''My name is Drake Lucifuge, known through the Underworld as the 'Blue Snake', and it is I who shall be your opponent.'' The devil, now known as Drake, introduced himself in front of the three teens.
''Lucifuge?'' Gray asked aloud. ''Does that mean you're related with Grayfia and Cynthia?'' The wizard asked.
''Looks like we have a winner, folks. I am indeed a relative of those two. To be precise, the older brother of Cynthia and the twin brother of Grayfia. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen those two in a while. Makes me wonder how they're doing without having me around them?'' Drake asked himself.
'Than this could be bad. I remember the old man talking about how strong both Grayfia and Cynthia could be the day after the battle with Kokabiel. And I've got the hunch that he may be as strong, if not, stronger than those two.' Gray thought.
''Something wrong, Rosswiesse?'' The question of Irina brought Gray back to the real world as he then looked at the Valkyrie who seems to be frozen in place with her eyes trembling in what seems to be fear.
''To think that he would be our opponent...'' Rossweisse mumbled, but loud enough for the two humans to hear her.
''You know this guy?'' Gray asked.
''Not personally, but I've heard many rumours about him. For example, of all the Lucifuge members, he's said to be the most strongest one of them all as he has mastered various kind of elements at a very young age by a devil standards. Also, before he left the devils for reasons that are still unknown, he could have been the one to be promoted to the position of Leviathan instead of Lady Serafall. If all of that is true, then defeating him is something that won't be easy.'' Rossweisse said, surprising Irina and Gray with the information they were given.
''Oh, please. You praise me too much, miss Valkyrie. There's no way that any of those rumours are true about little ol' me.'' Drake said.
''Well, I don't give a damn if those rumours are true or not, to be honest. Now that we know who you are, all I care about is the reason to why you're causing all this ruckus?'' Gray asked the devil. ''At first, we thought that you would summon some Frost Giants. But that's not the case, now is it?'' He asked.
''Well you sure are smarter than that you look. It's true, I'm not here to summon some walking ice cubes.'' Drake said as he then pointed at the wizard. ''In fact, it's you who I'm actually looking for.''
Gray was confused. ''If that's true, then why going through all of this if you could just look for me right away? And what is it that you want for me?'' He asked.
''Who knows. Not even I know the answer to that one.'' Drake said, clearly not telling the trio his reasons. ''Now then, I happen to be in a great mood so I'm going to give you three kids the time to come up with a plan as well as giving you the first moves.'' He said as he just stood there, hands in the pocket of his black and blue coat, his body relaxed with his guard on low.
'It looks like he's underestimating us, which you shouldn't if your opponent is a member of Fairy Tail.' Gray thought as he then looked at the twelve Valkyries lying on the ground. Having an idea appeared in his mind, the wizard told Irina and Rossweisse his plan not too loud so that their opponent couldn't hear them. A minute or so later, the three stood battle ready with the exorcist now having Excalibur Mimic in her hands.
''Now then, what will you kids do?'' Drake asked, his guard still as low as it possibly could. ''I'll warn you, if this takes too long, then it'll be me who'll make the first move.'' He said.
''Now!'' Gray exclaimed, making Irina and Rossweisse heading straight towards the devil with full speed.
''Ladies first, huh?'' Drake commented as he then jumped back to dodge Irina's horizontal slash. ''So close, yet so far away.'' Landing on the ground, the devil noticed how Rossweisse had a Norse magic circle in front of her that soon fired some kind of laser beam at him. But dodging that one was also very easy for him as he jumped high in the air. ''Almost had me there.'' Drake said as he kept on mocking the two.
Suddenly, the devil felt something tight around his right ankle. Looking at the said body part, Drake saw that the exorcist used her Excalibur Mimic to change it in a rope to catch his ankle with.
''Amen!'' Irina exclaimed as she pulled on the rope, sending Drake crashing into the ground. But it didn't end there for the devil as Rossweisse had another magic circle aimed at the Blue Snake that shot hundreds, maybe even thousands, of magical projectiles against the devil. After full five seconds later, the Valkyrie stopped her magic as Irina than stood next to her.
''Have we already won?'' Irina asked, not believing how fast this went.
''No. There's no way this fight could've been that easy.'' Rossweisse said.
''Well, I sure wasn't paying attention.'' True to Rossweisse words, the duo saw how the devil was already back on his feet when the cloud of dust was gone. ''But did you really expect that that would've been enough to take me down?'' Drake asked.
Not wasting any second, Irina dashed at the devil with Rossweisse acting as a sniper to hit him with her magic from a safe distance.
''Missed me. And Again. Keep trying. Whoopsie. You're almost there. How boring.'' Drake didn't stop his mocking commentary while he kept on dodging Irina's blade with the latter one getting more and more annoyed at the man's words.
Having enough of the devil, Irina raised her swords as she was going for a big vertical slash. But, little did Irina know, that was the worst move she could make right now.
''Got you~.'' The devil playfully said, his plan having worked on the exorcist as he then did a low kick against Irina's leg, making the girl lose her balance as she then fell with her butt on the cold ground. Before Drake could do another attack on her, he saw the umpteenth laser beam been fired at him, giving him no option but to dodge the attack.
Grabbing her sword and getting back on her feet right away, Irina was ready for battle again. ''Thanks, Rossweisse. I owe you one.'' She said.
''Don't mention it.'' Rossweisse said. ''But don't listen to what he says, he's just trying to get in your head so that you will perform badly during the fight.'' She informed the exorcist.
''Got it!'' Irina said. ''But I gotta say, this guy really is something. He barely moved from his spot just when I was attacking him just now.'' She said.
'That's true. Having witnessed how he dodged all of her attacks without even trying too much to do so, I can easily tell that he's not taking this fight seriously. But, we could use that to our advantage.' Rossweisse thought as she then moved closer to Irina to whisper something in her ear.
Drake hummed in thought. 'Hmm, I wonder what their next plan will be. Perhaps a pincer movement to attack me from two different sides, or maybe an attack from above. But I do wonder what's taking that half-naked boy so long. Don't tell me he ran away from me.' He thought, not paying any more attention to the two teens now.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Rossweisse fired a beam of magic at her opponent. But, instead of hitting the devil, the beam of magic was aimed at the ground in front of Drake. Not trying anything as dust covered his vision, the devil suddenly felt a familiar rope now around his arms and upper body that prevented him from moving. When the cloud of dust was no longer around him, Drake saw not only Irina holding the rope, but a certain Valkyrie next to him with her magic circle aimed at him at a very close range.
''I see, instead of doing something complicated, you two decided to simply cover my vision with that misfire of yours that followed with something as simple as this. Well, I sure didn't expect something like this at all.'' Drake said.
''I had the feeling that, since you were going so easy on us by moving as little as possible, you probably wouldn't expect if we would do something as simple as this to get close to you. And it looks like it worked out pretty well.'' Rossweisse said as her magic circle began to glow a bit. ''Though I have to admit that you are very powerful indeed, I don't think that an attack of this range wouldn't do any damage at all.''
Drake chuckled. ''It's true that you could possibly harm me pretty good with that magic of yours at such a close range, but there's one little thing that I have to correct with what you said earlier.'' He said.
''What did I say wrong?'' Rossweisse asked.
''You see, moving as little as possible is not the only thing I'm doing to make it easier for you guys.'' Drake said, making Rossweisse's eyes go wide. ''I mean, I'm not keeping my hand in my pockets just because it's cold out here.''
Now that the white-haired beauty thought about it, he never removed his hands from the pockets of his coat. How could she have not seen that earlier?
Seeing that she finally realised that it was not only his movements but also his hands have remained in his pockets, Drake decided to give her the third one. ''Also, can you remember when the last was when I've used my magic? If I'm not mistaking it, I believe it was against those other Valkyries, right? Well, looks like I'm gonna have to use it again.''
Suddenly, Rossweisse felt an immense amount of pain in her right shoulder as her magic circle disappeared into thin air. Looking at her shoulder, the Valkyrie saw that it was pierced by water that appeared from the ground. The same way as how her comrades were stabbed in their stomachs. But Drake wasn't done there as he then gave Rossweisse a powerful blow with his foot against her belly, making her lose all the air in her lungs as she fell down on all fours while trying to regain her breathing.
''Rossweisse!'' Irina exclaimed as Drake then stomped with full force on the rope that Irina was still holding in her hands, pulling her forwards towards him but soon appeared behind her as he then kicked her against the back of her skull, sending her flying towards the Valkyrie who she crashed into.
''Well that sure was close. Any longer in that rope of yours and the holy energy surely could've put me in a disadvantage.'' Drake said, looking at the two girls, both already standing back on their feet but a bit weakly.
Irina could barely think as the back of her head was too much in pain. But Rossweisse wasn't doing it any better as she held her right shoulder in pain while her breathing still hasn't gone fully back to normal.
''Now then, I think it's time for me to end-'' Not able to finish his own sentence, Drake jumped in the air as ice came out of nowhere that would have swallowed him up if he didn't move from his spot. Landing back on his feet, Drake looked at the one who made the ice appear. ''Took you long enough.'' The devil said to the wizard who now had a tribal tattoo on his arm.
''Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to help a dozen of girls first before I could have some fun with you.'' Gray said, now standing in front of the girls.
''I see, so you made the girls fight for you so that you should have enough time to cover their wounds with ice without being disturbed by me, isn't that right?'' Drake said.
''That's exactly what happened.'' Gray said as he then crossed his arms while looking over his shoulder with a smile on his face. ''Sorry I took so long, but you two can rest for now. It's my turn now to fight this guy.'' He said.
''Not that I doubt your strength, but be careful, Gray. He's a lot stronger than that you would think he is.'' Irina said while being glad she take a break now with the white-haired beauty thinking the same thing.
''Don't worry.'' Gray said as he then looked back at the devil, his smile having changed into a serious expression. ''There's no way I'm gonna lose against this clown.'' He said.
''Clown, you say. Well, the youth sure is as polite as always.'' Drake sarcastically said as he then removed his hands from his pockets.
''Finally using your fists now?'' Gray asked.
''Not really. You see, I'm not the strongest devil when it comes to physical strength. And especially when it comes to my arms. But I do have to use them for this little bad boy.'' Extending his right arm into the air, blue lightning struck down from the dark clouds that aimed against Drake's hand. But, instead of hurting the devil, Drake now held a blue spear, that looked to be made from the jewel that we all now as sapphire, in his right hand with the spearhead being made of the same material while electric sparks were constantly surrounding the weapon. Looking at how long the weapon is, it could be almost as tall as it's wielder.
''A spear, huh?'' Gray said aloud as he created two swords of ice. Though his eyes were still aimed at his opponent, Gray couldn't help but to steal a few glances at the blue spear. That power that the spear was emitting was more than just impressive.
''You should know that once I have this spear in my hands, known as Sapphire Storm...'' Drake paused, rotating the spear many times in his hand as he then slammed the blunt end against the ground, making debris and snow fly in the air while amazing the teens by its sheer strength. ''Means that playtime's over.''
[Fullbuster's Residence]
''How long have they been doing this?'' Lucina asked, who was wearing a plain grey T-shirt, light blue skinny jeans that hugged her legs and rear nicely, and a pair of white sneakers. But, we can not forget the golden watch around her right wrist, now can we?
''About half an hour or something like that.'' Eleonora said, who was wearing a half-sleeved red button-upped blouse, black skinny jeans that, just like those of Lucina, hugged her legs and rear also very nice, and a pair of black and red shoes.
Currently, the two purple-haired beauties were looking at a battle between none other than Vali Lucifer against Silver Fullbuster. The silver-haired devil was clad in white armour that's also known as the Balance Breaker of his Sacred Gear, Divine Dividing. Silver, on the other hand, was wearing the same attire as the silver from Gray's world when he was a part of the Tartaros guild. Same shirt, same gloves, same boots, same chest plate, it even has the same colour pattern. The only difference was that this Silver doesn't have the Tartaros symbol on either pauldron.
''It's been a long time since I've seen your father smile like that during a fight as well as wearing his battle gear.'' Eleonora said, seeing the smile on her husband's face as he continued to fight with the Lucifer. It wasn't like Silver was a battle maniac like Vali or something like that, but that doesn't change the fact that he could enjoy a good fight here and there.
''Why are they fighting again?'' Lucina asked her mother.
''Well, if my memories serve me right, I think Vali wanted to battle your father to see how strong his uncle-in-law, actually is.'' Eleonora told her daughter.
Though it was true that Vali was fighting Silver for such a simple reason, Lucina's reason to be at the underground training room was for a very different reason. Why do you ask? Well, it's because she's training herself with her mother to get stronger and to get a better control of her magic. Something that she barely lost during her fight with Gray.
And if there's one thing that you should, then things could end up in one hell of a massacre if Lucy loses control of her magic.
''He sure is one battle freak.'' Lucina sighed.
''Well, he is the great-grandson of Lucifer, after all. So that makes it very clear why he loves to fight strong opponents so much.'' Eleonora said.
''Guess you have a point there.'' Lucina said as she then grabbed a black hairband from the pockets of her jeans. ''So, when do we start again?'' She asked her mother while tying her hair in a ponytail.
''Soon, after you've answered this one question of mine.'' Eleonora said.
''Ask away.'' Lucina said, now having her hair styled in a high ponytail. Meaning that she is ready for training again.
''Be honest with me, what's the deal between you and Gray?'' Eleonora asked.
''Well, obviously he's my lovely brother and I'm his super-duper, awesome sister.'' Lucina said.
''Oh no, you can't fool me, Lucy. You know full well what I'm talking about.'' Eleonora said.
After the silence between the two beauties lasted for a second or two, Lucina released a sigh. ''Seriously, I really can't keep anything hidden from you, now can I?'' She said.
''Well, I'm your super duper awesome mother, after all.'' That earned her a chuckle from her daughter. ''And it's my duty to know everything about my children. No matter how embarrassing it is for you with whatever I'm gonna find out in the future.'' Eleonora said.
''Good luck trying to embarrass me. I'm way too much like you so you have a hard time to make me feel that way.'' Lucina countered.
''Can't say you're wrong there.'' Eleonora said. ''Anyway, back to the main topic. I wanna know when and why you fell in love with Gray. Have you two already kissed each other? When can I expect my grandchildren?'' She asked her daughter.
Lucina was a bit surprised at her mother's reaction. ''Wait, you don't think it's weird for me being in love with the look-a-like of my brother?'' She asked.
''Not really. Afterall, even though he's like the exact copy of our Gray, none of us is blood-related with him at all so I don't see any trouble with you starting a relationship with him. Besides, in the devil's society, having an intimate relationship with a relative isn't the most strangest thing in the Underworld. But, since the three of us have been living in the human world for a very long time, it only makes sense why we would think it's wrong.'' Eleonora explained.
''Guess you have a point there.'' Lucina said.
''Of course, I have. Anyway, when and why?'' Eleonora asked, eager to know more about her daughter's feeling.
''Well, I guess it started after that 'amazing' plan of his.'' Lucina said as she then crossed her arms while looking upwards towards the ceiling of the room with a warm smile on her pretty face. ''After our fight has ended, he told me how proud he was at me and how he could tell that my big brother was also proud at me while promising me how he would always be there for me whenever I'm in trouble. The way he said those things to me, I could easily tell that he means each word he said that day.'' She then looked back at her mother with the same smile. ''I'm grateful for what he said to me that day, so I wish I could return my happiness to him one day.''
Hearing how genuine her words were, Eleonora couldn't help but to be very happy for her daughter. Seeing how in love her daughter was made her remember the old days when she fell in love for the first time with the very same devil she was now married to.
'It's been a long time since I saw her with that kind of smile. Last time was all the way back before the events of Deliora. I really have to thank you for this, Gray.'
''Alrighty then, let's continue your training. Once we're done for today, I have more questions for you to answer.'' Eleonora said.
''Fine by me.'' Lucina said as mother and daughter continued their training program.
[Norway]
Once again, snow fell softly from the dark clouds floating above the mountains. But, it also flew upwards with the combination of pieces of rock as Gray and Drake kept on exchanging blows against each other. Irina and Rossweisse both could only look at the battle in awe with the speed and strength that both sides were showing.
'Damn, this guy knows how to use a spear.' Gray thought as he had trouble to keep up with the movements of his opponent. Going for a horizontal slash, the devil ducked underneath it, covered his spear with the same electricity from when he summoned it and smashed the blunt side against Gray's stomach. Feeling the powerful blow against his abdomen while his body felt like it was stricken by lightning, Gray began to couch a handful of blood from his mouth.
Seeing that his attack was effective, Drake swiped his spear against Gray's legs, making the wizard fall with his back on the cold snow. Lying on the ground now and seeing how something very sharp was aimed at his face, Gray deflected the spear so that it would next to his face, into the ground the ground, as he then sent the devil flying by giving him a kick against his stomach who quickly recovered in the air as he landed back on his feet.
Swiftly getting back on his feet as well, Gray made both his swords disappear as he then used 'Ice Demon's Zeroth Long Sword' as he now holds the ethereal longsword with both hands after he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
A mere second passed and the fighters dashed towards each other with amazing speed. As the two were now in a close distance, the fierce dance of sword against spear began. Sparks flew in the air as the two weapons clashed against one another. The two kept on trying to stab and cut their opponent while dodging to avoid getting stabbed in the heart or getting cut in pieces.
Suddenly, Drake surprised the wizard as he jumped high into the air as he then prepared to attack the wizard from above with the same electricity from before dancing around the pole weapon. Instead of blocking the attack, Gray jumped backwards to dodge it as he witnessed how the devil made debris and snow fly high in the air the moment when he stabbed the spear in the ground.
Once Gray landed back on the ground, Drake pulled the spear from the ground as he then rested his weapon on his right shoulder. ''Clever move. If you were going to block that attack just now, then this fight would've been over.'' The devil said.
''That's because I finally understand how that spear of yours works.'' Gray said.
''Oh, mind sharing those thoughts of yours?'' Drake asked.
''At first, I thought you were just joking around with you being physically weak after you smashed that spear on the ground after you've summoned it. But now I realise you were telling the truth.'' Holding his sword with only his right hand now, he pointed it at the devil. ''Your best trait is most definitely agility as even I have sometimes trouble with following your movements. That spear of yours, on the other hand, turns into a very dangerous and destructive weapon once those electric sparks are appearing, but only then as all your other attacks aren't that hard to block.'' He lowered his arm that was holding the sword. ''I say that it takes up to five seconds of recharge time before you can use it again while the duration to maintain it is probably even shorter since you always try to attack me as fast as possible whenever those sparks are appearing.'' Gray said.
Stabbing the spear back into the ground, the devil surprised the wizard as he began to clap for his opponent. ''Most impressive. Though my spear has more than that what I could show off as well, not many people can figure this much out in such a short time. Colour me impressed.'' Drake said. But, with his tone having never changed and still holding the same tone since they've first met, Gray wasn't sure if the devil meant it or not. Pulling his spear again from the ground for the second time, Drake held his weapon next to him. ''But, now that you know more than enough about my most precious weapon, means that I won't hold back anymore.''
Gray's eyes went wide with what the devil just said. Was he really holding back all this time?
And then, the devil disappeared from Gray's vision with such speed that the wizard has never seen. But, his instinct warning him, Gray looked behind his back with wide eyes to see an incoming spear aimed at his head. But the wizard dodged it in the nick of time as he only received a small cut on his left cheek.
''Prepare to die.'' Drake said, rotating his body a bit as he then kicked the wizard's body with such force that Grays body flew for at least 20 meters away from the devil as he then collided against a giant rock that exploded once his body made contact with it.
Ignoring the pain, Gray sprinted towards the devil with both his arms being covered gauntlets that were made out of ice. Now in front of the enemy, the wizard of Fairy Tail sent the devil a barrage of punches who managed to dodge all of them with ease. Seeing that his attacks weren't working, Gray jumped back as he then inhaled a lot of air.
''Ice Demon's Rage.'' Gray bellowed as the large beam of ice came from his mouth, directed at the devil that could do some serious damage to him. Once he put an end to his attack, all that the Demon slayer saw was all the ice in front of him with Drake being underneath all of it.
But Gray's eyes went wide as he witnessed how all the ice shattered into pieces. Looking at the devil, the wizard saw that the spear wielder was brushing a few ice shards from his coat.
''My, oh my. Well, that was a bit too chilly for my taste.'' Drake commented.
'Is he serious!? I've put all my strength into that one, and all he say about it is that it was a bit chilly!?' Gray thought, not believing what he was witnessing. It was like he was fighting Mard Geer all over again.
''Now what's with that look on your face? Don't tell me that's all you have?'' Drake asked as an idea then appeared in his head. ''Oh, I know.'' He said aloud.
''Know what?'' Gray asked, wondering what the devil could be thinking about.
''Maybe I should kill your two friends over there.'' Drake said, making the wizard very angry at the sudden statement. ''Think about it. Surely you're one of those guys who'll say something as cliché as, 'hurt my friends and you will pay and blah blah blah'. You know, the usual stuff. So, how does it sound? Killing your friends so suddenly sounds like a great plan to me. Image what I could do to them-''
''You shut your mouth!'' The wizard exclaimed, interrupting the devil. ''You're right, I am one of those kinds of guys who does say stuff like that, so listen closely. I don't care what you have to say about me, but threatening me by killing my friends...'' His surrounding suddenly got warmer and colder at the same time. ''Is the biggest mistake that you can ever make!''
And in the next second, the wizard was swallowed by a pillar of ice and flame. A mixture of heat and cold surrounded the area. Irina and Rossweisse looked amazed at the power that was coming from the wizard while Drake did nothing but watch from his position. As the pillar of two different elements disappeared, the three spectators now felt an immense amount of magic coming from the human that felt both draconic and demonic at the same time.
''Ice Flame Demon Dragon Mode!'' Gray exclaimed.
'So this is your Ice Flame Demon Dragon Mode, huh?' Drake thought as he then stood in his fighting stance with his weapon while releasing a sigh. 'What a bummer.'
[Underworld, Unknown Place]
''What do you mean, ''the girl is gone''!?'' Rizevim exclaimed at one of the many guards in front of him.
''W-Well, w-when we weren't paying attention f-for just an m-moment, they've m-managed to escape their cell w-with the girl having escaped the place b-by the help of the boy, m-my Lord.'' The guard spoke in fear. ''B-But still, w-we did manage to catch the boy. S-S-So that means we did at least m-managed to-'' He couldn't finish his sentence as he got blasted into nothingness by the son of Lucifer.
''How useless. Note to self, hire a dog as a guard next time instead of someone as pathetic as him.'' Rizevim spoke to himself as he then looked at the remaining devils. ''All of you!'' He exclaimed.
''Yes, Lord Rizevim!'' The devils shouted simultaneously with a good amount of fear escaping their mouths, not wanting to suffer the same fear as their lost comrade.
''Listen closely, because I'm only gonna say this once. Inform all the guards that half of you fools are gonna look through the Underworld while the others are gonna look in the human world for her. I don't care what you have to do in order to find her but take her back to me alive. If you idiots can't do something as simple as that, then you can all guess what would happen, right?'' Rizevim said as he flared his magic, earning quick nods from all the devils. ''Good, now then, since I'm such a nice devil, you all have a week to get her back. The one who brings her to me will be rewarded to fuck as many women as he wants during work for a whole month.'' After those words were said, every guard left the place in an instant.
Releasing a sigh while rubbing the bridge of his nose, thinking how all his guards were nothing but a bunch of horndogs while feeling how a migraine could appear at any given moment now, Rizevim walked towards the prison room to meet a certain prisoner. after walking for five minutes, Rizevim stood in front of a prison as he looked at the person inside of it.
The prisoner was a handsome young man who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He has long wild hair that was coloured silver. His attire consisted that of a white, half-sleeved shirt that went just past the elbows, black jeans, black and white sneakers, and a silver bracelet around his right wrist.
Opening his eyes to reveal them to be deep blue in colour, the young man look at his right with a stoic look on his face to see that the son of Lucifer was in front of his cell as he then released a sigh. ''The hell do you want?'' He asked, his voice being deep that every woman would describe as sexy and perfect.
''Must be pretty lonely to be in this cage without her?'' Rizevim asked.
''Must be pretty bad when you've found out she left this place?'' The young man countered.
Rizevim scoffed. ''Still the same annoying brat since the first day you two were locked in this place.'' He said, but he received nothing but silence from the young man, making the old devil release a sigh. ''Anyway, since we both know that you don't like me that much for many reasons-''
''Understatement of the year.'' The prisoner interrupted.
''I'll keep things short and simply say that I may have something interesting to share with you.'' He said.
''As if I care.'' The young man said as he closed his eyes again.
''Well, that's a shame. And I was very sure that you wanted to hear something very important about your good old friend and my grandnephew, Gray Lucifer.'' Rizevim said, gaining the attention of the young man as he opened his deep blue eyes again.
''Speak.'' The young man said.
''If you ask me nicely with a cherry on top, then I may consider it.'' Rizevim jested, making the prisoner narrow his eyes.
If looks could kill.
''Alright, alright, you win. But, if you wanna hear the news that badly, then you have to pay for it by telling me where your precious little sister went.'' He said.
''You really expect me to tell you where my sister is? Tch, I rather quit smoking than betraying my own little sister for some news about my old friend.'' The young man said.
Rizevim lost the count of how many times he's been sighing this day. ''Should've known things wouldn't go so easy.'' He said as he then grabbed a picture from his pocket. ''Oh well, guess I'll be nice enough to give you at least this.'' Throwing the picture in the young man's cell, the son of Lucifer left him all alone now.
After seconds of staring at the backside of the picture, curiosity took over as the young man grabbed the picture from the ground. Leaning against the wall with his back again, the first thing he noticed was that the picture was taken recently as he looked at the time when this was made. Turning it around, his eyes narrowed for the second time as he knew exactly who this person in this picture was while wondering how this was possible.
'You've got a lot of things to explain to me, Gray.'
[Norway]
He couldn't understand what was happening. How was he unable to keep up with the devil in his Ice Flame Demon Dragon Mode? He defeated both Mard Geer and Kokabiel with it. So how come he's being outmatched against the devil in front of him? It didn't make any sense to him.
Currently, Gray was breathing heavily with bruises and cuts all over his body while Drake seems to be perfectly fine. While the wizard couldn't understand it, neither could Rosswiesse and Irina. They've both heard how Gray was able to beat someone who was as strong as the current Lucifer as well as a ten winged fallen angel. Just how strong was the Blue Snake.
''This fight is getting boring, so how about you just give up already.'' Drake said, not even using the energy to have his guard up for even the slightest. An opening from every possible side to be attacked from.
Not accepting how he was being mocked by the devil, the wizard dashed at the Lucifuge to prove him that he was not even close to giving up. Punching as hard and fast as he currently could, none of them were hitting the devil who kept on dodging every single attack. After dodging for what felt like an hour, Drake rotated his spear as he slammed the blunt side against the bottom of his jaw that made the wizard fly into the air.
Not having done enough to the human, Drake jumped high in the air the be a good distance above the wizard as he then shot himself like a shooting star against the wizard. As the back of Gray made contact with the ground, dust, debris and snow flew everywhere as the human and devil where now in a massive crater with Drake standing on top of him with his foot on his chest.
The fire that was surrounding Gray was gone as well as the tattoo on his right arm, meaning that he barely had any magic remaining in his beaten body.
''Gray!'' Rossweisse and Irina both exclaimed as they quickly headed towards the wizard. As the two were only five meters away from the two males, they had to stop as a huge wall of ice appeared between them out of nowhere.
''Though I prefer water magic, Gray here isn't the only one who can use ice magic as well, you know?'' Drake said as the two were then using Excalibur Mimic and magic to break the wall of ice so that they could aid Gray against the devil. But they were barely even damaging the wall as they kept on attacking it. ''You girls are wasting your time. The better control someone has with ice magic, the stronger and tougher the ice get. And, since I've mastered the element of ice, means that this wall is very hard to break through, don't you agree?'' He said, but that didn't make both girls stop with what they were doing.
Suddenly, the devil felt someone grabbing his leg with the addition of the sound of coughing. Looking beneath him, he saw that the wizard was trying to remove the devil's foot from his chest with too much struggle.
''Still alive? Well, that doesn't actually surprise me.'' Drake said, removing his foot from Gray's chest who then moved as he was now on all fours. ''So, ready to give up?'' He asked.
''A mage... Of Fairy Tail... Never... Gives up...'' Gray barely managed to speak as he was breathing heavily.
''Sorry, but that's the wrong answer.'' Drake said as he pushed the wizard with his foot, making him lie with his back on the ground again, as he then stabbed him in the stomach, making nothing but the sound of pain escape from the wizard's mouth.
''Gray!'' The girls shouted again.
''Do you now give up?'' Drake asked, only to see that Gray was now trying to pull the spear from his belly. The devil released a sigh. ''Guess I'll have to use a different method.'' With that said, Drake snapped his fingers as the wall of ice shattered into millions of pieces.
But, before the girls could run towards Gray, both of them suddenly were trapped in a huge sphere of water. If they didn't escape it soon, then both of them could drown to death.
''Irina! Rossweisse!'' Gray exclaimed as loud as he could in his current condition, which wasn't very loud, as he then glared daggers at the devil. ''Let them go, now!'' He exclaimed.
''Or what? Beat me? I like to see you try. I'm sure you can win against me in your current state.'' Drake said, hitting the Demon Slayer hard with the cruel truth as both of them knew full well that Gray couldn't even push him away with his remaining strength. ''So, what's it gonna be, kiddo. Are you going to sacrifice your pride as a mage of your little club, or are you going to let those two die without any remorse? Choose wisely.'' Drake said.
It didn't take Gray long to choose what was more important, but that doesn't mean that he was going to like what he was going to say now. ''I... I give up. You win'' He said, the first time he ever said such thing against his enemy. And it left a very bad taste in his mouth.
''Excellent. About damn time.'' Drake said, snapping his fingers as the sphere of water fell to the ground. As the two girls were free from the prison of water, they both coughed loudly while trying to regain their breathing to normal.
Gray managed to smile weakly as he was relieved to see the two girls still alive but soon turned into an expression of confusion as Drake suddenly walked towards the two soaked girls while leaving the spear in Gray's abdomen.
''Atemi.'' Drake said as he then, with such a speed that would make everyone think that there were two of the devil, karate chopped against the back of their necks. Making the two girls lose consciousness as they were now lying in the snow while surprising the wizard with the sudden attack on the girls.
''Oi, what the hell did you- Gahh!'' He couldn't finish his sentence as pain, once again, escaped from his mouth since Drake pulled his spear from Gray's belly.
''Relax, they're only unconscious, nothing to worry about.'' Drake said as he then made his beloved weapon disappear. ''They should wake up soon enough, but we have more than enough time to talk.'' The devil said.
''Talk... About what?'' Drake asked, now sitting on the ground as he then saw how the devil tossed something towards him. A small bottle that he has once seen during the Rating Game against Riser. ''Isn't that a-''
''A Phoenix teardrop? It sure is.'' Drake answered.
''Now hold on a minute. How did you get this and why are you giving me one?'' Gray asked, not understanding why the devil would do such thing.
''I may have 'borrowed a few' of those nifty little things a long time ago. As for your second question, it's hard to have a conversation with a dead man, don't you agree?'' Drake said.
Accepting the gift of the spearman, he removed the cap of the bottle, let the single drop of liquid make contact with his body as he could feel how quickly he was getting his strength back and see how his wounds were closing in a pretty fast pace. Once the healing was done, Gray looked like he has never fought the devil in the first place.
Standing back on his feet, he looked back at the devil. ''Guess I owe you one now, don't I?'' He asked.
''You can repay me by answering my question.'' Drake said.
''If that's all you want, then go ahead.'' Gray said.
''My first question is a very simple one, how strong do you think you are in this world? Do you think you're strong enough to beat the current Lucifer?'' Drake asked.
Drake thought that was a pretty weird question. But, if he has to be honest, he thinks he could. After all, he defeated Mard Geer who boasted himself as being as strong as the Lucifer of this world.
''I'm pretty sure I could win against-''
''Oh, how foolish you are.'' Drake interrupted the wizard as he placed a hand on his shoulder while kicking him against the back of his right knee, surprising Gray how he got behind him in an instance and how fast he brought him down on one knee already. ''How do you think you could win against someone as strong as Zechsy if you can't even beat me. Not saying that Zechsy is stronger than me since the two of us are on par, but still, what makes you think you could defeat him? Admit it, Gray. You're weak.'' The devil said as he then let go of his shoulder.
''I'm weak?'' Gray repeated, getting back on his feet as he then turned around to stand face to face with the devil. ''I fought against someone from the House of Phenex who I could've easily beaten if he didn't resign. I fought against a demon who said that his strength was equal to that of Sirzechs, and beaten him. I fought against Kokabiel with poison running through my veins but still survived against him. All of that, and you still call me weak!?'' Gray practically exclaimed at the devil, not accepting how he was calling him weak.
''Riser doesn't even come close to the other two, so beating him in a fight is nothing that you should be proud of, really.'' Drake casually said, making a certain Phoenix in the Underworld sneeze. ''Mard Geer and Kokabiel are a different story since you've won against them by catching them off guard when their guards were at their lowest. Nothing but mere luck that you're still alive after having faced off against those two.'' He said, surprising Gray with something he just said.
''Now stop right there. First things first, how the hell do you know Mard Geer?'' The Demon Dragon Slayer asked.
''Lord Rizevim has a lot of connections and gets information in the most weirdest and unexpected ways you could possibly think of. Even I'm curious about how he does those things.'' Drake explained.
''Now that I know that, what makes you believe that I should be considered lucky for still being alive?'' Gray asked, still not believing it was luck that he was still alive.
Drake released a sigh. ''How naive.'' Drake said as he then summoned his spear again. Only this time a bit less flashy than when he summoned it the first time. ''You see that mountain over there.'' The devil said as he pointed at a mountain that was probably half a kilometre away from them.
Nodding at the devil, Gray saw how Drake took some big steps forward as he then threw his spear like any javelin thrower would, letting it fly all the way towards the mountain he was first pointing at. Before Gray could say even one thing, he was shocked as he just saw with his own eyes the massive explosion that happened at the same mountain. Soon, the wind picked up as it was clear to Gray that it was coming from the explosion that was by simply throwing a freaking spear.
''The best part is, Kokabiel could create that much destruction as well if would use his most powerful attack. Not to mention how Zechsy could also destroy the mountain as I did with slightly less effort. And, since Mard Geer said he was on par with Zechsy, means that he could cause this as well, don't you think?'' Drake said, making the eyes of the wizard go even wider if that was possible. ''Now you're probably thinking, 'how was I able to beat Mard Geer and Kokabiel', right? Well, the answer is much easier than that you think it is. It's because you're a human.'' Drake said.
''Huh?'' Was Gray's intelligent reply, not understanding that him being a human was the cause of him still being alive.
''You see, humans are known for being the weakest of all living beings, no joke there. The only thing that humans are better at than devils, angels, youkai's, and the list goes on, is their potential to get stronger and smarter and lots of other stuff. But, since you humans have such a short lifespan unlike other supernatural beings, it only makes sense why being like devils and fallen angels would look down on your race because what you people consider old, we consider it as young. Though it's true that you are very powerful for a human, it won't change the fact that you are still a mere human in the eyes of your enemy, making them underestimate you before you even knew a thing about your enemy. Only those with a Sacred Gear can be considered as somewhat of a challenge to them, but not as a true danger.'' Drake explained.
Gray was definitely taken aback by what the devil told him. To think that all the humans in this world were ranked so low.
''Do you finally understand what I'm saying. Both Mard Geer and Kokabiel never took you serious enough to use their full strength against you, their pride having taken the best of them that led those two to their defeat. Mard Geer killed by your hands, and Kokabiel having turned into an ice statue for eternity. Do you now understand why you've been lucky all this time? If I were you now, I should stop fighting and live the life of how any normal human lives theirs.'' Drake said. ''But, if you do wanna live your current life and want to be strong enough to face Gods and many other beings, then discard your humanity and become something like a devil or a fallen angel or something else, not that I really care which one you would choose.'' He said.
''You really think I will remove my humanity so that I could get stronger?'' Gray asked.
''No, not only that.'' Drake said, making the wizard wonder what more the devil could tell him. ''You see, with all your friends being anything but human, they can live for hundreds and thousands of years before the finally die of old age. You, the only full-fledged human among your little friends, should be proud to reach the hundred as you are then bound to die. Meaning that your role to protect your friends will sooner or later be over as they have to protect you whenever you're getting too old or too weak.'' He said.
Gray didn't answer back as he remained silent, thinking of everything that the silver-haired devil just said to him. He didn't know how Drake did it, but the wizard of Fairy Tail couldn't remove his thoughts on everything he just heard.
''Alrighty then, I think it's time for me to leave this place. Killing you is for another day. Oh, and promise you keep the part of me giving you a Phoenix tear drop a secret, thanks a lot.'' And just when the devil was about to prepare a teleportation magic circle...
''Oi, Drake.'' Gray called the devil.
''The one and only.'' Drake replied.
''Though you may be right that I'm still lucky that I'm alive and that humans aren't the strongest being in this world, know that I don't give a crap about all of that.'' Gray said as he then flared his magical power to show him how serious he was right now. ''I'll prove to you that I'm different than any kind of human by getting stronger. Strong enough to beat you and strong enough to protect all my friends from people like you.'' Gray said.
'Those eyes. I can see the power they hold inside of them. He isn't just warning me for the day he would be strong enough, but it's a promise that he will defeat me one day.'' The silver-haired devil thought as he then let out a very small chuckle. 'No doubt about it. Somehow, this boy really is him.'
''I see, I'll be patiently waiting for that day then.'' The devil said as a white/silver magic circle appeared underneath him. Placing one hand on his hip, he waved at the wizard with his other hand. ''Bye, bye for now then, Gray Lucifer.'' Drake said, making Gray's eyes go wide for the umpteenth time as he then left the mountains.
'He just called me by my name with Lucifer as my last name. Could it be... No, has to know the other me. I don't know who that guy really is, but that smirking bastard really is unpredictable and mysterious while also being full of surprises.' Gray thought. Suddenly remembering Irina and Rossweisse, he aimed his eyes at the two girls now. Luckily Gray just saw how they were now slowly getting their consciousness back. 'Oh well, at least those two are OK.' He thought as he then walked towards the two ladies.
[Streets of Kuoh]
With the full moon shining in the night sky, we could see a person running through the famous street of this story that we all know as Kuoh.
Breathing heavily while the person kept on running for whatever reason he had. the person was wearing a black baseball cap that overshadowed, making it unable to the colours of his hair and eyes, a black hoodie with the hood over the person's head, black baggie pants, and black sneakers. With the way the person looked like with all those clothes, it could most likely be a male who really likes the colour black.
Putting an end to all the running, the anonymous person placed his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breath.
''I think... I've lost him...'' The mysterious person breathed out with his voice sounding surprisingly quite feminine.
''Think again, half-breed.''
Hearing a voice behind him, the stranger quickly turned around to see a very tall man in front of him. Only to feel a big and rough hand firmly around his throat as he then got lifted in the air. His feet not touching the ground anymore as he could do nothing but to hold on to the arm of the man.
''Hahaha, who would've thought that finding you could be this easy. Lord Rizevim will reward me big time for this.'' The man said, making it clear to us that he is one of Rizevim's guards. ''And what's with that outfit? Come on, show me your pretty face.'' He said as he then smashed the cap from the strangers head with the hood falling down. Showing the whole world that it wasn't a 'he', but a 'she'.
Now that her face has been revealed, we could see that she was probably around the same age as the current Red Dragon Emperor. She has deep blue eyes and long blonde hair that reached her hips.
''Hmm. Now that's what I like to see~.'' The devil said, looking at the girl with a perverted grin on his face.
''Release me... Right now...'' The girl said.
''Sorry, girly. But can't do that. Lord Rizevim ordered me to take you back so you can happily be with your brother again.'' The devil said as he then had an idea in his mind. An idea that he liked way too much. ''You know, Though he said I had to return you alive, doesn't mean I can have some fun with you.'' He said.
''What... Do you mean...'' The girl asked.
''This!'' He said as he grabbed her hoodie and ripped it off her. Pieces of the clothing lying on the street as the devil could now see that the girl was wearing a simple white bra that covered her nice big breasts. ''Oh my, you sure are innocent.'' He said.
''How... Dare you...'' The girl said as she then surprised the devil by kicking him straight in the nuts. Releasing the girl as he then held his jewels in pain.
Seeing that this is her chance, the girl ran away from the nasty devil as quickly as she could while not caring that her bra was the only thing that covered her chest. But, after five seconds of running, something very solid was hit against her head that made her fall to the ground.
''Now I had it with you. No more Mr Nice Guy.'' The devil said, holding now a mailbox, that he stole from one of the houses, in his hand that had a dent in it, having it used as a weapon that he smashed against her head. ''Looks like we just gonna have to do this the rough way, which I don't mind at all.''
Lying on the cold street with not a single bit of energy left to move even a finger, the girl couldn't help but think this was the end of her. She was hungry, she was thirsty, her vision was blurry, she couldn't hear everything at all. She wanted to sleep so badly, but she knew that that would be the last time she would close her eyes. And even if she did survive the night, it won't change what the man has done to her as she would be then sent back to the prison. With a lone tear escaping from her eye, the girl closed her eyes as she could do nothing but to accept her fate.
''Now then, where should I start. I know, maybe I should start with her- Guh!''
The devil suddenly felt something very sharp piercing through his chest while feeling how his body was burning on the inside. Looking at his chest, he saw a black and white sword coming from his body that had both holy and demonic powers inside of it. Slowly turning his head around, he saw how a blonde-haired young man held the weapon in his right hand with a bag of groceries in his other hand.
And before the devil could utter a single word, the newcomer swung his sword upwards, leaving a huge gap on the devil's body as he then fell dead on the ground.
'It's a good thing he wasn't paying any attention to his surrounding. Judging by his strength, he could've been a troublesome opponent to defeat. Not to mention that I've decided to do some groceries at this hour instead of tomorrow, or else I never would've been here in time.' The young man thought to himself as he then looked at the girl lying unconscious on the ground. 'Anyway, I better make sure that she stays alive.' With that said, the young man picked her up bridal style as he then headed towards his house.