Fairy Tail - Twilight Empire

Chapter 116 - Reformed Rebels

Magnolia was coming up. Makarov didn't seem any more or less apprehensive about approaching his old hometown. It was still a pile of rubble, but at least it wasn't smoking or looked like it was the spot of a recent disaster. STAR's imprint was surprisingly still present, though Hisui wasn't sure if she was seeing things or not, since they were so high up in the air.

"Seems like the Hargeon distraction worked out pretty well," Mest said from the helm.

"Not well enough," Makarov said. He sat up and unfolded his arms. "We should've known they'd lay a trap for us here."

"What?" Sherria asked. "Are there people down in Magnolia?"

No sooner did she ask than the airship was rocked. The ship's hull integrity plummeted. Hisui held steady in her place, but she remained calm. Makarov didn't see reason to panic yet. All he did was slowly stand up and shrug off his cape.

"Can you safely land the airship, Mest?" Hisui asked.

"It may not be worth salvaging," Mest said, looking over the report of the ship's damage.

The fact that something hit them that hard was indeed quite worrying. But it was only a singular attack. Either the force that spotted them wasn't that big, or there was only one wizard down there attacking them.

"Alright," Hisui said. "We need to abandon ship, then."

"You're taking this pretty well, Hisui," Sherria said.

Hisui sighed. "It was an inevitability. Now isn't the time for panic, alright, Sherria? We have to stay focused. We may not know who is down there, but we know what we have to do. We trained for this moment. You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess!"

"We won't like what we find down there," Makarov said.

"Do you know what's down there?" Hisui asked as the alarm bells continued blaring. The ship was almost in a nose-dive.

"Yes," Makarov said.

Mest rushed over and grabbed the three of them. They teleported at once and reappeared on the ground on the outskirts of Magnolia as the airship continued to sink.

Hisui brandished her sword, flaring celestial light around them. Sherria's dark winds swirled around her hands.

The airship crashed and exploded, unleashing a wrath of fire and magic into the sky. It was the perfect signal flare for anyone wondering what was going on.

Two individuals stood across from the group. Several more were behind. Each was a wizard, and each was a face Hisui recognized all too well.

She wanted to blame herself for their current state. After all, it was their distress call, their dire mistake against Tartaros, that led to their arrival against the Empire at the last moment.

"Sherria," Hisui said as she adjusted the grip she held on her sword. "I need you to be strong, okay?"

"Of course," Sherria said.

"So," Makarov said. "How shall we handle things here?"

Ichiya and Bacchus were hauntingly unsmiling as they waited for the rebels to make their move. Their blank expressions spoke loudly enough that the Empire had Broken them. Hisui stole a glance over her shoulder at the others waiting for her. The Three Stars of Stella, Bob, and Jura Neekis stood at the ready.

"Let me remove Bob from the equation," Mest said. "It seems like the Empire has rejuvenated the old geezer's strength from before."

"Good thinking," Makarov said. "Let me handle Jura. He may be too much for the rest of you."