Chapter 31: But Don't Stop Moving Onwards

Well here you go. I bet you all were desperate for this. Chapter 31 is here. Don't forget to let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Bleach. Shame, it would be great if I did

Protector Of The Fairies

But Don't Stop Moving Onwards

Shinji walked through the trees carefully, not bothering to try hiding or to be stealthy. He had only one thing on his mind. Revenge.

That Cobra guy. He had the man's Magical Signature locked into his mind, and all he had to do was follow it. If he kept following it, he'd discover the man.

Why wasn't he rushing though? He guessed he was just trying to stay calm. Fighting angry never helped. Even Ichigo could only fight so far when angry. That must have been what Oración Seis had done. Make Ichigo angry and his attacks become stronger. As a consequence however, Ichigo wasn't as fast. The Berserker Style that could be handled much better if you weren't as fast.

However it always had a limit. Keep pushing him, making him more angry or frustrated, and it was likely you could end up trapping him. He wasn't kidding about the Phantom Step ever failing. They must have realised the threat it posed and had planned accordingly. He was surprised none of the others had asked why Ichigo hadn't used the move earlier on.

The answer was one he refused to let become common knowledge. It all came back to Ichigo's speed. To use it best, Ichigo had to let them all adjust to his speed. Problems arose though if the enemy caused his speed to jump erratically. If he messed up the enemy's timing too soon, it meant he had to start the whole thing once again.

Then came the second problem. It was incredibly fast but it wasn't a technique that took you very far. It was a consequence of combining Shunpo and Sonido. Shunpo provided the ease of movement while Sonido stopped you being tracked by sensors. Combine that with the sheer speed Ichigo could pull from with Bankai allowed him to move faster than anyone could see.

However that was only for a moment. In exchange for the fusion of the two techniques, it sacrificed a lot of distance. It couldn't get much further than behind the opponent, but it normally wasn't needed to. You either used it for surprise attacks or to bypass them. You couldn't use it to cross a field like he had seen from Oración Seis's setup.

Quite frankly, it disturbed him that Oración Seis had defeated Ichigo so easily. Individually, he was sure none of them would win. He was even sure Ichigo could fight two or even three of them at once if against the right combo of them. But from what he had heard, it seemed like they had known everything Ichigo would have tried.

That kind of plan was something that wasn't just thought up in a moment's notice or just a show of teamwork, though he couldn't deny that Oración Seis did work well as a team to play to their teammates strengths as they did. No, this was more like they had learned that Ichigo had been coming and had prepared a trap just to defeat him.

How? He had been Ichigo's friend for three years now and he doubted he could pull off a perfect plan as they seemed to have done. They didn't fight Ichigo regularly, but Brain did seem smarter than he was. But even then, he couldn't understand it. The distance seemed perfect to deal with Phantom Step, and they seemed to have a lot of knowledge on what Ichigo would have done.

There was no way they could have watched him and Ichigo train. Toushirou would have picked them up instantly. So how?

He'd have to settle to finding out when he finally found Cobra. He debated picking up Toushirou as he went but decided against it. They had originally let Ichigo go alone because they had been suspicious and Ichigo could get to them quickest. He had gone after him once he saw the blast of Magic upwards. He had forbidden Toushirou from following however.

They still had to be ready in case Nirvana was released after all. They had a lot less Magic to work with now, but it would have to do. And out of all of them, Toushirou was the one with the best control of Kidou. The kid would be able to pull the barrier off, even without him and Ichigo helping. The only hard part would be power.

"Look here boys. It's one of them."

Shinji glared at the large group that had snuck up on him. He had been so focused on tracking and his thoughts that he must have missed them getting closer.

"Get him."

Shinji sighed and drew his sword. At least he could get rid of some of the anger he felt at the moment. This lot would make great punching bags.

Protector Of The Fairies

"So how long has that guy been in your guild?"

Lucy glanced towards her companion, wondering again why Sherry had chosen to go with her instead of Lyon. "Who? Ichigo?"

"Who else."

"No idea. I mean Natsu mentioned him a few times but never said what had happened to him. I guess he's been there before everyone except Cana and Laxus though since Natsu said how he met Ichigo."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden interest?"

Sherry shrugged. "I've heard very little of him, despite how he is so strong. He's become one of the Ten Wizard Saints, someone who is at the same level as Jura, yet there aren't as many tales about him as there are with Jura."

"I don't know really. I heard he use to team up with Laxus and Levy so maybe that was it. Laxus was the official S Class Mage so he would inevitable draw attention to him instead."

"I see. I wonder how Jura knows him."

"Jura knew Ichigo before today?" asked Lucy. "I thought Jura was being friendly to him but I didn't realise the two were friends."

Sherry laughed. "I wouldn't call it the typical friendship. It's more like Jura respects Ichigo and views him as a rival."

"A rival?"

"Of course. He said about an orange haired Shinigami he met years ago when we were telling stories on the way here, and said how he admired him. I guess the moment he heard Ichigo became a Wizard Saint, he wanted him as a rival. The stronger you get, the fewer who can match you. So those who are strong seek someone equally as strong to compare themselves too."

"And that is why Oración Seis focused so quickly on the two from the start. Is Jura even okay to fight right now?"

Sherry shook her head lightly. "You felt Ichiya's Magic wearing off only a few minutes ago. Jura didn't show any difference when exposed to the same Magic we were, meaning that he is already under its effects. And he still looked weak. What does that tell you?"

Lucy looked down sadly. "So he can't fight too then."

"Not yet. Maybe as time passes he'll be able to. I think he's trying to gather Magic back as we speak by meditating."

"Does that work?"

"I don't think so, but he can't do anything while he waits. It'll keep him calm."

Lucy smiled. "You're a lot friendlier around other people now. You were always obsessed with Lyon before."

Sherry smiled in return. "My love is stronger than before."

"Why not follow Lyon though? Why stick with me?"

Sherry sighed. "Your stupid Ice Mage is the reason for that. Lyon insisted on going with Gray, claiming they had some catching up to do. A don't know what those two have planned but it's strange to see them working together so easily."

"I guess that's what happens when you are training together."

"I suppose. Besides, it wasn't fair to let you go alone. We need to always outnumber them if we want the highest chance of success, especially for people like us."

Lucy frowned. "People like us?"

"People like Lyon are strong. Most of the people Fairy Tail brought are similar. You and I are a bit more like Ren and Eve. Strong but currently average."

"So that's why they stayed behind. I thought it was strange, but then I suppose we need to have a few people in reserve."

Sherry nodded. "I think they might be getting ready to get Christina."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. "Christina! But I thought the plan failed."

"I did too. It's just a feeling I'm getting right now. Why else keep them back. And to be honest, I think Oración Seis had made sure to avoid destroying Christina in order to draw away a bit of attention from our reinforcements. The smoke made them send one of them but a destroyed airship would have sent them all running."

"Smart girl aren't you."

Lucy and Sherry spun round, the figure of Angel resting in a tree. "You-"

"You're the Celestial Spirit Mage aren't you?" asked Angel, her gaze on Lucy's keys already showing she knew the answer. "Well this is interesting. Just the person I was looking for."

Lucy reached for her whip while a large doll of earth rose up behind Sherry, Angel just resting a hand on one of her Keys. "Well then, shall we get started? I will decide your judgement here and now."

Protector Of The Fairies

Erza gripped her right shoulder, ignoring the wince of pain from the stump attached to it. The pain was bad, but it was bearable. If need be she did have one of Ichiya's test tubes that the man had given her as a gift before setting out. It was merely a pain relief but it was enough. Right now that would be the most important thing to have.

She couldn't deny that it had been painful. One didn't have an arm chopped off everyday. At least Shinji had been quick about it, slicing through it without hesitation of such an act. She wondered if that was how Ichigo had mastered that regeneration technique. Shinji certainly seemed as if he had cut off limbs before, and he hadn't even seemed disturbed by it either.

That glare he had in his eyes, it made her glad she wasn't his target. She half wanted to fight him as she had heard from Freed that he was skilled. The thing was that Freed said that throughout the fight, Shinji never once used his Shikai, instead relying on a white mask. Why? Why rely on something that didn't seem to be part of Shinigami Magic before the actually Zanpaktou? It didn't make sense to her.

It wasn't her business though. And right now, she needed to find Wendy. Others had offered to go with her but she had refused. Even with one arm, she was certain she could cope, or at least with some of Oración Seis. Brain would be out of the question for now until she learned to adapt, and Cobra was a definite no. It wasn't like she would run into the man though. Shinji would be hunting him personally.

That left only Angel, Midnight, Racer, or Hoteye. Angel would likely go after Lucy, and she was sure Sherry knew that to. The girl would make up all kinds of excuses for going with her, but Sherry would be an excellent ally for Lucy against a more experienced Celestial Spirit Mage. Sherry had fought Lucy long ago after all and knew how to fight those with the same Magic as Lucy.

So any of the last three. Who did she most hope she would end up against? Racer was fast but not impossible to deal with. Ichigo's problem with Racer's speed had been from fighting two people at once and she was sure she could just about keep up with Racer if she used her flight armour.

Then there was Midnight. She still had no idea on what the man's Magic actually was. All they saw was that it redirected and even took apart Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou before it hit anyone. Maybe that was why Ichigo had used his Kidou Spell so quickly. Because he was afraid it would have been destroyed too quickly to be used. And there was still the nature of his name that bothered her. It was getting darker and darker as time passed, and it wouldn't be long till it was night, and then midnight.

Finally there was Hoteye. That man was tricky but not impossible. His strength was coming from that strange Earth Magic that he used but it seemed more like a large sweeping type of attack. If she ended up fighting him, she'd find out if it was as effective on her as it was on the others.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. It was good that she had taken refuge in the trees as she moved, else the man would have spotted her by now. He looked like was heading somewhere, searching. It wasn't like he-

Her instincts burst to life as she felt Hoteye's eyes shot to her position, his eyes glowing slightly. Eye Magic. And the way he looked at her meant one thing. That Magic had revealed her to him.

"Show yourself, yes!"

Hoteye brought his fingers of one hand to his eyes and they widened, the ground bursting to life and changing shape around him to form a liquid. It whipped towards her, Erza sprinting between trees to dodge the waves of earth behind her.

"You won't escape."

The ground burst up around her exit point, forcing her to alter her direction else she end up trapped. She knew she was heading into a trap anyway, so that left one very obvious choice. Spring it.

Light shot around her as her armour shifted with Requip, a spiked black armour forming around her with her hair spiked outwards like the points of the armour, even going as far as to cover her right eye. In her left hand was a large spiked mace with a matching design to the armour.

This was one of her most dangerous armours. The Purgatory Armour. Few had ever seen the armour and lived to tell the tale, and it was one of her most menacing armours that she had. Because right now, with one only arm, she didn't need to be merciful. She had to be demonic.

She burst from the trees and fell right into the path of a wall of the liquid earth, the same wall closing down on her. Gripping as best as she could with her feet to the ground, she swung round with the mace at the wall of earth. If Hoteye had expected it to get caught up in the wall, he would have been wrong. The mace instead smashed into it and shattered the whole wall, the liquid falling down to the ground harmlessly.

Hoteye glanced at her in shock, not from the feat but from her missing arm. "You… You would go so far? And not for money?"

"I would do anything for the sake of my friends. Now come. I've on a schedule here."

Hoteye nodded before bringing his arms back up. "Very well then. Which is stronger? Money or friendship? Let us find out, yes!"

Protector Of The Fairies

Racer ran and ran and ran, the weight on his back not bothering him in the slightest. He could see their base in the distance. He was almost there.

He had been running for a long time now, but he was sure it had only been an hour or two for everyone else. Each side was likely to have recovered somewhat but that was currently none of his concern. He had only one job.

They had arrived back at their base with Wendy quickly after dealing with those Light Mages before Brain had sent him out, determined to get a hold of the item they had recovered recently. It had been a lucky find. They had gotten it just before anyone else could have, especially the Magic Council. If they knew what they had the Council would have sent everything they could after them.

And that was always the hard line to tread. Every Dark Guild knew the limits they could push to a degree. The lower ranked Dark Guilds were more of a nuisance than anything else, normally left to the Legal Guilds to deal with on 'Approved Council Missions', so that it still seemed like the Magic Council was involved.

Then you had the higher ranked Dark Guilds. They caused more problems and sometimes forced the Magic Council to act themselves, sending small forces to crush them. And finally, you had the top dogs. The Balam Alliance. Three guilds that all Dark Guilds fell into line behind, except for that Raven Tail. Each of the three was always a massive threat to the Magic Council, and everyone on each side knew it.

And so the greatest weapon of the top three to avoid conflict was secrecy. Keep your abilities quiet, keep yourself hidden, don't let them know where to find you, it was all standard stuff. The different was the urgency. If the Magic Council found their base, they'd sent everything they had, and their generals weren't exactly pushovers. And they wouldn't be alone either. No Dark Guild wanted to face an army so suddenly. It was far easier to find different ways to defeat them.

Nirvana. That would be their trump card. It was unlikely that Grimoire Heart or Tartarus would make a move on it as each Dark Guild always had a desire they sought. The entire Balam Alliance had required them to make a few sacrifices in terms of secrets, not on base locations but on objectives. The only way to make sure neither side of the alliance would come into conflict was to ensure they weren't after the same thing.

It made him wonder sometimes on what exactly the other two sought. Brain never told them and he knew Cobra wouldn't have spied on it as that would go against Brain's wishes. The only real wild card was Raven Tail, but they never did anything to interact with any other Dark Guild.

Was it arrogance? They were such an upstart in the world of Dark Guilds, ignoring assistance or protection and not offering it likewise. They were after something that much was clear. Cobra had told them all that after a recon mission on Raven Tail, and he had a strange way to describe the Guild's leader. The best way to describe the leader was as a man possessed, obsessed with a strange artefact or object.

That was all Cobra had gotten. He had always found it strange but the man's mind was so guarded, as if afraid someone would overhear him and start seeking the same prise. He half wanted to steal it from the man just to see how he would react. He was sure it would be interesting.

As he got closer and closer, he thought more and more about the object on his back. Was it right to do what they were about to do? It was an unnecessary danger in his opinion, but Brain seemed to think it was worth it.

Why though? They had dealt with the strongest Mages of the Light, and had believed originally that the others had been wiped out. Brain believed otherwise but they weren't a threat to them at all. They could spend all the time in the world looking for Nirvana. It was far too late to be stopped.

And what was up with the little girl that captured. Brain said how she used a rare branch of Healing Magic but what made her so unique? Was she even capable of the job they wanted her to perform?

His feet finally slowed him down as he pulled to a stop in the cave where they had made their base, Brain standing in wait with a pleased smile on his face.

"You brought him."

Racer nodded, dropping the large object off his back and onto the ground behind him. It was what looked to be a large T shaped object, taller than Racer was himself. Chains wrapped around it, holding the lid to the body of the object.

"That's a coffin," muttered Wendy.

"Correct." Brain reached for the lid of the coffin. "Would you like to see who is inside?"

The lid of the coffin slowly started dissolving as the chains broke apart, slowly revealing the man inside. The first thing Wendy saw was the blue hair, and then the red tattoo around the man's right eye.

The man inside was tall, with strange light blue web like cracks along his skin. The man was held to the back of the coffin by more chains but he looked like he wasn't aware of it. It looked like he wasn't aware of anything.

"This is Jellal," said Brain as he turned to Wendy. "I want you to heal him."

Wendy looked at Jellal strangely, her head tilted and her eyes squinting, as if trying to figure something else. "You're lying."

A rare expression crossed Brain's face. Confusion. "What are you talking about? Surely you recognise the man who saved your life."

"This isn't Jellal," Wendy said more forcefully. "I would recognise the one who saved my life."

"You…" A gear clicked into place in Brain's mind as he looked the girl over. "Ah, I forget. You're a Sky Magic User. You lot are a bit particular on how you see people aren't you? What if I told you that this man had been bathed in Eternano. No living creature can live in an area of extreme concentrations of Eternano, except for one. And he isn't a Quincy. Does that change your mind?"

Wendy reached out to Jellal, resting a hand against his chest. Was this really the man who saved her? It was true with what Brain was saying. Such a large dose of Eternano was making it hard to work out if this was really her Jellal. But the one thing that bothered her was what this man appeared like to her. She saw things differently to other people, and her Jellal was one of the most unique individuals that she had ever seen. Her Jellal was like a void of nothing, and this Jellal in front of her was like a tornado.

So that left a question. Should she heal the man? There was only a chance that he was her Jellal, but it was worth a shot. Even if this man was a danger, there was still a chance that he was the man she owed. And as much as it pained her, she couldn't find it in her heart to not try and heal the man. She was a healer above all else. She didn't like standing back when someone was in pain, except for a few occasions in the past.

Without a word, Wendy properly stepped up to Jellal and brought her hands up to the chains, a slice of air shattering them before anyone could stop her. Racer took a step forward to stop her but Brain raised his staff to stop him.

"Don't."

"But she's-"

"I said don't. I knew she'd heal Jellal. She's too soft, and she can't find it in herself to not heal him."

"Can't she hear you saying that? She could easily stop whenever she wants."

Brain smirked and gestured towards Wendy who was ignoring them all completely. "Look at her. A professional at work, ignoring anything around her and focusing on the task ahead. She will barely pay attention to us."

Brain turned around and walked to the cave's entrance. "Soon. Soon, Jellal will be brought back, and then Nirvana will be ours."

Protector Of The Fairies

A long purpled haired woman approached a shadowy figure on a throne. "It seems that Oración Seis has begun to make their move."

"Oh? Tell me more Ultear."

Ultear stepped closer to the man, her hair falling slightly over the right side of her face. "Certainly Master Hades. It seems that they are finally making their move after Nirvana."

"I see." Hades reached towards his chin to scratch it in thought. "This is good. With them taking the spotlight, it provides an opportunity for us. Have you located the next key?"

Ultear nodded. "We have its location marked out and are awaiting your orders."

"Then we fly towards it. While Oración Seis have their fun, we'll use them to shield us from view. If they can, they will hopefully deal with a troublesome guild for us."

Ultear smiled. "You are talking about Fairy Tail aren't you?"

"Indeed. They are a nuisance at times, but I can't deny that they make brilliant shields to distract everyone with. The Tower of Heaven incidence with them provided us with a far larger smoke screen than I would have expected, and their recent activities helped keep it up."

"I suppose it would. It seems that the old Chairman actually did find Fairy Tail's Shinigami. I had hoped to have tracked them down but I was afraid of my cover being ruined."

"You did well. Juushirou Ukitake is never a man to underestimate. He would have caught you a mile off. No, it was better to just wait. Ichigo has returned now."

"You've been watching him haven't you?"

Hades laughed. "You know me too well Ultear. I've had Azuma keeping an eye on him, particularly during this whole Oración Seis situation. It is likely we won't be the only ones watching him too."

"Do you want him for yourself?"

Hades shook his head. "He is a talented individual, one that would benefit our goal greatly, but I would rather avoid collecting him. He seems like just the person an old friend of mine would love. It means he would never team up with us."

"Shame. So what will we do when the time comes?"

"We'll deal with him like all the rest. No one will be able to stop us. Soon, we will open the path to the Ultimate Magic World. For now, we wait."

"As you wish."

Ultear left the room, leaving Hades to his thoughts. He reached an arm up to his right eye and winced as a burst of pain rippled through it. "Not yet," he muttered to himself. "I need more time. I'm so close to it. Just hold out a bit longer. Please?"

The pain receded but he knew it wouldn't last forever. Eventually, there would be no delaying it. Things brought out of the darkness always returned back there in the end.

Protector Of The Fairies

Yoruichi strutted past the Rune Knights assembled, not bothering to spare them as glance as she shot past them all. She was looking for someone.

She had travelled a decent distance today, getting sidetracked on the way because of an interesting rumour she had heard. Now she had finally gotten there, and still wasn't even late. But she was the Goddess of Flash so how could she even be late?

She scowled a bit as she pasted the latest bunch of Rune Knight Candidates. They did have some interesting ones a few months back but the whole disbanding of the Magic Council had caused a bit of an uproar. That momentary disruption of power left the Rune Knights in tatters. The Generals barely managed to keep their troops organised so it was no shock that the recruits had ended up being forced out of the forces. They would have had no idea what to do or where to go in that chaos, and as such a lot of them had found places in guilds. Not of all them were Magic based, and not all the guilds were legal ones either. She had been busy for the past month hunting down the remains of those same candidates. Such a shame to waste good talent.

Now that the Magic Council had managed to reform though, business had returned to normal. There had been some disruption from when they had relocated but they shouldn't be complaining in her opinion. Their new area was a lot more interesting, especially since it was isolated. It would play to the strengths of the Generals a lot more than before when they headquarters had been in a populated area.

The Rune Knights nearby seemed to be engaging in a variety of activities. There were different sections to the forces the Magic Council had available, just like with any good army.

First you had the basic troops. They were commonly referred to as Knights since that was the common image that the people of Fiore would strive towards if they joined the forces. They were the primary fighting force, and as such had training in all weapons they would use on the frontlines. Swords, spears, shields, occasionally even a Magic Weapon or two, though those were normally reserved for the higher ups. They were normally expected to be able to use Magic though as they went up the ranks, hence why it was hard to see someone who couldn't use Magic ascend to a higher rank. Some people complained about the discrimination but it was a simple fact. A person who could use Magic would become stronger than a copy of him or her without Magic. And against the enemies of the Magic Council, they needed to have strong troops.

Then you had the Scouting Legion, known as Runners. It had been the attempt of the Knights to make fun of them in the early days since they didn't get involved much in combat and instead had to run away from fights. The Scouting Legion however took the name in stride, not bothered in the slightest. Their job was purely recon after all, and as such were training in ways to support that. Unlike Knights, a Scout had to have the capacity to use Magic, not matter what rank they were in the command chain.

And there was normally a lot to learn. She herself had taken a few courses in her time serving the Magic Council, and it was handy to be able to track someone by both Magic and Non-Magic means. The men and women in this profession would occasional even learn extra skills and would form teams like seen in guilds. A tracker, a combatant and an infiltrator. Of course there were the few who really stuck out in that field, being able to go on missions alone. She had heard of one of them recently but the name escaped her when she tried to think of him.

After the Runners, you had her old group. People liked to refer to them as Stalkers, but it didn't completely suit the organisation. They were assassins, and they were the best. You need someone killed, they would die and no one would even know it. They could make it look like someone had died from anything ranging from a Dark Guild to a rare disease. And she had led the group before she had retired. The Council had debated stopping her, she was sure of it, but this wasn't the same kind of group as the others. Leaving was always an option for people, and there was an over sixty percent dropout rate after about a year or two of service, the members integrating back into the other organisations.

Finally you had the area for those not wanting to deal with combat. She remembered Kisuke had done an overhaul on the Research and Department Institute, increasing the group's efficiency by one hundred percent. The last head, Mayuri, had gotten close to keeping up with Kisuke's record, but the man had always fallen short. And the new guy in charge couldn't even match half of Kisuke's increase. They still did good research though, finding out new ways to use Magic fairly often and making sure the rest of the groups had strong equipment.

It had bugged her when Kisuke had vanished for so long. He had been getting agitated for a few months, and then he was gone, half his notes and research vanishing with him. It was only recently that she had finally worked out where he had been and what he had been doing.

It seemed that he had gotten an apprentice while he had been away. Juushirou had known that much she was sure of, but not of how long the man had known. And that infuriated her. Ichigo had to have been trained from an early age, and it had taken hours to back track through papers and reports to get an indication on the boy.

You did learn some interesting stuff when you looked far enough. She had thought it had been a coincidence, but she was certain it wasn't now. She knew exactly who Ichigo's family was.

Kisuke had trained the kid for a while if her estimates were correct. And he had gone for the method he had talked about, she was sure of it.

After all, the boy was said to have had the ability to use some dark Magical Power recently. If that wasn't Hollowfication, she didn't know what was.

Why that method? Why go for Hollowfication? They had talked about their future apprentices a few times in the past, saying the qualities they wanted in them and how they would likely train them. And from the moment she had heard of Kisuke's theories on Hollowfication she had thought that he was mad.

But he had gone ahead and done it anyway. It infuriated her. Didn't Kisuke know who Ichigo's parents had been? Isshin, a Shinigami, and Masaki, a Quincy. Either would have been good enough for Ichigo, yet Kisuke had to push it further. And she knew why the man did it too. That was why it made her so mad.

Right now though she'd focus on other things. She had a certain General to see, and it wasn't like she had other things to do. Her pace missed a beat for a second and her head snapped to the distance. That was strange. It wasn't a feeling of Magic, but rather a feeling of dread. It had been a long time since she had felt something like that, and it unnerved her.

Something big was going to happen, and it was going to happen soon.

Protector Of The Fairies

A bit more of a filler chapter this time I'm afraid. No way around it as it was needed to set up the next set of fights. So I can practically confirm Shinji vs Cobra in the future, and we can see the ones to appear soon. Angel vs Lucy and Sherry, a slight difference from the original battle, and Erza vs Hoteye, a completely new line up.

Jellal got an appearance too. Can't forget about him. More hints about Wendy and she certainly seems a bit more skilled in the Magic she can use from her ease at shattering the chains. And even Yoruichi appeared, something I bet you didn't expect. This is her second appearance now and it won't be the last, though there will still be a gap till her next one. And with the amount of Isshin references I'm throwing in here, you must all be desperate to see him. I can confirm that I will have a scene with him soon enough, but maybe not the one you all expect.

And did you see Hades here? Bit different from his original scene, and I do that for a reason. As much as I can do with him at the moment however until we get to his arc. I'm done a few changes with Ultear in a way too, considering how her Magic works and how to use it most effectively.

Now onto last chapter. I was quite happy to see the range of responses out there about Erza's arm. It's good to see differences of opinions like this on what I did, and I'm glad if you were against it but still turned up here to see what I'll do next with it. I might as well answer a quick common question here for those talking about Kidou. Kidou is, in my opinion, an excellent battlefield healing technique. It allows the user to get back into the fight much quicker along with restoring their Magical power. It can't reattach an arm however, and healing Magic that effective is hard to come by even when healing Magic is rare itself. The only exceptions to this Kidou rules are when they have a Zanpaktou dedicated to healing in some form. And the only reason things would be so successful in squad 4 is likely due to also having more advanced techniques taught to them and good equipment, something an ordinary Shinigami like these guys have no access too.

Did people see Bleach and Fairy Tail by the way? Rukia has a Bankai, and I'm glad she got to finish the fight instead of her brother. I'm watching it closely however as I want to judge how strong her Bankai is with how strong the others are. I'm nothing against her being strong and having a Bankai, and the time in the King's realm would have affected her, but I'm considering her growth with the growth of the others, along with all the effort she had to go through learning the new Shikai moves.

And as for Fairy Tail, well… Zeref. All I need to say, all I want to say. Time stopped! Or at least I think it did in some form. What exactly can Zeref do? How will he act? I want to see more of his character. He is quite honestly a personal favourite of mine, and I'm desperate to see what else he'll do. Especially with how mixed his character can be in what he wants to happen.

Anyway, till the next time. I've been Takei. Thanks for reading.