Misty wind combed the pines; the cliff faces breathed fog. Below the high shelf where Darius toyed with two children, Fairy Tail met a black tide.
Mugs of steel on steel. Boots skidding. Breath in the cold.
Makarov swelled to giant size in a heartbeat, shadow swallowing torches.
Makarov (booming, fatherly fury): "Away from my children!"
He swept an arm—whump—and a dozen lackeys tumbled like chips of slate.
Mirajane moved gentler but no less sure; white light flared along her fingers.
Mira (soft, steady): "Out you go."
A demon-tinged palm sent two cloaks sailing into a snowdrift.
Cana flicked a fan of glowing cards.
Cana: "Exploding Card—Full Spread!"
Crack-crack-crack! A ring of dark mages fell back, singed and coughing.
Levy traced the air; letters solidified in front of her.
Levy: "Solid Script: IRON!"
A wall sprang up—lackeys bounced off with startled grunts.
Jet blurred past—fwip!—tripping legs in a blink, while Droy lobbed seed-bombs that sprouted binding vines.
Elfman crashed through a knot of enemies, fist like a piledriver.
Elfman: "Beast Arm!"
Thud. The rock shook.
Still they came. And still the line held—barely.
Up on the ledge, the duels sharpened.
Natsu vs. Rax Volt
Rax snapped his wrist.
Rax — "Thunder Chain!"
A link of lightning coiled Natsu's bicep and yanked him into a knee—thock. Natsu grunted, heat rippling.
Natsu (grinning through the ache): "Here's my answer—Fire Dragon's Talon!"
He spun, flaming kick carving a crescent that slammed Rax across the ground—skid.
Rax rose, lip bloodied, eyes hot.
Rax — "Arc Bolt!"
A spear of light cracked the rock by Natsu's head and flared—bang! Natsu's ears rang.
Natsu planted and drove forward.
Natsu: "Finish it—Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
He launched like a comet. The headbutt detonated flame point-blank—boom—and Rax went down hard, crackles snuffing from his fingertips.
Gray vs. Aster Vane
Aster's arms crossed, facets blooming.
Aster — "Crystal-Make: Mirror Barrage!"
Reflected darts lanced from three angles. Gray winced as one scored his thigh—shhk.
Gray slashed a hand down.
Gray: "Ice-Make: Floor!"
Slick frost glassed the stone; Aster skidded as he advanced—eyes flashing.
Gray followed.
Gray: "Ice-Make: Knuckle!"
A cased fist hammered Aster's ribs—thud—and the mirrors wobbled.
Aster snarled, raising both hands.
Aster — "Crystal-Make: Prism Spire!"
A needle tower shot up beneath Gray—crack!—lifting and tossing him. He hit, rolled, breath ragged.
Gray pushed to a knee, palm to ground.
Gray (cold smile): "Shatter."
Gray: "Ice-Make: Lance!"
The volley punched through the weakened mirrors and pinned Aster to the cliff wall. His magic guttered; he slumped, defeated.
Erza vs. Sable Rowan
Sable blurred into three, edges warping.
Sable — "Mirage Bloom—Triple Echo."
Three blades kissed Erza's guard from different heights—ting, ting, TING.
Erza's armor flashed. Requip: Flame Empress Armor.
Heat rippled; the nearest after-image withered. Erza stepped in.
Erza: "Cut through falsehood."
Heaven's Wheel—Circle Sword!
A ring of blades spun wide and returned—shrrk—carving illusions to tatters.
Sable hissed, then slipped behind with a glassy fade.
Sable — "Glass Thread."
An invisible filament sliced for Erza's neck. Erza dropped a shoulder, shields blooming—Requip: Adamantine Armor—and the thread pinged harmlessly away.
Erza lunged on the opening.
Erza: "Black Wing Armor—Blooming Moon!"
A dark arc smashed Sable center mass, driving her to the rim. A second strike sent her over. She hit a lower ledge and didn't rise.
Gajeel vs. Basalt Brun
Basalt stamped twice.
Basalt — "Faultline Crush!"
The ground split and slammed together. Gajeel took it on iron-scaled forearms—KRAK—growling.
Gajeel spat a nail.
Gajeel: "Chew on this. Iron Dragon's Sword!"
His arm lengthened to a cleaver and hacked Basalt's buckler to rubble.
Basalt roared, arms sinking into the earth.
Basalt — "Grasp of Granite!"
Stone hands clamped Gajeel's ankles—clench—and the mage yanked, trying to plunge him. Gajeel's grin widened.
Gajeel: "Bad grip. Iron Dragon's Roar!"
The blast blew the trap apart and flung Basalt backward. Gajeel followed with a smashing Iron Dragon's Club, and Basalt stayed down.
The Line Holds
Below, Cana's last volley cleared a path; Levy waved a team through; Elfman shoulder-checked a whole knot of cloaks into a wall. But more black coats poured from side tunnels, choking every gap.
Cana (breathing hard): "They won't let us through! Keep pushing!"
Makarov (grim, gentle steel): "Hold the path. We reach them—no matter what."
Darius vs. Two
Above, Darius brushed a fleck of dust from his sleeve.
Darius (mild): "Your friends have some spark. You two? Less so."
He lifted a finger. A sigil flowered midair, thin as a razor.
Darius — "Crimson Sigil: Cutting Line."
It kissed Ryuji's side—slice—and the boy's breath hitched. He caught himself on one hand, frost flaring and dying at his fingertips.
Wendy stepped over him, hands glowing, breath steady despite the tremble in her legs.
Wendy (soft, fierce): "You'll have to move me."
Darius' eyes warmed a fraction. "Brave, then."
A ring of red mist rose at their feet.
Darius — "Crimson Veil: Pressure."
Weight slammed down. Wendy's knees buckled; Ryuji's palm ground bloody against stone.
Ryuji (hoarse): "...Wendy—behind my veil."
He dragged up a film of ice—Winter Dragon's Frost Veil—thin as breath. It shattered under the pressure—tchkk—but took the edge. Wendy straightened again.
Darius sighed. "Stubborn, too."
He flicked his wrist. Three agate darts birthed from fog and hammered in—thip, thip, thip—staggering them both.
Still, they stood.
The Four Fall
On the lower shelf, Natsu dragged Rax up by the front of his cloak and dropped him, out cold. Gray shook glass dust from his hair; Erza re-sheathed a blade; Gajeel rolled his shoulder with a satisfied crack.
Natsu (shouting up): "Hang on! We're coming!"
A new wave of cloaks surged and swarmed them all over again.
Erza (to the line, voice like a drawn bow): "Advance!"
"Aye!" roared Fairy Tail, and the ridge shook under their boots.
High above, Darius watched two small figures square their stance for yet another hit. He smiled as if bored at a play—then raised his hand for a new cruelty.
To be continued...
Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima/Kodansha. I only own Ryuji Kazuma and this fan story. Non-commercial fan work.