Chapter 78: Dante and Erza vs Azuma!
Flying through the sky, Dante was making his way towards the Tenrou Tree. After convincing Ultear to switch sides with a plea about restoring her mother's body, Dante knew that Azuma would be at the Tenrou Tree. Remembering what Azuma did to Mira, Dante was filled with rage. He didn't care how tough Azuma was, he was going to make him pay for what he did. As Dante was soaring through the sky he looked down and saw a friendly face.
"Sorano! Are you there" yelled Erza, clearly searching for Wendy. Dante flew into sight before he landed next to Erza.
"Sorano is fine, I ran into her a while back and made sure she was safe" responded Dante. Erza turned her head towards Dante as she responded with a smile.
"Master I'm glad to see you are alight, but you look injured" responded Erza noticing the bruises across Dante's body.
"I'm fine, Sorano actually patched up the worst of it. We have a bigger problem anyways" responded Dante.
"A bigger problem? What is it" asked Erza. Just before Dante was able to respond, they both heard a voice from above their position.
"I believe he is referring to me" stated Azuma as he emerged from an above hanging tree branch. Dante and Erza readied themselves as the enemy appeared in from of them. Azuma continued to speak once he had fully emerged from the tree branch.
"I'm shocked that you are still breathing Dante, I thought I had killed you" stated Azuma in an amused tone.
"He's the one who did that to you" asked Erza in an angry tone. While she was angry that someone would dare hurt her master, Erza was also slightly concerned. She knew just how strong Dante was, he was equal to her own strength. If Azuma really defeated Dante, then Azuma would be more powerful than Erza originally thought he was.
"He played the fact I had others to protect nearby against me" responded Dante in an angry tone.
"Even so, I'm impressed you were able to survive my attack. Perhaps you are a worthy warrior to face in battle after all" responded Azuma.
"I didn't just survive your attack, I survived it four times over" responded Dante while holding up his fingers to indicate the number of times he survived Azuma's attack.
"What do you mean by that" asked Azuma curious to what Dante was referring to.
"I mean that when you attacked my friends, I could have dodged that attack, but my friends would have been hit. To save them I used a spell that transfers all damage my friends take right to me. You attacked three of my friends so counting it all up, I took that blast four times over and I am still standing. Maybe you aren't so strong after all" responded Dante hoping that Azuma would take his bait and be provoked. Erza knew what Dante was doing and hoped it would work. She also cursed Dante for using that horrid spell.
"That is impressive, although it is clear what you are attempting. You are trying to get me angry by insulting my strength that way I make a mistake in my rage that you can exploit" responded Azuma. Dante swore at this response, seems like Azuma wasn't going to make such an amateur mistake.
"So much for that plan then. Erza, we need to work together to beat this guy" responded Dante as Erza nodded her head.
"Right, you can count on me" responded Erza in a determined tone as she used her magic to transform into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Seeing two of Fairy Tail's strongest wizards face him, Azuma smiled at the thought of facing strong opponents.
"I hope you prove a better challenge than the She Devil did" responded Azuma with a sick smile. Hearing these words Erza seemed surprised while Dante grit his teeth in anger.
"W-what?! What did you do to Mira" yelled Erza.
"Isn't it obvious, I faced her in battle and killed her" responded Azuma. Dante started to speak after these words.
"It's fine Erza, Mira is still alive. She is badly hurt but she's still breathing" responded Dante as the image of his little sister being hurt flashed through his mind.
"That's a relief but knowing he's the one that hurt Mira fills me with rage" responded Erza. Seeing both Dante and Erza look at him with anger in their eyes, Azuma chuckled before he responded.
"Careful that your own rage doesn't get the better of you. You try and get me to be angry and yet it was so easy to have you fall victim to your own trick" stated Azuma in a mocking tone.
"This sort of rage is different. It's not from being insulted or directed at oneself. This rage is because you attacked our guild, because you hurt our family. This sort of rage only serves to increase our magical power because both Erza and I will destroy anyone that messes with Fairy Tail" responded Dante as Erza nodded her head in agreement.
Just after Dante said this, he charged forward with Erza beside him. Dante and Erza used their respective wings and took flight, flying straight at Azuma. Azuma morphed into the tree branch to easily dodge their forward strike. Looking around for Azuma, Dante and Erza saw serval balls of energy appear around them before exploding. The explosion sent Dante and Erza backwards, but they were able to land safely on a nearby tree branch.
Once Erza landed safely, she wasted no time in reequipping into her Black Wind Armor before charging Azuma. Covering her charge, Dante stood his ground readying himself to strike when Azuma dodged. Azuma used his magic to conjure a massive tree branch to block Erza's sword before it cut him open. The tree branch then morphed into a fist that struck Erza serval feet back. Seeing his opening, Dante summoned his magical power.
"Tempest of Heaven" yelled Dante as he channeled his magical power into his wings. Two powerful gusts of wind erupted from his wings, directed right at Azuma. The attack hit where Azuma was standing, and smoke was kicked up as the attack tore apart the area. Just as Dante was wondering if he got Azuma, he heard a voice some distance behind him.
"That was a pathetic attempt" stated Azuma before he kicked Dante hard, sending him flying. As Dante was pushed backwards from the powerful kick, Azuma sent a flurry of fast moving branches at Dante, cutting and piecing his body. Dante went crashing to the ground. As he stood up, he saw Erza jump down next to him.
"Are you okay" asked Erza with concern in her voice. Looking at Erza, Dante noticed she changed into her Thunder Empress armor.
"I'm fine thanks" responded Dante as Erza nodded her head. Erza then channeled thunder magic through her weapon while Dante aimed his palm towards Azuma. Firing his Heaven's Ray attack, Dante's attack mixed with Erza's. The powerful dual blast of magical energy flew towards Azuma who simply created a shield made of tree branches to block it. Not giving up, Erza slashed forward at Azuma while Dante appeared behind him.
"Were not done yet! Heavenly Kick" yelled Dante as he sent a spinning roundhouse kick charged with holy energy at Azuma's head while Erza slashed his chest with her sword. Dante and Erza were both caught by serval tree branches entangling them. Unable to move, Dante and Erza were blasted away once their binding self-destructed. Landing some distance away, Dante and Erza attempted to catch their breath from the multiple powerful hits they sustained.
"This is amazing, to fight two warriors just like myself" stated Azuma in an excited tone. Dante felt himself filled with disgust at being likened to Azuma as Erza spoke up.
"We are nothing alike" yelled Erza in anger. These words seemed to confuse Azuma as he responded.
"How else could you become such a strong warrior. You must seek out strong opponents to become stronger like I do" stated Azuma.
"We don't go out looking for fights, we both simply wish for the power to protect our Fairy Tail family" responded Erza as Dante nodded his head in agreement. Turning his head towards Erza, Dante took this moment to talk to Erza about an attack plan.
"Erza, I think you need to ditch the defense and go all out offense on this guy" stated Dante. Erza nodded her head; she was thinking the same thing but knew that forfeiting all defense was risky.
"I know that but with how strong his attacks are, I'm afraid that could be a mistake" responded Erza.
"You just go all out offense; I will handle your defense" responded Dante as he assumed a familiar stance that filled Erza with worry.
"You intend to use that spell again don't you" asked Erza in a concerned voice.
"I do, don't worry I can take it. Just finish it quickly" responded Dante. Erza wanted to argue but knew better to in the middle of a battle. Sighing in frustration, Erza changed into her Clear Heart Clothing.
"Very Well I won't argue this time" responded Erza as she readied herself to charge forward. Dante nodded his head as he activated his spell.
"Guardian Angel" stated Dante as a magical circle appeared at his feet. At the same time, Erza was enveloped in a white light as she jumped after Azuma. Azuma, thinking nothing much of the forward charge sent a set of powerful explosives at Erza. He was then surprised when Erza made no move to dodge his attack or that Erza wasn't affected by his attack.
"AHHH! ERZA DO IT NOW" yelled Dante as he took the damage from the blast intended for Erza.
Erza quickly closed the distance between herself and Azuma and slashed at his midsection. She was stopped just short however when Azuma was able to erect a tree branch to block her blade. Azuma, now knowing the trick, attacked both Dante and Erza. The first attack sent Dante flying, thus breaking his concentration and releasing the Guardian Angel spell. Now that the Guardian Angel spell was broken, Erza was blasted away as she took the damage from the attack. Dante and Erza shakily stood back up at they looked towards an unimpressed Azuma.
"It seems like you two need more motivation to push yourselves to your limits" stated Azuma before he summoned a large portion of his magical power.
Dante and Erza were shocked when the entire Tenrou Tree started to shake before collapsing. Jumping to safety, Dante and Erza wondered what this was supposed to accomplish. A quick explanation from Azuma told Dante and Erza the situation. It was now up to them to defeat Azuma or else everyone in Fairy Tail would have all of their magical power drained away.
"Does this motivate you two to take this fight seriously" asked Azuma in a mocking tone. Dante and Erza shared a look before they responded. They knew that failure was not an option.
"Let's go Erza" stated Dante as he spread his wings and took flight.
"Right" responded Erza as she jumped after Dante.
Dante and Erza charged at Azuma at top speeds. Seeing the forward attack, Azuma used his magic to ensnare Erza with tree branches, Dante was able to narrowly dodge the attack. Using his wings to turn midair, Dante broke apart the branches trapping Erza with a powerful kick charged with holy energy. In the same motion, Dante caught Erza's arm while spinning around in the air. Using his built up momentum, Dante tossed Erza with all his strength aimed at Azuma. Erza soared like a bullet towards Azuma.
Azuma wasn't able to react quick enough and took a powerful punch to the gut as Erza was able to land a successful attack. Being sent flying backwards from the force of the punch, Azuma then noticed Dante appear behind him while he was still in the air. Channeling his magical power into his foot, Dante delivered a strong spinning roundhouse kick which sent Azuma crashing into the earth. Not letting up for a moment, Dante channeled a large portion of his magical energy.
"Storm of Heaven" yelled Dante as multiple holy beams of energy shot out of his body and straight towards Azuma. The multiple beams of holy energy crashed into the ground, tearing it apart. Landing next to Erza, Dante waited to see the result of their combo attack. Suddenly branches sprung out from the earth and trapped both of them. As they struggled to break free, Azuma appeared in front of them. He appeared damaged but far from beaten.
"That was an impressive assault but I'm afraid this battle is over. Terra Clamare" stated Azuma before Dante and Erza were engulfed in an all consuming blast. Dante and Erza screamed in pain as their world became a flash of blinding light while their bodies were torn apart from the force of the blast. Once the smoke from the blast cleared, Azuma looked at the fallen forms of Dante and Erza.
"You two lasted longer than I thought, I will remember this fight for a long time" stated Azuma between deep breathes.
Dante and Erza were trying to remain awake and stand despite their bodies screaming at them in pain. Just as Dante thought he had failed, he heard Mira call his name. Mira was telling him to not give up, to keep fighting. Behind Mira appeared everyone else in the guild, stating similar things to Dante and Erza. Spurred on by this, Dante and Erza both rose to their feet with only their willpower holding themselves up.
"W-what?! I don't understand! I hit you two with all the magical energy of the earth, how could you still be alive" asked Azuma stunned that Dante and Erza could still stand.
"Were standing because unlike you, you aren't fighting for ourselves" responded Dante between deep breathes. Finishing his statement, Erza started to speak.
"We are fighting for our friends and family; you could never match our determination to win" stated Erza with conviction in her voice. After Erza said this, Dante turned his head to Erza as she started to speak.
"I'm going to use everything I have left to clear a path for you Erza, make it count" stated Dante as he assumed the stance to charge up his most powerful attack. Bringing his cupped hands together, one hand on top of the other, Dante started to prepare his attack as Erza responded.
"Understood" responded Erza as she readied herself to attack once Dante cleared a path. Azuma prepared himself to block whatever attack would come his way as Dante spoke.
"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR MESSING WITH FAIRY TAIL! HEAVEN'S CANNON" yelled Dante as a supercharged beam of holy energy erupted from his hands.
Blinding light rocketed towards Azuma who was stunned with the power behind this attack. Using his magic, Azuma was able to summon multiple tree branches to block the attack. The attack tore through Azuma's barriers, tearing apart each branch as it sprung up. Just as Azuma thought he could not block the attack, it finally fizzled out. Breathing heavily from the exhaustion of blocking such a powerful attack, Azuma didn't get a long rest before Erza jumped after him.
"THIS NEXT ATTACK HAS THE ENITRE FAIRY TAIL GUILD BEHIND IT" yelled Erza as an enormous amount of magical power radiated from her body. Stunned and unable to move so soon after using a large amount of magical energy, Azuma accepted his fate.
"Well done Dante the Angel of Fairy Tail and Erza the Queen of the Fairies" stated Azuma with a smile before Erza's attack slashed through his body.
Azuma, feeling his life draining from his body crashed to the ground, defeated. Seeing that Erza was exhausted and falling towards the earth, Dante used the last of his own strength to catch Erza and land safely. Once he landed, Dante reverted back into his normal form, his magical energy was nearly entirely drained from his last attack. Azuma then started to morph into the earth, apparently, he was honoring his promise to restore the Tenrou Tree's powers if he was defeated. Dante dropped to a sitting position in his exhaustion as he finally felt just how low he was on magical energy.
"Are you okay master" asked Erza. Dante smiled up at Erza, she looked just as bad as he did.
"Heh, I should ask you the same thing. I'm fine just drained is all" responded Dante between deep breaths. Taking a few deep breaths, Dante continued to speak.
"Our job isn't done yet; I don't know about you, but I think it's time we get some payback" stated Dante with a smile as Erza nodded her head. Standing up, Dante and Erza then started to walk in the direction where Hades was, it was time to finally end this whole mess. As Dante and Erza walked towards their destination, Dante heard thunder in the distance.
"Could it be" asked Dante out loud to himself. Did this mean what he thought it did or was he just being hopeful?
"What is it" asked Erza in a curious tone.
"It's nothing, just wishful thinking" responded Dante thinking that it must be a coincidence. They continued to walk for a few moments until Erza started to speak.
"I hope we run into others that can fight because I don't know if we can do it alone in our current state" stated Erza. Dante had to agree with her, they were both exhausted from their fight with Azuma and now they had to fight against a former master of Fairy Tail.
"Yah me too but if it really comes down to it, I always have my trump card" responded Dante causing Erza to look at him in shock. She knew what he was referring to and knew just how dangerous it was to use it. Dante hoped it wouldn't come to that, using his trump card was an absolute last resort.
End of Chapter 78