Phoenix Mountains
The valley trembled beneath the sound of a thousand snarls. The air was thick with heat and dust, the coppery scent of blood already clinging to the wind. From the ground at the narrow pass, Issei and his team stood in front of the swarm, being the only thing separating Sunflower Town from total annihilation.
Issei's eyes scanned the swarm. The monsters were pouring in from every direction now, wolves, apes, tigers, scaled beasts, and abominations with eyes that glowed. The ground shook with their every stride, rocks tumbling down from the cliffsides.
He clenched his gauntleted fist. 'We can't let even one get through.'
"Akitsu!" He ordered over the deafening growls. "Put up a wall up, something massive! We can't let them reach the town!"
Akitsu gave a silent nod, her pale brown eyes narrowing with focus. Frost began to bloom beneath her feet, creeping outward in beautiful, deadly patterns. She spread her hands, her voice calm but firm.
"Ice-Make: Great Glacier Wall!"
Magic erupted from her fingertips, and the temperature around them dropped instantly. A howling wind of frost tore through the valley, sweeping upward as towering spires of crystalized ice burst from the earth. The wall grew and grew until it dominated the landscape, a colossal barrier of shimmering frozen water that cut the mountain range in half.
The roar of the monsters collided with the roar of ice.
From the other side, the dark mages of Titan Fall shouted in alarm as the growing wall began to block their advance.
"Stop her!" One of them yelled, snapping his whip. The enchanted lash cracked through the air, striking several beasts in a frenzy. "Tear that wall down before it seals us in!"
Dozens of monsters surged forward, charging straight toward the forming glacier.
They never reached it.
With a blur of silver and black, Karasuba moved. Her sword gleamed as she swept through the front line. One slash. Two. Three. Each swing was clean, precise, and merciless as it was cutting through flesh and scale alike. By the time she stopped, a dozen monsters lay in halves, their blood sizzling against the cold ground.
"Honestly," She said with a smirk, flicking the crimson from her blade, "If this is the best they've got, this'll be boring."
"Don't get cocky, they outnumber us." Uzume called, leaping past her. Her veil extended and enlarged as giant ribbons as it later lashed out wrapping around a massive horned beast. With a sharp pull, she lifted it off the ground and spun. The monster slammed into another like a living wrecking ball, bones cracking under the impact.
"I call this my Veil Art: Morning Star!" Uzume shouted, swinging again. The captured beast smashed into a cluster of charging wolves, scattering them like bowling pins. "Pretty cool right? Me and Yashima started giving attack names to make them cooler."
From the opposite side of the field, Yashima cutely roared as she brought out her hammer and then slammed it down as she enlarged the hammer. The shockwave of the impact flattened the earth, sending a wave of crushed rock and shattered bodies across the valley floor.
"Crushing Blow!" She cried, swinging again, the head of her hammer glowing bright gold as gravity became even heavier and it swept through the next line of monsters. Flesh, bone, and magic energy exploded outward, painting the battlefield in chaos.
Above them, Kuromaru spread his wings wide and released a deafening roar that rattled the sky. Bolts of black lightning crackled along his scales as he dove, blasting clusters of beasts with bursts of energy.
Riding along his back, Yuuka crouched low with her twin revolvers gleaming. Every shot she fired crackled with various elements from fire, electricity, and ice, each bullet piercing through the skulls of flying monsters that tried to ambush from above.
"For my first official quest. This is kind of easy." She muttered, reloading with a grin.
The monsters kept coming, but they were dying faster than they could advance. Akitsu's ice continued to expand until the mountain itself groaned under its pressure, frost crawling across the rocks, sealing entire ridges in glittering white. The wall towered so high that it reached several smaller mountain peaks, dividing the battlefield completely.
Down below, Ruby, the red Exceed, stood frozen in awe. Her small paws trembled as she watched the impossible scene unfold before her, these women fighting side by side with overwhelming strength and grace, cutting through monsters with ease.
'They're… incredible,' She thought, her heart racing. 'No wonder Fairy Tail is so feared and respected. They're a force of nature.'
She was so mesmerized by the sight that she didn't notice the shadow falling over her until it was too late.
A monstrous wolf, its fur black as coal, eyes glowing red, lunged from behind a rock formation, its fangs bared. Its size dwarfed her completely as it was four times the size of a regular wolf, she could feel its hot, foul breath as it pounced.
Ruby froze, eyes wide, unable to move.
"RUBY!" Uzume shouted as she extended her veils to pull her away.
But before the beast's jaws could close, a flash of red streaked through the air.
Issei darted forward faster than the eye could follow. His fist ignited in a swirl of fire, connecting squarely with the monster's jaw. The impact echoed like thunder.
The wolf didn't just fall, it flew across the area. The creature's body was sent crashing back through three other beasts before slamming into a boulder, shattering it on impact.
Issei stood where it had been, smoke curling off his gauntlet, his expression serious but calm. "Hey, Ruby," He said, glancing over his shoulder with a reassuring grin. "You alright?"
Ruby blinked, her fur puffed out, tail standing straight. "Y-Yeah… I think so," she stammered. "But— you— you just punched a wolf bigger than a house!"
He shrugged. "It was no big deal."
Karasuba barked a laugh from across the field. "Still can't turn it off, can you, hero?"
"Wouldn't be me if I did," Issei shot back with a grin.
Above them, Kuromaru let out another roar, the storm of lightning growing stronger around him. The battlefield had become a tempest as flame, frost, steel, and thunder collided in a spectacle that shook the entire mountain range.
But even amid their power, a new presence stirred deeper within the swarm.
Hidden behind the swarm of monsters, the masked mages of Titan Fall watched with fury and awe as their controlled beasts were torn apart one after another.
"Damn it," One of them hissed. "They're destroying everything we've built!"
Valt, the bone-masked commander raised his whip and struck the ground and then raised his right arm where the spiraling black bracelet made the magic ripple outward in violent waves. "Then it's time we stop underestimating Fairy Tail," He snarled. "If they want a war, we'll give them one."
And as the earth began to glow with crimson sigils around the bracelet, the monsters roared anew, louder, wilder, as if something even darker had taken hold of them. A crimson pulse rippled through the ranks of the surviving monsters, then came the sound of a whip cutting the wind.
From the ridge above, Valt, commander of Titan Fall, stepped forward. His bone-white mask caught the glow of his own spellwork, the spiral band on his arm burning with black-red light. Around him, runes spread through the earth like veins.
"Beast Control Array: Second phase," He hissed. "Let the strong devour the weak as only rage shall remain!"
The symbols flared. Energy exploded outward in a wave that tore through the horde. The monsters shrieked as black marks seared across their hides, their eyes flooding crimson. The air filled with the stench of scorched flesh. Even the ground quivered, echoing their howls.
From the front line, Issei saw the change instantly. "Damn it… something is happening!"
He slammed a fist into the skull of a charging boar, flames bursting from the impact. The creature's carcass crashed into two more behind it, but a dozen others leapt to fill its place.
"Everyone—brace yourselves!" He shouted over the chaos. "This feels like a round two!"
Karasuba was already laughing. Her blade spun in silver arcs, cutting through the berserk beasts like a storm. "Finally!" She shouted, eyes gleaming. "They're putting up a fight!"
"Karasuba, you're insane," Yuuka muttered from above, firing down from Kuromaru's back. Sparks crackled with every bullet she fired. "But I'm not complaining."
Uzume danced through the battlefield, her veil flowing like white fire. It wrapped around a creature's throat, snapped tight, then whipped another through the air. She dodged a slash from a clawed arm and twisted away, breathing hard.
"Something's wrong!" She called out. "They're getting stronger—do you feel that? The energy is climbing by the second!"
Yashima swung her hammer in answer, crushing a reptilian beast's head into the earth. "I feel it," she grunted. "Their hides are thicker too!"
"Doesn't matter," Karasuba cut in, carving a bloody circle through a cluster of wolves. "That just means this is finally getting fun."
"Focus!" Issei barked, ducking under a lizard's swipe and driving an uppercut through its jaw. "If they keep coming, we'll get surrounded."
The red gauntlet on his arm flared again.
"Boost!"
Flame wrapped around his fist as he drove forward, punching through a bear-like creature's chest. He barely had time to pull his arm free before another lunged. The air shimmered with heat and frost as Akitsu's magic formed spears of ice that impaled the attacker mid-leap.
For every beast they killed, two more took its place. The entire valley quickly had become a warzone.
—-----------------------
On the ridge, Valt raised his arm again. "Let's see how long these fairies can dance!"
A surge of energy burst from the array. The monsters roared louder, their movements even more erratic. Some began climbing over each other, a living wall of bodies trying to reach the defenders.
Issei gritted his teeth. 'While they still aren't a threat. They really do outnumber us.'
His eyes darted to the small red figure darting between monsters. "Ruby!" he called. "Can you use your magic to buff us and make us faster and stronger!"
Ruby flinched, barely dodging a swipe from a giant crab-like creature. "I can!" She shouted back. "But I have to touch you!"
"Then start with me!"
She leapt onto a rock, wings flaring, then sprang toward him. Her paw pressed against his forehead.
A magic circle burst out and magic surged through his body. Power flooded his limbs, the world seemed to slow. His every heartbeat thundered with energy.
"Whoa—this is amazing!" Issei grinned, the flames around his gauntlet intensifying. "Alright, let's kick it up!"
He blurred forward, punching faster than before, each strike releasing fiery shockwaves that tore through waves of monsters. The ground split under the impact.
"Ruby!" he shouted between blows. "Hit the others next!"
"On it!"
The Exceed darted across the battlefield, weaving between claws and fangs. She leapt onto Yashima's shoulder first, her paw flashing. The hammer wielder glowed gold and swung with newfound might, the shockwave sending monsters flying like leaves.
Then Ruby touched Uzume, whose movements became a blur—her veil snapping faster than the eye could follow, slicing through air and flesh alike.
She reached Akitsu next, the enchantment wrapping her in a pale blue aura. The temperature plummeted as her ice formed faster, sharper, until the very air froze the beasts mid-charge.
Up in the sky, Ruby flew toward Yuuka and Kuromaru. "Hold still!"
"Easier said than done!" Yuuka shouted, reloading as the wyvern banked hard. Ruby barely managed to plant her paw against Kuromaru's neck before the wyvern's magic flared. Lightning surged along his scales, now glowing brighter.
From above, Yuuka took advantage of her enhanced reflexes. "Thanks, kitten! Let's return the favor!"
Her eyes narrowed as she looked below and focused magic through her eyes. It was between the swarming monsters, she caught flashes of human figures wearing dark cloaks, glowing whips.
"There!" She hissed. "Found you, you bastards."
Her guns barked twice, lightning-charged bullets ripping through the haze. Two dark mages screamed as they fell from their mounts, their control whips disintegrating in bursts of blue sparks. The beasts near them faltered, breaking free of the magic for a moment before being trampled by their still-enslaved kin.
Yuuka reloaded smoothly. "Let's see how your little puppet show works without strings."
—-------------------
Down below, Issei could feel the tide shifting. The monsters still came, but suddenly their formations began to falter. He punched through another charging brute and looked up toward the ridge where he saw the mage standing.
The bone-masked commander met his gaze and raised his whip again with the bracelet glowing brighter than before. The swarm again began to rattle and strengthened their ongoing attack.
Issei's eyes narrowed. 'So you're the one pulling the strings.
He slammed his fist together, flames erupting around him. "Everyone, get ready! I think I found the one responsible! And he's doing something."
"Really what is it?" Uzume asked.
"Hell if I know but get ready!" Issei said, not letting his eyes lose sight of the man.
The roar quickly deathened the sound of the rest of the swarm, echoing off the canyon like thunder. From the heart of the valley, a new shape began to rise, huge, hulking, and covered in black armor that pulsed with the same red light as Valt's bracelet.
The ground split apart beneath its weight.
Yashima stared upward, hammer lowering slightly. "What… what is that?"
Karasuba's grin widened. "Hopefully it's something worth killing."
"Boost!"
Issei took a step forward, the flames around him burning hotter, Ruby hovering at his shoulder with wide eyes.
From the center of the swarm, the ground began to split apart. Rocks cracked and rolled away as something massive pushed its way up from below. The monsters, even in their frenzy, faltered for a heartbeat, backing away in instinctive fear.
"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Issei shouted, throwing up an arm to shield his face as a gust of wind and black mist burst outward.
From the fissure, a colossal form began to rise, first its claws, long and curved, each as sharp as a sword. Then its head, black and jagged like forged armor, with rows of serrated teeth glinting.
The creature roared again, and the shockwave of it sent nearby beasts tumbling. When it stepped fully into view, even the ground quaked beneath its weight.
It was like some nightmarish hybrid of dragon and dinosaur — a black-armored Tyrannosaurus with elongated forearms, claws that carved trenches in the dirt with each movement. Dark mist poured from its jaws, eating away at the earth wherever it fell.
"Holy crap," Uzume gasped, eyes wide as she dodged a lunging monster. "Tell me that's not what I think it is."
Yashima stared upward, her hammer resting against her shoulder. "It's… a dinosaur. A living one."
Issei wiped dust from his face, eyes narrowing. "And it's moving right toward us."
From his vantage point on the ridge, Valt laughed — a cold, sound muffled behind his bone mask. He raised his whip high, the crimson runes flaring brighter. "Behold! The product of Titan Fall's art, the S-ranked Monster the Abyssal Devourer! Let it crush you beneath its strength!"
The beast roared again, stomping forward, each step shaking loose rocks from the cliffs.
Kuromaru, sensing a rival predator, lowered his body instinctively, his throat rumbling with a deep, furious growl. Lightning danced along his wings, his golden eyes fixed on the armored monster below.
On his back, Yuuka adjusted herself to not be thrown off. "Well, big guy, looks like you're not the only reptile-shaped terror today."
Kuromaru snorted, as if offended.
"Relax," She added with a grin. "You're still my favorite."
She then pointed her two revolvers at the dinosaur and pulled the trigger, her bullets crackling with electric energy as they ripped into the smaller monsters circling near the beast's feet. But the bullets sparked harmlessly against the dinosaur's armor.
"Damn," Yuuka muttered. "Its hide's too thick even for lightning rounds."
Below, Akitsu swept her arms outward. Twin blades of gleaming ice formed in her hands. Her expression remained calm, unreadable, even as she plunged forward, slicing cleanly through two charging beasts before they could flank Issei. Every movement left trails of frost that froze the ground solid.
Uzume vaulted over one of Akitsu's frozen victims, her veil flashing as she struck another beast aside. "Man, Matsu is going to kill us when she finds out!" She shouted. "A real dinosaur, and she's not here to see it!"
Yashima snorted despite herself, slamming her hammer into another monster. "She'll be furious we didn't take pictures."
The air rumbled again, this time, from Karasuba's laughter. She stood a short distance ahead, sword drawn, her grin wide and feral.
"Dibs!" She yelled, her voice ringing out over the chaos. "The big one's mine!"
Issei blinked, caught off guard by her enthusiasm. "Karasuba—wait, seriously?!"
But she was already moving. With a burst of speed, she dashed forward, her silver hair whipping behind her as she sprinted straight toward the towering creature.
"She's serious," Uzume said flatly, dodging another claw.
"Of course she is," Yashima muttered. "She's insane."
Issei exhaled, rubbing his temples even as he ducked under another strike. "Fine! Let her have her fun — but stay alert. If she gets in over her head, back her up immediately!"
"Understood!" Yashima called, hammer glowing with runes.
The group surged into action again.
Karasuba met the colossal dinosaur head-on. The thing's shadow swallowed her entirely, but her grin only widened. When it swung its claws down, she dodged with a blur of speed, slicing one arm as she passed. Sparks flew, the armor cracked but didn't break a clear difference from when she fought Kuromaru and her blade bounced harmlessly off its scales.
The beast roared in fury, snapping its massive jaws. Karasuba laughed, darting up its leg and carving into its side. "That's it, big guy! Show me your teeth!"
Meanwhile, Issei ducked another swipe from a corrupted bear, his gauntlet blazing with light as he countered.
"Boost!"
The punch detonated the creature in a burst of fire. As he straightened, he then started walking in the direction of the masked individual.
She was swinging her hammer like a comet, her voice echoing through the chaos. "If Karasuba's taking the dino, then what about you, Issei?!"
He turned his head up just enough to glare toward the ridge. There stood the masked man, arm raised, controlling the chaos with that cruel, steady hand.
"What am I going to do?" Issei said, his tone hardening as he set his sights on Valt.
He punched another monster aside, embers flaring in his eyes. "I'm going to deal with the asshole who started all this."
Ruby, still weaving through the air, blinked. "Wait, you're going after the masked creep?!"
"Someone's gotta kick that guy's ass." Issei said, leaping over a charging beast. "You all keep the rest and the big one busy! I'll handle the ringleader!"
He sprinted across the battlefield, the earth shattering beneath each step. Flames wrapped around his legs, leaving streaks of red in his wake as he barreled toward the ridge.
Behind him, the sounds of battle thundered from Karasuba's joyous laughter, Yashima's hammer slamming into armor, Uzume's veil cracking through flesh, Yuuka's gunfire echoing above, and Kuromaru's lightning shaking the heavens.
—---------------------------
The ground trembled beneath the weight of power as Issei sprinted upward, each step cracking the rock beneath his shoes. The red glow of the Boosted Gear burned bright across his left arm, pulsing with Ddraig's voice deep inside his mind.
(Careful, partner. Who knows what type of tricks your opponent has .)
"I'll be careful." Issei muttered under his breath, his eyes locked on the bone-masked commander standing at the summit. "But it doesn't matter. I'm ending this now."
Valt, the Titan Fall commander, stood unmoving, his cloak whipping violently in the infernal wind. Below him, the battlefield raged, monsters shrieking, frost spreading, and fire illuminating the mountain. The sight didn't impress him. He tilted his head slightly, his voice echoing from behind the mask.
"So the fairy boy thinks he can reach me." His whip slithered to life, sparking with red and black energy. "Let's see if you can dance."
With a flick of his wrist, the whip cracked through the air, the sound sharp enough to split stone. It lashed toward Issei like a serpent, cutting through the ground wherever it struck.
But Issei was already moving.
With his Boosted Gear active, his movements blurred into red streaks, each step leaving scorched prints behind. The whip struck empty air again and again, tearing trenches into the ground but never touching him.
Valt snarled, snapping the whip in every direction, but Issei ducked, slid, and sidestepped every strike, his smirk growing wider.
"You're fast for a puppet master," Issei called out. "But not fast enough!"
He drew in a deep breath, his chest swelling with heat as flames surged up his throat.
"Fire Dragon's… ROAR!"
A torrent of red fire erupted from his mouth, rushing forward like a tidal wave of molten fury. The heat warped the air itself, melting the rock and turning the sand beneath them into glass.
Valt leapt to the side, his cloak igniting at the edges as the flames consumed the ridge where he had stood. The ground exploded, showering debris across the mountain.
When the smoke cleared, Valt landed lightly on his feet, his mask now cracked across one side. He touched the damage with his fingers, then chuckled, a deep, unsettling sound.
"Interesting. So you're one of the Dragon Slayers." His tone shifted, lower, darker. "Then I suppose I should stop playing with you."
He raised his right arm, and the air rippled. The flesh along his forearm began to twist and deform, bones cracking and reshaping themselves. With a sickening sound, sharp white spikes grew outward, forming jagged blades that extended from his wrists like twin scythes.
"Bone Magic: Twin Blades," Valt hissed, flexing his new weapons. "Let's see how your dragon fire fares against a body born from death itself."
He vanished in a blur of motion.
Issei barely had time to react before the commander appeared before him, slashing downward with both bladed arms.
Issei brought up his gauntlet, the red armor meeting the white bone with a clang that sent sparks flying. The impact cracked the stone beneath them. Valt twisted, slashing horizontally, but Issei ducked under it and drove a punch into the man's gut.
The commander staggered but recovered instantly, retaliating with a spinning kick that Issei barely dodged. The two moved faster than most eyes could follow, trading blows that sent shockwaves through the air.
Each time Valt swung, the earth split. Each time Issei struck, his flames burned.
From the distance below, Ruby looked up between her own spellwork, her fur bristling. "They're tearing the mountain apart!"
—----------------------
Meanwhile, down below, the battle between Karasuba and the Abyssal Devourer had turned into its own kind of hell.
The monstrous dinosaur stomped and roared, its black mist pouring from its jaws and melting through stone like acid. Every breath it exhaled turned the ground into smoking pools of corruption.
Karasuba darted between its legs, her sword gleaming silver in the light of fire. Each step was precise, every movement calculated as if in a deadly dance.
"Come on, big guy!" She taunted, leaping up to slice through its tail as it swung. Sparks and ichor sprayed across the battlefield. "You'll be the first oversized lizard I kill!"
The beast turned, slamming its tail again, but she slid under it with a grin. "Missed me!"
She ran up its hind leg, slicing open gashes across its black armor. The creature bellowed in pain, trying to shake her off, but she dug her blade deep into its hide, anchoring herself.
As she pulled free, she landed lightly on a nearby rock, panting but grinning wide. "Oh yeah," She said to no one in particular. "This is fun."
But she had to be careful. As she moved, her sharp eyes caught the faint shimmer of mist around her. The black fog the beast exhaled was creeping closer, corroding everything, even Akitsu's ice. A single drop of it sizzled as it touched her sword's edge, leaving a mark.
"Tch. Poison and acid? What a delightful combination," She muttered sarcastically, stepping back.
Still, she couldn't deny the thrill. Every time she struck, the beast's flesh tore a little more. By now, the dinosaur's body was covered in cuts — deep crimson leaking from beneath the black armor.
It roared again, shaking the entire battlefield.
"Karasuba!" Uzume shouted from afar, ducking under a whip strike from one of the Titan Fall mages. "That thing's breath will melt your skin off, be careful!"
Karasuba only laughed. "Then I'll just have to kill it before it breathes again!" She dashed forward once more, her blade flashing like a comet.
—-------------------------
Elsewhere, Yashima, Uzume, Akitsu, Yuuka and Kuromaru continued their own struggle. The Titan Fall mages had decided to enter the fray personally, their whips and staves glowing with dark energy.
Akitsu created massive ice spears, launching them into clusters of monsters, freezing them mid-charge before shattering them with one sweep of her twin blades. "There are too many," She said quietly, her breath fogging the air. "But they fall easily enough."
Yashima swung her hammer down, the force splitting a fissure through the battlefield. "Hopefully this ends soon. I kind of feel bad at attacking them. It's clear that they are being controlled."
"Easier said than done!" Uzume yelled, her veil wrapping around an enemy mage before slamming him into another. "These creeps don't stay down!"
Above them, Yuuka and Kuromaru coordinated perfectly. The wyvern flew low, lightning crackling and being shot off across his scales as Yuuka picked off enemy mages one by one. Every shot was clean as they were hit by bolt of blue death in the chaos below.
"That's five!" Yuuka shouted, reloading. "Think you can give me a better view, big guy?"
Kuromaru responded with a deep growl, climbing higher before diving again, his roar sending shockwaves through the corrupted beasts.
—---------------------------
Back at the ridge, the duel intensified.
Issei and Valt clashed again, bone and fire colliding with explosive force. Sparks and ash filled the air, each impact sending ripples across the battlefield.
Valt's laughter echoed through the chaos. "Not bad, Dragon of Fairy Tail! But let's see how long you last when your strength burns out!"
He slashed both arms downward, the bone blades glowing black. Issei met the strike with both hands, flames bursting outward in a wave of heat.
"Boost!"
The power surged. Issei twisted, caught Valt's arm, and slammed his fist into the man's chest. The blow cracked his armor and sent him skidding back across the ridge.
Valt's mask split further, revealing a hint of crimson eye beneath.
He hissed, blood dripping from his mouth. "You… you think this is enough to stop Titan Fall?"
Issei's expression hardened, flames dancing around his shoulders. "Probably not." He said simply, his voice calm but resolute. "But it's enough to stop you."
Valt's growl deepened, resonating through the cracked ridge like the rumble of an earthquake. His aura flared shadowed by streaks of black, power pulsing in erratic waves as bone spikes burst from his back, elongating like jagged wings. The sheer density of his magic warped the air, scattering dust and ash into spiraling patterns.
Issei narrowed his eyes, his instincts prickling.
Then, without warning, Valt slammed both hands to the ground. The earth answered with a deafening crack.
"Issei, MOVE!" Sherri's voice rang inside his mind — sharp, clear, and urgent.
Issei didn't hesitate. He leapt backward just as the mountain floor erupted in a forest of bone spikes, each one thick as a tree trunk and sharp enough to impale steel. The spikes tore through where he had stood, their tips glinting faintly in the firelight.
"Great timing, Sherri!" He shouted, landing in a crouch.
"You're welcome Master. Try not to stand still when the terrain tries to murder you." She snapped back, her voice layered with static from the intensity of the battle.
Issei grinned despite himself. "Got it!"
But Valt wasn't finished. Raising one hand, the commander's fingers twisted grotesquely, transforming into hollow barrels of bone. With a sickening crack, he fired.
Dozens of bone bullets ripped through the air, each one trailing crimson mist. They hit like cannon fire, gouging holes into the ground and blasting chunks of rock into the sky.
Issei crossed his arm in front of him, the Boosted Gear was swung deflecting the barrage. The bullets shattered midair, scattering like bone shrapnel as shockwaves rippled outward. Even so, the impact forced Issei back several meters, his boots grinding furrows into the stone.
He hissed under his breath. "Alright, no more holding back."
He closed his eyes for a brief moment. The magic inside him surged.
Reinforcement.
Green light enveloped his limbs, blending with the fiery red of the Boosted Gear. His muscles tensed, his heartbeat thundered, and his senses sharpened, every sound, every vibration became crystal clear.
Then came the fire.
Flames erupted across his body, wrapping him in a blazing inferno that shimmered with traces of draconic aura. The flames didn't burn him; they became him. His aura twisted into the shape of a dragon's silhouette for a fleeting instant before dissipating.
Issei grinned, teeth glinting in the firelight. "Alright, let's see you block this!"
He shot forward in a red and orange blur of heat and motion.
Valt raised more bone spikes from the earth, trying to impale him mid-charge, but Issei's fist met the first and it shattered like glass. Another spike erupted to his left, one swing of his leg crushed it into dust. He carved his way forward, punching, kicking, and breaking through every obstacle until he reached the commander.
The moment he did, he threw his entire weight behind a flaming punch that swirled and burned around him, turning the flames into the appearance of an oriental dragon. Thankfully it wasn't as intense as his fight with Natsu and wasn't as dangerous as before.
"FLAMING DRAGON FIST / HONO NO RYU KEN!"
The blow connected, erupting in a wave of fire that sent Valt flying backward, smashing through the rocks and tumbling into a crater of his own making.
Smoke and debris filled the air. For a heartbeat, it seemed quiet.
Then Valt's laughter echoed from the pit. "Impressive. But this won't be enough to beat me!"
—-------------------------------
Karasuba's duel with the Abyssal Devourer had reached its zenith.
The towering black-armored dinosaur roared, shaking the mountain range. Its breath reeked of decay, and from its jaws poured streams of dark mist that corroded everything it touched. Karasuba's blade was already glowing faintly red from the heat and friction of constant movement.
She continued to weave through its strikes, the tail, the claws, the snapping maw, every attack met with her blade's elegant deflection or a sidestep that left her coat fluttering in the storm. Her eyes burned with the thrill of battle.
"This thing's stubborn," She muttered, dodging another massive tail swing. "Come on, show me something new!"
As if answering her challenge, the creature looked directly at her and inhaled sharply. Its jaws widened — and light began to gather in its throat.
Karasuba froze. "Oh, hell."
The light exploded outward, a massive energy beam tearing across the battlefield, vaporizing everything in its path.
Karasuba didn't have time to move as the attack was coming at her too quickly but before it could hit a small red blur slammed into her side and grabbed her.
"Got you!" Ruby shouted, wings beating furiously as she pulled Karasuba away from the impact zone. The two crashed into the ground behind a boulder as the beam struck where Karasuba had stood, detonating in a blinding explosion of black energy.
The shockwave sent ash and dust flying for miles.
Karasuba sat up, brushing dust off her shoulders, and sighed. "…Guess I owe you one, cat."
Ruby huffed, tail puffed. "You're welcome! And my name's Ruby!"
Karasuba smirked. "Fine, Ruby. Thanks for the save." Her gaze shifted toward the wounded, snarling beast. "Looks like I might need to stop holding back."
"You're not already going all out?!" Ruby asked, incredulous.
Karasuba's smirk only widened. "Not yet. But if I'm going to use my Norito, I'll need to be close to Issei."
Ruby blinked. "Norito? What's that?"
"Long story," Karasuba said, gripping her sword's hilt. "But let's just say it'll finish this thing in one strike."
Ruby hovered beside her, thinking fast. "Well, if it's power you need, I can help! I can enchant you and amplify your magic!"
Karasuba's eyes flicked toward her, impressed despite herself. "You can do that?"
Ruby nodded quickly. "I did it for your friends earlier! Just say when!"
Karasuba exhaled through her nose and raised her blade high, dark cursed flames starting to crawl along its length. "Then do it now. I'm ending this."
Ruby darted forward, pressing her glowing paw to Karasuba's back and then to the blade. "Enchantment: Magic Amplification!"
A surge of energy flooded through Karasuba, so strong that it made the air hum. Her aura ignited, darkness spiraling up her arms and along her nodachi. The weapon pulsed with a violent, living rhythm as if it were breathing with her.
Karasuba felt her pulse quicken, her senses sharpening to perfect focus. "Totomaru," she muttered, remembering her teacher's words. "Guess it's time to see if your lessons were worth it."
She gathered her magic, pouring every drop into the blade. The black fire condensed, its glow brightening until the weapon looked like a shard of the night sky itself. The Abyssal Devourer roared, sensing danger, and began to charge another beam.
Both powers began to charge as it prepared to be released in a devastating display of power.
The monster fired first.
A massive wave of dark energy blasted from its mouth, scorching the sky. The very ground cracked under the force of it.
Karasuba didn't move. Not yet.
Her eyes gleamed like polished steel. She waited until the beam was nearly upon her. Then she swung.
"Flaming Blade Art—Crescent Execution!"
Her black-flamed sword sliced downward, releasing a flaming crescent of pure destruction. The attack cleaved through the beast's energy beam, splitting it apart in a shockwave that tore the clouds from the sky.
The dark energy shattered like glass and Karasuba's attack continued forward, unstoppable.
The flaming crescent carved straight through the Abyssal Devourer, splitting its body from head to tail.
For a brief, blinding moment, everything went still.
Then, with a final guttural roar, the monstrous dinosaur collapsed. Its massive frame split in two, crashing to the ground in a thunderous quake that sent dust and wind surging through the battlefield. The black mist dissolved, the corruption vanishing with it.
Karasuba exhaled slowly, lowering her blade as the black flames died down. "Hmph. Guess that's that."
Ruby hovered beside her, still wide-eyed. "That… that was amazing!"
Karasuba wiped the sweat from her brow, smirking. "Told you I'd end it in one attack."
She turned her gaze upward toward the ridge, where Issei's battle still raged against Valt. "Now then," she said quietly. "Let's see how the others are doing."
—--------------------------------
Even with the colossal dinosaur's corpse collapsing in the distance, the battle was far from over. The valley still shook with the weight of hundreds of smaller monsters surging forward, driven by blind instinct now that their master's control was weakening.
The girls fought without pause.
Yuuka continued to ride high on Kuromaru's back, her twin revolvers spitting fire into the swarm. Each pull of the trigger flashed blue light, the bullets tearing through waves of creatures with crackling precision. Kuromaru swooped and turned, his lightning-charged wings slicing through the air, burning away any beast foolish enough to leap toward him.
"Keep it steady, big guy!" Yuuka shouted over the roar of wind and wings. "I can't miss if you stop doing barrel rolls!"
Kuromaru answered with a rumbling growl that sounded suspiciously like laughter.
Below, Akitsu was a storm of ice. Her ice spread across the ground like a living glacier, freezing beasts mid-charge before they could reach her. Every motion of her hands released new blades of frozen air that whistled through the swarm, impaling creatures by the dozen. Her calm expression never changed, though the cold around her grew thick enough to make even the monsters hesitate.
Nearby, Uzume continued to move like a dancer, her veil snapping through the air as it caught two mages at once. With a flick, she slammed them together before spinning into a kick that dropped a lunging wolf. Another mage tried to flank her, only to be caught by a sweep of her leg.
"Seriously," She huffed, "don't you creeps ever stay down?"
She leapt away as a massive hammer struck the ground beside her, flattening the beasts she'd just thrown. Yashima stood there smiling, her weapon now nearly twice its usual size thanks to her magic.
"Nice throw!" Yashima called out.
Uzume smirked. "Nice catch."
Together they repeated the rhythm, Uzume grabbing enemies with her veil and hurling them through the air, Yashima smashing them down with hammer swings that shook the battlefield. Each impact left craters and flattened earth, sending ripples of dust and blood skyward.
—------------------------------
Up on the ridge, Issei's duel with Valt had turned into a brutal, grinding exchange of force and endurance.
The two collided again and again. Every strike from Issei sent Valt crashing backward, but every time the masked man would rise again, his armor splintered yet his eyes were still burning behind that cracked mask.
Issei ducked under a bone spike and countered with a fiery kick that sent his opponent skidding through the dirt. His breathing remained steady, but sweat clung to his brow from the sheer effort of restraint.
Inside his mind, two familiar voices spoke.
(Partner, at this point you could end it with Balance Breaker. He's wasting your time.)
'Yeah, but where's the fun in that? I'm already winning. No need to bring out the big guns unless I have to.'
"From an efficiency standpoint, I must agree withDdraig. You're expending unnecessary energy."
'It's fine. Showing off too much will just make them think of ways to counter me. Better to let them think I'm holding back.'
He cracked his neck, flames rolling across his shoulders as Valt climbed from the rubble once more. "Man," Issei muttered, "you're like a zombie that won't quit."
Valt spat blood, his voice a growl. "You'll regret mocking Titan Fall."
"Yeah," Issei said, stepping forward. "You said that one before." He swung his fist again. The impact sent Valt flying through a boulder.
For a heartbeat, the mountain fell silent.
Then the air shimmered.
A single floating eye, glowing crimson and surrounded by black mist, appeared beside Valt's broken form. Its presence made the air itself heavy, oppressive. The commander stiffened, his arrogance instantly replaced by fear.
A woman's voice, smooth and cold as glass, echoed from the eye. "Enough."
Valt froze. "My lady—please, I only need more time! I can—"
"Silence," The voice hissed. "You've failed. This demonstration has gone on long enough." Her tone held the weight of command, and even the surrounding monsters seemed to shrink under it.
Valt clenched his fists, desperation seeping through his voice. "I can still win—he's tiring! Give me just a little more—"
The eye pulsed red, cutting him off. "You'll speak when spoken to."
Issei watched, his flames dimming slightly as confusion mixed with disgust. "Seriously? You're getting scolded in the middle of a fight?"
The eye turned toward him, its iris narrowing into a slit. The air vibrated with its attention.
"You," it said. "You are not registered in our projections. State your name."
Issei blinked. "If you must know its Issei Hyoudou."
The name hung in the air for a moment. Then the voice repeated it, as if committing it to memory. "Issei… Hyoudou."
A pause, followed by a faint, amused hum.
"So the rumors of Fairy Tail acquiring another dragon slayer is true. I will remember this. Consider this your first and final warning."
The eye's glow intensified, warping the air around it.
"You are now an enemy of Titan Fall."
Before Issei could respond, both the eye and Valt's body began to distort, their forms unraveling into ripples of crimson light.
"Hey—wait!" Issei shouted, stepping forward. "We're not done yet!"
But in an instant, they were gone. Only the scent of scorched air and the faint hum of magic remained.
Issei exhaled sharply, scanning the area. "Teleportation?"
"Yes. I sensed high Spatial energy. They must have left the region completely."
(Cowards. But that voice… Judging by how the bone man reacted to her. She must be strong, partner. Far stronger than that fool.)
Issei nodded, flexing his knuckles. "Yeah. And something tells me we'll be seeing her again."
He looked down the ridge toward the battlefield below—where his family still fought, where the girls were cleaning up what remained of the swarm, where Ruby and Karasuba stood over the smoldering corpse of the fallen dinosaur.
The flames around his body faded, leaving only the faint glow of embers.
"Alright," he murmured, turning to the horizon. "Let's wrap this up and head home."