Hello everybody and welcome back to a Slayer's Flame!
Oh boy and am I excited for this chapter! Yes it will be another fight heavy chapter but for someone who thinks that they can not do fighting in words like some others can, I am really damn proud of myself for this chapter and the last one and I just want to thank you for saying that it was a good fight so.. thank you. (Repetitive is repetitive)
Anyway, we are only 1 chapter away from deciding which 3 will be in Natsu's harem for the time being so um... Vote? So go wild, go nuts and stuff.
Also, James, Vincent and every other Guest account made by that one guy... Really enjoying you determination to have Meredy in but like 7 accounts? Really? Ah well, go ahead I don't care. Here's the list as of now:
Irene:30
Lucy:10
Levy:5
Wendy:12
Chelia:2
Cana:20
Juvia:7
Laki:2
Kinana:4
Meredy:14
Hisui:11
Jenny:7
Sherry:1
Kagura:6
Yukino:5
Sorano:6
Dimaria:25
Minerva:12
Kyouka:3
Sayla:22
Virgo:7
Aquarius:2
Aries:5
Libra:1
Pieces(Mother):1
Kamakia:5
Cosmos:6
Flare:8
Once again, I will ask; why the fuck do so many people like Irene?! Like yea, she's a cool character but we know next to nothing about her; we know that she has something to do with Erza but that is it! But hey, like I said, I like her (I just want to know more about her please!). As for the top 3 at this current moment, it remains:
Irene
Sayla
Dimaria
And I am very happy with these 3 woman, the last 2 especially as I do have something planned for each of them but remeber, your voting counts and stuff so do it!
And now onto reviews!
xXCoopyXx: Kind of for Fairy Tail standards but as a writer, i just can't do larger harems; it takes too much out of me to make character development for like 16 people and even if I were to do it without character development, it would just be a weak story. But hey, different tastes and stuff.
PugTheMagician: Oh don't worry, he does. Bare in mind they aren't as good as the one's you suggested by hey, he does give them nicknames, buy over the last 2 years, he had gained more respect and stuff so... Eh who am I kidding, I just wanted them to say their names so that I wouldn't have to Deus Ex Machina them out of nowhere. Yea, all Devil Slayer's have this ability in Cannon and for a highly trained Devil Slayer like Silver, I wanted him to show off his prowess and ability rather then Hyperion, who while being very highly skilled is still quite new compared to Silver.
Eurospawn: He will have a variation of the tattoos, yes.
Now onto chapter 9!
Fire spewed out onto the earth.
Explosions and the clashing off steel erupted throughout the air as ash and dust were sent billowing through the skies. The already scared figure of the Tartaros Guild's front form was even more scratched up and injured with hundreds of tiny cuts and burn marks along with even larger scorches and stab wounds. It all just escalated that feeling of death and despair that already ran rampant throughout the world around the mages who were fighting in the centre of this field of destruction. And even the God's would be lying if they said that this fight was anything but spectacular.
"Tenga Goken: Mikazuki!" The powerful, multi-limbed beast known as Ezel through his arms at the mid-air from of Natsu Dragneel in an attempt to cut him from the sky's cloth. Rapidly spinning his 4 powerful arms, the Etherious began to generate devastating slashes of energy that cut through the skies, homing in on the spinning Slayer. However, Natsu saw them all coming. Twisting his body and spine in such a combination that it could crush another man, Natsu dodged and weaved through each sharp blade so that they continued past their intended target and would go sailing off into the distance. Allowing himself some joy in the situation, the pinkette turned his head to see the tens of sharp manifestations hit the earth in a devastating blast that left the world hollowed out and empty in a large, scared hole. With a smirk on his face as he landed, Natsu leapt at the tentacle-d Demon.
"Draconic Fire God's Winded Scythe!" Launching himself into the sky, Natsu flew over the head of the beast but before flying over completely he trapped his hands between the jaws of Ezel. Too shocked to even move, the Etherious just had to watch as the Slayer lit his whole form alight with crimson fire. With the red flames seeking out his very flesh like a school of piranha, Ezel threw his head back in agony while the flames absorbed him. Using this new found momentum, Natsu's body followed the movement of his head, curling around his body to his back where his feet lit up in a familiar shape of a fiery scythe emerged and slammed into Ezel's back. This comination of effects sent Ezel flying forward in to unknown and Natsu in the air once.
"Bomb Curse: Bomb Orb!" Suddenly, a fast flying orb or transparency began to follow the Slayer's every move from its original position at Jackal's fingertips. This Etherious, much like his beastly companion, was scratched and bruised from the pinkette's brutal attacks but he was still standing and so he was still able to fight. Smiling a dark, malicious smile as he watched Natsu try to out run and out manoeuvre the orb of explosive energy, Jackal noticed the hulking form of Torafuzar sneakily move behind the Slayer.
"Crushing Fists!" A look of surprise and confusion crossed Natsu's face as he threw himself forward towards the explosion, sliding on his knees and bending over backwards to see the massive arms of the Lizardman smash down into the earth where he once was, leaving a crater of discarded earth and rock. Gritting his teeth at the current scenario, the pinkette slid under the orb once move but he dug his fingernails into the dirt so that he could swerve back around in the shape of a bent semi-circle. Coming back around from his initial swing, Natsu let out a roar as he leapt forward and pushed his bleeding knuckles into the orb, the sudden impact starting to activate the bomb but with Natsu being faster it just sent the armed explosive towards the frozen figure of Torafuzar.
Unable to move, the Lizardman just let the explosion consume his form and envelop the landscape in a similar blast however Natsu didn't stop to admire the scenery. Performing an advanced form of gymnastics and flips, he began to close in on the moving form of Jackal. Landing back on his feet with a powerful stomp, Natsu just jumped at the cat-like man.
"Hey Kitty Kat! Last time I checked you were on 7 lives; let's bring that number down a bit, shall we!" Screaming out with such intensity and an edge that would make the sharpest blade jealous, Natsu threw his fist into the blocking body of Jackal, who was trying to stop his body from becoming unrecognizable. That wasn't really going to help that much though.
"Draconic Fire God's Frenzied Fist!" Colliding with the man's face summoned the initial explosion of lights and fire; a crimson spectacle of wonder and fireworks that sucked up every living thing and spat out only the dead. Sending the Demon back a few metres, Natsu's fire continued to assault his body with the tendrils and threads of scarlet continuing to seek out his figure and bathe it ethereal lights and flares that only summoned more explosions. Launching himself forward towards the man's prone figure, Natsu attached his hands onto the Demon's feet before swinging him towards the other two injured Etherious. Unfortunately, Torafuzar was in the way and as the two collided, they were both sent flying back with even more scratches and scars and burns as they skidded across the floor.
Watching from a distance as ash and dust filed out into the air like an army of soldiers, Natsu spit out a large amount of blood and soot. While he was able to damage the Demon's fairly well as well as avoid most of their hits, they had got some shots in due to his own incompetence; and boy did those 'lucky' shots hurt like a bitch! He had thick, black and purple bruises all over his body and a load of deep and shallow cuts alike, marking his body as a sign of ownership almost, and he could even feel the shifting in some of his fractured bones.
But he would continue to fight.
He was about to take a few steps forward but a sudden weight was felt on his ankle. Sluggishly looking down, confusion plagued his features as he looked upon the body of a Demon henchmen that he previous fought along with its brethren, clawing at his feet with anger and hate in its hollowed out eyes… Yet them still seemed empty and dead.
Shaking his head, Natsu lit his foot on fire which sent the Demon into hysterics before kicking it away until it was nothing but ash. Huffing, he tried to continue moving but a sudden amount of noise and rattling filled his ears. Twisting on his heels, Natsu stood shocked as an army of undead Demons began to rise form their fallen forms, clumsily shifting upright while others seemed to just fix their broken and shattered forms. And their whole forms were smothered in dark purple energy that seemed foreign to him but familiar at the same time… a spell perhaps?
He didn't get much time to wonder about this as the sea of henchmen soon began to part as a new figure entered the fray. The figure was tall and lanky, barely looking like it had any muscle or anything of substance on it at all but it didn't change the dominating and gruesome aura that it appeared to give out. It appeared to be male, based on the tone and quietly cackling of its voice and the clothes that it donned. These clothes featured form fitting, checkered robes and a covered collar shirt that also featured a dark purple tie. And his head… it held a sort of ornate head piece that Natsu could only describe as stupid and silly looking with it trapping his entire head apart from a small opening in the face; the jaw of the mask revealed the Tartaros Guild mark as well as the top of the mask spreading out into an almost crown-like form. However, what intrigued Natsu most was this figures face. It had no flesh or muscle, much like his previous observation, and held no nose, face of mouth either, taking on the appearance of a cloth covered skull… Strange. He also appeared to be moving his hands in strange, confusing ways, almost as if he was trying to untangle his hands from string and he was emitting the same black energy that was emitting from the corpses…
'So he's most likely controlling them.' Natsu thought as the figure got closer, the sea parting more and more until he reached the front, allowing Natsu to see that he also carried a long golden staff with a unique shape and design.
The air was tense and silent…
"So, Patchwork. You with Tall, Dark and Gruesome over there?" Natsu asked while trying to maintain a smile, pointed at the fallen forms of Ezel, Jackal and Torafuzar respectively. The Arch-Bishop looking skeletal figure didn't respond but instead he began to cackle menacingly while looking towards Natsu. "Okay… Not much of a talke- "
"You… You're perhaps the most foolish of all the pitiful human on this very earth. Why would someone honestly try to take on the Guild Tartaros of their own accord? Power? Fame? Or just a good fight?" The skeleton began to mutter, seemingly studying Natsu as he stood still.
"Nah, none of them Patchwork. I just want some answers and your Guild has got them for me." Natsu smirked as he saw the confusion etched onto the small face of the Demon,
"Hm… intriguing. Very intriguing indeed. Well then, boy, welcome to the story… the story where you become a corpse!" Throwing his hands up, his eyeless holes seemed to spark to life for a second before vanishing. The purple wrappings that coated the Demon's also sparked to life slightly before they all just let out vague battle screams and they all started to sprint towards Natsu, resulting in the man letting out a sigh.
"Oi, Cherry-Top!" Twisting on his heel, Natsu could only let out a longer sigh as he saw the standing forms of Jackal, Ezel and Torafuzar, all glaring holes into his head.
"Now come on, this is just unfair!" The Slayer just yelled before setting his whole body on fire and grabbing the closest Demon to him by the jaw, before setting him on fire and throwing it into a crowd of other henchmen, resulting in a large explosion of fire that smothered the battlefield.
"But I like being the underdog."
Atop the tower, Kyoka, Sayla and Silver watched the battle that just started back up with critical eyes.
"Hm… This man sure is powerful, if he can take on 4 of the 9 Demon Gates at once, don't you think Kyoka?" Sayla let out quiet hums of recognition as she spoke with a sly smile, turning towards her partner who looked at her with narrowed vision.
"Yes… He's doing too well." The Avery Demon's body seemed to glow a distant green as she looked back towards the Slayer fight off a drove of Demons along with trying to avoid the brutal attacks thrown at him by the Demon Gates. Sayla knew that she would get like this if she bought her new found interest in the boy up, that Kyoka would get aggressive and protective at the Slayer. However, this didn't mean that her interest was fake; in fact, it was entirely true. Somehow, this human boy had managed to capture her attention using his strength and power and battle-prowess that Sayla felt herself slowly becoming accepting and wanting of him. Greedy and lustful, just like a Demon. But that was all just materialistic and she felt something else pulling her towards this boy, something other than those other feelings. Something… strange.
Subconsciously licking her lips, Sayla watched in delight as Kyoka let out a huff before walking forwards to the edge of the roof, catching both her and Silver's attention.
"Kyoka." Twisting her head, the green haired woman looked into Sayla's half-lulled eyes. "Don't damage him too much, okay?"
"Just get the boys to activate their Etherious Forms when I signal you, got it?" Kyoka responded with an edge to her voice before she leapt off the building to take part in the fights, leaving behind a confused Silver and a giggling Sayla. Apart from the sounds of fighting and screaming from the battlefield, the air was practically silent for the two remaining members who were sitting on the roof.
"Sayla… I thought you hated humans. So why is this one so intriguing to you?" Silver asked the purple haired woman after a while, genuinely intrigued by the woman's seemingly true feelings and intentions towards the Dragon-God Slayer.
"If I was simple, I would say that it was his strength and power; to go up against almost half of the Demon Gates and still come out strong as well as go up against some of the strongest Demon Henchmen that Tartaros has is not some easy task, even for the strongest of mages."
"But you aren't simple, not in the slightest. So then, what is it about the man?" Silver asked again, knowing that Sayla wasn't like that; if she was, she would be all over the other members of the Gates due to them all being powerful yet she only really associated herself with Kyoka.
"To be completely honest, I have no idea." This laid back, casual response threw the Ice-Devil Slayer for a loop. Sayla didn't know something? The same woman that knew practically everything to do with him and his family, with Gray and Mika, and the same woman that always spent her time reading didn't know something? This boy was intriguing indeed.
"Hm, interesting, for you not to know something, is it not?" Silver responded with a smirk, knowing that this was the one chance to get a one up on the Demon's that he hated so much, even if he couldn't do it physically.
"Watch your tone, Fullbuster. You are still new here at Tartaros and we could kill you with a simple flick- "To emphasise her point, Sayla moved her hand up and concentrated her Curse on Silver, taking effect on the distracted Devil Slayer. "- of out wrists." Silver's hands suddenly found his throat. "Remember this, oh Absolute Zero."
Taking her Curse back and letting him regain his senses, Sayla began to chuckle at his expression but still found herself thinking about what he said.
"I don't really know, do I?"
Jumping over another punch from Torafuzar that knocked over droves of Demons like they were nothing, Natsu landed gracefully on the large Demon's outstretched arm.
"You know, Scales, I think you'd look better with some facial surgery, don't you?!" Running up his arm until he reached his face, he smirked as he felt his body lit up in fire.
"Draconic Fire God's Hacking Talons!" Throwing his hands down in a swiping motion, claws of fire scratched through the air and began to eat through the skies before colliding with the hard, scaly face of Torafuzar. Despite the Demon's hard hide, the fire still managed to cut and burn his features, hitting on of his exposed eyes effectively making him half blind.
"Ah! How dare you disgrace a member of Tartaros, you insi- "
"Tenga Goken: Onimaru!" Hearing the tell-tale signs of another attack, Natsu used the Lizardman's head as a means to an end, using it as a spring-board that launched him up high and above the firing range of Ezel's attacks.
"Sorry, Squid, you need to try harder than that to hit me!" Natsu called out as he flew through the air and over the attack, relishing in the hard and cold expression that Torafuzar had on his face as he stared hard at his fellow companion, blood dripping from his frame. However, he didn't expect another voice to join the fray.
"Yes, they do!" Spinning in mid-air, Natsu felt himself unable to dodge as a green and purple blur collided painfully with his abdomen, sending him spiralling through the air and to the hard earth with a crash that left cracks and craters spreading across the rocky surface. After a few bounces, Natsu managed to right himself, landing in a crouched position with his fingers digging into the earth with shallow, pants.
"What the fuck was that?" He quietly asked himself, looking forward to see the Demon's all standing stationary, all bleeding and burnt but with smirks on their faces and the tattered Keyes was holding back his army of Henchmen with a similar look.
"Oh that? That was just ME!" That voice came back, causing Natsu to turn on his heels only to come face to face with a woman. She had short but spikey green hair that jutted out on both sides to give her that intimidating and powerful bird-like look but her face was sharp and angular with a narrowed expression and a fierce smirk on her face. He couldn't really see the rest of her body before a pair of long, sharp claws came at his face, gripping both sides of it before a bright green light began to over-take him and a symbol emerged before his face.
"Enhancement: Pain." Her voice was low but powerful, almost seductive but with that extra icy edge to her voice. However, Natsu couldn't really dwell on the fact as he felt his head fill with pain and his eyes begin to roll around his head agonisingly. He would have gritted his teeth but the shock and the sudden pain refused him from doing so. And after a few seconds, it left but he was panting heavily and sweating was breaking out from his body. Fixing his eyes back on the woman before him, he tried to scowl at her but before he could she threw he back slightly.
"I could kill you but you will know pain greater then death!" The woman spoke with a dark and sinister smirk as she threw her hands to the side of his face and threw his head down to meet her knee and Natsu couldn't move quick enough due to his sluggishness. And the pain he felt from the hit! It was agonising, and so much more painful than he had felt thus far in the fight that he taken aback from it.
Spiralling back onto the rocky earth, Natsu spat out a bit of blood and tried to clean up his crimson that was dripping out of his nose. Looking up shakenly, he saw the woman looking at him with the same, cold calculating eyes that she had when she beat him.
"Hello Natsu, my name is Kyoka… And welcome to Hell." She followed with a sinister laugh as Natsu tried to launch himself at her but he was caught by something from behind him. Spinning his head, he was immediately hit by a fist that sent him back a few metres and sent his sensing reeling. Amidst the pain, he heard the chuckling of Jackal join in so he noticed that it must have been him who hit him.
But before he could even land, he was being picked up again, this time by Ezel who let out a fierce battle cry before throwing his sharp elbow down onto Natsu's stomach, shooting him down to the earth with a crash. He bounced off it once and even in that interval he could hear the stomping of the earth that came with the movement of Torafuzar. And then he felt the impact of a foot breach his chest and the feeling of soaring through the air, all his other senses dying out but his hearing so he could hear the chuckling through the blur.
Colliding with the earth once more, he rolled over numerous times before he stopped. Lights and colours and blood just all sort of blended together as he tried to stabilise himself from the pain. It wasn't really working. However, through his bleeding body and broken ears, he could hear a few things other than laughter.
"Tempester – Franmalth- tand by y- bring in the subj- Lamy." It was broken up and hard to understand but he could make out several names from it.
'Great, even more of these Demons." Gritting his teeth, he tried to stand but his bones wouldn't allow it. This was it… he was going to die here. He was going to fail again. Just like before… Just like at the village… Just like with Hyperion… Just like with Tenroue.
Feelings of guilt and sadness outweighed and ate at any feelings of anger or rage that he had as the earth rumbled and shook with about 30 shadowy figures making their way towards him at a very fast pace. Those Hench-Demons… locked away under someone else's power. Throughout the fighting, he had figured out that that skeletal Demon, Keyes was his name, used a Curse called Necromancy which let him bring back things from the dead and use them like puppets. To be honest, he still didn't really have a clue what Curses even were but the just knew that they were not magic; at least not the one that he and everyone else in Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, all of the Guilds in Earthland used.
And then he thoughts went back to that small Guild in Magnolia.
That Guild Hall that lay at the back of the town with burnt wood and split splinters and shattered steel and cracked concrete and broken bottles and chairs and with a scratch at every panel of wood that littered the very ground that his Guild walked on… But it was home. It always was and always would be. And he promised on his honour as a Fairy Tail mage that he would complete the job set by his Master and so far, he was failing.
But no more.
These Demons were strong, but he knew that he was stronger. He knew that in his heart that he was stronger than these foul creations and even if he wasn't and he died here, then at-least he died fighting. Punching down on the earth hard, Natsu began to get into a slumped over, crouched position.
If he died here, then so be it. But he knew he wouldn't, he knew that he could power through this and go back to Fairy Tail as the strongest in order to protect them all from anything. He would protect them all from threats. And at the minute, both Tartaros and Hyperion were threats…
Threats that he needed to deal with.
The shadows were getting closer and closer and as they did he felt a familiar fire start to brew up inside him. A familiar flame… and a newly kindled flame, conjoining and mixing together to form something powerful. It didn't feel like his combination of Fire God Slaying Magic and Dragon Slaying Magic but at the same time it did… But it just felt so much more powerful. So much stronger.
Turning to look at the approaching hoard, he thought back on his job, the job he was set out to do.
"The request: Go out and become the strongest Mage in the whole damn guild."
They were getting closer.
"The conditions: Don't return to the Guild until then."
The fire inside him got brighter and bigger,
"And the reward: to be able to protect your friends for all eternity."
"Master, Lacxus, the Thunder Tribe, Alzack and Bisca, Gildarts, Macoa and Wakaba, Jet, Droy, Elfman, Romeo, Laki, Kinana, Loki, Cana, Gajeel, Gray, Juvia, Levy, Lucy, Lisanna, Wendy, Carla, Happy, Erza, Mira, Everyone…"
Gritting his teeth, Natsu felt his blood boil and fire consume his whole being.
"I WILL PROTECT YOU ALL!"
Suddenly the air caught alight and fire sprung out from all over the area around Natsu and over every area on Natsu himself. His head became enveloped in an intimidating red mist of flames that consumed and dug into his every feature while he body was washed over by tick crimson fire that absorbed his whole being into itself. This fire, this heat, this power, utterly destroyed the Demons before they could even touch the boy, disintegrating and turning to ash that then was also burned into nothingness. The whole sky just became hot and heavy as Natsu began to emerge from the fire.
And he looked ready to kill.
His eyes were narrowed and his pupils were no existent, only a deep crimson being there instead, also replacing his sclera and his iris' as well; his whole eyes were just blocks of dangerous scarlet. And thin trails of neon like red were trailing from their sides as his head slightly bopped up and down with every little movement. From both sides of his face, visible red scales jutted out from his skin and absorbed his entire face from one side to another, stopping just at the centre of each eye. These scales were hard and tangible, touchable and visible by all. And his body was also coated in similar scales; his hoodie had been destroyed beyond repair and had been taken clean off his body so now the red scales could jut out from all around his ribs and absorb parts of his chest and spine too, with his arms and legs facing similar transformations. However, the parts of his skin that were not covered were marked by lines and markings of red and outlined in blacks and white; they used his body like a canvas and painted beautiful creations onto his skin. His whole form was bathed in holy, ethereal light and fire.
This was God-Dragon Force.
Placing only a single foot before him, a blast of powerful magically energy along with an explosion of invisible heat and wind knocked back the enemy forces a few metres, while also cracking the ground that the heels pressed against. The earth was so hot that it seemed that only the Sun itself could match it in scope.
As the Demons of Tartaros watched on in shock and horror as this new form emerged, Natsu could only smirk.
"So then, whose first?"
Boom! Done! Dragon-God Force! What will happen next time in the exciting conclusion to this extreme fight of God-Like beings?! Find out next time on A Slayer's Flame!
But seriously, hope you enjoyed and all that and remember that there is only one more chapter remaining to vote for the initial members of this harem (I may add a few more in the future but don't expect there to be many, only like 2 will be added if I do add people) so vote or something. Anyway, see you next chapter and goodbye!
-Jack
