My Scarlet Rose (A Jerza Fanfic)

Chapter 17 - It Is Finished

"I wish you luck, human." With that, Athena was gone. Rick noticed the absent presence and his head snapped in Jellal's direction. "Athena was defeated?" He muttered, his eyes widened. "Impossible!" He looked down at her key which had her symbol on it, the Aegis shield. Just like the Zodiac had their signs on their keys, the Olympians had their symbol on their keys. He gripped the key tight before putting it away.

He looked up at watched the scene before him play out. Erza and Ares were clashing swords left and right. "Erza, get back!" Jellal shouted. She glanced over and her eyes widened once she saw him. The Heavenly Body Mage was in the position to cast Altairis, his arms above his head and the black hole forming. Jellal hadn't used this spell since the Tower of Heaven. This spell didn't bring up good memories at all. This was the same spell that killed Simon. However, today, this spell would do more good than bad. He would defeat Ares, send him back to the Spirit World, and then take care of Rick before he summoned another spirit.

Erza nodded and jumped back a few feet, requipping back into her Heart Kreuz Armor as she did so. Ares turned his attention to Jellal who was preparing his attack. "Cocky, aren't we?" Ares grinned, licking his lips. "Talk big all you want," Jellal looked the spirit directly in the eyes, "but here I come." And with that being said, he casted the spell. Ares readied his shield in front of him, preparing to defend himself, but realized what Jellal did. "Altairis!" Jellal shouted, casting the spell, but not at Ares. At the last second, he shifted his body to face the Celestial Spirit Wizard; surprising both Ares and Rick. Ares just watched with his mouth open, not even attempting to save his master. Ares may be a blood thirsty warhead, but he was also a coward. He was the exact opposite of Athena.

The attack made a direct hit, destroying the floor and causing everything to drop down to the second floor. Jellal coughed and curled up in the fetal position as large and small chunks of debris fell, causing dust to fill the air. "Erza?" He raised his head, looking around as the dust cleared. He noticed that Ares was gone, so either the spirit closed his own gate or Rick was down for the count.

Jellal heard coughs and immediately whipped his head in that direction. He saw a head of scarlet hair and he smiled. Thank God she's okay, he thought. "Erza, a-are you alright?" He asked just to make sure. She lifted her head to look at him and nodded. "Yeah." She mumbled, dusting off her skirt. He sighed in relief.

After a moment of rest, Jellal stood to his feet. He needed to confirm that Rick had been taken down before he moved on. He trudged over to the area where Rick had been standing before the spell was cast. He noticed the black color of the tuxedo and moved in closer. "Rick?" Jellal called, trying to see if the man was even alive. Rick's eyes were shut and he was lying there like he was dead, bruises and blood on his body. His tuxedo was torn to shreds, but covered necessary areas of his body. Jellal was tempted to touch him to check his pulse, but decided not to in case it was a trap.

Suddenly, Rick took in a giant breath and his eyes snapped open. He grunted in pain and coughed up some blood. "Jellal." He coughed. "Rick, don't move. We'll get you out of here and get you bandaged up." Jellal silenced him, bending down beside him. Rick coughed again, this time more violently. His hand trembled as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a key.

"What are you doing?" Jellal asked, shocked. "You don't have enough magic power to summon another spirit!"

"I . . don't . . care." He grunted. "I'll use . . . the last of my power . . to . . t-to . ." He coughed up another spot of blood. " . . get Erza."

Jellal bit his bottom lip. "Why do you want Erza dead?"

"Are you stupid?" Rick laughed although his laugh was weak due to his current state. "My sister has been in love with you since we were kids. You two made a promise, remember?"

"Everything's gonna be ok. I know it seems bad now, but I promise we won't have to suffer like this forever. We'll get out of here and get some real food together, okay?" Jellal smiled. Rachael stared up at him with hope in her eyes and a light red blush on her cheeks. "Yeah!" She exclaimed.

"Oh." That was all Jellal managed to say.

"She wants Erza out of the picture." Rick grunted. "She'll even escape death to do it." Rick watched as Jellal's jaw clenched. "It'll happen too. My sister is stubborn, unfortunately."

"Then why don't you stop her?"

"You kidding? Erza's the whole reason our friendship's all screwed up. I'm not getting in my sister's way." He gripped the key in his hand tighter.

Jellal glanced over to the key, noting that it wasn't gold like the others; it was black. "What spirit is that?"

"The thirteenth gate," He looked Jellal in the eyes, smirking. "Hades, God of the Underworld."

"You would attempt to open such a powerful gate in this condition?" Rick rolled his eyes in response.

"If I'm gonna die, then I'm taking the redhead with me." He declared. "Or maybe not." He murmured, looking in Erza's direction. Jellal followed his lead, looking in that direction. Nothing could have prepared him for what he just saw.