1 | Ascent [DISCONTINUED]

18 | VERSUS MASTER JOSE

          SHE WAS A TRAITOR, a traitor to Phantom Lord, a traitor to her own guild, and yet she still tried to reason with the man that was the angriest at her. Elvira expected to run into Jose, but she had hoped she wouldn't. Even though she tried to reason with the man, deep down she knew no matter what she said, he wouldn't listen. Fighting him was the only option at this point, but Elvira knew she didn't stand a chance, at least not alone. Jose was a wizard saint, and Elvira knew to beat one, she either needed immense firepower or another wizard saint, neither of which she had.

          However, even though it seemed as though she and the current Fairy Tail members lacked the necessary firepower, that didn't stop Gray and Elfman. Elvira watched as both of them went after the man at full force, hoping that their magic would be enough to leave at least a scratch on the man. As the pair went after the man, Elvira heard Erza yell out to them, telling them not to do it. Looking at Erza's face, Elvira could tell that she too knew Jose powers, and knew that as much as he needed to be stopped, they stood no chance. When Elfman and Gray neared the man ready to lay their attacks, they were suddenly hit back by Jose's power.

          "Elfman!" Mirajane yelled out, as the pair fell into the rubble. "Gray!"

          Turning away from the two and towards Jose, Elvira watched as the man moved his arm in a certain way, telling her that he was about to attack again. In the corner of her eye, Elvira could see Erza trying to stand up, which told her the redhead most likely was going to try to defeat Jose. Wanting to give Erza a chance to prepare, and to protect the other three, Elvira quickly put up a shield in front of all of them. So as Jose made his move to attack, the wave of power was quickly hit the shield. However, just as quickly as the shield went up, it went down, and as a result a good brunt of the attack still hit Mirajane, Elfman, and Gray.

          "Your shields are weaker than usual," Jose comments, a smirk on his face. "Though it is expected due to the amount of magic you used in an attempt to protect those Fairy Tail scum."

          "I wasn't just protecting Fairy Tail," Elvira replies. "I was protecting all of Magnolia."

          "While leaving your own guildmates to be struck down," he adds. "You know Elvira, how about you do me a favor and stand still, that way we can get this done quick and painless. Plus, if you listen to me, I'll tell Gajeel that you were killed by one of those fairies, that way he won't remember you for the traitorous scum you are."

          Before Elvira could respond, Erza then jumped up from around her and started to go after Jose. Seeing Erza, Jose began attacking, trying to hit not only Erza but Elvira as well. Knowing that Mirajane, Elfman, and Gray were behind her, Elvira quickly cast domes around them, hoping that they would last longer than her earlier shield. Using her magic boots, she floated up to avoid Jose's attacks. As Jose sent out his attacks, he destroyed more of the headquarters, causing smoke and dust to fly everywhere. Above it all, at first, it was difficult for Elvira to see anything, but she could see a dash of red hair, letting her know that Erza was fighting to stop Jose. Suddenly, the smoke cleared, and Elvira could see, and what she did see was a standoff between both Erza and Jose.

          "Fascinating," Jose says, looking at Erza. "You took a shot from Jupiter at full force, did you not? And yet you're still standing."

          "Only because my friends have filled my heart with strength," Erza reveals. "I will withstand any physical pain to protect the ones that I love!"