Fairy Tail - Twilight Empire

Chapter 68 - The End of Sabertooth

Wendy surged her magic out so that it touched Natsu and Yukino, both of whom took off at Erza's command.

"Ile Arms, Ile Vernier!"

Both moved with speed to almost match Erza's lightning. The Ethereal Witch quickly took to singling out Yukino by blasting magic toward her. The three other Hunter's Division Generals moved toward two targets who stayed stationary: Gray and Juvia.

That left the Oni guard exposed, and behind them, the Crystal Division Generals and their soldiers. Jellal seemed to be on top of that—they all focused their primary attention on him, anyway.

The Oni flared with purple eyes. Wendy stayed back, wary of jumping into the fight with them. One braced against Natsu's fiery punch with its shield, holding strong despite the power boost Wendy gave him. Erza cut across one's blade and then deflected another. Despite their size, they were able to move quickly, and could easily overwhelm the two if given the chance.

She continued to feed them through her magic, wary of Irene, who drifted atop the train near her.

"Go on, young lady," Irene said. "I won't interfere. I'm simply watching your magic. Impressive enchantments, and enhancements."

Natsu and Erza tore across the Oni but they hadn't taken one down yet. Irene hummed.

"Such a powerful force," Irene said. "Built to last, you know. I know you've poured your heart into these spells, Wendy, but what it is compared to truly lending a hand?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to turn my back on you," Wendy said. "Not while you're studying us like this."

Irene opened her hands and let her staff fall. "That's fair. But I've taken a vow of noninterference in this fight for now. I want to simply observe what my daughter and her friends are capable of."

Wendy almost forgot that Irene was Erza's mother, even though most of them didn't want to believe it. Still, it wasn't the time to think about it. It was time to focus.

She was so far from the fighting, watching it all play out. She reached out and managed to extend her spell to Erza while Yukino actually cut off from it. It was as if her own will was telling Wendy that she'd handle Minerva alone—or, with her Spirits as her support.

Wendy let it go. Natsu and Erza did need the help, it seemed, which was strange to think. Natsu and Erza were the most capable fighters in the entire world. They'd singlehandedly helped in sending Crocus into a huge tizzy.

But why couldn't they break through the Oni guard?

Wendy's eyes widened, and she saw Irene smirk in the corner of her eye.

The Anti-magic didn't simply involve their weapons. It was their armor. It billowed with anti-Ether nano power that slowly chipped at Natsu and Erza's strength. A mere stream of magic from Wendy wasn't going to do anything.

Wendy closed her fists. Right.

"Deus Eques!" she called, and placed a hand on her chest.

Strength flared in her. She shot forward from the top of the train, ignoring Irene. Her friends needed her. Irene was a problem for another time.

Wendy swung in, casting, "Sky Dragon Wing Attack!" as she slammed into a guard about to pummel Natsu. Natsu, instead, took the chance to knock another back.

"We're going about this all wrong," Wendy said. "It shouldn't be you guys on the front line right now! It needs to be me!"

"What?" Erza asked.

Wendy nodded. "They're slowly draining your magic. But if I keep their focus, you two can fire at range at them. Hit them with precise strikes so that you can recover your magic between them and come back for another."