32
Within Era, hundreds of staff worked frantically around the central dais to a familiar control room. Situated atop the dais, was the Magic Council. All of them appeared stressed, but none more so than Chairman Org, who was being hounded by King Toma and the Ministry Of Defense.
"Do we have a visual yet," the stressed Chairman asked, gently wiping his brow as an assistant gave him a glass of water. "Thank you…"
"Negative. The Etherion Lens is still aligning Sir!"
"What about audio contact? Have Saint Dragneel or Saint Neekis responded to our hails?"
"Saint Dragneel has not Sir, however, Saint Jura did respond…"
"You hesitated there," Org noted, as the technician's eyes darted back and forth, before sighing.
"I'll play the audio for you now Sir …"
"Saint Neekis!? Saint Neekis!? This is Era High Command, can you read me!? Acknowledge-!?"
"This is … Jura-!"
"What was that sound…?"
"Apologies for the-HAH-interference! I'm afraid the situation has grown dire here!"
"What's happening Saint Jura-!?"
"Well, I've killed about two and a half thousand Dark Mages-Earth Magic – Iron Rock Avalanche!-single handed! About a third of the Bharam Alliance is down here right now!"
"WHAT!?"
"Natsu is currently engaging the Guild Master of the Oracion Seis on his own. They've resurrected an ancient city that is apparently some sort of weapon by the name Nirvana! Warn the Council immediately-!"
-Two minutes of static ensue-
"-use Etherion to take it out! I repeat! Do NOT use Etherion on Nirvana! Something has happened-!"
-Twelve seconds of static ensue-
"-immediate retreat! Dragneel and the War God Slayer have done something by the looks of it!"
"You're cutting in and out Jura-!?"
"Dragneel and the God Slayer seem to have performed something called a Unison Pact! I don't know what it is, but they've merged together-!"
"Say again-!?"
"-entire sections-the size of mountains-chaos down here-!"
-Contact Lost-
Chairman Org was as white as a sheet, leaning against the dais for support, as his fellow Council Members all looked toward him in confusion.
"What's happening Org?"
"Why are you so pale?"
"None of you would know," Org whispered, shaking his head as he looked upward toward the central console for the Etherion Square. "Jura said that they had performed a Unison Pact…"
"And just what is this … Unison Pact," one of the Council asked, still completely confused. "What are we dealing with here!?"
"A Unison Pact is Lost Magic … Lost, because the Council purposely made it so," Org muttered quietly, stunning the entire room into silence. "A Unison Pact is, in essence, the fusion of two beings to temporarily create an entirely new one."
"Sir! We've got eyes on the site," one of the technicians cut in, startling everyone out of the shocked musings, as a projection from the skies showcased a colossal sized mobile city that currently stood still, numerous forest fires and countless scars in the landscape…
And then, the lens zoomed in on a particular section, revealing thousands of dead Dark Mages, with Jura at the center ripping apart wave after wave of them. At his back, covering his rear, were two Ice Magic Users that were shielding him so he could advance forward.
"Sir, the Lens is detecting two abnormal Magical Power Indexes but-but it can't be real!?"
"What do you mean," Org asked, clearly confused. "Put them on screen!"
The technician nodded shakily, and did as he was told. The moment he did, the entire room fell deathly silent. The sound of multiple shattered glasses could be heard, as staff members dropped what they were holding.
Org meanwhile, could only stumble backward, eventually hitting a wall, where he slowly slid down to a sitting position.
"Is this the price for picking a fight with one of the Three Lords of the Bharam Alliance…?"
***POTD***
Multiple shock-waves went off all over the dead city of Nirvana, as two Galaxy Blue blurs smashed into each other over and over, before shooting off to opposite ends of the mobile city with a resounding bang.
The two blurs reached opposing ends of Nirvana, before shooting back toward each other, smashing through everything in their path as the Galaxy Blue Auras expanded in size.
"God's Aura: War God's Cataclysmic Armageddon Fist!"
"God's Aura: Discord God's Fury Hand!"
Both combatants flashed into view in an instant, time moving in slow motion, as they each cocked back their right fists.
Despite the situation, Eliza was grinning savagely, her entire arm coated in the blackish coat of the War God, as Ravus cackled away, his fist covered in the rainbow coat of the Discord God.
Fatal Battle
Discord Class, Former Eris Clan Patriarch
Ravus Insanistis
The two attacks smashed together, immediately causing the instant collapse of everything directly behind them, as the ground beneath them formed a giant crater. Nirvana itself shook from the force of the clash, groaning audibly as the six legs shuddered.
After several moments, Eliza's attack broke through, and Ravus copped a brutal slugging across the left side of his cheek. The Discord God was then smacked right off Nirvana, all the way into the nearby mountain range in a matter of moments, several smoke rings detailing the trajectory he was sent.
Once he made impact with the mountains in the distance, the entire top of the tallest mountain exploded, the entire area shaking violently, and an ear shattering rumbling occurring as a direct result of the attack.
"Cataclysmic Crash Magic," Natsu gasped, as Eliza exhaled following the punch. "How much did you use!?"
"Around one hundred and eighty percent total," Eliza shrugged.
"WHAT!? How the hell is that even possible!?"
"Did you forget that there are two of us in this body, not one? I used one hundred and eighty percent of our combined maximum Crash Magic."
"That's… Actually, that's pretty fucking cool."
"Of course it was," Eliza grinned, as she sensed Ravus' power flare up once again. "I've never really used Crash Magic before; I quite like it. I'm going to learn it for myself once we separate."
"Well, looks like we mortals still have some stuff that you fancy Gods find interesting, don't we?"
"Naturally," Eliza smirked as she flared their own power, her muscles bulging and veins popping as Ravus reappeared right in front of her, mid-attack, and flaring his own power.
Ravus Insanistis (God's Aura + Recently Revived + Adapting) – 12.7 Million MPI
Eliza Faulkner (God's Aura + Partial Unison Pact + Adapting) – 20.2 Million MPI
"That hurt damn it," Ravus hissed as he spun around rapidly until his form was just a rainbow-colored blur. "God's Aura: Discord God's Unhinged Round!"
Eliza immediately stepped backward, as Ravus started spinning toward her, performing hundreds of roundhouse kicks in a matter of seconds. In fact, he was performing so many spins, he was sustaining his own flight just by performing the attack.
"This guy's no joke, I can barely even track his movements…"
"The fact that you can see anything he's doing at all is an achievement in of itself, considering you're a mortal," Eliza replied mentally, as she physically started preparing to engage the God. "That being said, he most certainly is a joke, in EVERY respect!"
Leaping toward Ravus once her body was coated in the blackish hue of her War God abilities, Eliza started throwing a series of light-speed punches and kicks at Ravus, catching the God completely off guard.
"Hey, what the fuck!? You never said we were going this fast this quick-OOF!"
Ravus was struck over ninety times in a matter of moments, Eliza's armored fists shaving off his flesh and shattering bone as the Discord God was reduced to a pile of pulp.
"Fucking … bitchy … little … bitch-face-!"
Ravus immediately appeared behind Eliza, half his body still in the process of regenerating, as he grabbed onto the back of her neck. Tensing his fingers, they sunk into her flesh as he grabbed a hold of her spine and ripped it out.
"Eliza-!"
"Don't worry, its fine," Eliza replied, albeit, for the first time, he heard genuine pain in her voice as her spine suddenly smacked Ravus in the face, laced with God's Aura, before shooting out of her back and impaling him through the throat.
Ravus grabbed onto it and tossed it aside, but Eliza's hand reached out as she caught it, a new spine having already regenerated in its place. Smirking, she straightened out her old spine, as an ebony coating slowly washed over it, and the cervical spine expanded to become four times larger.
"Often times during a battle, you've really got to put your back into it," Eliza smirked darkly, her tongue slightly poking out the side of her grit teeth as she started using the spine as a makeshift flail.
Vanishing from place, Eliza reappeared right in front of the Discord God, moving to strike his head with the newly made flail. Ravus immediately dodged by leaning backward, and the pair started exchanging a series of light-speed attacks that neither could land.
Eventually, after narrowly missing striking Ravus' right arm with the flail, Eliza retracted it, before slamming it on either side of herself to blast up some of the earth. With a grin, she started smacking the debris in Ravus' direction, as the Discord God immediately went on the defensive.
"You won't take me out, War God," Ravus snarled, easily swatting aside the debris as Eliza shot the spine flail directly at him. "If I kill you, the Council won't come for me!"
"You're a fool Ravus, you'll still fall either way! The Devils still roam the mortal realms," Eliza snapped back, as Ravus caught the flail with his hands, yanking Eliza forward and delivering a brutal headbutt that sent her flying off through multiple collapsed buildings.
"The Devils," Ravus scoffed, as Eliza immediately appeared before him, the pair clashing, before reappearing high above Nirvana as they traded countless blows at light-speed. "What of them-!?"
"They'll take a chance to kill a God without a second thought," Eliza huffed, the pair clashing forearms, and pushing against one another. "You're a fool if you think you can outrun the Devil's Triumvirate!?"
"Outrun!? I'll just kill them too," Ravus laughed maniacally in response, as the pair pushed against one another and cleared some distance. "None of them would be as old and powerful as I am!?"
"You're truly mad if you think that the Primeval Class wouldn't tear you apart in seconds, let alone the Arch Tier Devils!?"
"You think I'm mad for thinking this way," Ravus cackled. "I'm the God of Discord you stupid brat!"
"Former God of Discord," Eliza shot back, a small smirk on her face, which seemed to only anger Ravus further.
"You think this is funny," Ravus hissed, as he cocked his arm back, his God's Aura flaring up yet again. "You'll pay for your disrespect! God's Aura: Discord God's Sorrow Hand!"
Making a swiping motion with his arm, Ravus seemingly froze the air around his position, the water vapor in the air solidifying into thousands of needle sized projectiles, all immediately primed directly in Eliza's position.
"Drat."
Ravus fired the attack at Eliza, who immediately began flashing in and out of view as she started blitzing around the battlefield. The attack, however, immediately changed direction with each of Eliza's reappearances, locking the pair in a stalemate of sorts.
"Keep running Faulkner, I've got plenty of air to draw from," Ravus laughed, generating even more, as Eliza pondered her next move.
"You know, you do have access to my Fire Dragon Slaying Magic, right?"
"Oh, that's right," Eliza giggled to herself in her head. "Want to see something exciting, Natsu?"
"Sure."
Eliza smirked as her arms became coated in black flames, surprising Natsu, who had never seen black colored fire before.
"Time for a little sneak preview Natsu," Eliza laughed, soaring through the air as she began spinning around, the fire quickly forming into a black flame tornado. "God's Aura: Fire Dragon Monarch's Cataclysmic Flame Wave!"
"Wait, did you just say MONARCH-!?"
Eliza ignored Natsu's shocked response to her attack, instead choosing to focus all her attention on directing her attack. Rearing it back around, the water attack from Ravus bounced right off, failing to pierce through, before ultimately evaporating.
"Are you serious-!?"
The attack was launched at Ravus's position, horizontally. This had the unintended result of setting fire to most of the forest below, instantly melting structures and generating winds over ninety kilometers per hour.
"You think that'll be enough to stop me," Ravus snapped, his larger eye expanding slightly as he performed a random series of jerking motions with his body. "The Lord Discord denies your bullshittery, bitch-face!"
Flying upward, Ravus vanished inside a fluffy white cloud, the black flame tornado veering upward to give chase. To Eliza's genuine confusion, the white cloud suddenly turned a dark brown, along with every other cloud in the area.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! CAVITIES FOR ALL!"
Eliza was about to retort, asking him what the hell he meant by that, when suddenly … it started to rain.
It took quite a bit to catch Eliza Faulkner off guard, considering all she had seen and done in her long life. However, when the dark brown clouds effortlessly extinguished her attack … her jaw dropped.
Consequently, as her jaw dropped, some of the brown rain got into her mouth, which only shocked her further.
"What …?"
"That tastes like-?"
"-chocolate milk!?"
Before Eliza could process the stupidity of what had just happen, in the blink of an eye, Ravus' tongue shot out from the cloud, and wrapped itself around Eliza's torso, binding her arms in place.
"Disgusting-!"
Eliza was cut off, as the tongue dragged her back up to the cloud in the blink of an eye, where she was punched in the face so hard, her skull was caved in. Her body received multiple blows, before a blow to the gut freed her from Ravus' tongue, sending her flying from over ten thousand feet in the air, down to the ground, in less than a second.
Eliza struck the ground hard, causing a good portion of it to be displaced, as she skidded along, ripping up the ablaze forest, and leaving a visible trail of destruction as she went.
"Kehahahahaha! Ladies love a little tongue action," Ravus sighed, making a slurping noise as his tongue started draining the cloud of all its chocolatey goodness. "Ahh… Tastes like sweet sweet victory!"
His tongue fully retracted into his mouth, as he took a deep breath. His chest puffed up, as his power again increased.
"God's Aura: Discord God's Screech!"
From his mouth, Ravus began firing off a barrage of sphere-shaped rainbow blasts, with each being the size of a small house. The attacks moved at high speed, making impact with the ground quickly to set off town sized explosions that shook the entire region violently.
"Hehe… Ahh, sugar rush…"
***POTD***
Wendy was completely terrified, as everything continued to shake to the point that she didn't know what way was up or down anymore. She'd tried calming herself down, but she simply couldn't.
She was close to her breaking point, and she knew it.
"Hey!?"
Her eyes widened ever so slightly at the sound of a familiar voice calling out to her. Again, it called out, prompting her to try and look around the shaky, and rapidly collapsing, reactor room.
"J-Jellal," Wendy gasped, the revived criminal somehow making his way toward her position, despite the constant shaking.
"It's alright, just stay right there!"
Wendy nodded, curling up into a ball as the man reached her position. Almost immediately, she was scooped up into his arms, as he made a break for it.
"We've got to get out of here before those two cause Nirvana to collapse," Jellal huffed, his form becoming coated in a bright yellow light. "True Heavenly Body Magic – Meteor!"
Wendy gasped as their speed increased drastically, and, the shaking miraculously stopped. Breathing a sigh of relief, the young Dragon Slayer, gave herself a moment to recover her wits, before looking up at the stern face of her savior.
"Th-Thank you for saving me Jellal…"
"Its alright. I couldn't just leave you there to die, just to save myself," Jellal replied as they shot outside. "Especially after you managed to bring me back from death…"
"Right," Wendy nodded slowly, as the pair landed near some of the rubble just down from the castle. "At least it isn't shaking her too much…"
"Wendy!"
Both Jellal and Wendy looked upward to see Erza and Elise rushing toward them. Both girls slowed down to a slow walk upon seeing Jellal, however, with Erza actually freezing up at the mere sight of him.
"J-J-Jellal-!?"
"Hello Erza," Jellal replied softly, whilst letting Wendy down from his grasp. "Judging by the fact you didn't immediately attack me; I'm going to assume Natsu told you about what happened at the Tower?"
"He did, but you were holding Wendy," Erza replied with a slight frown. "Tell me, did you have any involvement with this-?"
"Mister Jellal is innocent," Wendy cut in, startling all three older Mages, only for multiple explosions off in the distance to knock them all over.
"Damn it-!"
"We don't have the time to discuss this," Jellal cut in sharply. "You can debate my innocence later, but right now we're all going to die if we stay here!"
"What's even going on," Elise huffed. "Is this Natsu and Mother's doing!?"
"By Mother, are you referring to the nearly twenty-foot-tall behemoth of a woman, dressed in ebony looking Armor?"
"That's her," Elise nodded stiffly. "If Mother let you live, then you clearly aren't to blame for any of this."
"So we're just supposed to trust him? Just like that-?"
"Mister Jellal saved me just now when he didn't have to," Wendy cut in, clearly not happy with Erza. "Trust him because I'm saying we can!"
"Wendy…"
"Just listen to Wendy for now Erza, we don't have the time to get all the facts straight," Elise replied sharply, as they saw a Galaxy Blue blur up in the skies fire off more of the rainbow-colored attacks off into the distance. "We have to retreat to at least Cait Shelter!?"
"Elise is correct," Jellal agreed. "We should be safer there than anywhere else."
"Why's that," Erza asked suspiciously, as Jellal looked down toward Wendy for a moment, before looking up at the skies.
"Zero said some things, but I'd wait until Natsu can tell you them himself. He knows the truth, as does Elise's Mother."
"Fine then," Erza replied slowly. "We'll fall back to the Cait Shelter Guild for now…"
Jellal nodded, and picked up Wendy again, reactivating Meteor, as the Mages began the lengthy retreat from Nirvana.
'You'd better have a damn good explanation for this one … Natsu,' Erza thought to herself, as she took one last look at the blue blurs in the sky.
***POTD***
"How rude," Eliza sighed, prying herself out of a collapsed barn. "I suppose that one was on me, should have expected he'd use chocolate milk against me…"
"How the hell do you predict something like that," Natsu asked, clearly not understanding her statement.
"Simple," Eliza replied, her form quickly beginning to regenerate. "Ravus, much like myself, is part of what is known as the Cosmic Force Pantheon of Gods. The gist of that is that our Godhood is derived from an Existence that runs across all Realities, if that makes sense?"
"When you say Realities, you mean like how my world is a Reality, but there could be another somewhere else that only you can reach using your God powers, right?"
"Correct. Suffice to say, Cosmic Force Gods such as myself and Ravus, we draw our powers directly from beings known as Primordials. These beings are the concept across all Realities, all Timelines, and everything else in-between. Each varies wildly in terms of appearance, but all are entirely neutral, as they exist merely as the embodiment of what we Gods are tasked to enforce."
"Right…"
"I'll explain it better one day, when you actually need to know," Eliza chuckled softly, cracking her neck to relieve some built up pressure. "What's relevant about the Primordials in this case, is that the Primordial Lord Discord is an all-powerful Draconequus who loves chocolate milk. Every single Lord or Lady within the Cosmic Force God Pantheon that assumes the role of Lord or Lady Discord develops a chocolate milk addiction."
"That's…"
"Bizarre? Trust me, you don't know the half of it," Eliza smirked in reply, shaking her head before vanishing and reappearing high in the air. "Enough about all that though, because we still have a job to do."
"Right. I guess you can explain it to me more later…"
"Perhaps," Eliza smirked, watching as Ravus continued to bombard her former position with rainbow-colored attacks. "Fool."
Eliza floated forward briefly, before vanishing in a burst of speed, reappearing behind Ravus to deliver a brutal kick to the back of his head. Surprisingly, Ravus wasn't sent packing by the attack, merely having his head blasted apart, before promptly regenerating it … backwards.
"That was rude," the Discord God snapped, dashing backward and engaging Eliza in a flurry of light-speed attacks, all the while being backwards. "Ahh! Wait a second-!"
Snapping his own neck a full one-eighty, Ravus immediately reengaged Eliza. The pair flashed about, constantly blocking and deflecting each other's blows, before Eliza managed to land a solid punch to his chest.
Eliza followed up with a brutal combo. A blow across the left cheek, followed by a kick to the right ribs, then a set of three punches directly to his face, before spinning around to roundhouse kick his neck.
After taking the kick, Ravus went to retaliate, but Eliza was already following up her combo with a stronger attack, her right leg coated in the power of the War God, her God's Aura flaring wildly.
"God's Aura: War God's Cataclysmic Armageddon Kick!"
Kicking Ravus in the face, the Discord God was belted straight into the side of a nearby mountain. Upon impact, the entire mountain was blown away, as the Discord God kept going. However, Eliza wasn't finished, her feet now coated in the same blackish hue.
"This is payback for earlier," the War Goddess muttered darkly, raising her right foot directly above her head in a feat of impressive flexibility. "Let's see you take this!"
Slowly, Eliza's form started to spin, before rapidly picking up speed. Eventually, her form was a mere blur, with only the hue surrounding her feet visible. As she spun, she vanished, chasing after Ravus, as she started to deploy her attack.
"God's Aura: War God's Cataclysmic Armageddon Storm!"
Using the tips of her armored boots, Eliza began firing off a seemingly endless stream of aerial slash attacks, each larger than a tall building. The attacks tore through everything in their path, ripping apart the landscape as thousands of them peppered the area.
Its name of Armageddon Storm was certainly apt, one could say.
"You think something like this is going to be enough," Ravus spat. "I'm not down yet!"
"His power is spiking again?"
"He's likely beginning to grow desperate. Hopefully he does something foolish," Eliza replied calmly within their shared mind. "I really hope he does something foolish…"
Ravus constantly flashed around the battlefield, all whilst extending his hands out before him, as a series of Runes and Magic Circles rapidly flared up, before promptly vanishing.
"Let's see you survive this, Faulkner!? God's Aura: Discord God's Fate Hand!"
"Interesting," Eliza murmured, analyzing his new move. "He's definitely desperate if he's using the Fate Hand…"
"What's the Fate Hand?"
"The Fate Hand is an extremely complex attack, one that could even backfire on him," Eliza explained, ceasing her Armageddon Storm. "He's using his control over Discord to reach into Fate and pull out an attack. Basically, he's making a gamble."
"What kind of crazy ability is that!?"
"A crazy ability for a crazy God," Eliza replied calmly. "Throwing your lot in with Fate just to spite your opposition is exactly what a Lord or Lady Discord would do in this situation…"
After some time, the Runes and Magic Circles ceased to appear, as a small smirk slowly wormed its way onto Ravus' face. Clearly, whatever he'd gotten, he thought it would help him win the battle.
"I rolled high," Ravus cackled with glee, his power exploding, with Eliza merely raising an eyebrow in response.
Ravus Insanistis (God's Aura + Adapting + Fate's Boon) – 22.4 Million MPI
Ravus vanished and reappeared next to Eliza, attempting to catch her off guard by speed blitzing her with his newfound power. To his surprise, however, Eliza blocked his kick, and was only pushed back slightly from the force of it.
"What-!?"
"You aren't the only one whose getting stronger Ravus," Eliza replied firmly, as black scales slowly began to force their way up through her skin. "Oh my, this Dragon Force really is something else, I'm quite jealous! It literally doubles your power Natsu!"
"Yep," Natsu grinned, watching as Eliza entered the strange version of his Dragon Force, only with black scales instead of red. "It's saved my ass more times than I care to remember!"
Eliza Faulkner (God's Aura + Adapting + Dragon Force) – 47.4 Million MPI
"WHAT," Ravus screeched, before being easily swatted aside. "IMPOSSIBLE!?"
"Don't be shocked Ravus," Eliza smirked, slowly beginning to advance toward his position. "Its only fair that if you get to power up, then I do too, right?"
"What utter blasphemy," Ravus spat in sheer disgust. "To combine Dragon and God together-!?"
"If you must know Ravus, we are quite good friends with the Dragon community. Therefore, it is far from blasphemy."
"All the more proof that the Gods of today are worth less than the scum of mortal boots," Ravus screeched maniacally. "I am Ravus Insanistis, Seventh Lord Discord, and I shall NOT be struck down by some upstart brat who dared sully her Godhood with mortal filth!?"
"Its over Ravus, you've been routed," Eliza replied firmly. "My power is continuing to adapt at a rapid rate, far surpassing yours due to the mortal you used as a host being unwilling! Surrender!"
"Never," Ravus roared, taking in a deep breath, as his stomach puffed up. "God's Aura: Discord God's Madness Cry!"
"God's Aura: War God's Cataclysmic Bellow!"
The two breath attacks clashed and began to struggle against each other before the black hue of Eliza's attack began to eat away at Ravus's own. It quickly became apparent that Ravus was being overpowered, as he desperately funneled more and more power into the clash, before ultimately being blasted by Eliza directly.
"Impossible," the Discord God screeched, finding himself ripped apart by the War Goddess' breath attack. "This … cannot … be …!"
"It's over Ravus, time to die-!"
"Never! I will never surrender! If I can't have this realm, then I'll reduce it to nothing!"
"Ignore him Natsu, that is far beyond his power," Eliza replied with a shake of her head, as she clenched her right fist, forming a Nova around her right fist before vanishing and reappearing right in Ravus' face.
"This is the end," Eliza snarled. "God's Aura: Fire Dragon Monarch's Cataclysmic Nova Fist!"
Striking Ravus directly in the stomach, Eliza tore it open, and began to forcibly extract his God's Essence directly from his body.
"NO! I REFUSE TO BE CONFINED TO SOME BOOK FOR ALL ETERNITY," the Discord God screeched as he punched Eliza in the stomach, only for all the bones in his hand to shatter upon impact. "ARGH-!"
"Fool. The longer this fight goes on, the more my true strength slips into this Reality," the War Goddess muttered darkly, as Ravus' eyes moved down to her exposed abdomen, a healthy, and flexed, eight pack on full display.
"Wh-What-!?"
"I've been killing Higher Beings ever since I was a teenager, crushing Gods fifty generations my senior…"
Ravus couldn't even scream, as Eliza's left hand gripped his throat, crushing his windpipe.
"It will take a hell of a lot more than God's Aura to truly damage my body once I have better access to my power… You were an amusing diversion, but you shall suffer another physical death… and you'll like it!"
As Eliza tore Ravus' God Essence from his stomach, she simultaneously tore the head off of Ravus' body, his entire spinal cord coming with him. Her body was completely coated in blood, yet she could only grin savagely.
"Serves you right, also-ran."
With a smirk, Eliza tossed Ravus' head on the ground, before stomping on it, rending it into paste and bone fragments. Once she had done that, she pointed at the rest of his corpse and set it alight.
"Damn," Natsu muttered quietly. "Not gonna lie, that was intense…"
"And yet, I sense that you do not disapprove of my actions," Eliza replied, a faint pant in her voice, as she stepped away from Ravus' corpse, and looked over at the ruins of Nirvana.
"Personally, he got what he deserved," Natsu shrugged in reply. "It could be because we're currently fused together, but I feel like I'd have definitely killed him too."
"You'll go far," Eliza replied with an amused smile. "Regardless, there's still one last thing to do…"
"Perhaps you should hold off on being so utterly boring? Hmm?"
Eliza froze, her eyes widening considerably, as she slowly turned back around to face the burning corpse of Ravus. To both Eliza and Natsu's surprise, the smoke had solidified into the form of a snake-like creature, though its true appearance remained completely shrouded.
"Lord Discord…"
"Wait," Natsu muttered slowly. "Lord Discord? As in…"
"The head honcho! The big boss! The crem de la crop! The biggest of cheeses! His most Unhingedness himself-!"
"Are you here because I took out Ravus," Eliza asked, as the shadowy form of the Discord Primordial crossed its tiny little arms.
"You know, most Gods have a little more tact when dealing with a Primordial," Lord Discord sighed dramatically, as a glass of chocolate milk appeared in Eliza's right hand, before she found herself suddenly sitting on a bean bag that had manifested out of nowhere.
"He did that while not even being physically present," Natsu muttered in awe, which seemed to amuse Discord.
"See! Now THIS guy gets it, right Dragion!? Oh, wait, that's the other one... Dragneel!?"
"Lord Discord, I understand you might be upset that I took out Ravus," Eliza began, only for the smoky visage to silence her with an overtly loud party favour.
"Upset? Why would I be upset!? I was eating great from all that Discord you two caused!?"
"What?"
"Your battle caused so much Discord, both here, and in Terminus," Lord Discord cackled with glee. "Even when I'm indisposed, I get to devour such delicacies!"
"So, if you aren't mad… then why are you here?"
"I'm not here, you are."
"You know what I meant by that, Lord Discord."
"Fine. It seems you want a big and serious talk, instead of beating around the proverbial bush. I'm here to say that I'm glad you took him out."
"…What?"
"I know, I know… Lord Discord truly is off his rocker, thanking me for taking out a God that served him faithfully, right? WRONGSKIES! Ravus might have been good at what he did like two thousand years ago, but times have changed, right!? People today don't just want violent Discord … WHERE ARE THE NON-VIOLENT SHENANIGANS!?"
"So, to be clear, you're fine with Ravus being taken down, because you prefer how the current Discord God does things?"
"Uh, yeah. She's funny, and we have plenty of chats about marbles and chocolate milk and kittens that drink chocolate milk only to become chickens and-."
"I understand, Lord Discord," Eliza smiled gently in response. "Do you still wish for his God's Essence to be placed in the Creationist's Annals?"
"Oh yes, I'll be needing his latent Discord Essence back for something I've got cooking," Lord Discord chuckled darkly, rubbing his smoky little fore-paws together menacingly. "I'll show that brat Harmony chose just how Discord truly works… hehehehehehe…."
"So, that's a yes on wanting Ravus' Essence in the Creationist's Annals?"
"Oh!? Er, YES! Yes, most certainly. Yep!"
"Is that all, Lord Discord?"
"Yep! Definitely all I have to say, no ulterior motives that will affect another Reality at all! I swear on my non-existent pinkie finger!"
"Right…"
"I'm going now. TOODLES!"
Eliza watched as the smoke dissipated, the strange pressure over the area lifting, as Eliza breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew… For a minute there, I was actually a little worried-."
"By the way," Lord Discord cut in, re-manifesting again, and bringing back the strange pressure again. "I'm taking that glass and beanbag back."
Discord vanished again, taking the glass, and the beanbag Eliza was sitting in away, which had Eliza fall on her rear.
"Oof!"
"Ta-Ta you two! I look forward to plenty of future meals!"
Once Lord Discord left again, the pair waited several minutes, just to make sure he wasn't going to come back again and startle them. Eventually, Eliza again released a sigh of relief.
"Alright… Now, back to what I was saying before … that," Eliza sighed, shaking her head. "There's still one last thing I need to do before we can call it a day on this whole debacle…"
Raising both her hands up into the sky, she started making several motions, before pausing, as a gap in the sky slowly started to split open. Natsu watched in shock, as another God emerged through it.
This God stood at twenty feet tall, had dark yellow skin, and was wearing what appeared to be a yukata with a red and white floral pattern across from it. He was extremely muscular, bore numerous scars across his body, and had dark purple-colored eyes. He was also bald, but had a white goatee.
"Eliza Faulkner," the man grinned, vanishing and reappearing right in front of the War Goddess, as the two clasped each other's forearms firmly. "A truly magnificent display! And some within the War Class try and tell us you've gone soft…Pfft!"
"Thank you," Eliza smiled gently in response, looking up to the man with an affectionate gaze. "I take it the Council approved your coming here, Lord Sozin?"
A Former Cosmic Force God Of Terminus
Forty First God Of War
Tenth Patriarch Of The Chiyou Clan
Eliza's Predecessor
Sozin Huixing
"Sozin… Wait, wasn't that the guy Elise said was your predecessor?"
"Heh. I see the mortal boy knows a little about me," Sozin grinned. "I am indeed the one who preceded Eliza here, Natsu Dragneel. And, much like today, she's always done me proud!"
"Come now Lord Sozin, let us not waste time with your usual flattery, and return to the matter at hand," Eliza huffed, a slight tinge of pink to her cheeks as Natsu felt her embarrassment at being praised by the older God. "I have brought back Ravus' God's Essence for the Annals."
"That you have," Sozin nodded, his grin fading somewhat. "I'll admit, we were all concerned when the Primordial Lord Discord projected his presence directly out of Ravus' burning corpse. The Council feared the worst…"
"But, as you all saw, Lord Discord merely wished to convey what he wished done with Ravus' Essence," Eliza replied. "It might have seemed strange, but I suppose that he conveyed it, in his own way."
"Very true Eliza, very true," Sozin nodded sternly. "By the way, I covered for you."
"Covered for me?"
"The mortals of this realm who run the Magic Council, they were observing your battle with Lord Ravus," Sozin explained, startling Eliza, as she looked up into the skies. "Yes, the Etherion Lens."
"What did you do…?"
"Well," Sozin grinned, cheering right back up again. "Because you formed a Unison Pact with Natsu Dragneel, I was able to simply alter the footage being relayed to the Council in real time. All they saw was Natsu facing down Ravus, not you."
"Wait, are you serious!?"
"Dead serious," Sozin hummed in response. "The actions of both yourself, and Eliza, have ensured that, at the very least, this realm was safeguarded from the twisted machinations of an old God. Ravus would have undoubtedly twisted this world as he saw fit, until… well, I can't exactly say what else would have happened, only the Council can."
"I assume I'm not supposed to know the full details, right?"
"Correct. Though you have done us a great service, only the Council can authorize the relaying of knowledge regarding entities within this Reality."
"Right…"
"Speaking of the Council, however," Sozin continued, with Eliza standing a little straighter in response. "Natsu Dragneel, you have been invited to attend the latest meeting, at Eliza's side."
"HE WHAT," Eliza practically screeched, in what was an extremely out of character moment for her. "Is this a joke Lord Sozin!?"
"I'm being completely serious Eliza. This incident has brought about several potential changes to the rules of the Higher Realms. There are matters to be discussed that the Council would like the opinion of a mortal on. So, naturally, why not pick the mortal who was willing to risk his life fusing with a God, just so they could fight another God?"
"That's… a fair point," Eliza admitted. "I suppose that's fair."
"Wait, before we even consider going anywhere, what about Nirvana itself," Natsu asked, prompting both War Gods to look over at the dead, and heavily crippled, city. "Surely we can't just leave it sitting there like that?"
"I might run that one by the History Class, since we may have to cover up some things before the mortal Governments show up to investigate," Sozin agreed. "Good thinking there boy."
"Also, Eliza, shouldn't we let Erza, Elise and Wendy know we're okay?"
"Once we head to Terminus, I'll mentally speak with them," Eliza replied. "As much as I'd like to go and speak to them now, getting Ravus' Essence into the Annals is the most important thing."
"Fair enough. I just don't want them worrying about us," Natsu replied, as Lord Sozin opened up a Galaxy Blue colored portal, which surprised Eliza.
"How many centuries has it been since I've seen one of those…?"
"Far too many," the older War God muttered in response. "Far too many…"
"So, just to confirm, I'm right to bring Natsu along into Terminus?"
"The Council has approved it, and the Seraphim have been made aware," Sozin replied, before quickly remembering something. "Oh, you'll also be forcibly separated to your individual forms once you cross through into Terminus by the way. So, you both may pass out for a few minutes…"
"Well, that makes sense," Eliza nodded, before explaining it to Natsu, who didn't really understand it. "Terminus is currently sealed off by numerous protections that are designed to keep outsiders from entering. It will sense your mortality as we cross through, and forcibly split us apart."
"And that's all it'll do? I won't be instantly killed or anything?"
"The Council has added your DNA to the sensor, and the Seraphim have been informed, so you won't be attacked on sight," Sozin replied, as he motioned for the pair to enter the portal. "Now come on, let's get moving! Don't want to keep the welcome party waiting, do we!?"
"Welcome party," Natsu asked, only for Eliza to sigh and shake her head.
"There are Gods related to things such as Festivals, Holidays, and other types of celebration or merriment," Eliza replied bluntly. "I assume they've already prepared a city-wide celebration for my defeat of Ravus?"
"You would be correct," Sozin smirked, as he mock bowed, motioning for her to enter the portal. "Your very own festival … awaits!"
"You probably had a hand in making it," Eliza scoffed, walking through the portal, as Sozin chuckled whilst shaking his head in response.
"I most certainly did."
The older War God entered the portal, as the small group returned to Terminus, Realm Of The Gods. As they departed, the portal slowly de-materialized, as a young, black-haired teen slowly shimmered into view.
"This is an … unforeseen … development," the young teen muttered, as he looked out at the ruined city of Nirvana. "Though, it is good to see that you have at least grown stronger after all these years … Natsu."
The teen turned on his heel, his black robe billowing in the wind along with his white cloak, as a silver-colored portal manifested itself before him. Walking through, the young teen smiled softly, before vanishing, his portal fading away moments after…