章節 158: Without Meliodas
December 9th, X788
"I really hope that wasn't the last time we're going to see him…" Meredy sighed.
"Meredy, you've been talking about Meliodas almost every day since he left. If I didn't know any better, you have a crush on him." Ultear teased as she nudged Meredy.
"N-n-no! It's nothing like that!" Meredy retorted, her face growing noticeably redder.
"He did say he will come back. Although, we most likely won't see him again for years." Jellal added. "Remember. Meliodas has his own mission, and we have ours."
"This next dark guild we're going to subdue...might be the toughest one yet. I hope you're both ready." Ultear said.
"The guild we're going to have to fight...Indigo Chapel…" Meredy said quietly as she looked at Ultear. Jellal looked at the two women and saw the visible concern on their faces.
"What about Indigo Chapel?" Jellal asked. "I've never once heard of this guild nor have ever heard you two mention it."
"It's not exactly the guild...it's their guild leader. After Hades left Fairy Tail, there was a long period of time before he formed Grimoire Heart. During this time, Hades learned about the secret of darkness from one man. His name was Shakuma."
"That Shakuma?!" Jellal questioned, shocked upon hearing the name. "If I recall, it took two of the four Gods of Ishgar to capture him. But that was decades ago. He should be dead now right?"
"No...he's very much alive. Shakuma contacted Hades about a month prior to Grimoire Heart invading Tenrou Island. I was surprised to hear about it too…" Ultear responded. "Indigo Chapel's been silent the past few years, but Shakuma somehow managed to escape from prison recently somehow so they're running again. As far as I know, there's not a single legal guild in Fiore strong enough to stop him."
"Then it's up to us." Jellal said.
"I heard a lot of bad things about Shakuma...should we wait for Meliodas to get back?" Meredy asked.
"We don't have that luxury. Besides, if we let Shakuma run free, there won't be a place for Meliodas to come back to." Ultear responded.
---
December 10th, X788
Jellal, Ultear and Meredy stood outside of the main building of what they thought to be Indigo Chapel's main headquarters, somewhere in the northwestern mountains of Fiore. The building was a gargantuan, dark blue bricked castle with a huge central tower coming out of the middle that seemingly went up into the clouds. Mounted between four mountains and suspended above a clearing with four massive chains coming out of the bottom of it. Crime Sorciere stood right across from the castle standing on a cliff facing a massive drawbridge.
"Shakuma doesn't really care for subtlety does he?" Ultear commented as she stared up at the tower.
"I'm surprised the council hasn't found this place first. It's massive!" Meredy exclaimed.
"The castle has cloaking capabilities...but strangely enough they're not activated at this time…" Ultear said.
"Then Shakuma must be expecting us. Keep on your guard." Jellal said in a serious tone. Suddenly, the drawbridge fell straight down with a massive clang as it hit the ground in front of the group. The group looked at each other and nodded before beginning to walk across.
"There are no other people here?" Meredy commented as she looked around. The crime sorciere group continued walking until arriving in the main hall of the castle. The main hall had an indigo-colored rug going down the middle running up to a massive set of stairs. On each side of the hall were eight large stone pillars that supported the castle. From behind the pillars, many cloaked figures began walking out from behind, surrounding the Crime Sorciere group in a large circle.
"Fancy meeting you here, Crime Sorciere!" An old man's voice echoed throughout the hall. The group immediately turned towards the staircase where an old man was walking down. The old man had long, wavy blond hair that went beyond his shoulders. He had thick bushy eyebrows and black eyes. He wore a tattered black cloak with dark baggy pants and boots with pointed tips.
"T-this magic?!" Ultear gasped as she and Meredy stared in awe as Shakuma walked closer to them. 'His presence...it's even greater than Rezeria's!'
Shakuma continued slowly walking down the staircase until he was right at the third step where he took a seat.
"Jellal Fernandes, Ultear Milkovich, and Meredy…" Shakuma commented before turning his attention to Ultear.
"I heard that brat Hades kicked the bucket. And it was to the one titled "The Blond Demon. It's a shame that the blond demon couldn't join you guys today. Hmmm what was his name again? Oh right, Meliodas. I hear he's a council dog now, doing a mission in Pergrande." Shakuma sneered. Ultear, Meredy, and Jellal remained silent.
"How do you know about Meliodas?" Jellal questioned.
"I have my sources. Just as you have yours in finding me." Shakuma replied with a smirk. "So here you all are, coming here by yourselves to stop me. How noble. I've heard about your cause, trying to redeem yourselves."
Shakuma suddenly stood up and began walking towards the Crime Sorciere group. He stopped right before the circle of henchmen and began walking around it.
"You know, I spent many, many years in that prison. They sealed my magic and I was always bound in chains. It was quite boring really." Shakuma said as he continued slowly circling the group, with Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy keeping their eyes on him.
"However, I had a lot of time to think. Plenty of time. More time than anyone should ever be given. Before I was imprisoned, I was a man who seeked knowledge. However, the human body can only live for so long. My research on the demon heart started in order to prolong my life. I even gave Hades a prototype of the results of said research. But longevity isn't enough...what truly runs this world isn't knowledge, but power." Shakuma stopped walking, now standing at his original position in front of the staircase.
"With power, I can bend the whims of this world to my own. With power, I can attain the knowledge that I seek, uninhibited and unopposed!" Shakuma shouted, his magic flaring up wildly and causing his long hair to begin to rise. A massive shockwave erupted from his body, knocking over several of the Indigo Chapel members that were standing closer to Shakuma. The three Crime Sorciere members held their ground as Shakuma's magic pushed against them.
"SO TELL ME CRIME SORCIERE! DOES YOUR POWER EXCEED MY OWN?! CAN YOU TRULY OPPOSE ME AND TAKE ME DOWN FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR OWN IDEALS?!" Shakuma shouted, his magic flaring up even further. A great wind blasted outward from his body, knocking down all of the Indigo Chapel members in addition to Ultear and Meredy. To Shakuma's surprise, Jellal remained standing in his spot.
"Oh? You can resist this measly portion of my power?" Shakuma questioned, his magic still continuing to radiate outwards. Without a word, Jellal crouched down, a bright magical circle appearing beneath him. A grin formed on Shakuma's face as he immediately took the same posture as Jellal. Beneath Shakuma, a black magical circle began to form.
"Meteor!" Both Jellal and Shakuma shouted. A bright yellow aura surrounded Jellal as a dark aura surrounded Shakuma. The two mages dashed towards each other, clashing fists with the initial punch that shook the castle.
"Oh" Shakuma was a bit surprised as he clashed with Jellal. "Not bad!" His magic flared as he began speeding up. However, despite the increase in speed, Jellal continued dodging his attacks.
'So he uses heavenly body magic as well.' Jellal thought as he dodged another one of Shakuma's attack. Jellal flared his magic even more and instantly rushed behind Shakuma, kicking him in the back and sending him flying through the building. Shakuma tried his best to regain his balance as he crashed through the different rooms.
"Amazing, how did Jellal get that strong?" Ultear said as he gazed in amazement. Just 4 years ago, Jellal's power was comparable to her own, but now he's completely eclipsed her.
"Must be all that self-training he did over the three years. Whenever we finished a mission, he would continue his grueling training until the next one, even if Meliodas wasn't there to train with us. Looks like it's paying off." Meredy replied. Ultear nodded in agreement as they watched Jellal fly after Shakuma.
Jellal caught up to Shakuma, grabbing his face without giving him a chance to recover. He sped up as he dragged Shakuma through the halls.
"Eruption!" Jellal said as a massive explosion of flames bursted from his hand, blasting Shakuma through the side of the wall. Shakuma landed in the field below, inspecting his body which was bruised and singed.
"You!! How are you so strong? You could barely beat one of Hades' cronies 4 years ago!" Shakuma yelled as he stared at Jellal in disbelief, who had no visible injuries on his body.
Jellal remained silent and rushed again towards Shakuma, continuing his assault. Shakuma instantly activated his meteor again, pushing it to its full potential in order to evade Jellal. He channeled his magic and continued evading as he prepared his attack. He quickly halted and turned around and released his spell just as Jellal caught up to him.
"Eldritch Dark Art: Zerstörung!" Shakuma yelled as a dark wave of magic erupted from his hands, engulfing Jellal. The moment the dark magic struck Jellal, it released a series of explosions, sending shockwaves that shook the castle. Several of the main pillars began to shift and crack as one of the towers of the castle started to collapse.
"Jellal!" Ultear yelled as she and Meredy rushed towards him.
'Now's my chance!' Shakuma thought. With the large cloud of smoke the attack caused, Shakuma used the opportunity to turn and flee into the mountains. 'I don't know how Jellal became so strong, but that should hold him back for a bit while I regroup and replan.'
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