Fairy Tail: The Dark Swordsman

93 - Fall of Nirvana

[X784, Cathedral atop Nirvana]

— Dannis Martell —

The instant Brain collapsed, the countless floating screens above their heads fizzled away and disappeared as if they were dispelled. One by one, the illusions of shifting symbols and projections winked out like dying stars.

"So...he was the one controlling them?" Mira questioned.

"Probably, though Nirvana is still moving despite that." Dannis replied, sheathing his sword. The whole cathedral trembled as more dust filtered down from the ceiling.

Dannis frowned. "Jura's still out there fighting it. But I don't know how much longer even he can last against something this massive."

He knew the man was a Wizard Saint, but Nirvana was a magic as ancient as they come.

Mira looked at him, her expression thoughtful. "Couldn't you use your Dimension Slash to cut it apart?"

Dannis' brows furrowed. He had certainly considered it, but shook his head. "Maybe. If that's what it comes down to, I'll try. But I don't think it'll be that easy since not even Jura could dent this thing."

Before Mira could answer, a voice shouted from behind.

"Dannis! Mira!"

They turned just as a glowing platform of words soared through the Cathedral doors, carrying Levy and Gajeel. Natsu flew in with Happy carrying him.

"About time," Dannis muttered, though relief softened his tone.

The moment the platform came close enough, Gajeel leapt off with his usual reckless abandon.

"I wouldn't—" Dannis began.

"Urp!"

Gajeel hit the floor and immediately doubled over, clutching his stomach and mouth, groaning

"Oh dear..." Mira raised a delicate hand to her cheek. "So Nirvana counts as a vehicle? How odd."

Natsu cackled. "Pff! Ahahaha! Nice landing, metal-head!"

"Shut it, Salamander!" Gajeel growled between gags, dragging himself upright with a hand against the wall.

"You beat Cobra, then?" Dannis asked, his tone shifting back to serious. His gaze locked on Natsu, then Levy. "Good job."

"Yeah!" Natsu's grin widened, a fire in his eyes. "Took him down myself!"

Levy, panting slightly from continuously channeling her magic, quickly filled in. "We saw Gray and Lyon from afar. Their fight looked intense, but they waved us off and told us to head here instead. Said they had it under control."

Dannis nodded once, absorbing that. His gaze flickered toward the center of the chamber, where Brain's motionless body lay.

"This place..." Levy turned slowly, her eyes scanning the murals carved into the pillars. "...what is it?"

"The heart of Nirvana," Dannis replied. He gestured toward Brain's prone form. "Brain called it the King's Hall. It's where he controlled Nirvana's movements."

Levy's brows furrowed. "Then... does that mean we can stop it from here?"

Another violent tremor coursed through the chamber, throwing shards of dust from the ceiling. Looking out, Dannis saw one of Nirvana's legs carve a big chunk out of Jura's golem.

"We're not sure how," Mira admitted, her calm voice carrying an edge of unease. "This isn't exactly our specialty. Hibiki would know better, with his Archive magic."