Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

Angel grimaced, her voice twisting with frustration. "You make it sound so easy—like surpassing yourself is no big deal!"

"As long as you have faith in protecting your companions," Erza countered, knocking back the copy of herself, "you can achieve anything!"

"Wow, that's incredible," Lucy murmured, watching Erza fight. Erza wasn't just talking big; she was genuinely pushing her limits in battle, growing stronger before their eyes.

Angel's face darkened. This woman… she thought. The so-called Fairy Queen was clearly the real deal—someone who could grow more powerful the longer a fight lasted. I can't let her keep going, Angel decided. If this continues, I'll be the one in danger.

"Close the Gate!" Angel proclaimed, then whipped out another Celestial Spirit key. "Open, Gate of the Scorpion—Scorpio!"

A cool-looking guy in hip-hop attire appeared, sporting a large scorpion tail.

"Scorpio, take her down!"

"Sandstorm!"

He pressed his palms to the ground, tail raised, unleashing a fierce sandstorm directly at Erza.

Erza leaped aside, narrowly dodging the swirling torrent of sand.

"Open, Gate of Sagittarius—Sagittarius!" Lucy summoned another Celestial Spirit, draining the last of her magic power.

"Moshi moshi! Did you call for me?" the archer in horse attire greeted.

"Sagittarius, take down Angel!" Lucy commanded.

Sagittarius, without hesitation, aimed his bow at Angel.

"S-Scorpion!" Angel shouted, voice betraying a hint of alarm. She'd already drained too much magic, and Erza was pushing her to her limit. She hadn't expected Lucy to be able to summon yet another Spirit.

"On it!" Scorpio darted in front of Angel.

Thwip, thwip, thwip!

Three arrows streaked out, lodging in Scorpio's torso.

"Guaaaah!!"

Scorpio vanished in a flash of light, forced to return to the Celestial Spirit realm from heavy injury.

"Boom!"

Sagittarius also faded, Lucy's magic reserves depleted. She collapsed, panting.

"Whew—" Angel exhaled, relieved to have survived that volley. Glancing at Lucy, she gave a mocking smile. "See? That's the proper way to use Celestial Spirits."

Lucy, sprawled on the ground, managed a wry grin. "Guess now you don't have a Spirit to shield you either…"

Angel froze, suddenly remembering Erza. The copy of Erza had already been dispatched. When she turned, Erza was bearing down on her.

"W-Wait! Don't—!"

Angel still had her lesser silver keys, but all her Zodiac Spirits were gone—defeated or called back.

"Black Wing Armor: Moon Flash!" Erza's blade whirled in a razor-sharp arc.

"Gyaaaaah!" Angel screamed as Erza's cross slash hammered her, sending her flying and crashing hard into the ground.

Some distance away in the depths of the Sea of Trees, Brain—the leader of Oración Seis—let out a strangled cry as another rune on his body began to fade away. The first had vanished when Racer was defeated; now a second was gone.

"Angel too…?! Dammit, you wretched 'Light' guilds. I won't forgive you…!" he snarled, slamming his fist into a rock wall.

Boom! The force shattered the boulder, triggering further collapses. A hidden path appeared behind the rubble, and a faint glow emanated from beyond.

"This…this is—!" Brain quickened his steps, emerging into a canyon enclosed by towering rocks, with a massive tree bound by ancient chains at its center. The glow pulsed like a heartbeat.

"Finally… at last!" Brain's eyes gleamed with maniacal glee. "Our future is here."

A black pillar of energy burst skyward, visible throughout the forest.

"That black pillar… what is it?"

"Look, all those creepy black trees seem drawn to it!"

"Could that be Nirvana?!" someone gasped.

Midnight glanced at the writhing darkness in the distance. "Looks like your father found it, Brain…which means the others will converge. The hunt begins."

Meanwhile, the allied guild members—Blue Pegasus included—lay scattered on the ground in one area, exhausted.

"M-My magic can't even scratch them," one of the Pegasus trio lamented. "They're too strong…"

Wendy turned to Su Yan. "Mister Su Yan, what's that…that black light over there?"

"That's likely the 'Nirvana' we've been hearing about," Su Yan replied. Even he was rattled by the ominous aura, though he had only a faint memory of hearing about Nirvana's destructive legend.

"Hey, look—the black light's turning white!" Carla called, pointing at the shifting color of the pillar.

Deep in the canyon, Brain stood with arms outstretched. "Awaken, Nirvana! Reveal your true form!!"

Rrrrrumble—!!

The entire forest trembled violently. Gargantuan legs, shaped like colossal pillars, emerged from the ground. The quake sent stones crashing down, and many of the allied mages scrambled for cover.

After a moment, the tremors subsided.

"What… what is that thing?!!"

They stared in awe at a gargantuan structure rising from the forest floor, supported by six enormous legs. From afar, it looked like an impossibly huge beast. Yet perched atop it was what appeared to be an entire ancient city—tall spires and buildings. The sight left even Su Yan's jaw tightened with shock.

"Finally! Finally it's ours!" Brain shouted somewhere within the newly revealed structure. "The ultimate destroyer of light—Nirvana! Unity, trust—your precious weapons of the so-called Light Guilds—none of it matters now, for once Nirvana moves, your hearts will crumble!!"