Broken Heart
Chapter 10
Fighting
All across the island, people looked up in surprise as the cloudy sky somehow became full of stars. Even the least intelligent knew that made no sense whatsoever. The stars floated in the air like fairy lights, specks in the darkness.
"What is this magic?" Zancrow wondered. He looked up in shock as he heard the two Dragneel siblings laugh. "What are you two laughing about!?"
"You'll see," Ignale promised.
"This is the power of the seventh guild master," Nashi added confidently. "Never underestimate our mother!"
===][===
"Open the Gate of the Celestial King!" Golden magic blazed around Lucy, her clothes and hair blowing madly in the ethereal wind as she held the key aloft. In the space above her, the air became darker and more solid, stars blazing inside the darkness. With a flourish, the darkness was revealed to be the Celestial King's cloak as her threw it aside and showed his true form.
The King was a giant, easily twenty feet tall, covered in heavy armour. His cloaked flowed behind him, like the blanket of the night sky. And of course, his moustache was fantastic, big, bushy and brown. Power radiated from him, his strength like a beacon of light. He was the master of all Celestial Spirits.
"I apologise, Hades, but I cannot go lightly," Lucy said fiercely. There was a limit to how long she could hold such a powerful spirit on this mortal plane. Now, at the peak of her magical power, that time was ten minutes. Three was enough to overwhelm most opponents, but there was no time for words. "King! I need you to obliterate this foe!"
"As my queen wishes!" The King held up his hands, and Purehito had only enough time to register surprise before a ten metre space around him exploded with powerful magic.
===][===
"We can't sit here while Mum does all the work!" Nashi shouted.
"Right! Let's go, sis! The children of the guild master can't let the guild down! Fire Dragon's Roar!" Ignale belched forth the familiar cyclone of flames, but they were instantly swallowed by a grinning Zancrow.
"Right back at'cha! Fire God's Howl!" The spell was returned instantly, a black hurricane coming back the other way, igniting foliage as it passed.
"Lend me your strength, heavenly bull! Axe of Aldebaraan!" To Zancrow's utter amazement, his spell split in two as Nashi carved down the centre. The next second, he staggered as Ignale's fist collided with his head. Roaring, flame shot from his elbow.
"Fire Dragon's Boosting Fist!" Firing off like a rocket, Ignale sent Zancrow crashing through the trees with great velocity. Before they crashed into the ground, Zancrow recovered enough to kick Ignale away, wreathing his legs in black flames. Ignale cried out, unused to being burnt.
"Wea! Antares Cannon!" Summoning the power of Scorpio, she summoned a star that whipped up a hurricane of dirt and sand, but Zancrow had his wits about him now, and had started to fight properly. With a single hand, he burnt through the spell.
"You're gonna have to try harder than that," Zancrow hissed angrily. "The flames of the Fire God burn away anything, including your petty spells."
He looked over at a slurping sound, and was amazed to watch as Ignale began to suck in his black flames. How!? Ignale grinned smugly. "You think I don't know the trick to these flames? Dad tells the story of the time he fought you every time he has too much to drink! And thanks to Tacks, I've had a lot of practice at eating weird flames! Then there's Auntie Chelia and Uncle Orga… God Slayers ain't so special anymore!"
"Bastard…" Zancrow swore. "How dare you mock me!?"
"Hehe… you think God flames are the pinnacle of flames? Brother, let's use that!" Ignale nodded fiercely in response to his sister's words and went to stand between her and Zancrow, his back to his sister. "Burn, Mizar! By the fire of the great bear!"
The summoned star began to spew forth white hot flames, flickering pale azure as they hurtled towards her brother. He began to inhale as the flames circled around him, dragging them into his mouth and down into his gut. His body began to blaze with the star fire.
"Celestial Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Ignale surged forward like an arrow. Zancrow began to spread forth his black flames, but Ignale cut through them, roaring with anger. He crashed into the god slayer again, and this time, he stood still while Zancrow shot off like a rocket, clearing the jungle's foliage in a cone as the attack travelled forwards.
Zancrow lay still in the crater, and didn't get up.
"And that, is why you don't fuck with Dragneels."
===][===
"Karren, move! I can't stop myself!" Tacks cried as his body lurched towards her. Kain laughed as he manipulated his voodoo doll. Tacks fist hurtled towards Karren's head… and exploded through it as she became water. She stepped forward and reformed.
"Karren does not see the problem."
"W-what?" Kain cried in shock.
"Karren thinks you can only control Tacks-sama's movement, not his magic."
"Uhhhh…"
"But physical attacks have no effect on Karren."
"Oh… your hair is very pretty, may I have a lock of it?" Kain asked.
"Don't be so obvious!" Tacks shouted angrily. But to his dismay, Karren was walking slowly towards Kain, running her fingers through her hair. Kain patiently held out a hand, but instead of handing over some of her hair, Karren summoned a huge icicle and slammed it into him. He crashed away, dropping the doll. Tacks fell on his face, but was released.
"Don't be stupid," Karren hissed, standing over Kain. "Only Tacks may touch Karren's hair!"
"Oh, I see. I didn't mean to be impolite. I'm not good with social cues with women, you see."
"I can understand that, but you must understand that a young girl's hair is precious."
"I see! Is that common for all young girls?"
"Of course! We spend a lot of time washing and caring for our hair, to look beautiful."
"I never realised…"
"That's all right, we all make mistakes."
"Hey, you two." They looked over, where Tacks was holding the doll. His hand flashed with fire and the doll incinerated in a moment. In his other hand, a single strand of blue hair also went up in a flash of flame. "Maybe if you're done talking, I want some answers."
"Answers?" Kain stood up, suddenly changing to a menacing posture, his face shadowed. "Despite the way I look, I am one of the seven kin! I am strong beyond your reckoning and I will not be…"
Wreathed with alabaster flames, Tacks punched into Kain into the ground, creating a huge crater around them. Kain trembled as he looked up into Tack's face, his red eyes becoming unusually harsh and angry.
"My entire family is on this island. In order to keep them safe, I'm not going to play games." He clenched a fist. "Start answering me, or I'm going to bury you alongside our guild masters!"
===][===
"This is bad, Levy."
The King's power was overwhelming, eclipsing. Again and again, he rained heavenly destruction down upon Purehito, but after each blast subsided, the guild master of Grimoire Heart got to his feet again. Lucy had run out of magical power. She had held the king in this plane for ten full minutes, and she collapsed, her magical power run out. The king vanished, and Purehito got up once more.
"It's the heart," Lucy gasped, leaning on Levy for support. "I don't know how, but the heart is back. We can hear it, but I forgot; as long as the heart beats, Hades will keep recovering."
"I'm truly impressed, Seventh," Purehito admitted softly. "Your spirit was strong enough to kill me ten times over. You are truly a great guild master. It's a shame that I have to end it here."
"Lu-chan, run," Levy said boldly. Her lifelong friend looked at her with wide eyes. Levy smiled back. "It'll do us no good if we both die here. You have no magic left to fight with. Let me take him on. I can hold him for a little while."
"Levy-chan… you'll die," Lucy stated bluntly.
"There are worse fates, such as letting my children die in my stead. Please go, Lu-chan."
"You, runt. You're the one who stopped my Amaterasu seal. You impressed me then. How long can you keep it up?" Hades reached a hand forward and an Amaterasu seal instantly sprang up around Levy and Lucy. Damn it, she needed to buy time for Lucy to run!
Hades blinked in confusion, as the space around him exploded. In the time he'd taken to cast a seal, she'd negated his and cast her own, the seal forming around him. How ridiculously skilled was this runt in script magic? She was literally at least as twice as fast, even more so. But… he was not damaged. Again, he stood. He would not give Lucy the time to escape.
And then the whole world had seemed to explode, flames bright and powerful consuming him utterly. What the hell had just happened? He swept the flames aside just in time to get a fist in the face as someone punched him with high speed and power.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Natsu!" Lucy cried. Natsu strode through the flames like a god of war as Hades again got to his feet to meet the dragon slayer. He had gifted his muffler to Ignale many years ago, but a new scarf flapped in the breeze as he glared at Hades.
"I remember you, pink-haired brat. You've gotten a lot stronger, but I am invincible. You cannot beat-" Hades was engulfed by flame before he could finish his sentence.
"You come to this island, threaten my guild, and try to harm my family? I don't care how invincible you are, I'm all fired up!"
===][===
What was happening? Laura thought dimly. Oh yeah, she'd been fighting this guy. Bluenote or something like that. So… why was she staring into the mud? How strong was this guy? Was he stronger than her?
"Stand, brat. I can't fly if this is all you've got." Bluenote stood over her imperiously. It was a move calculated to offend Laura's fierce pride. Grinding her teeth in anger, Laura swayed to her feet. Nearby, Mavis watched the fight bleakly, unable to stand.
"You're looking down on me," she snarled.
"You are beneath me," Bluenote replied succinctly. A fist lashed out and Laura was thrown back, cartwheeling head over heels through the mud before she could stop her momentum. Bluenote didn't rush, instead calmly walking across the distance he'd just created. Laura placed her hands together, light gathering in her palms. She grinned evilly.
"Bastard, you don't know who you're dealing with! Fairy… Law!"
Suddenly, Bluenote was in her face, his hands around her spell. To her utter surprise, Fairy Law did not activate. Gravity rushed inwards, crushing the magic like it was nothing. A knee to the stomach. A fist to the face. A foot stomped on her back, pinning her into the mud.
"No way… Fairy Law was…"
"Magic is only as strong as the user. You wield it poorly. I'm done with you. Goodbye."
Laura closed her eyes. But, the end didn't come. In fact, the weight was removed from her back as something hit into Bluenote hard. Very hard. She looked up with bleary eyes. She could see a white, fur-lined cloak with the mark of the ten saints. Gramps? Was that you, Gramps?
"Do I look like a two foot tall midget?" A voice asked roughly to the question Laura wasn't even aware that she'd said out loud. She blinked, and the shape of Gajeel Redfox solidified in her vision. Laura had to admit, with his long flowing hair, cloak and staff, he cut quite the majestic figure from behind.
"G-gajeel?"
"Stand up. I don't know what's going on here, but grab Mavis and get out of here. I'll deal with this guy," Gajeel snarled. Laura stood shakily and ran over to Mavis. Whatever was ailing the guild master, she looked limp and weak. She lifted her up, surprised that she could touch the ghost. Mavis pointed with a finger, and then collapsed, exhausted. Laura wasn't sure what was in that direction, but it was as good a direction as any. She ran, leaving Gajeel and Bluenote alone.
"I do hope one of the ten saints can help me to fly higher," Bluenote said, licking his lips in anticipation. Staring at him, Gajeel threw his cloak aside and cracked his knuckles.
"I don't know how many times I have to kill you before you stay dead, but I promise you, I'm going to enjoy this a lot."
===][===
"Just leave me alone!" Bea cried, zigzagging in the sky as Rustyrose's beast chased after her. She was scattering her explosive dust behind her as she flew, but the beast's tough hide didn't even seem to feel it.
Rustyrose was laughing like a madman. "Go, Zarakon! Destroy her!"
Bea stopped on a sixpence, halting her momentum and heading backwards. She passed just above the beast's jaws and over its back, slamming into Rustyrose so fast that he had no time to react and their momentum carried the pair of them off of the beast and into the sky.
"Let's see if you can fly!" Bea shouted. But Rustyrose only smiled and pivoted in mid-air, kicking her away like a football. How? She could see wings on his ankles. What kind of magic was that? The beast dutifully returned to its master, letting him ride its back again.
"Silly girl, my only limitation is my unlimited imagination! How can you-"
Zarakon's head snapped upwards as a cyclone went up into its chin. In a brief moment where everything seemed to stand still, the cyclone stopped and Wendy could be seen above the Grimoire mage, poised to pounce. She took one moment to shout to Bea to run and then she was crashing down in a typhoon of magic.
"Sky Dragon's Sky Shattering Drill!" Down, down, down went Rustyrose and his beast, crashing through the jungle by the force of the hurricane winds. Zarakon cracked and crumbled and Rustyrose staggered to his feet, pushing his glasses back onto his nose. Wendy landed easily nearby.
"For such a gentle looking lady, you've sure got some punch," he noted dryly. "My fragment trembles!"
"The sky can be a peaceful place," Wendy agreed, her expression hardening. "But when it gets angry, you best prepare yourself for a raging storm!"
===][===
The roots of the great tree were amazing. Gabriel passed under the Tenrou Tree, where the roots formed a kind of maze, thick trunks running every direction, big enough to support his weight. But here, the heartbeat was stronger than ever. It was almost deafening. He felt weak from the noise.
"Oi, Gramps!" He shouted as loudly as he could. "I could hear your voice! Are you here!? Master! Master Makarov!"
"Master Makarov?" Gabriel went rigid. That was definitely the voice he'd been hearing. It was strong, wise and male. It made him think of his mother's in a certain sense of the word – it was strong, unyielding. "You think my voice belongs to your guild master?"
"Who are you then?" Gabriel shouted. "Show yourself to me!"
Gabriel turned as he heard a noise. From a root above him, a person was emerging from the wood itself. A tall man, muscular and well built. His hair was short and dark, and his features were noble, but harsh.
"Greetings, son of Erza Scarlet. My name is Asuma. And this place, is your grave."
===Author's Note===
Dundundun!
Well, the slayers are unleashed. I think I'll have most fun with Wendy and her new poison magic. Sorry to cut Lucy short, but it wouldn't do much to show the king wailing on Hades for ten paragraphs.
BTW, Rustyrose's beast looks like Giratina's Origin Forme, if that means anything to you guys.
===Replies to Reviews===
Playgod: I hope I raised your estimations of Nashi.
Lexie Loves Anime: You better! *shakes fist*
SakuraIchigoDark: Doll rescued! And Burnt.
Ulcaasi: Doctor Who reference.
Nick: Ain't I a stinker?
DenasiaIchigo: Sorry to keep you waiting!
: Yeah, I saw that and gave her more role in this chapter.
Heve-chan: Ding, ding, ding! Congratulations on being review number 100! Here, have some internet cake! It's like real cake, only fictional!