The bandits were faltering.
Natsu's flames roared hotter, Gray's ice snapped into jagged walls, and Erza carved through defenses with clean precision at center. Wendy darted across the right, Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!—two dropped in a gust. On the left, Ryuji advanced beside Gray, frost trailing each strike.
One bandit stumbled, clutching his side. Another fell to his knees. The fight should have ended there.
A dark shimmer crawled over skin. Veins of black magic snaked along arms and into eyes, oil-slick and wrong. One by one, the fallen rose again—wounds sealing, limbs twitching.
Bandit Leader (snarling, voice warped): "Y-you... won't... stop us..."
The magic pulsed, swelling them with twisted strength.
Natsu (gritting his teeth): "Tch—what the hell?! They're getting back up?"
Lucy (eyes widening): "That's not normal recovery magic... what is that?"
Gray (angry, palms lacing a sigil): "Looks like someone's pulling their strings."
Ryuji froze mid-step, breath catching as the crawling darkness engulfed them. His heart hammered; cold prickled his spine.
This aura... too familiar. Why here?
Above, Carla narrowed her eyes. He recognizes this... whatever it is.
Erza saw the stiffness in his shoulders but said nothing, blade lifting higher.
Erza (firm): "Stay sharp. This isn't over."
The enhanced bandits surged—faster, heavier. Steel rang, flame hissed, wind howled.
Bandit (roaring): "Kill them—tear them apart!"
Natsu (feral grin): "Fine by me! Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
He spun; fire-laced fists hammered two into the dirt.
Gray — Ice-Make: Lance!
A hail of spears pinned another to a splintered cart.
Erza — Requip! Heaven's Wheel Armor!
A storm of blades whirled outward, carving gaps in the line.
Wendy — Sky Dragon's Roar!
A spiraling gale lifted two off their feet and slammed them into the trees.
Ryuji locked his jaw, forcing the unease down.
Ryuji — Winter Dragon's Iron Fist!
Freezing air wrapped his knuckles; impact bloomed in a burst of frost shards. The bandit staggered, breath pluming white.
Still the shadows pulsed, dragging bodies upright like puppets. A thin, inky sigil flickered low on the leader's neck—there, then gone.
Lucy — Open, Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!
Taurus burst forth, axe sweeping a wide arc that sent a wave of them tumbling.
Cracks skittered along corrupted skin; a sour metal smell hung in the air. The bandits snarled, barely holding together under the strain.
Too familiar... Ryuji wiped cold sweat from his brow, eyes tracking the treeline.
Erza's gaze flicked toward him, catching the far-off focus in his eyes. Questions would come—after.
Fire, frost, steel, and wind hammered in relentless cadence as Fairy Tail pressed against the twisted tide—shadows writhing, light refusing to yield.
Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima/Kodansha. I only own Ryuji Kazuma and this fan story. Non-commercial fan work.