens his grip on Laxus's wrist again, and the two men throw their elemental attacks back and forth.
Laxus laughs.
The blonde man flips Natsu around so that he's sitting with his back to the Lightning Magic user. "Here it comes!" Laxus says as electricity crackles around his fist.
Flames envelope Natsu's foot and he swings it underneath Laxus's feet, but the man jumps up to avoid it. Lightning gathers under Laxus's right foot and he brings it down on Natsu's head. Laxus slams Natsu into the ground, face first with a grunt of pain. The impact was strong enough to create a large crater.
Laxus pulls back his lightning-covered fist and goes to punch the pinkette's face, but Natsu leaps back and avoids it, skidding across the floor. Before Natsu could even straighten, he's hit on the head, hard, by Erza, who had slid in and punched his head, knocking Natsu out.
A flat expression crosses Reina's face at this.
"Not nice!" Laxus mocks.
"I need to get Jellal—I mean, Mystogan—out of my head!" Erza tells herself firmly. "I have to stay focused. Laxus is my target!"
"Requip!" Erza's body glows and she requips into her Black Wing Armour. With a cry, Erza brings her sword down on Laxus. He blocks it with a bolt of lightning.
Natsu shouts at her warningly, "Careful Erza!"
Erza leaps back and brandishes her sword. She demands, "Alright, Laxus! What have you put in the sky?! Tell me, now!!"
"What? You haven't heard? That would be my Thunder Palace!"
Erza says sternly, "You're absolutely despicable! To think that you would attack your hometown?!"
Laxus laughs and says, "Honestly, it breaks my heart! But, that's just the way the game is played, doll face!" He chuckles again.
"Damn you...!!" Erza raises a leg to kick Laxus, but he catches her foot in his hand.
Laxus states with a sneer, "There's only two minutes to go!"
Glancing at the pinkette, Erza orders him, "Go! Destroy them now, Natsu, Reina!"
His eyes turning to angry white triangles, Natsu exclaims, "We can't, okay?! If we attack those things, we know they're just gonna zap us right back!!"
Erza addresses Laxus in a stunned tone as she looks back at him, struggling in his tight grip, "Seriously?! You're using Body Link Magic to protect them?!"
Laxus replies, grinning, "Yeah! And they're gonna stay up there till I give the order to blow."
Erza seethes angrily, her eyes wide, "You coward!"
Lightning engulfs Erza, causing her to give a small cry of pain.
Laxus says, "It's a shame you won't be around to see it!" He throws Erza back as her body glows blue, and she does a backflip in the air.
"Requip!" Erza calls as she performs a backhand spring. Erza emerges in her Lightning Empress Armor, having landed in a crouch.
Laxus says, "Ha! Lightning Empress Armor! Nice try! But, it's not going to protect you from my attack!"
Laxus pulls his arm back and with a grunt of exertion, thrusts it forward. Lightning strikes towards Erza. The S-class wizard leaps backward.
Erza says as she spins her spear, "Now that we're using the same magic, it's a fair fight!"
Reina appears beside her and a purple magic circle forms beneath Laxus. "Arc of Reflection: Mind Reflection!" An exact copy of Laxus appears.
The copy sends out a powerful bolt of electricity, but Laxus easily blocks it with his own Lightning Magic, causing electricity to fly everywhere.
Laxus then turns his body into a lightning bolt and flies upward, before curving back around to the reflection mage as she and Erza land with a grunt. Reina makes the copy form a barrier of lightning before her and Erza. Laxus laughs as he hovers in the air. A gold barrier of electricity circles around the two females, about 360 degrees.
"Let's see if your Lightning Magic can handle this!" Laxus challenges before he thrusts both of his lightning-covered arms forward and sends a blast of lightning at Reina and Erza. It hits the Walker's shield, and when the lightning fades, Erza and Reina are still standing. "Still standing, huh?"
Erza speaks up, "When two wizards do battle using the same type of magic," She holds out her free hand, "many different factors determine the victor."
Putting a hand on his hip while holding up his other palm, Laxus states, "Their level of magic, technique, and experience... Right?"
"One more—their heart. I know the Master taught you that, Laxus."
He gives her a dark look as he responds, "Yeah, he mentioned it. But he also taught me power trumps everything else."
Erza says seriously as she flourishes her spear and lightning crackles around the blonde's body, Natsu standing up, clutching at his right arm, "You couldn't be more wrong!"
Erza and Reina glance back at him as Natsu shouts, clenching his fist, "Erza, Rei, would you just leave it alone, already?! I told you that I was gonna be the one to fight him!"
The scarlet haired mage and Walker turn their heads to look at him over their shoulders, and they stare each other down. Then, Erza's and Reina's faces soften as they smile slightly and say, "Then, we'll have to put our faith in you."
Erza calls as she runs for the door, "Let's go, Rei!"
The blue eyed girl blinks a few times before she nods her head once, the copy of Laxus having faded, and says in response, "Right behind you, Erza!"
Natsu turns toward them as they run out of the church, and asks in confusion, "Hey! Where're you going?!"
Reina and Erza pause just outside the door, their eyes closed as Laxus furrows his brows thoughtfully.
"Hold on!" Natsu says in realisation. "You're not going to try and take that thing down...?"
Laxus laughs, causing Reina and Erza to open their eyes again and glance back at him. His hands on his hips, the blonde man says, "I'd like to see you try! Attacking even one of those lacrimi could be deadly. And who knows how many of 'em are floating above town right now. Besides! You're out of time!"
Erza states seriously without looking back at him, "We'll just destroy them all at once."
Sneering at them, Laxus utters, "Is that so?! You two must have some kind of major death wish, then!"
Reina glances back and says in a serious voice, "No, but if that's what it takes..." She and Erza begin to run out on the street.
Laxus lets out a "Tch!" as his eyes dilate in disbelief.
Erza calls back to Natsu, "We're leaving him in your hands, so don't let us down!"
Laxus shouts after Erza and Reina, "COME BACK! YOU'RE BREAKING THE RULES, ERZA, REI!!"
Natsu calls to Reina and Erza, "I'm putting my faith in you, too! You hear?!"
The two female wizards pause. Erza and Reina smile as they both give a single nod, before they take off running again, without looking back.
Stepping forward as he points toward them, Natsu shouts, "WHETHER YOU TWO CAN DESTROY THOSE THINGS OR NOT, YOU'D BETTER MAKE IT BACK HERE ALIVE!"
The girls just keep running without looking back.
Natsu whirls around to meet him with an attack, "FIRE DRAGON: ROAR!!" Flames burst forth from Natsu's mouth and hit the Lightning Magic user head-on, causing dust to rise around them.
"Alright, jerk! Prepare yourself for a beat down!" Natsu tells Laxus challengingly.
Laxus bares his teeth at the pinkette in a scowl as he snaps in annoyance, "You mouthy little brat!!"
Erza and Reina have split up to cover more ground. The blue eyed girl stands before a bunch of lacrimi hovering in the air before her.
Reina takes a deep breath as she prepares to use an enhancement spell for her eyes.
Erza, elsewhere, stands before a bunch of lacrimi. The requip mage has changed into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and has seven swords hovering in the air above her.
Erza murmurs under her breath, "I call upon the power that lies within my swords... Give me strength! Help me protect my dear city. My comrades in Fairy Tail... Please, lend me your strength, as well."
Lucy jerks her head up as her eyes widen and she gasps softly. Lucy and Happy, hovering in the air, turn around as the blonde says, "Hey, I think I just heard Erza say something to me!"
Nodding, Happy says, "Hmhm! I'm pretty sure that I heard it, too."
Glancing at the cat, Lucy says, "She asked us to lend her strength."
Happy murmurs, "Weird, huh?"
Elsewhere, Gray has come to and has started looking for Warren. Back at Kardia Cathedral, Natsu's fight with Laxus has resumed. He attacks Laxus, but doesn't land a single hit. Laxus keeps striking the pinkette with his Lightning Magic, talking about how weak Fairy Tail has become, and that if he were Master, Fairy Tail would spread fear into everyone.
Lucy runs through the streets as she and the blue furred cat look for their comrades, but to no avail. Gray, clutching at his wound, continues his search for the Telepathy Magic user, but still, there's no sign of him.
Laxus states that there's one minute left, and demands what's taking Makarov so long, but Natsu assures him that he's not going to get Fairy Tail, no matter what Laxus does from that point on, and the two men resume fighting.
Erza has summoned 100 swords. She needs more; she pants heavily as she tries to summon even more swords, axes and spears. Erza summons another sword.
Lightning crackles around the lacrimi as the Thunder Palace prepares to go off.
Erza cries out in exertion as she summon even more weapons.