Naruto x Fairy Tail: Fairy's Shadow

Chapter 124: Fairy's Shadow 117

"Normal Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

[Year X791]

~ With Shisui ~

Chapati's voice rang through the arena once more.

"The final match of today's battle segment has arrived!"

The Lacrima-vision display flickered to life, revealing the matchup that would close Day Two's battles. Mermaid Heel's Kagura Mikazuchi versus Sabertooth's Yukino Aguria.

In Sabertooth's section, Olga turned to Sting with obvious irritation. "One point. You managed one measly point from that contest."

Sting waved him off. "We knew motion sickness would be a problem. At least I didn't come in last."

"I'll pick up the slack, we can't fall further behind Fairy Tail." Yukino said quietly as her words made Sting visibly recoil.

Rufus smiled at the interaction. When Sting had first joined Sabertooth, he'd been insufferable. Cocky, arrogant, convinced of his own superiority. The power had been undeniable, yes, but the attitude had made him difficult to work with. That had started changing after his encounter with the independent S-class mage at the time.

But it was not until Sting and Rogue had sought him out for training had they truly change. Shisui had done something to both Dragon Slayers in that short training camp. Whatever it was, they'd come back different. More focused. More aware of their limitations. But most importantly, they had came back more grounded to their reality.

His thoughts were interrupted when Sting spoke up again. "Yukino, be careful. Kagura's not just any mage. She's Mermaid Heel's ace."

"I know," Yukino replied. "But I won't underestimate her. I have my own goals. I want to stand at the top too."

She left for the arena floor without another word. Rufus noticed Sting watching her go with an unreadable expression.

Down in the arena, Chapati made the introductions. "From Mermaid Heel, the preeminent wizard among women, their guild's mightiest warrior, Kagura Mikazuchi! And from Sabertooth, though not their ace, her membership alone demands respect, Yukino Aguria!"

The two women met at the centre. Yukino spoke first. "For my goals, I cannot lose this battle. I apologize in advance for what I must do."

Kagura studied her opponent. "Your resolve is genuine. I shall respond in kind."

"Let the final battle of the day BEGIN!"

Yukino's hand emerged from beneath her coat, revealing a golden key. The crowd murmured in recognition. Up in Fairy Tail's section, Lucy leaned forward.

"That's a Zodiac key…" She murmured.

Kagura's expression didn't change. "One of the twelve golden keys. Interesting."

Yukino gave no further explanation as she immediately made her move. "Open, Gate of the Two Fish! Pisces!"

Twin serpentine fish materialized in the air above Yukino. One black, one white, circling each other like living yin and yang symbols. They were massive, each one easily thirty feet long. Without hesitation, they lunged at Kagura.

The swordswoman moved like water as she sidestepped the black fish's charge, then rolled under the white one's follow-up attack. Her hand never even moved to draw her sword, keeping it firmly sheathed by her waist. The fish circled back for another assault, but Kagura had already repositioned herself, using their own bulk against them.

Seeing that Pisces were not enough by themselves, even though they were a pair, Yukino raised another golden key. Lucy's eyes widened in recognition of what was about to happen.

"She's going to open two gates at once, just like I did!" Lucy said.

"Open, Gate of the Balance! Libra!"

A woman in revealing clothing appeared, her arms already moving after being summoned. The air around Kagura suddenly grew heavy. The swordswoman's knees bent slightly as gravity intensified around her. While immobilized, Pisces moved in for what seemed like a guaranteed strike. However, instead of a direct hit, something incredible happened.

Kagura jumped.

Despite the increased gravity that should have pinned her down, she launched herself almost fifty feet into the air. The crowd gasped. Even Yukino's eyes widened in surprise, but she did not let the surprise slow down her assault as she told Libra to redirect her magic upward and into the side. The gravity shift caught Kagura mid-air and slammed her into one of the decorative statues overlooking the arena.

Stone cracked and crumbled around the impact as Pisces moved to capitalize, but suddenly both fish froze in place. They struggled against invisible bonds before being driven into the ground with crushing force.

"What's happening?" Natsu asked, confused.

Erza pointed at the arena floor. "Look at Libra."

The Celestial Spirit was on her knees, fighting against magic that could almost be passed off as her own to those uninformed. Kagura was also a user of Gravity Magic.

From the rubble of the statue, Kagura stood. Dust fell from her clothes but she appeared completely unharmed. She dropped back to the arena floor casually as Yukino immediately dismissed both spirits before Kagura could damage them further.

"I see. You would force me to use the thirteenth gate. I didn't want to use this." Yukino said, reaching for a black key at her belt.

Levy grabbed the railing. "Thirteenth gate? That's impossible. There are only twelve Zodiac keys."

"It's a legend," Lucy explained quickly. "Some Celestial Wizards believe in a thirteenth spirit, stronger than any Zodiac. But nobody's ever proven it exists."

Yukino held up the black key. "It is said that this spirit causes lasting damage to its opponents. Whether that is true or not, I guess we will find out."

Kagura remained silent, but her stance shifted slightly. She recognized genuine regret in Yukino's voice.

"I shall end this as painlessly as possible." Kagura said quietly.

"Open, Gate of the Snake Charmer! Ophiuchus!"

The temperature dropped ten degrees instantly. Darkness spread across the arena as if someone had thrown a blanket over the sun. From a massive magic circle on the ground rose a serpent that dwarfed everything else in the arena. Black scales reflected no light. Eyes like burning coals gazed down at the spectators. It was larger than both Pisces combined, its head alone the size of a small building.

Up in Team B's section, Shisui's eyes narrowed. Something felt wrong. His gut was telling him that something unnatural was happening as he activated his Sharingan.

The arena lit up with patterns he hadn't expected to see. 'Illusion.'

The entire crowd was under a subtle illusion technique. Most of the civilians had been paralyzed completely, unable to move as they stared at the serpent in terror. Even some of the weaker mages shivered uncontrollably. The spirit was generating a fear-inducing illusion that worked on the subconscious level. The mist Ophiuchus had generated wasn't just for show.

'The mist… So that's how it's doing it. The mist carries its magic, subtly seeping into the minds of those that breathe it in.' Shisui recognized the genjutsu for what it was.

It was then that realization hit Shisui.

'If even I couldn't have detected the illusion without my Sharingan… I wonder if the other's have noticed this peculiarity. Especially the Dragon Slayers.'

Shisui turned his attention towards the few Dragon Slayers in attendance. Unsurprisingly, even they seemed unaware to have been caught in an illusion, though they appeared to be unaffected by it anyways.

~ End of Chapter 117 ~