Disclaimer: Hey guys! Firestorm40 here with a new chapter for you all. Whether you are a long time reader or recently discovered my story please leave a review and tell me what you thought, I enjoy hearing from you guys.
With that out of the way here is another chapter! Enjoy!
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"The Thunder Palace!?" Makarov said in shock.
"Uh... is that bad?" Ariel asked.
"You have one hour and ten minutes left. So will you defeat me, or will you retire, Master?" a laugh was heard before the skull disintegrated.
"What are you, thinking Laxus!?" Makarov yelled. "You plan on getting innocent people involved in this!?" however the old man held his chest and looked to be in extreme pain. He then collapsed to the floor.
"Master!" Cana yelled.
"Gramps!" Natsu worriedly yelled.
"Quickly get his usual medicine!" Bisca yelled. Mira ran over to retrieve his medicine.
"Master, hang in there." Levy pleaded.
"What's wrong?" Ariel asked.
Roxas ran over to him. "Is there anything we can do?"
"No, he's having a stroke; I doubt magic can fix this." Cana replied.
"Gramps, what is this Thunder Palace thing!?" Natsu asked.
While Mira was going back to the hall with Makarov's medicine she got everyone's attention. "Everyone, look outside!"
Natsu, Roxas, Lucy, Ariel, Cana, Levy, Gajeel and Bisca were outside when they were looking at huge orbs with yellow thunder bolts inside them. They were in a curvy line.
"What are those?" Natsu asked.
"Thunderbolt Lacrima." Levy answered.
"What are they doing up there?" Roxas asked. It was revealed that the Thunderbolt Lacrima created a circumference around the entire city. The citizens were confused when they saw the Lacrima in the sky, and while they knew it was Fairy Tail related, it was assumed it was for the Harvest Festival.
"They are floating around the city." Lucy said.
"Each of those lacrima stores great deal of magical thunder energy." Cana explained. "That is probably what the Thunder Palace is."
"So that is the Thunder Palace then." Juvia said.
"Now Magnolia is the target."
Lucy pointed towards them. "So what happens if those things discharge?"
"Laxus plans to use it as a weapon, so whatever it does, can't be good." Levy said.
"They will rain thunder all over the city." Cana said.
"What!? But that will destroy the entire city!?" Roxas yelled.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's smash them already!" Ariel exclaimed.
"I'm already on it!" Bisca yelled now holding out her magical sniper rifle "Sniper Rifle Requip!" she got down on one knee and looked through the scope. "Target: Lock on!" The magical crosshairs were now aligning themselves with one of the Thunder Lacrima. "Stinger Shot!" she pulled the trigger and a magical sniper bullet discharged from the gun before reducing the Thunder Lacrima to dust after a bright green energy field surrounded it before its destruction.
"Alright!" Lucy cheered.
"Not bad Bisca." Cana praised.
"I'll get 'em all like this!" Bisca confidently said.
Ariel though had different thoughts though. "Really?! That's you plan? Shoot all of them one at a time? There has to be a better way to destroy them!"
"Ariel's right." Roxas said "It was a good shot, but there looks to be tens of hundreds of those things, we'll need a better plan if we want to disable the Lacrima for good. And we don't have a whole lot of time to do it."
Suddenly, Bisca was met with a powerful electric shock after shooting the Lacrima.
"Bisca!" Natsu and Roxas worriedly yelled.
"What's going on?" Happy asked.
The shock went on as citizens on the ground saw Bisca getting shocked by a powerful electrical energy and put together that tampering with the Lacrima in the sky will be very dangerous.
After the terrifying shock went on for a while, it ended causing Bisca to lose consciousness as she was also singed from the electrical shocks.
"Bisca! Hey, wake up!" Levy said now holding up the unconscious wizard.
"What the hell was that?!" Ariel asked.
"What happened?" Lucy asked.
"It's Body Link Magic!" Cana revealed.
"Body Link Magic?" Lucy repeated.
"Those Lacrima are under a spell, linked back to the one who destroys them, inflicting equal damage to what they received." Lucy sounded confused.
Roxas chimed in. "She means if you attack them, the same amount of damage you did to them gets thrown back at you. Of course in the form of an electrical shock. This is very bad."
"We need to do something!" Ariel said, as she went to jump over the edge, but the invisible wall and red runes prevented her from leaving. "What the hell!? I can't get out!"
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.
"Those older than 80 or stone statues can't pass." Happy said. "Even Roxas, Natsu and Gajeel can't get through."
"What!? But I'm seventeen! I don't even look 80 or older!" Ariel yelled, trying to push pass the wall, but to no avail.
"Oh no!" Levy gasped. "At this rate, the people in town will-"
"Not if we stop Laxus first." Roxas said looking ready to fight. "If we beat him, then he won't be able detonate the Thunder Palace." He then stood in front of everyone. "So we're in agreement, we have to stop Laxus! But first... Lu, you go out there and evacuate the citizens out of the city, we don't want them getting caught up in all this!"
"All right." She said.
"I'm coming too!" Happy said as he followed Lucy.
"The rest of you who can leave the guild will deal with Laxus and the rest of the Thunder Legion, since there is three of them now, it should be easier." Roxas said. With that Cana and Juvia left.
"Damn it!" Ariel said, punching the wall.
Natsu glared at the Thunder Lacrima in the sky.
"Laxus!" Roxas growled as he looked up to the weapon of mass destruction as well.
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Inside the Kardia Cathedral, Laxus was bellowing with evil laughter while Freed stood behind him. "How about that, old man? My next hostages are everyone in the entire city!"
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At the guild Natsu looked angry, still looking at the Lacrima. "What is that bastard thinking?!" Natsu yelled.
"Natsu!" Levy yelled before he ran into the red runes that kept him from leaving the building.
"As long as these Runes are up, we aren't going anywhere." Roxas said.
"But we can't just sit and do nothing!" Ariel said.
Natsu bashed his head against the wall keeping him in the guild.
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At the same time, Laxus had a sick grin on his face. "I think you are going too far." Freed said, talking to Laxus from behind.
"Too far?" Laxus asked. The Thunder wizard glared at Freed as he turned his head to face him. "I'll decide what's 'too far'." He now had an angry look. "This is a fight to the finish! Until one of us is wiped out this battle won't end!"
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"If you want to be the Master so bad, then fight Gramps yourself!" Natsu said pushing against the wall. "That's enough Laxus!" he yelled now putting all his might into the wall but making no progress.
"Stop Natsu, wasting your strength on busting the walls is getting us nowhere!" Roxas said.
"But we can't sit here and do nothin'. That bastard is going too far!"
"I understand, but unless we can get out of here... there's nothing we can do..."
"What the hell Roxas!? You tellin' me you're givin' up!?" Natsu said glaring at the Fox Slayer. "You're really going to let some invisible wall stop you!?"
"I'M NOT!" Roxas yelled. "Laxus has gone too far! I want to stop him just as much as you do! But punching into an unbreakable wall isn't going to solve anything!"
"Oh yeah!? Watch me!" Natsu placed all his energy into trying to destroy the invisible wall.
"Natsu! Calm down!" Levy said
"This is no time to be calm!"
"Just listen!"
"Damn!" Natsu cursed. "The invisible walls are even here!"
"Runes... and Freed wrote them." Roxas said to himself before he thought of something. "Lev, you know Rune magic right? You think you can do something about these runes?"
"Yes! Runes is one of the writing magics, so I might be able to help."
"What?" Gajeel said.
"Seriously?" Ariel asked.
"Really, Levy?" Natsu asked.
She nodded. "I believe that you three can stop Laxus!"
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While Bisca and Makarov were resting in the infirmary, Levy was in the guild hall with a sea of books around her, trying to figure out Freed's runes. Gajeel was crouching beside her while Ariel and Roxas were sitting on table close to them.
"If I take the information from the arrangement of rouge letters and break it down to the word's materials. I can pick up the vocabulary used to construct the rules..." Levy explained. "Then changing it further to Gheel grammar."
"Wow, you're amazing." Gajeel complimented. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." He said.
"I kinda get it..." Ariel quickly did a double take. "Wait... you're being nice now?!"
"No!" Levy yelled. "Both 'L' and 'S' are bluffs! The key code is Als-"
"I-It is?" Gajeel said with some sweatdrops on his face.
"Hehe, it means we're getting closer, right?" Roxas asked.
"I just wish we were out there now...." Ariel muttered.
"Don't worry. I'll get you guys out of here soon." Levy assured.
Gajeel looked at her. "You don't really have to..."
"Just don't pressure yourself." Roxas said.
"Please." Levy started. "Stop Laxus."
They all looked to Natsu continuously banging his head against the rune walls. "I want to be doing something!" Natsu growled.
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Freed and Laxus were still talking with each other, within the Cathedral. "The Thunder Palace." Freed began. "You'll go that far, Laxus?"
"What are you doing, Freed?" Laxus calmly asked. "Bickslow is still out hunting Fairies, you know. I'll handle the old man's best hope, Erza and Mystogan. You get Cana and the woman from Phantom. I don't need any of them in my Fairy Tail. Wipe them out!"
Freed was shocked. "Even though they are our enemies, they are still in our guild-"
"I THOUGHT I GAVE YOU AN ORDER!" Laxus furiously bellowed.
Freed for a second looked conflicted but he returned to his glum look. "After the path we've taken, there is no turning back. I will follow you, even to the pits of hell. I will accomplish my mission. No more pulled punches." Freed began to walk out. "Don't you have regrets, now."
Laxus smirked. "That will do, Darkness Freed. Now is the time to show me your true power."
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"Lucy watch out!" Happy yelled as he tackled the surprised mage out of the way from an explosion.
"Kyah! What was that!?" Lucy screamed as the cat flew her to safety.
"It's Bickslow!"
A tall man was standing on top of one of the nearby buildings. "Are you the newbie I've been hearing so much about?" He asked as they landed.
Lucy looked up at him. "I don't think I wanna know what you've been hearing..."
"You and that Roxas guy are a really popular subject, are you guys...?" He raised a pinky and wiggled it.
The Celestial Spirit mage blushed furiously. "N-no! Why does it even matter!?"
The tall man sneered. "Then what's that outfit supposed to be? Trying to impress him?"
Lucy stomped her foot. "Again, no! This was supposed to be for the Miss Fairy Tail Contest, until you guys ruined it! Now I'll have to ask Roxas to pay for my half of the rent again..." She mumbled.
Bickslow cackled like a mad man as little objects started floating around his form. "I'll take care of that Roxas guy after I'm finished with you. Get 'er babies!"
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On the runes back in the guild the results of the battle were now seen. "Lucy won!" Natsu cheered.
"Way to go, Lu!" Roxas pumped a fist.
"No way!" Gajeel said completely shocked. "That cheerleader can fight?"
"Lucy is strong, man." Ariel said.
"Yeah, you shouldn't underestimate her." Roxas added. "Plus, I'm sure she would have kicked your ass back then if she had her keys."
"You're joking! I mean, she's a cheerleader!" Gajeel argued.
Levy heard their arguing while she was figuring out Freed's runes. "I knew Lu could do it!" she said to herself. "I've gotta solve this, too!" she continued her work.
"What's wrong with being a cheerleader?" Ariel said. "I mean, I would never be caught dead in wearing an outfit like that, but still."
"Cheerleaders can be tough!" Roxas argued.
"Yeah!" Natsu began getting in Gajeel's face. "Haven't you heard of the Tortoise and the Cheerleader?" he asked while he was holding a turtle hand puppet.
"That was a hare, you moron!" Gajeel protested. "And the dumb bunny lost!" Gajeel yelled and he had a hare hand puppet on his hand.
Levy continued her work, while trying to ignore the group's arguing. "If I can just figure this part out..." She then looked annoyed as the fighting was getting to her and a vein appeared on her head. "If I rewrite the runes..." However afterwards it seems the three Dragon Slayers and Fox Slayer finally stopped arguing. "But this is the hardest part to..." she looked to have figured something out. "That's it!" she yelled getting the three's attention.
"What is!?" the four asked.
"I got it! You read the two grammars at different rates to decipher it!" she explained while writing fast with her quill.
"Sorry... I don't think we got that..." Roxas said while laughing awkwardly, as the four were sweating.
"Then I match the corresponding time differentiated letters and convert to Gheel grammar... Then translate into Rouge..." she continued. Natsu, Gajeel, Ariel and Roxas were focusing on her. Levy held a big stack of papers in her hands. "I solved it!"
Natsu and Gajeel were getting excited. "Way to go Levy!" Roxas cheered.
"You rock!" Ariel cheered.
"Wait a sec! I'll rewrite the runes!" she looked to the four with a confident face. "Natsu, Gajeel, Roxas, Ariel. Are you ready? You're about to join the Battle of Fairy Tail!"
Natsu had his hand on fire with a look of determination written on his face. "I'm all fired up!" he said.
Gajeel had a smirk on his face. "It's time for rampage!"
Ariel had her hands on her hips with a smirk. "Let's kick some ass, boys!"
Roxas also smirked but also looked determined. "We're putting an end to all this!"
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Later...
Natsu was now on the top of a chimney overlooking the city. "Damn it, there's too many people. I can't find Laxus' smell." He flashed back to when Levy was explaining the plan to them.
'If you three get caught in Freed's runes, this will be all for nothing.' She explained. 'When you leave here, you have to split up got it.'
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Gajeel was in another part of the city. "One of these days I'll get my revenge on Salamander and Eragon, but first I'll crush that arrogant Thunder blow hard. I've got quite a bone to pick with him." He looked at a floating paper doll. "Is that alright, Master Ivan?"
"Gajeel..." he heard. "Right now, earning their trust is important." A man in a cloak said as he was around a large building with four cyclones around it. "Don't get found out. Act completely as a member of Fairy Tail, no matter what."
"I'm already doin' that." Gajeel responded.
"Fairy Tail's punishment will come later." The man was revealed to have slight tanned skin with a black hair and a bushy beard. In the distance, Ravens were seen flying in the distance.
"Roger." Gajeel said as he laughed evilly.
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Roxas was flying through the city, he was maneuvering through people on the street. "Pardon me! 'Scuse me!" he said. 'The Thunder Lacrima will go off soon I have to find Laxus and fast, I hope Natsu and Gajeel are having better luck.'
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Ariel was surfing across the water that led all over the town, looking left and right. "We need to hurry and put a stop to all this. Where are you, Lighting bastard?" She muttered as she continued on her way.
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Sometime later
Runes appeared in the Fairy Tail guild and close to where Mystogan was, Levy who was still in the guild read the results. "'Freed vs. Mirajane: Both remove themselves from contention.'" Levy read.
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Elsewhere Gajeel had a wide smirk on his face. "Battle of Fairy Tail!"
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Natsu who was still on top of the building looked ahead. "Only one left... Laxus!"
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Ariel was still surfing across the water. "We're coming for you, Thunder Prick!"
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"Your game finally ends..!" Roxas declared as he kept flying with a determined look on his face.
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Next Time: Final Clash Part 1
With the Defeat of the Thunder God tribe, only Laxus remains. The Final battle in Laxus' "Battle of Fairy Tail" will commence. Who will emerge victorious?