Both Erza and Doryu stood with their backs to each other, their blades still drawn. Suddenly, blood gushed from Doryu's backside. Erza remained standing still, without making a single movement.
"Not bad, Titania…" Doryu commented. A smirk formed on his face as Erza's armor and swords suddenly shattered into tiny pieces. Blood gushed out from her body in multiple places and she fell to her knees. Doryu turned around and looked at Erza who was attempting to get back up.
"You still want to fight me? That's quite commendable. But you're not strong enough." Doryu said. He began to walk towards the bloody and beaten Erza who was just getting back up. He raised his sword above him and prepared to slice down.
"Farewell, Titania-"
Doryu immediately jumped back as he noticed several rock formations floating above him. The rock formations impaled the ground where Doryu was once standing, creating a large hole in the ground. A figure walked up in front of Erza. Doryu's eyes widened but a smile formed on his face.
"I was wondering when you'd show up, Iron Rock Jura." Doryu mused. He looked at Jura's left arm and noticed it was heavily bruised.
"There's only one person in my attack squad with the power to fight against a Wizard Saint. I suppose you fought Franken Billy?" Doryu asked.
"That is correct. And you must be Doryu, the leader of the "Doryu Attack Squad." Jura inquired.
"You would be right to assume that." Doryu replied.
"That magical power of his...is quite sinister. Maybe even more so than Zero's." Jura commented, looking back at Erza who was back on her feet.
"He's even stronger. We'll definitely have to work together to fight him. I suspect he's been toying with me during our entire fight…" Erza said.
"Comparing me to Zero?" Doryu questioned. He furrowed his brow and glared at the two mages. His magical power began to rise once again, shaking the very ground. Both Jura and Erza looked at him with shock.
"Even with my strongest armor, I couldn't deal significant damage to him…" Erza said.
"If I were at my full strength, I don't think I could defeat him. But we have no choice but to try." Jura said. He prepared himself and got into a fighting stance. The shattered remains of Erza's armor began to glow as she requipped into her clear heart clothing.
"Did Meliodas not make it here yet?" Jura asked. He thought back to the power he sensed when Meliodas had fought Zero. That kind of power would be needed in a fight like this.
"I haven't seen him. Same with Gajeel and Lily." Erza remarked.
"Did you say Meliodas?" Doryu asked. 'I remember Aifread telling me about him multiple times. The one who defeated both Ogre and Zero…'
Both Jura and Erza remained silent at Doryu's question. Doryu's glare stopped and was replaced with a smirk.
"You lot are getting on my nerves, so I think it's time for THAT." Doryu said. He raised his right arm out to his side and a black coffin shrouded in darkness formed next to him. In the coffin were four glowing purple orbs. Both Jura and Erza flinched at the magical power they were sensing.
"That must be...we CAN'T let him open that!" Jura yelled with noticeable panic in his voice. Jura raised his right arm up in front of him and pointed his fingers at Doryu. A magical circle formed in front of Jura as dozens of large rocks shot out from it.
"How insolent." Doryu said as he drew his blade once again, cutting through each of the rocks launched at him. He suddenly felt a presence to his side as Erza appeared, donning her Clear Heart clothing while holding her Demon Blade Benizakura in hand. She swung the blade towards Doryu's head. Doryu ducked the swing and delivered a kick to Erza's stomach with his left foot, launching Erza back.
Erza landed on her feet, slightly winded by the blow but immediately lunged back at Doryu as Jura continued launching his rocks at him.
"You're both...GETTING ON MY NERVES!" Doryu shouted as a strong gust of wind knocked both Jura and Erza into the air. The power of the wind increased and turned black as it slammed into them both with dark magical power.
"T-this power?!" Jura commented as he was launched into the air as blood gushed from his body. He looked towards Erza who was in worse shape than him and was closer to the blast. She was heavily wounded yet still conscious. Jura landed on his feet again as Erza hit the ground hard.
"T-this is bad…" Jura said as he looked at Erza who was unable to move her body. Jura himself was not in good shape and could barely keep himself standing up.
"Now, I will show you what ultimate power is!" Doryu shouted enthusiastically. He reached towards the coffin and placed his hand between the four orbs. The coffin began to glow, emitting a bright purple light that enveloped the area.
As the light died down, Doryu was revealed holding a black scimitar with a dark substance flowing out of the blade. Jura looked at the blade. The presence it was giving out made him want to vomit. It was the most foul magic he sensed up to that point.
"That weapon…" Jura said dejectedly.
"Behold, the Ultimate Weapon of Dark-" Doryu's sentence was cut short as tendrils of darkness shot out from the weapon straight into Doryu's right arm. Doryu grunted in pain and looked at the weapon angrily.
"You dare try to absorb me?! Your Master?! How foolish!" Doryu yelled as he raised his magical power even higher. More darkness began to flow out of the weapon as the tendrils pumped a strange black substance into Doryu's body.
"T-this weapon?!" Doryu exclaimed as he felt excruciating pain throughout his body. The pain he felt was unlike anything he had felt before, as if every cell in his body was burning.
"AGGHHHH!" Doryu screamed as darkness began to leak out from his body, covering it entirely in a matter of seconds.
"So even you're not able to control a weapon like that." Jura commented. "It looks like that Ultimate Weapon is your downfall."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Doryu replied. The darkness around him vanished completely. His black hair had turned white and his cloak was now gone, revealing his bare upper body. Black veins had become visible across all of his body. In the hand that held the black scimitar, even more black veins were visible, running up his arm up to his lower bicep.
"He controlled it…" Jura commented with a look of despair on his face. "Why go this far? For what purpose?!"
"With this power...I will change the world to my liking." Doryu replied. "And it all starts with destroying the council."
"I won't let you get away with this evil plan of yours! I will put all of my power into stopping you here, even with my last dying breath!" Jura shouted.
"Evil? Am I the evil one? Perhaps. But those were all necessary sacrifices. It is because of the Council that I have been pushed to go this far." Doryu replied calmly.
"The Council?" Jura questioned.
"I'm sure you're aware of this, being a Wizard Saint. Whatever the Council deems as evil is absolute, no matter the circumstance. I'm merely a victim of that circumstance. Forty years ago, my father was a brilliant mage who specialized in darkness magic. He took down dark guilds by himself and opposed those who dared to prey on the weak. However, he was a force that the council couldn't regulate, despite his "good" deeds. They deemed him a criminal, caught him, and executed him as they feared his power."
"Your father...I've heard that story. The dark mage, Sinclair. He wasn't executed because he was uncontrollable. He was executed for killing countless mages, which is against the law!" Jura retorted.
"Even if they were dark guild mages who did despicable acts even worse than my own? Jura I will say that you are one of the few among the council who has reason and isn't corrupted by their ways. But today, you will also become a victim of circumstance, all for the ideal." Doryu responded. "And with this ultimate power, I have the ability to do so!"
Jura glared at Doryu and raised his hand up in front of him, launching several large rocks at Doryu. Doryu remained still as the rocks collided with his body. As the smoke from the collision cleared, Jura looked at Doryu wide eyed, shocked that he had not a single scratch on his body.
"It takes power to get what you want in this world! Indisputable power that cannot be opposed! The power that the council has was considered such, but now I am in possession of said power!" Doryu shouted. He raised the black blade up into the air. Darkness began pouring out of it as a malevolent aura filled the air around them.
"Nightmare Spread!"
"Ggghhhh!" Jura grunted as he felt pain in every part of his body. 'Dammit...I can't hold on like this…' Jura looked towards Erza and saw she was also going through the same pain. 'She won't hold out like this with those injuries...but how do I stop this…I can't even muster the strength to move…'
"Nightmare Spread is an attack that bypasses all defense to attack the body directly. Only those who walk the path of darkness like myself can stand inside of this aura." Doryu commented as he watched both Erza and Jura struggle.
"Dammit!" Erza yelled as she slowly began to stand up again. Both Doryu and Jura looked at her with surprise. 'How can she move with those injuries while being under my Nightmare Spread?'
"Doryu...I understand how the council has wronged you...the council also took away someone who was very special to me...but I can't let you go through with this revenge of yours! If I do...not just my life...but the lives of my friends will be at stake. I can't let that happen!" Erza shouted as she slowly walked towards Doryu.
"Titania...you never cease to impress me. You must be going through a lot of pain right now. I will make your death swift." Doryu said, walking closer to Erza. He raised his blade in the air, shrouding it with even more darkness.
"NO!" Jura yelled as he tried to take a step forward. He winced at the pain and looked towards Erza. 'Erza...How are you able to withstand this kind of pain?!'
Doryu swung his blade down towards Erza. As the blade was about to connect with her head, his eyes widened as a figured burst from the floor beneath. Doryu felt a sharp pain in his abdomen as he coughed up blood and was sent flying back across the top floor of the castle. Doryu quickly regained himself, sinking the black blade into the ground to stop his momentum and leaving a thin hole in the ground where he skidded. Doryu wiped the blood from his mouth and looked up at the figure. 'Who could have striked me so hard that I would bleed, even in this form? Not only that, but my Nightmare Spread was active until he hit me...'
"Well, well, well. That's one dangerous power you have there."