Part 2: Shadows of Magic (Rogue Cheney X OC)

Chapter 50

Hope's P. O. V:

The person who had frozen the thorns and Prison Flower was none other than Gray. I was so glad to see him right now!

"Thanks for the save, man!" Sting says in relief, holding up my mate with one arm around his waist, the other bracing one of Rogue's arms around his shoulders.

Rogue says while glaring deathly at Mard Geer who still has me in a vice-like grip, "He has such power."

I take a quick glance at the Fullbuster. He has a look of absolute rage on his face as he takes in the sight of my current position, his gaze on me and Mard Geer. He looks pissed.

"You'd better let go of Hope, RIGHT NOW, before I kill you, you teme!!" Gray roars, his death glare fixated on the Tartaros member.

Mard Geer keeps his grip on me even as he replies, irritation in his tone, "You...! Mard Geer is going to kill the girl, and then y—" Mard Geer cuts himself off when I clench my free, ether covered fist, my body now covered in ether, and launch it forward, my bangs hiding my eyes in a dark shadow, connecting it with the demon's face. The four males flinch as Mard Geer's head is wrenched back from the punch. In turn, he lets go of me. I raise my head to glare at him with narrowed, purple eyes, half hidden by my bangs.

"You should never take your eyes off your enemy," I advise him coldly.

Sting mutters, sweat dropping at me, "That punch has got to have hurt!"

Natsu agrees as he nods his head, a deadpan look on his face, "Y-Yeah..."

Hissing with irritation, Mard Geer straightens his head again and narrows his eyes down at me in anger and hatred. "You bitch!!"

This just makes the four males even angrier.

Mard Geer turns to me, a look of rage on his face. "You have made me angry!" He goes to attack me but stops short when he jerks his gaze down at his left arm. His arm is coated in ice, from his elbow to his wrist. I jerk my head to Gray in disbelief.

When did he...?!

Natsu voices my thoughts as he demands the ice wizard, "When did you freeze his arm?!!"

Gray says nothing as he gazes at me for a moment, before turning a hateful glare onto the demon.

Mard Geer asks with wavering eyes, "This magic...! Who are you?!"

Gray holds up his right arm as he says, "This face is the last thing you're ever gonna see. Because you're the thing I slay."

A strange tattoo of sorts appears around Gray's right forearm. That wasn't there before. When did he get that...?

Mard Geer questions, "You're a Demon Slayer?"

Sting exclaims, "He's a what?!"

Rogue says, "If the title is as simple as ours, then he's exactly what we need right now. Mard Geer's scared."

Gray says as he clenches his hand, "I've come here on behalf of the fallen."

My eyes widen a little at that, knowing exactly what he means. I avert my gaze, looking down.

Gray charges forward and thrusts his left arm toward Mard Geer. A tower of ice encases him. He murmurs in shock, "This magic...! It's Silver's!" Mard Geer easily breaks his prison of ice and dusts himself off. "Mard Geer never had a doubt that he would betray us eventually, but he couldn't have suspected it would happen like this. What poetic circumstance! Fate can be quite amusing, can't it?!"

Mard Geer throws his arm out toward me. I widen my eyes when more thorns wrap around me, and bring me closer to Mard Geer.

"Hope!!" Sting, Rogue, Natsu and Gray shout.