Chapter 11

This is quite a disturbing sight. The forest itself is dead. Rotted and turned black from the pollution of Nirvana's magic power. From the sky above, it looks like a stain upon the green earth. A cursed forest.

The Oracion Seis are hiding out in some ruins within the forest. It was by following them there that I discovered the reason for Wendy's capture. They need her healing magic.

Apparently, Jellal does not come here himself, but he is brought here by the Oracion Seis. He was discovered by Brain, stuck in a coma. Brain doesn't know the exact location of Nirvana, but Jellal does. He captured Wendy to heal him and wake him up so that he could lead them to it. I know that this is bound to fail, as Jellal should have lost his memories and therefore should have no idea where Nirvana is, but the Oracion Seis know none of this.

At this moment, Racer has been sent to pick up Jellal, and the light mages are all locked in combat with some of the lesser dark guilds under the six. Only Hibiki, Lucy, and Erza remain outside of battle. I'm getting kind of bored just waiting around and watching everyone else have fun. Sadly, this isn't an easy enough mission that would allow me time to play around.

No, I am forced to wait in boredom for a full hour as Racer retrieves Jellal and returns to their base with him. While the light mages defeat the dark guilds and all start heading in the direction of that same base. Well, all of them minus Ichiya.

My boredom is only slightly alleviated by the discovery that Wendy knows Jellal, but I would imagine that she met Mystogan instead. Either way, it would seem that their connection wasn't so simple, because, despite Happy's begging, Wendy still decides to heal Jellal. A few moments after she has begun, Gray and Natsu reach the base.

The start of two separate battles is my last view from the skies before I decide to descend to the forest floor. Gray blocked Racer and allowed Natsu to pass by, and a short distance away, Jura Neekis confronted Hoteye. As much as I would like to watch, I believe that Natsu will probably escape via the sky with Happy, so I can't remain up there.

I landed just in time to see Jellal blast Natsu with a massive beam of magic, I'm not even sure what spell it was exactly, just that it was powerful. Afterward, he attacks Brain and leaves into the forest. I'm curious about where he is going, but I can't afford to leave Brain. Especially not when he is almost all alone now.

"Cobra!" All of a sudden Brain shouts from the cave. "Can you hear me? Jellal has fled! Go after him! Wherever he is headed, that is where Nirvana lies!"

Brain seems to think that Jellal wants to steal Nirvana, but I'm doubtful. If he has lost his memories, then he would probably just be strolling around aimlessly. Still, Brain is pretty rattled by the thought and just sits down and mumbles nonsense to himself. He continues to do so until a distant explosion signals Racer's defeat.

At that point, everything seems to be put into motion at once. Brain awakens Midnight and tells him to kill the light mage. I can faintly hear Wendy and Natsu meeting back up with Erza to heal her. Nirvana is awakened and a pillar of black light pierces the clouds. Finally, Brain and Midnight leave the cave, heading in different directions.

I follow Brain, who in turn is following the path taken by Jellal to the black pillar of light. Every passing second, he seems to grow more and more impatient.

"I will not let you have it. Jellal, Nirvana belongs to me, nobody else." Brain mutters under his breath as he tracks down Jellal's location.

Brain advances slowly, probably taking in all the information that I am gathering at the same time. Possibly by hijacking their archive user's magic, but his methods are irrelevant, what is happening is of much greater concern to me. Hoteye's personality has been warped by Nirvana, making him value love instead of money. Midnight has begun his hunt, already having taken down two of the Blue Pegasus mages. Finally, the two slave owners have begun to fight.

It may be that Caprico has altered my perspective, but I have no positive feelings regarding celestial mages. Whether they are kind or cruel to their spirits, it doesn't change the fact that they are still their slaves. They cannot refuse their orders, so what's the difference? Nobody is wholly good or wholly evil, there is no way that the spirits and their owner will agree on every decision, regardless of how nice that owner normally is to them. It's a distasteful type of magic that forces obedience. To me, it feels more similar to dark magic than the light. However, I do realize that it is a bit hypocritical considering how I've gained my magic. At least those that reside in my sword are incapable of forming their own thoughts, they're basically as good as dead, so it's not like they're suffering.

Anyway, once Angel goes down, Brain begins to panic. It's quite funny to watch. Did this man truly believe his guild to be so strong? They are laughably weak when compared to Grimoire Heart and even worse next to Tartaros. Brain hurries his pace toward Nirvana, and I rush to follow. I can't kill him until I learn how to destroy Nirvana. Seriously, what a ridiculous mission.

Just as I lament the hardships that my boss has forced upon me, I hear something in the distance that gives me an opportunity.

"... That's why I unsealed it, so I could destroy it." My enhanced hearing picks up on Jellal's voice from the source of Nirvana. "I've already cast self-destruction magic on it. Nirvana will soon disappear on its own."

It would seem that Jellal did still somehow remember where Nirvana was, but that isn't important. What's important is that now I can strike. As long as I can keep Brain away from them, I doubt anyone else has magic as advanced as Jellal's. Without Brain's interference, Nirvana will be destroyed and the more difficult half of my mission will be complete.

My feet and calves warp to allow maximum dashing speed and the muscles in my thighs bulge and ripple. My body lowers itself, almost parallel to the ground and I line myself up with Brain from behind. My hands ready themselves on my sword and I launch at my prey's unguarded back, still covered in a veil of silence.

My blade sinks into the flesh of his neck and emerges from the other side in a clean slice.

Or at least that's what should have happened.

Instead, a burning fist hammers into the side of my face, slamming me through a nearby tree. A roar like that of a dragon follows it and Brain whirls around to face us.

"You!" The idiot points at me. "You've been filling this place with a creepy scent for a while now. Why do you smell like Mira, Elfman, and…" he trails off before picking up steam once again. "And why do you smell like so many other people too?"

Of course. How could I have forgotten about the enhanced sense of smell that dragon slayers have? I was so focused on negating Cobra's hearing that it never even occurred to me. Wait, does that mean that Cobra could smell me the whole time anyway? And what about my meeting with Laxus? Damn it, I can only deal with it at this point.

"Oh, well isn't this a surprise?" Brain enters the conversation. "The dragon and… Hmmm, aren't you Hades' pet? I see, so he sent you to kill me. Is he planning to betray the alliance? No, I suspect that he is merely afraid of the power I will possess once I have obtained Nirvana." Brain chuckles to himself. "Still, I must thank you, Dragon Slayer of the Light. I have heard that it isn't often that the Balam Executioner's first strike fails."

"Stay out of this!" Natsu shouts. "I'm asking this guy a question. I'll beat you up later."

I can only put my hand to my face and sigh at the ridiculousness of the situation. I was so focused on Brain that I failed to pay attention to my surroundings. What a stupid mistake. There's no hiding now, so I cancel the Silence Magic so that I can use the others if need be.

"Shouldn't you be the one to stay out of this Natsu Dragneel," I responded coldly, keeping my irritation out of my voice. My mission should have been over by now. "Weren't you going to protect Erza Scarlet from Jellal? Why have you instead protected the leader of the Oracion Seis?"

Just as my voice cuts off, three more members of Fairy Tail arrive. Great, isn't that just what I need right now?

"Natsu! Quit running off like that!" Gray Fullbuster arrives at his side.

"Who is that?" Lucy Heartfilia looks at me with a guarded expression. "Another one of them?"

"Wahhh!" An oddly proportioned flying blue cat appears from behind Lucy. "That's the leader of the Oracion Seis!"

Well, this just turned to hell now, hasn't it? I choose to ignore the newcomers and instead focus my attention completely on Brain. If anything good can come from this situation it would be that he is too distracted to reach Nirvana.

"Natsu Dragneel," I call out to the Fairy Tail mage who looks conflicted between staying and confronting me and leaving to Erza's side. "You should hurry, Jellal has already met with Erza. Who knows what he has done to her already?"

"..." He grits his teeth but still doesn't move. "But... ARGH! Nevermind! You stay right here; I'll be back after I kick Jellal's butt! Let's go, Happy!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy grabs Natsu's back and lifts him into the sky, heading in the direction of Nirvana.

"Damn it Natsu! Stop rushing off like that!" Gray shouts at his friend but ultimately stays here along with Lucy, who looks completely drained. "Looks like it's up to us to deal with you two."

"Sorry Gray, but I don't think I'll be able to help you much," Lucy admits. "I don't have much magic power left after fighting Angel."

"So, you're the one who defeated Angel?" Brain asks. "Well, as much as I would like to avenge her, I have things to do now. If you would stop that boy over there, it would be wonderful. He's a member of the terrible dark guild, Grimoire Heart. Stopping such evil mages is your job, is it not." He then turns around and begins to walk away.

"Narukami Flash"

Brain hastily ducks under the scythe of dark energy I sent his way. The attack missed, but he had no choice but to turn back around and face me.

"I should have known that escaping you wouldn't be so easy." He mutters darkly.

"Gray Fullbuster of Fairy Tail, I request a temporary alliance." I circle so that Brain is between Gray and myself. "My mission here is the same as yours: the eradication of the Oracion Seis and the destruction of Nirvana. I see no reason that we should not work together."

"Well, I do." Gray retorts. "Fairy Tail doesn't work with dark mages."

"Do you see a better solution?" I ask. "As battered as you are, do you really think that you could stop their leader on your own?"

"Silence!" Brain interrupts. "You said that you wish to destroy Nirvana? My Nirvana?" The veins on his neck and face are bulging in his anger. "I cannot allow that to happen. Anyone who dares to try to take Nirvana away from me will pay with their lives." He points his staff at me. "Dark Capriccio"

A beam of green and red destructive magic shoots out at me. I dodge with my enhanced reflexes, but I'm not sure Gray could have done the same had he been targeted. This will be tricky, I can't afford to let him or Lucy die here.

"Ice-Make: Lance" Gray attacks Brain with a spear of ice, but it is easily dodged.

"You would ally with a dark mage?" Brain teases. "Is Fairy Tail such a pitiful guild?"

"I'm not his ally or anything of the sort. We just both happen to have the same opponent." Gray states. "Ice-Make: Floor"

The ground freezes and Brain loses his balance for a moment. I would have too, but I used the claws that had replaced my toes to dig into the ground. I launched myself at Brain at the same time, not allowing a moment of opportunity to go to waste.

Brain reacts in time to bat my sword to the side, but a long gash appears along his side and the sword he hit fades away. The real blade reveals itself to have been following a path six inches below the one he saw.

"White Sword Art: Hidden Blade"

I sheathe my blade and turn back to face him. I would like to press the attack, but the ice is making that difficult.

"Damn it! Dark Capricio Scream" Brain turns and targets Gray this time, hoping to get rid of my support.

"Ice-Make: Shield"

A flower-shaped shield of ice forms in front of Gray, but I can tell that it won't be enough.

"Gray, Dodge!" I shout.

He tried to dive to the side, but it was too late. This spell was far faster than the last and it pierced straight through his shield and into his side, making a fist-sized hole.

"Gray!" Lucy shouts out. She reaches for a key and gets ready to join the battle, but I hurry to stop her.

"Lucy Heartfilia do not fight!" I yell out, still facing Brain. "Hurry and take Gray to Wendy, there's still time. She's just a little way in that direction," I point out to indicate her location. "She is also making her way towards Nirvana."

I can't afford to let the members of Fairy Tail die. If it turns out to be too late for Gray, I can't let Lucy die as well.

"Got it. Thank you." Lucy drags herself up and desperately tries to pick up Gray, but she can only slowly hobble away with him leaning heavily on her shoulder.

"You need to move faster than that if you wish to save him." I attack Brain, again and again, forcing him to stay on the defensive so that he can't target them.

"I know that!" Lucy screams. "I know that, but I don't have any strength left! I can't summon any more spirits to help me." She cries as she drags Gray's limp body away, one step at a time.

Just when I thought that I would need to give up on Gray, Gemini appeared out of the air. They transform into Taurus, whom they must have touched during their fight, and pick up both Lucy and Gray before running away. I no longer pay any heed to what they say to each other.

Now it's just me and my target. My target who, at some point, lost another two of his sealing tattoos. Maybe Natsu fought Cobra, or maybe Hoteye and Midnight took each other out. I don't know, but either way, this isn't good. I need to finish this quickly, otherwise, things might turn ugly.

"Dark Rondo"

"Extend"

"AHH!"

I duck under the wave of black magic and swing my blade, increasing its length mid-swing. I feel a connection and three fingers fall from Brain's right hand. He is already covered in cuts and wounds from defending my attacks. I need to finish this while he is still sealed. While he is still weakened.

"Narukami Flash"

I strike while Brain is hunched over in pain. There is no way for him to defend himself.

BOOM!

A massive explosion shakes the earth and my strike is thrown off, leaving a deep, but not fatal cut in Brain's neck.

"Dark Gravity"

A powerful force holds me down. Every movement takes great effort and my feet sink into the earth. Maniacal laughter comes from the man before me.

"Hahaha! You see Brain, all your planning and scheming. What is it worth in the face of sheer destruction?" When he looks up, his face is devoid of tattoos and his eyes are bloodshot. He requips a military-style outfit. "Hello, little assassin. I am the master of the Oracion Seis, Zero."

Shit! The pressure this guy gives off is insane. It's much greater than Bluenote and almost approaches Hades' level. He's probably stronger than me. How did Natsu beat a guy like this?

"Are you not going to introduce yourself?" Zero asks, sneering at me. "I do so desperately wish to know the name of the one who injured my body to this extent."

What should I do? This guy might be able to kill me. Should I run? No. If I run, Hades will kill me. I need to find a way to beat him. Hopefully, he will be arrogant and try to play with me.

My muscles ripple under my skin and bulge out as I empower myself to resist the gravity magic. I think of the latest magic that I've gained, Body Restriction Magic. I hadn't used it before because it would only hold someone as strong as him for a second, and I needed to guarantee that that one second would be enough to kill him. All I need to do is touch him with my sword or my body. That's it.

"Narukami…"

"Dark Capriccio"

Before I can draw my sword, a beam of dark magic, much larger and much faster than before, pierces my right shoulder, blasting my arm off entirely.

"I am already fully aware of your skill with that sword." Zero states. "I have no intention of allowing you to use it."

This is bad. He's way stronger than I remember from the story. My shoulder has been evaporated. If that attack had been aimed at my head, would I have survived? I can regenerate my entire body, but I still don't know if I can regenerate my head, and I don't want to find out.

"You're boring me," Zero announces before extending his hand and releasing several spheres of dark energy. "Dark Delete"

I jump to the side and remake my right arm during the motion.

"White Sword Art: Snakebite"

The tip of my sword points towards Zero before extending out at such a rapid speed that even my enhanced vision can only see a blur.

Come on! Just a scratch. All I need is a single scratch.

"Dark Capriccio"

Zero dodges my blade by a hair's breadth and shoots another beam that pierces my stomach.

"Is this all that you've got?" Zero mocks. "For the most feared existence in the Balam Alliance, you're pathetically weak. You know, if I *Cough*" His words are cut short by the blood that rushed to his throat.

Zero's eyes widen and looks down at the blade that is piercing his stomach from behind. The tip of my sword had curved around and pierced him from behind, making the shape of a fisherman's hook.

"White Sword Art: Fish Hook"

"How did..." Zero tries to speak, but the fourth eye on my sword opens up and he is frozen in place.

"Narukami Flash"

My left hand had already been reformed into a blade and I used it to cast out a wave of dark energy and lop off his head. I won't wait around and give him the chance to recover. My blade slithers out of his body and back to its regular shape and Zero collapses next to his head.

Now that the fight is over, I can sense several people heading my way. Natsu, along with Erza and Jellal from one direction. Jura, Lyon, Sherry, and Hoteye from another. Finally, the council mages are approaching, but they appear to be heading towards the wreckage of Nirvana. The remainder of the light mages are guarding Wendy as she heals Gray. It looks like he will survive with only a large scar to remind him of his near-death experience.

I need to leave, now. Escape will be difficult if this many mages try to stop me.

The second eye on my sword blinks open and I appear high into the sky above, hoping to see far away for my next teleport. Right when it activates, a force slams into my back continuing to press into me even after I've reappeared far outside the forest.

I use my magic to turn my arms around and push it off of me to gain some space.

"Oof" Comes a familiar voice.

"Ouch" Another, higher voice accompanies it.

Oh no. I slowly turn around to see what exactly tagged along for the ride with me, hoping that my suspicions are wrong.

A Pink-haired, scarf-wearing dragon slayer and an odd alien-looking blue cat thing are lying on the ground before me.

…

What the hell?!