Showdown At Oshibana...

Chapter 9 - Showdown At Oshibana...

{Clover: Guild Master's Conference}

The building in which each and every guild master across the land currently gathered sparked with liveliness. For people who were presumably of an advanced age, they most certainly were capable of laying back and having a drink or two.

"I'm so jealous Makky, all your wizards are so full of life, and they're such cutie-pies." An effeminate bald man named Bob stated. He, incidentally, was the guild master of the Blue Pegasus guild, and was, in fact, a man.

"I heard you got a girl who gave some big shot quite the spanking, and that one boy who took down the human traffickers is already building up some praise for your guild." He continued.

"Oh, that must be Lucy, and the second is Ichigo… hehe, they are our latest recruits, and the one girl has a body that just won't quit." Makarov commented perversely, causing the effeminate guild master he was conversing with to coo as a result.

"I wouldn't be joking around like that…" A man called out as he approached.

Makarov turned his sights to see that the owner of the voice was none other than the guild master of the Quatro Cerberus guild. The man had somewhat tan skin, fairly long blonde hair, and a scowl on his face. He currently wore sunglasses, standard-looking clothing, but the strangest thing about him was the spiked dog collar he sported around his neck.

"Your wizard might be spirited but ya gotta admit they go overboard sometimes. Some of the council members are saying that Fairy Tail is going to destroy an entire city one of these days, and I don't really blame 'em." Goldmine stated.

"Ah let those blowhards think what they want, what do I care? They're just jealous that my wizards are hot." Makarov replied, a drunken blush slightly forming on his cheeks.

"Oh Makky, you shouldn't talk about your wizards that way, you're such a scoundrel." Bob commented.

"I've also got someone from another world! There ain't a guild in Fiore that can top that!" Makarov exclaimed cheerfully before taking another sip of his drink.

"How much have you had to drink again?" Goldmine asked with a raised brow.

"Message for Master Makarov!" A blue carrier bird chirped as it entered the room, a letter being safely secured by its feet.

"Oh, a letter?" Makarov wondered aloud before taking the object in his hand.

"It's from Mrs. Mirajane sir." The bird stated.

"Well thank you." Makarov said as he uncaringly looked at the letter.

"No problem!" The bird stated cheerfully before flying off.

The elderly mage traced his finger around the seal of the letter, after which the magical properties activated, revealing a hologram image of the very same barmaid that had sent the letter in the first place.

"Hi Master Makarov, I'm glad that you made it to the conference safe and sound." Mirajane began, smiling brightly as she always did.

"See, this is what I'm talkin' about. This is Mirajane, she's the poster girl of our guild. Grab some eye candy boys!" Makarov stated cheerfully, addressing the mass of surrounding guild masters.

"Wow, she's a cutie." Bob commented, clasping his hands together.

"That's Mirajane? It's been a while since I've seen her. She sure has matured." Goldmine commented.

"Oh master, you aren't going to believe what happened! It might be the greatest thing in the history of Fairy Tail!" Mirajane cheered overdramatically.

"Really?" Makarov asked confusedly.

"Erza took Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Ichigo out on a mission! A pretty amazing combination huh? In fact I think they might've formed one of the greatest teams Fairy Tail's ever seen. Sorry to interrupt, but I just had to tell you the news." Mirajane stated, after which the hologram vanished.

Makarov began to sweat bullets and his skin went pale at the those words being said. Perhaps Lucy was a blooming celestial wizard who didn't seem like the type capable of destroying excessive amounts of property, but Erza, Natsu, and Gray were proven to be capable of such things. Then there was Ichigo, a man that he didn't know the full capabilities of. He just knew the kid was strong, but how strong he didn't know.

"Not them…" Makarov squealed out in a low voice, after which he fell flat on his back, landing on the very table he had been standing on.

"What's wrong Makky?" Bob asked with a touch of concern making its way into his voice.

"I guess the council really does have a reason to be worried." Goldmine mused.

'I can't believe this is happening. Those three alone really could destroy a city…' Makarov thought.

The conference was nearly over after today, so he figured he would be able to make it back to Fairy Tail soon enough. He just had to pray they didn't actually destroy an entire city. If that were to happen, not even his patented brand of misdirecting charm would be able to salvage the situation.

{Peak Overlooking the Train tracks, With Ichigo and the others…}

"So that's the train those dark wizards hijacked?" Ichigo asked, looking down at the railway from within the magic mobile.

"Yes, with any luck we will be able to reach Oshibana station and stop them from completing whatever it is they are planning to do." Erza replied.

"I could understand cars and boats, but why'd they want to highjack a train?" Lucy wondered aloud.

"It doesn't really seem like a good getaway vehicle." Happy added.

"Well since a train is used primarily because it is fast we can assume that they only need to get to the one place. That means that whatever they have planned will probably go down where that train stops." Ichigo reasoned.

"All the more reason to hurry up." Erza stated before speeding off, the groans of a certain dragon slayer accompanying the continued motion of the magic mobile.

{Aboard the Train…}

"Gah!" Kage exclaimed, jumping backwards and narrowly avoiding death by the hand of the reaper's scythe.

They were nearing their destination as they spoke, but at the moment Erigor was extremely displeased with their situation. No one was supposed to know about Lullaby, and yet thanks to the man he recently attempted to cut into several individuals, and members of the Fairy Tail guild no less, knew of their plans.

"Let me get this straight, you allowed a Fairy to see the Lullaby flute and then let him get away? Is that true?!" Erigor asked, clearly agitated.

"But it's not like he knows about our plans sir, and even if he did there's nothing that he and his stupid guild could do that would be able to stop us, right?" Kage countered from his position on the floor.

The reaper sent his scythe into the wooden floor of the train that lay but a few inches short of a very vital and cherished body part of every male's body, though this one in particular belonged to Kage. With a scowl on his face, the reaper then spoke once more.

"We can't afford to take any chances. Fortunately, we have a strategy in place." Erigor stated.

"Right, you mean that thing at Oshibana Station." Kage said, recalling that specific aspect of their plan.

"We can't have flies buzzing around where they're unwanted. It's up to you men to swat them away." Erigor said with a sickening smirk.

"Yes sir!" The dark wizards collectively replied.

{Streets Leading Up to Oshibana Station...}

"Erza, slow down!" Gray exclaimed.

Currently the group was within the confines of the magic mobile, save for Gray who was on the roof once again. The vehicle currently sped towards the train station without delay, but the speed came at the cost of Erza's magic energy, which Gray knew all too well.

"I'm fine. We need to get to the train station quickly and if all else fails I have the rest of you with me to make up for the difference." Erza replied.

"She's right Gray. If we don't make it there in time it could mean people lose their lives." Ichigo stated in agreement.

"We could get there faster if a certain someone would volunteer to power the magic mobile again…" Erza trailed off, silently hoping for an answer in the affirmative.

"No!" Natsu and Gray shouted in unison, prompting everyone else to chuckle as a result.

"Well I guess there's your answer." Ichigo replied amusedly, eliciting a small smirk from the redheaded mage.

"I see, then that just means I'll need to rely on all of you. I hope you're a good fighter, Ichigo, because I'll need you and everyone else to be at your best." Erza said.

The magic mobile turned around an approaching corner, rocking the people within it much to the clear dismay of a certain fire dragon slayer.

"Gah…" Natsu moaned from within the car.

"I really feel bad for him…" Ichigo trailed off.

"Aye." Happy said sympathetically.

A moment later the pink-haired mage opted to make an attempt to crawl out of the open window. However, both Lucy and Ichigo were there to prevent the dragon slayer from preemptively ending his own life by doing something so colossally stupid.

"What the hell Natsu?! We're almost there you moron." Ichigo exclaimed.

"Yeah, you don't wanna fall out!" Lucy added.

"That's what I'm aiming for." Natsu said in a sickly manner.

"Um… I think I need to tell Lucy something…" Happy said from the far side of the seats.

"What are you mumbling about now?" Lucy asked in a tone that possessed a slight edge as she and Ichigo continued to prevent Natsu from crawling out of the car's window. It was actually ironic that this was the case given that in most circumstances it was the actual animal that attempted to get out of the car through the use of the window.

"Lucy's… weird… hungry… fishy… I like fish! Wait… weird…" Happy uttered.

"Why are you calling me weird?" Lucy growled out as she and the substitute successfully reeled in the pink-haired mage.

{Outside Oshibana Station, Some Time Later…}

"Okay, is everyone ready to go?" Erza questioned as the turned to the group.

Currently everyone was ready and willing to get on with the mission, save for one individual in particular. Natsu, for all of his love of fighting, was currently subjected to leaning on the body of a certain orange-haired substitute for support. It was likely that if Ichigo wasn't currently holding him up, the teen would've fallen over and stayed there for quite some time.

"I think Natsu's still got a bit of motion sickness, but I think everyone else is ready." Ichigo replied.

"Very well, now let's get going." Erza stated.

The group then began to walk towards the station, upon which they noticed several peculiar things. Firstly, there was a cloud of smoke coming off of the building that clearly shouldn't have been. Secondly, the entrance was guarded and an accompanying mob of onlookers was gathered.

'My guess is that they're here already.' Ichigo thought.

"The station is closed due to a train derailment!" One of the blue-clad railway workers said through a megaphone.

"Tch, my ass." Ichigo sneered from his position within the crowd.

"Wait… where'd Erza go?" Lucy wondered aloud, though no one else in their group seemed to have the answer.

"We ask that all of you remain calm!" The man continued, only to stop upon someone tapping his shoulder.

"I found her!" Happy exclaimed, pointing at the redheaded woman who had come up from behind the guard.

'Maybe she's just trying to get some information.' Ichigo mused.

"What's going on here?" Erza asked sternly.

"Why would I tell you lady?" The man sneered, sweatdropping slightly.

In the next instant the scarlet-haired woman sent him flying to the ground with a singular head-butt, effectively knocking him out before moving on to the next worker.

"What's going on?" Erza repeated. She waited for only a second and when the man didn't answer she reacted much the same as prior.

"You're kidding me…" Ichigo trailed off, watching in disbelief as Fairy Tail's strongest female wizard incapacitated the remainder of the blue-clad conductors in the exact same manner she had the first.

"It seems like her questioning method's a little counterproductive." Lucy said with a deadpanned expression.

"Ya think?" Ichigo asked rhetorically.

"Erza's got her own way of gettin' things done." Gray commented.

"Where are your clothes?!" Lucy and Ichigo exclaimed in unison.

"Dammit!" Gray shouted, noticing that he was once again in his boxers.

The scarlet-haired mage walked up to the group once more, a serious expression on her face and her thoughts being her own. At the very least she had cleared the way for them to go into the train station and discover for themselves what was happening, so Ichigo supposed that was a benefit.

"So, did your questioning methods actually get any answers?" Ichigo asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Unfortunately, no, I have failed in that regard, however I will ask that you hit me for my penance at a later time. For now I believe the situation is obvious." Erza stated.

'Again with the hitting thing? Why does she think I have a desire to hit her and why does she seem to want me to?' Ichigo wondered confusedly.

"Eisenwald is inside already, let's go." Erza ordered, receiving a firm nod from everyone else present.

{Inside Oshibana Station, Some Time Later…}

The group of mages and the substitute ran down the halls, Natsu still being carried by Ichigo and Happy flying by their collective side. Their destination was the heart of the station, and that's where they knew they'd find the members of Eisenwald.

"The army sent in a small unit but they've yet to return. I am guessing that they were caught in battle by the Eisesnwald forces." Erza stated.

They then came up to a staircase, taking note that the very same army unit the scarlet-haired mage had been referencing was currently littering it with their unconscious bodies. Lucy shuddered at the sight, but everyone else merely scowled at the implications. If they didn't know before, now they knew that Eisewald was definitely here in the station.

"They've been completely wiped out." Happy said fearfully as they continued to walk down the halls, catching the sight of the remaining soldiers as they did so.

"They went up against an entire guild. A small contingent of soldiers like this would be no match for such a powerful group." Erza stated.

The group finally arrived at the nexus of the station, each prepared for any ambush or potential trap that would occur. Well, at least three of them were, Lucy, Happy, and obviously Natsu weren't really in the condition to think about such things. When they finally entered the main room, a wicked voice sounded off to greet them.

"Hahaha… welcome, step into our parlor Fairy Tail flies!" Erigor greeted as his guild's enemies entered the room.

"Hehehehehe…" The dark wizards snickered in unison.

Ichigo and the others immediately examined the room's inhabitants, instantly taking note that there were a huge number of wizards all around. It was hard to get a rough estimate, but he was positive that they outnumbered the group of thugs he took out by at least twice as much.

Once the sheer number of men within the room was addressed, that's when they all noticed a particular individual, the man who each knew to be behind this plot. Off to the side sat a silver-haired man with a large scythe carelessly hoisted over his left shoulder. A wicked grin as etched on his face, and one could just tell he was evil to his core.

"You fiend… I take it your Erigor the reaper?" Erza questioned with narrowed eyes.

"Hehehe…" Erigor chuckled evilly.

Since they had entered the room, Ichigo had opted to rest Natsu on the floor, for multiple reasons but the main one was that he couldn't necessarily fight if he had to carry around a body over his shoulder. He did that once, but in that instance his opponent was just a single man, not an entire dark guild.

Currently, the blonde-haired celestial spirit mage was making repeated attempts to wake him out of his motion sickness-induced stupor. As of this very moment in time, she had been unsuccessful in doing so.

"Come on Nastu, we need you for this." Lucy pleaded as she shook the dragon slayer in an attempt to wake him up.

"Good luck. Between trains, magic mobiles, and your shacking, it's a motion sickness triple combo." Happy stated.

"I'm not a vehicle!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Hey… you're the guys who got me in trouble with Erigor… get up ya pink-haired insect." Kage ordered from the frontlines of the dark wizards.

"I know that voice…" Natsu trailed off, struggling to bring himself off the ground.

"Enough of this! We are not threatened by any of you! Tell me what you have planned this instant!" Erza exclaimed, her voice booming with authority.

"Oh, you haven't heard yet?" Erigor asked amusedly.

A second later he got up from his seated position and flew into the air directly half-way between the two opposing sides, the same smirk still etched on his face.

"He can fly?" Lucy exclaimed.

"It's wind magic." Happy realized.

"What do all train stations have?" Erigor inquired, subsequently after which his feet touched down on the crystal ball that sat atop a collective combination of four speakers. When he had done this, most members of the group immediately understood what the reaper had been referring to.

"You plan to broadcast the Lullaby's song?" Erza guessed.

"Hehehehehehe, thousands of nosy onlookers have flocked to this station to get a glimpse of the action. Who knows? If I raise the volume of the song loud enough I may be able to destroy the entire city with my melody of death!" Erigor proclaimed.

'You bastard!' Ichigo thought, his fists balling at the words of the silver-haired man. Let's just say he had no love for people who had no objection to destroying the population of an entire city for their own purposes.

"What reason do you have for committing such a heinous crime against the innocent people of this town?" Erza growled out.

"This is a cleansing of all the fools out there who fail to appreciate the rights they hold so dear, who remain ignorant to those who've had their rights stripped away. They've committed the sin of turning a blind eye to the world's injustice. Therefore… the reaper has come to punish them!" Erigor stated.

"What would that fix? Its things like this that are why you were kicked out of the wizarding guilds in the first place!" Lucy countered.

"Hehe, we've given up trying to regain our rights. We want power, and then we will be able to wash away the sins of the past and then use that power to create a new future." Erigor replied.

"You monster!" Erza exclaimed angrily.

"Oh, and what are you going to do abou…" Erigor began, only to stop upon feeling a massive pressure hit his entire being.

Almost everyone in the entire room felt the full force of this mysterious pressure, and the moment that it started the source became quite clear. Each and every one of the dark wizards and Fairy Tail mages alike turned to look at the form of the orange-haired teen, who gave off a light blue aura around his body. If the scowl and glare he was directing at the dark wizard's leader were anything to go by, he definitely wasn't pleased.

'What is this pressure?' Erza wondered, a bead of sweat running down the side of her cheek.

Most others were thinking the exact same thing, but such thoughts were pushed to the back of their minds, in the case of the dark wizards, upon the orange-haired teen grabbing what appeared to be a wooden skull badge, after which he seemed to separate into two different bodies.

"What the hell?" Several whispered from within the ranks of the dark wizards.

"Gotcha." Lucy said as she caught the body.

"Thanks, Lucy. I appreciate it." Ichigo said evenly, though he didn't bother looking back in favor of maintaining his scowl and glare at the man who had pissed him off a great deal.

An instant later he grabbed the hilt of his long cleaver-like sword and brought it out in front of his body, subsequently after which the cloth surrounding the blade disappeared, revealing Zangetsu in all of his glory.

"I don't think I've ever seen that kind of magic before… just who are you, Fairy Tail fly?" Erigor asked, not shifting from his position atop the speakers.

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, and I've heard enough out of you." Ichigo answered in an agitated manner.

"Hahahahah! And just what…" Erigor began.

He was cut off before he got a chance to finish his sentence due to the orange-haired teen leaping up into the air and charging directly at him. The physical strength someone would need to do something like that alone was mindboggling, and yet this boy had done it with seemingly no effort whatsoever.

With widened eyes, Erigor brought up his scythe, barely managing to block the sword strike of his opponent. Doing so, however, sent him flying into a nearby pillar, which cracked due to the sheer force that resulted from Erigor's collision with it.

Ichigo, on the other hand, preformed a backflip and gracefully landed on the ground a decent amount ahead of the other's in his group. His front was still facing the dark wizards, and the perpetual scowl and glare were still marking his features.

'That was… impressive.' Erza thought.

"No way…" Many of the dark wizards exclaimed out of disbelief.

'No one should be able to do this to me…' Erigor thought as he got up from the hole he had made in the pillar.

"My mistake…" Ichigo began, drawing the attention of the wind magic user as he spoke.

Erigor flew out of the hole and glared heavily at the black-clad teen, obviously being annoyed by the fact that he was so easily taken by surprise in front of his subordinates. Moreover, the teen didn't even seem as if he had expended any effort at all.

"…next time I won't miss." Ichigo stated.

"You really think I can be defeated so easily? It doesn't matter I have more important things to do than to mess around with flies like you. Take care of them, men. Show them the terror of the Dark Guild Eisenwald!" Eriogor shouted before flying off.

"You heard him boys, let's take care of this." Kage stated.

An instant later the shadow magic user placed the palm of his hand directly onto the floor and willed three separate shadowy tendrils to charge forth in an attempt to take out the group that stood behind Ichigo. They moved very quickly, but even from the start they didn't have a chance to do any real damage.

Just as the hands popped out of the ground, poised to slash and claw at the seemingly unprepared mages, a fire-shielded fist tore them to shreds.

"You…" Kage growled, looking directly at the face of the pink-haired mage that had just countered his attack.

"Good to have you back Natsu." Ichigo commented, turning to face the pink-haired mage with Zangetsu laying across his shoulders.

"Heh, it's nice to be back. Now whaddaya say we start kicking some ass, Fairy Tail style?" Natsu asked rhetorically, pounding his fists together and coating them with a layer of thick fire.

"No, I need you and Gray to go after Erigor. My magic energy may not be a hundred percent, but I can still fight these underlings off with Ichigo and Lucy here. The three of us will stay here and take care of them while you make sure Lullaby isn't used here at the station." Erza ordered.

Both of the requested mages looked at one another with a scornful look, obvious not looking forward to teaming up or following such a direct order from the bossiest person they had ever met in their life. Still, even if they were going to complain, they'd save it for when lives weren't at stake.

"Right." The two replied in unison.

"If the two of you work together there isn't anything you can't do, and…" Erza began, only to stop upon turning around to see that the two had yet to move and were instead butting heads with one another.

"What did I say?!" Erza barked.

"Aye!" The two said in unison before running off.

"They just ran off." One of the dark wizards commented.

"They're goin' after Erigor." Another stated.

"I've got it." One of the wizards proclaimed.

The owner of the voice then willed several gauze-like extensions to fly towards a nearby railing a grip it, subsequently after which the wizard was pulled up onto higher ground.

"I the great Rayule will take them down." He added.

"I'm coming with you. That pink-haired dimwit's gonna pay." Kage stated before he vanished into the floor, becoming nothing more than a wandering shadow.

"We'll catch up to them when we've finished up with the rest of the men here okay?" Erza said.

"Just us against an entire magical guild?" Lucy asked shakily.

"Hehe… momma always told me not to hit a girl, but this time I'll make an exception." One of the men stated evilly.

"Sorry ladies, but when we're done with ya you're not gonna look nearly as cute." Another sneered, cracking his knuckles.

"But without my stunning beauty I'll be totally helpless." Lucy stated vainly.

"This is not time for daydreaming Lucy!" Happy exclaimed.

"Now that's just rude, going after the girl's first. What kind of scumbags are you?" Ichigo asked, turning to face the group of enemies once again.

"Who does this kid think he is? Just because you got the jump on Erigor when he wasn't lookin' you think you can talk to us like that?" One of the dark wizards asked angrily.

"Are you idiots just going to sit around all day or are we going to fight?" Ichigo asked in a bored tone, his zanpakuto still resting across his shoulders.

"Don't act so tough, ya brat. It's all of us versus the three of you." A random dark wizard remarked. The man's comment, however, only caused Ichigo to smirk cockily given that he knew perfectly well how this fight was going to end.

"Yeah, you're right, it isn't really a fair fight… for you." Ichigo stated confidently.

"Bring it on berry boy!" One of the men challenged.

No sooner than that particular insult was uttered did Ichigo leap into battle. His zanpakuto instantly cut the weapons of at least five or six men in the first strike, and very clearly none of them had seen him coming.

'That was very quick…' Erza thought, her eyes slightly widened at the sight of the orange-haired teen's natural speed.

Quickly, each of the nearby dark wizards made an attempt to make up for their not seeing him make the first move of the battle, but little did they know that was the perfectly incorrect decision to make.

The second they attempted to mount a counterattack, Ichigo took them all down with varied swings of his sword, causing them to shoot outwardly all across the room.

"What the hell?" Several of the mage's exclaimed.

Ichigo didn't even stop to make a smug remark or correct the dark wizards for getting his namesake incorrect, but to be perfectly honest the sooner this was dealt with the better. He had taken down a good amount, already over a dozen in number, but there were still plenty more to deal with.

"He's swinging that big sword as if it weighs nothing…" Lucy said in awe.

The only time the blonde-haired mage had actually seen Ichigo use the sword in combat was the incident at Hargeon when they had first met, and even in that instance she wasn't paying particular attention to how well he wielded the blade. Every other instance she had seen him use his hands or had heard of an event where this was the case.

"Indeed, it is quite impressive to say the least." Erza stated, smirking as she watched the orange-haired teen rip into another pile of dark wizards.

'Bringing him seems to have been a good suggestion… I'll have to thank Mira later.' Erza thought.

"It's just one wizard men! Take him down!" One of the mages exclaimed as he and a group of others started to surround the teen.

"Well I'd feel a bit silly if I didn't get in on at least some of the fighting." Erza thought aloud.

A moment later she extended her right hand, subsequently after which a large red magic seal appeared, giving way to a magical sword a moment later. The sword itself was rather standard in appearance, but even so the speed at which it was summoned was rather impressive.

"Oh wow, a magic sword." Lucy observed.

"I suggest you surrender now before I lose my temper!" Erza exclaimed before jumping into the fray.

The scarlet-haired mage tore into one of the sides of the encirclement that had been surrounding Ichigo, which though unneeded did give the substitute the ability to charge the other half. Each began to rip through enemy after enemy, not even receiving so much as a scratch and easily dispatching of anyone who dared to cross their path.

"Get the redhead while that guy's distracted!" One of the dark wizards exclaimed.

Ichigo's eyes instantly shifted to see a group of three enemies extending their open right palms, collectively, towards the unsuspecting Fairy Tail wizard. An instant later three separate rays of golden magical energy shot forth, each appearing to have been dead set on hitting Erza.

Thinking on her feet, the redheaded knight quickly jumped into the air, causing the magical projectiles to do little more than crack the floor she had previously stood over. While still in the air, she then held out her sword and seemingly replaced it with a long spear in an instant.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Erza exclaimed. She then soared towards the ground, instantly taking out the wizards that had mounted the simultaneous attack on her with relative ease.

When that was done, the infamous requip user then shifted her sights towards another nearby collection of dark wizards, each of whom were currently debating on whether or not to surround Ichigo or attempt to fight her.

In the next instant she recalled the spear and summoned twin swords, each shorter than her pervious magical sword, before she charged the gathering of enemies, effectively making use of their indecision for her own strategic purposes.

'Not bad.' Ichigo thought with a smirk as he continued to cut down drone after drone that attempted to take him down.

"I've never seen anybody able to requip as fast as this chick, and no matter how many of our men go after that orange-haired guy he doesn't even break a sweat." The assumed leader stated.

"What's requip?" Lucy asked from the sidelines.

"Magic weaponry isn't that much different from your celestial magic Lucy. The user can summon weapons that they keep stored in their magical space, and when they use their switches between weapons it's called requiping." Happy explained.

"Wow, that's incredibly." Lucy said excitedly.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet. Erza's just getting warmed up." Happy proclaimed.

"Did she just say Erza?" One of the members wondered aloud.

"Forget about that. Somebody go after the blonde chick for cryin' out loud! She can't be nearly as tough as these two!" The apparent leader shouted.

A large group of the dark mages then turned their sights towards the blonde-haired celestial wizard, after which they began to run towards her, weapons primed and ready to cut her into pieces as if she were ribbon.

"Tch, time for me to kick some butt." Lucy stated.

"Why are you trying to steal the spotlight from them?" Happy asked confusedly.

"Open Gate of the Giant Crab, Cancer!" Lucy exclaimed.

The instant after the gate opened, said celestial spirit appeared at the blonde's beckoned call. He appeared to be relatively tall, have rather tan skin, and had three pairs of crab legs sprouting from his back. His overall appearance was that of a barber, two separate pairs of scissors being located in each of his hands.

"You need me to take care of the dudes, baby?" Cancer asked in a calm fashion.

"Yeah, take 'em out with style!" Lucy requested.

The men simultaneously charged the celestial mage, yet again this proved to be a mistake. In a split second the crab spirit cut up their weapons and left them all bald-headed and dejected, at which point they all just fell on the ground with panicked expressions on their faces.

"Like their new style, baby?" Cancer asked.

"That was impressive." Erza complimented.

"Oh really? Thanks, but it was no big deal." Lucy replied sheepishly.

The redheaded knight then summoned an axe and tore into yet another group of wizards. However stupid they may have been, no one could say they weren't persistent.

"Alright! I totally scored points with Erza!" Lucy exclaimed happily.

"However, this crab spirit of yours. The way he calls you baby… I find it rather insulting." Erza added.

"Points unscored…" Lucy mumbled in a melancholic manner.

"Ouch… but whoa…" Cancer uttered.

On the other side of the room a large group of dark wizards had once again started to encircle Ichigo in what had to be their third synchronized attempt to even wound him as a collective group.

However, they had done the same to Erza from the opposite end. The final result was a large group of wizards surrounding two teenage warriors who were currently standing back to back with one another, their weapons drawn and their expressions deadly serious.

"Erza, when I say duck, duck, alright?" Ichigo requested.

The scarlet-haired mage gave a confused glance towards the teenage substitute, but before she could ask a single question their common enemies had charged, their swords prepared to stab into them without any delay.

"Get 'em men!" One of the men roared.

"Duck!" Ichigo shouted.

Without giving it a second thought, Erza followed the command, though she was highly confused as to why this was requested of her. That confusion, however, evaporated in the wake of what happened next.

With one swift, powerful motion, Ichigo turned his body and swept across the incoming wizards, the end result of which was for them to be pushed back almost instantaneously. Their weapons shattered and their bodies flew all over the room, successfully ending their offensive for the time being and allowing the two Fairy Tail members some room to breathe.

"Very Impressive." Erza complimented.

"Thanks, but we're not done yet." Ichigo commented, noticing that a final large mass of enemies had just gathered at their front.

A head on assault was likely the dumbest thing they had tried thus far, but this was collectively everyone that remained and was capable of putting up a fight. Even those who had been moderately wounded in the previous engagements were getting up in order to mount one final offensive.

"There are still so many…" Erza thought aloud.

"Then we just have to take them down, plain and simple." Ichigo stated.

"Hm… you've taken down your fair share already, please allow me to take down the rest." Erza requested.

Before Ichigo could even verbally acknowledge that he was perfectly fine with that, the scarlet-haired mage began to access her greatest magical ability. Her armor and clothing began to vanish and her body glowed with an ethereal golden light that shined so brightly it felt as if it were the sun itself.

"Whoa, her armor's disappearing!" One of the dark wizards cheered.

"What the hell is wrong with you perverts?!" Ichigo shouted angrily, not understanding how they could find a way to make this seem dirty. They couldn't even see anything either, not that he was looking, he just happened to notice that this was the case.

When the transformation was complete, Erza was covered with an entirely different set of armor. Her neck and stomach were uncovered but plated armor with a large metal flower over it covered her breasts, a large billowing skirt with metal plating on its upper area covered her lower body, and pair of large metal wings that appeared to be made of blades themselves sprouted from the middle of her back. Within the palms of her hands lay a pair of identical swords, the very same color as her armor.

"Most magic swordsman only have the ability to swap their weapon. But Erza is able to swap out armor for wizarding armor that enhances her abilities. It's a talent that only she possesses, that's what makes her special. It's a technique called… The Knight." Happy stated as the transformation came to light.

"Now…" Erza began, floating up into the air as she spoke.

"Dance my swords!" She exclaimed, summoning a spinning wheel of identical swords that acted as a virtual army on their own.

"I knew it, this had gotta be her." Karaccka uttered fearfully.

"Circle Sword!" Erza shouted, sending the large spinning wheel of blade directly at the large group of dark wizards.

Within an instant the entirety of the enemy force was incapacitated save for two men who had evidently been giving the commands to the others. With their subordinates taken out of the picture, however, they were not even a remote threat.

"Whoa, she took them all down with a single swipe!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Aye." Happy said excitedly.

"Impressive." Ichigo complimented, turning his back to the remaining two and staring up at the redheaded wizard with a smirk on his features.

"Thank you." Erza said, smirking slightly as well.

"Alright, you're dealing with me now!" Byard exclaimed, jumping up into the air and making to punch the female knight with a magically reinforced fist.

"Don't do it Byard! Do you have any idea who that woman is?!" Karaccka shouted.

He, however, was far too late as with a single slash of her twin swords Erza had defeated the dark wizard known as Byard and sent him falling down to the floors of the train station while she herself did the same though she landed on her feet as opposed to on her face.

"She's queen of the fairies, Titania Erza!" Karaccka exclaimed fearfully, only watching as his comrade hit the ground.

With nearly all of Eisenwald's forces eliminated, or at least those who were in the immediate area, Erza pulled back her requip armor in favor of her normal Heart-Kreuz attire. She kept a stern look at the remaining dark wizard and practically challenged him to make a move, immediately after which said man started to sweat bullets.

"To hell with this, I'm gettin' out of here!" Karaccka proclaimed before running off.

"I would imagine he went to look for Erigor, you should follow him." Erza stated, looking back at her two comrades as she spoke.

"Who, me?" Lucy asked confusedly, gesturing a finger to herself.

"Just do it." Erza ordered in an agitated manner, a glint appearing in her eyes.

"Whatever you say!" Lucy exclaimed before running off.

The blonde was surprisingly fast when she was afraid if the time it took her to exit the room was any significant indicator.

She had left in about three seconds, but shortly thereafter a certain redheaded knight began to fall to the ground, her face clearly weary and several beads of sweat visible on her forehead.

Before she could even land on a single knee, however, a hand caught her own and lessened her fall, allowing her to gather herself and make it seem as if it were just a tired gesture.

"You really did wear yourself out, did you?" Ichigo reasoned, recalling very clearly what Fairy Tail's resident ice mage had warned the redhead about on several different occasions.

"Gray was right, I used up too much magic energy on our way here." Erza replied, allowing herself to be helped up by the orange-haired teen.

"Even so, we took out all of the grunts. All that's left are the guy Lucy went after, the two that followed Natsu and Gray, and then Erigor." Ichigo mused.

"Yes, that is true. While I do think Natsu and Gray are capable of taking down Erigor, I believe it necessary for us to find a way to clear the crowd to prevent any lives from being lost." Erza stated, her opinion matching that of the substitute.

"Good idea, were you thinking of using the balcony or the speaker system?" Ichigo inquired.

"Finding the area where the speaker's controls are would take too much time. All we need to do is address the crowd outside the station and warn them." Erza replied.

"Alight, then we should get going." Ichigo mused, receiving a nod from the redheaded woman before the two ran off in unison.

{Oshibana Station: With Natsu and Gray…}

The raven-haired ice make user ran through the halls of the train station alongside the person that aggravated him more than anyone else. They traveled in silence, but the scowls and glares they each sported serviced to show just about how much they enjoyed being in one another's company.

"I can't believe she's making us work together. What was she thinking?" Gray grumbled angrily, being the first to break the silence.

"Obviously she wasn't thinking, everybody knows ice and fire don't mix." Natsu added.

"Yeah, and why's she so freakin' bossy?!" Gray exclaimed.

"She should just ask us to do stuff instead of ordering us around!" Natsu roared angrily, after which the two wizard's stopped and turned to one another with an annoyed expression.

"I don't need your help, I can beat Erigor all by myself!" They shouted in unison.

"Are you copying me?!" The two asked one another, butting heads as they did so.

In the next instant each noticed that at the end of the hall the path separated into two different directions, either of which could be the proper way to find Erigor in order to stop him. At the same time, they both couldn't go down one, otherwise they risked the chance of being incorrect and allowing the wind magic user to escape.

"Which way do we go?" Natsu asked evenly.

"I guess we'll have to split up." Gray mused.

The two then went off to separate portions of the opposite hallways, their backs to one another and their fists ready to bring this mission to a close the second that they found Erigor, or if they did rather. Even so, something was still left to be said, as evident by the fact that the two comrades had yet to diverge.

"Natsu, we're up against an evil freak who's about to unleash a deadly spell… if you find him, give him a thrashing." Gray stated, turning to face the dragon slayer with a small smirk on his face.

"You don't have to tell me twice. I owe that jerk for messin' with Fairy Tail, so I'm gonna burn him to a crisp." Natsu replied, also smirking.

The two then seemingly realized they were acting friendly and opted to change their attitudes, giving a slight huff before turning their backs to one another once again.

"Don't die on me…" Gray muttered under his breath.

"What?" Natsu asked confusedly.

"Nothin'… later loser." Gray said, waving the dragon slayer off before he ran down his selected hall.

The ice mage ran down the hall for but a few seconds before rounding the corner and seeing a sign that indicated the broadcasting studio was just up ahead. Realizing this, his eyes widened and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"They must be planning to broadcast Lullaby's song through the speaker system. If that's the case then this is where they'd be." Gray mused.

Without wasting a moment he ran the remaining distance that separated him and the control center, quickly coming up towards the door and kicked it open in an urgent manner. He had fully expected to find Erigor getting ready to sound off the melody of death, but when he opened the door nothing was in the room. It was devoid of any evident life.

"There's nobody here… maybe I was wrong about him broadcasting it over the station's PA…" Gray thought aloud.

His eyes widened a moment later and he was forced to jump out of the way of a surprise attack that came from directly above his previous position. When the ice mage had regained his footing, he looked back to see a smirking dark wizard with extending gauz-rings that acted as if they were added limbs.

"That was a pretty good guess pal, but our plan's nowhere near that obvious." Rayule chided as he hung from the ceiling through the use of his brand of magic.

"Then you're gonna tell me what the plan is so you don't get hurt." Gray stated matter-of-factly, smirking heavily at the form of his opponent.

{Oshibana Station: Platform Overlooking the City, With Erza and Ichigo…}

"Well at least we found a good place to warn them." Ichigo reasoned as the two looked down on the gathered crowd.

At a conservative estimate the number of gathered civilians numbered in the hundreds, which mean that they had to give their warning very delicately. In fact, it might even prove to be a good idea to lie just to prevent a panic, which would likely ensue if they were under the impression that their lives were all at risk if they stayed put.

"Yes, now all that is left to do is warn them." Erza stated.

"So how do you wanna handle it, I mean, we can't just…" Ichigo began, only to be cut off by the audible high pitched sound a megaphone made when it was usually being started up.

The substitute looked over at his comrade with a raised brow, taking note that the megaphone was, indeed, within her hands. That, however, raised more concerns than it addressed. However at the same time she couldn't be about to say what he thought she would say.

'She wouldn't do that… would she?' Ichigo wondered.

"Listen to me everyone, if you value your lives you will leave this place at once! This station has been taken over by evil wizards. They are threatening to cast a deadly spell over the loudspeakers that would kill everyone here." Erza began.

Even from a great distance above, Ichigo could see the fear-stricken expressions of the pedestrians. He wanted to say something, but at the same time he supposed that one, nothing could be done to take back what Erza had said, and two, as long as they left quickly enough it wouldn't matter in the long run. Still it was very clear that tact was not on of the scarlet-haired wizard's strong suits.

"I beg you, run as far as you can." Erza finished, allowing the megaphone to rest by her hip after she had done so.

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The crowd screamed as each and every one of them collectively took the advice of the redheaded woman.

If anything they were at least panicking in an organized fashion, otherwise they wouldn't have all ran the same direction in a near perfect formation. That did confuse Ichigo slightly, but given that it worked to their advantage he didn't question it.

"Hey lady, why would you make everyone panic like that?" One of the conductors asked, coming onto the platform with several others to see why this was the case.

"I would rather they panic than watch them die. In fact you gentleman need to leave as well." Erza stated, raising a good point.

"You heard her, get moving. Trust me when I say you won't want to be near this place with what the dark wizards have planned." Ichigo stated.

"R-right." Another of the conductors replied.

The group of station employees took the advice of the duo before they began to run off, clearly being inelegant enough to discern that at the very least their jobs were not worth their lives. When this was done, Ichigo turned to Erza with a neutral expression, after which he made to speak.

"Good job clearing out all the civilians." Ichigo complimented, keeping his small concerns with her method to himself.

"Yes, now that they are all no longer in danger all we need to do is find Erigor." Erza stated, turning to face the substitute once again.

When she did so, however, her face morphed into an expression of shock and slight amounts of terror, almost as if something horrible had happened. Ichigo noticed this almost instantly, after which he turned as well, and his reaction was much the same upon seeing what had happened.

The station itself was completely surrounded by a practical tornado. Wind raged in a circular motion all around it, which likely meant that nothing could get in and nothing could get out.

"A wind barrier." Erza uttered.

"Hehehehehe…" Erigor's light laughter came from the air behind the two.

Ichigo immediately grabbed the hilt of his zanpakuto and turned to face the well-known magical criminal with a determined expression. Erza did much the same, though she didn't bother summoning a weapon, rather she just settled on staring up at the floating wind magic user with a shocked expression.

"So do you intend to fight us while we're separated from the others?" Ichigo asked, glaring at the silver-haired man.

"Don't flatter yourself. I do owe you a thrashing from before, and while I also would relish the opportunity to fight the queen of the fairies, I don't have any time to waste on you." Erigor stated smugly.

Before either Ichigo or Erza could react, the Eisenwald ace brought up his left hand and simply opened its palm, effectively sending creating a small hole in the wind barrier and simultaneously willing a powerful gust of wind to send both of his enemies flying back into the barrier.

'What the hell?!' Ichigo wondered, having not been prepared for such a thing occurring.

"Erigor!" Erza shouted angrily as she charged into the sides of the wind barrier.

The scarlet-haired knight made brief contact with the surface of the rapidly moving winds, but she shot backwards a great distance shortly thereafter, landing on her arm and releasing a slight groan due to her apparent injury.

"It's hopeless. There's no way you'll ever be able to break free of my magic sealing barrier. You see its one way, if you try to escape the wind will tear you apart." Erigor said confidently.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Erza exclaimed, picking herself up from the ground and lightly clenching her injured arm.

"Sorry, but you'll have to excuse me. You Fairy Tail flies have wasted enough of our time." Erigor stated before flying off.

"Damn." Erza spat, obviously being disappointed with recent events.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked, observing that the redhead was still holding onto her arm.

"I'm perfectly fine. My pride has taken a hit, but I can manage." Erza replied honestly.

"What the hell was that about? Why would he go to all the trouble of sealing us inside here? Clearly his target isn't the city, so then what is his plan?" Ichigo wondered aloud.

Erza stood in place, thinking on the orange-haired teen's words with a determined expression gracing her features. However, the moment something very specific occurred to her, and when it did her face morphed into one of terror.

"The guild masters conference!" Erza exclaimed worriedly.

"What? Is it even possible for Erigor to get there from this station without a train?" Ichigo asked in a surprised tone.

"Any normal wizard would be unable to navigate the canyon, and transportation by way of a magic mobile wouldn't work since the trains usually run that route. However, Erigor is capable of flight, and since there will be no witnesses to see him coming…" Erza began.

"Then he's got a free ticket to target the guild masters!" Ichigo realized, eliciting a nod from Fairy Tail's greatest female wizard.

"Yes, precisely. If that's the case then he's played us for fools." Erza stated, growling slightly as she finished. She truly hated to be outsmarted in such a way, and due to the fact that it had been by a dark wizard it made her all the more bitter.

"Wait… don't we know any way to diffuse the barrier? Maybe we can force one of the dark wizards to do it?" Ichigo suggested.

"That's brilliant! That one wizard who was capable of breaking the seal on Lullaby would surely be able to dispel Erigor's wind barrier." Erza said happily.

"Only problem is that he and some other guy went after Natsu and Gray." Ichigo commented.

"Well he didn't come after me…" Gray trailed off as he entered the room.

"Gray? Why are you here? Where is Natsu?" Erza questioned evenly.

"I'm here because I got one of the Eisenwald goons to tell me their plans. They want to use Lullaby on…" Gray began, only to be cut off.

"…the guild master's conference, right?" Ichigo and Erza said in unison.

"Yeah… anyway, even if we know that it doesn't change the fact that we fell for their trap. Still if what you said is true, all we have to do is find that Kageyama guy and we can make him dispel the wind barrier." Gray mused.

"Then we need to find those two as soon as possible." Ichigo stated.

Erza nodded in agreement, after which the trio ran off to find the dimwitted dragon slayer, who beyond a shadow of a doubt had no idea what was going on. They just prayed he didn't go overboard and wind up knocking out Kageyama, otherwise they'd be in some serious trouble.

'Come on Natsu, I've got faith in you.' Ichigo thought, mimicking those of Erza and, to a lesser extent, Gray.