Fairy Tail - Twilight Empire

Chapter 101 - The Dragon Demon Festival

Wendy's vision cleared up as she managed, on wobbling arms, to push herself up. There wasn't any more magical pressure around her. STAR was deactivated. She let herself smile about that and let out a tiny bit of air. It still pained her to move, so she tried to do that as little as possible. All of the swelling winds from STAR had knocked her over and knocked her out.

Carla was still near her, but was attending to Levy, whose hands were burning a deep red with runes spiraling all around them. Tear's leaked down Levy's face while she doubled over, shaking and sobbing almost violently. Wendy braced herself to try to stand, but couldn't.

Laxus and Lucy were up ahead. The latter was barely standing while the former was on the ground, it seemed. Beyond them was another man, a man in dark clothes with long and flowing dark hair, as well as Erza.

When had she arrived? She was in her Clear Heart clothing, her katana raised and poised to attack. She had signs of serious damage all over her, like she'd been through a ton of fighting already. Her opponent, meanwhile, welcomed her. A dark vortex of curse power surrounded him.

That had to be Mard Geer, leader of the Tartaros Division. Did they really only have Erza left to fight him? She looked around. Laxus was down, sure, but what about Gajeel or Hisui? Yukino, who'd gone out to fight with Kip? Had he defeated all of them so soundly?

Was there even a chance for Erza?

Well, Wendy thought, of course there was. Erza was unbreakable, unbeatable. Wendy steeled herself. She had no magic left. She couldn't help Erza at all. She bowed her head and closed her eyes. What a useless little wizard she turned out to be.

She couldn't even summon the strength to speak—it was as if her Dragon Force and her proximity to STAR completely wiped her out of any and all strength.

Their clash started. Vines whipped out from around Mard Geer and Erza, and each one that attempted to grab her or skewer her was just as swiftly cut down with a flash of her katana. Erza was like the wind, dancing through the vines carefully as she closed the distance on Mard Geer. Her strike almost cleaved him in two, but a barrier of thorns blocked it. Erza bounced away, then ducked under more vines and sliced across a rose that exploded near her, not impacting her at all.

She darted across the battlefield, throwing her sword at Mard Geer, who dodged it.

Erza flung herself at him with a mighty kick that he blocked with his own strength. Erza flicked her wrist, and her sword reappeared in her hand. Mard Geer's defense wasn't quick enough. He stepped away but took a hard slash across his body. He let out a howl, and his aura exploded, shoving Erza back.

Power condensed around him as his form shifted and grew taller. His hair coalesced atop his head, and armor formed around the entirety of his body. Erza struck again. She swung her blade at him, and he easily deflected it with his hand, then delivered a swift punch that dropped her. His kick had her flying back toward Lucy, bouncing off the ground, and only by stabbing her blade into the dirt was she able to stop.

Mard Geer opened his palm toward Erza, who batted away the blast of dark curse power aimed squarely at the three Fairies. She got back up, shrugging away some of the dirt.

Mard Geer prepared another strike, but stopped. His eyes twitched, and he closed his hand. He looked to the eastern sky.

A chill ran through Wendy. A surge, a gasp, and then a shiver that claimed her whole body. A scent, familiar, claimed her. It was followed by another.

Something unsettled the sky. Something cut across its clouds, blotting out the sun with an overwhelming darkness everywhere it went. Shadow was in its wake, death lay before it. Wendy blinked, searching for what it was.