Episode 12: Celestial Inferno
Gurian's crimson flames moved through the air like a bullet, and were just as difficult to avoid. It took all of Natsu's concentration to dodge the number of attacks thrown at him. Forced to jump around the street every few seconds, it felt like a century since he'd gotten an opportunity to attack. Thankfully, after one final missed shot, his enemies assault came to an end.
"This is quite the disappointment Salamander" Gurian said distastefully, while coming to a sudden stop in the air above his opponent. "I've heard of your strength for years now. Tales of a Dragon Slayer inconceivable in his power, one who'd escaped even death after seven years in the grave. What a shame to find out it was all talk."
From below the demented man, Natsu clenched his fists in anger. "All talk huh?, we'll just see about that!." Launching himself into the air, the pink-haired mage slammed into Gurian with a body covered in flames. A satisfying groan sounded when his head connected with Gurian's chest, but it didn't last nearly as long as he'd hoped.
Seconds after his attack hit, the demented man had a strong grip on both of Natsu's shoulders. Turned against him by a simple spin, the momentum of his own attack sent the pink-haired mage flying. While in the air, he had just enough time to turn his body. His boots were first to hit the nearest building.
It was a quick save, one he intended to take full advantage of. Seeing that Gurian still had yet to turn in his direction, he jumped straight off the building's wall. This time, he aimed his fist ahead of him, tightening it with all his strength as he flew through the air.
"Oh no you don't!." Gurian disappeared in the blink of an eye, reappearing directly behind the fast traveling mage. "Did you really think I'd fall for the same trick twice?." A hand of solid flame wrapped tight around his leg, and Natsu was immediately sent back the way he came.
This time, he had no chance to reposition himself. Knocking the wind from his lungs, his back slammed against the same building from before. The crater he left crumbled as he fell to the street below.
"Ugh, damn it" Natsu swore under his breath. Standing groggily to his feet, he fought to ignore the painful tremors traveling through him. Every bone in his body had taken damage from the fall. Thanks to his own attacks, his magical energy was also dangerously low. When those factors combined, it made for a wizard on the brink of death.
For any other mage, this would've been the time to turn tail and run. For Natsu, it was simply the time to stop playing around. Lucy and the others were counting on him to take care of this guy. If he had even the slightest chance of doing that, he'd have to get serious.
"Alright Gurian" he said through gritted teeth. It took all he had not to hold his side, which had taken most of the impact from his fall. "I'm gonna give you one last chance to surrender!, cause if not I'll have to-."
"Have to what!?" Gurian screamed from the air above, "I've researched your exploits Salamander. You've never killed before and you won't do so now!."
It probably wasn't the response he expected, but Gurian's words caused Natsu to droop his head. Completely ignoring his opponent, the pink-haired mage looked instead to his own hands.
"You're right" he said solemnly, tightening two flame covered fists. "I'll admit, the thought crossed my mind. After you kidnapped my friends, and tried to hurt Lucy. But I'm not a murderer, not like you. It doesn't matter though." With an ear-piercing roar, the mages flames rose to cover his entire body. "After I'm through with you, you'll be praying for!-huh?."
Even with his dragon enhanced senses, Natsu couldn't entirely make out what caused his opponent to vanish. The only hint he got was when a familiar scent filled the air around him. It was the scent of ladies perfume, and it never ceased to make him smile. "Lucy."
A million questions racing through his mind, he took off down the street at a swift run. The knowledge that Lucy was free restored him somewhat, but his lack of magic still took a toll on his movements. After running the few blocks between Lucy and himself, he was fighting to stay on his feet. Of course, that all changed when he looked at his friend.
Something about Lucy...it just wasn't right. Her eyes were slanted, her fists clenched, and her gaze glued straight ahead. She was also giving off an insane amount of magical energy. It nearly matched his own in intensity, and was coming off as a pure blue aura around the girl's body.
"Lucy!" he screamed, an attempt to get her attention. "What...what the hell happened to you?."
It wasn't Lucy who answered him, but the blue cat holding onto her back. "Uh, I don't think Lucy can talk right now Natsu" the cat said in a serious tone. "She swallowed a bunch of ether-nano from the R-system."
"What!?." Taking a single step forward, Natsu helplessly reached towards his hovering friend. It was no use, the girl's magical aura tore right through his flames, directly singeing his gloved hand. "But I barely survived that. Will she be alright?."
"Erza said she could burn up the magical energy before it damages her body. That's why we're here."
Natsu nodded to his friend, and stepped back as Happy rose Lucy higher into the air. "Okay, just be careful. This guy's stronger than I thought. And his flames never leave his body, so I can't eat them to drain his power."
"We'll be fine" Happy insisted, "with this ether-nano inside her, Lucy feels just as strong as you."
The longer she floated in place, Lucy felt an unbelievable amount of pain overtake her body. She wanted to scream out, to tell Happy to keep her moving, but her mouth refused to open. Instead, her teeth remained constantly clenched. Like much of her body, which felt hard as stone as it failed to fight back the energy flowing through her.
'Come on!' she screamed inside her head, 'I didn't hit you that hard, get up and fight!.'
Gurian didn't waste time in obeying her command. Picking himself up off the ground, the man flew back into the air while wiping himself off. "You Fairies are proving quite the capable lot" he said in a somewhat casual tone. "But I've been around ether-nano long enough to know its scent. It seems your friends weren't fast enough to save you."
"That's a lie!" Happy yelled in response, "Lucy's stronger than she looks, all she has to do is use up the ether-nano's energy and she'll be fine!."
As Natsu watched wide-eyed from the street below, Gurian erupted into a fit of maniacal laughter. "Ha!, delude yourself all you want cat. Ether-nano is made up of every elemental magic in existence, someone like her could never convert it into their own energy!."
To make it clear she'd had enough of their conversation, Lucy lashed out with her whip. Gurian easily sidestepped the attack, but Happy got her point. A flap of his wings, and the cat sent her sailing forward. Nearing in on her opponent, she reached down and pulled several keys from her belt.
In a flash of golden energy, Taurus was first to appear. One punch of the bull's massive fist, and Gurian was sent sailing backwards. Before the man could stop himself, he was wrapped by Lucy's whip several times over. Caught in a magical bind, the man's wings were forcefully pinned to his back.
Taurus disappeared as Lucy passed him. Traveling at mach speed, Gurian was dragged to the street's rather abrupt end. Slammed into, and then pulled up the side of his own castle, he screamed in pain as Lucy was flown directly upwards. Now soaring high above the city, the demented man finally managed to free himself.
Happy flew back to dodge the burst of crimson flame, but refused to be put on the defensive. Looping Lucy around in a quick aerial spin, he immediately charged their opponent. Gurian attempted several lashes with his flames, but every one was either dodged, or repelled by Lucy's whip. When their eyes were close enough to meet, Lucy raised a closed fist.
Coated in condensed magical energy, the punch that followed did a surprising amount of damage. Gurian reared back, a hand raised to cover his bloodied nose. Taken off guard by the attack, he failed to notice the two keys in his opponent's hand. Sagittarius and Scorpio appeared a second later, floating in the sky on either side of the demented man.
A quiver's worth of magical arrows, and a swirling tornado of sand both hit Gurian simultaneously. The end result was a large multicolored explosion, one that violently pierced the otherwise quiet night. The two spirits disappeared after their attack. Lucy watched, unable to grin, as her opponent began his descent towards the sparkling city below.
The grin didn't last long. Neither Happy nor herself sensed the crimson claw that grabbed them. Lucy felt Happy squished tight against her back. The wind tearing at her face as she fell, she slowly managed to grip a single key from her belt. Summoned mid free-fall, Loke had no problem adjusting to the situation.
With a fist covered in golden light, the spirit grabbed hold of the flames around his friends. A single pull caused them to disperse. With them able to fly freely, Loke switched his attention to their opponent. The spirit tucked in his limbs to quicken his descent, coating his body in a fierce golden light.
As he crashed head first into Gurian, Loke's form took that of a giant lion's head. Made of his own magical energy, the lion opened a gargantuan maw, which collapsed slowly over Gurian. The attack lit up a portion of the night sky, while also causing its target to scream wildly. Taking Loke with it, the magical lion disappeared seconds before hitting the ground.
Gurian landed with a sickening thud on the street just outside his castle. Lucy was only slightly behind, stopping several feet above the crater her opponent's fall created.
Natsu's mouth was agape at the sight in front of him. In all the time they'd know each other, he'd never witnessed Lucy pull of something this incredible. Not only had she summoned several spirits in quick succession, but she'd also gotten in a physical hit of her own. And Loke's final attack, that alone would've required an absurd amount of magical power.
Simply put, he was amazed (and for the first time in his life, a little turned on). Shaking such thoughts from his mind, he anxiously left his spot on the sidelines.
"One more chance Gurian?" he asked his opponent, casually stepping to the edge of the man's crater. "I bet surrender is sounding pretty good right about now."
"Never." Bloody and battered, Gurian slowly stood to his feet. The act gained a surprised gasp from Natsu and Happy, but Lucy remained silent. "I haven't lost. Any second now the R-system will have drained this city dry, and its population will be cut in half in an instant!."
As his crimson wings reappeared, the demented man was charged by Natsu and Lucy both. "Enough!" Gurian screamed, using two crimson claws to pin both his opponents to the ground. "I wanted to keep you two alive, to use your magic on the R-system, but I'm done holding back!. Prepare to witness why my crimson flames are considered a 'lost' magic!."
Natsu went wide-eyed as Gurian encased himself entirely in his own fire. The flames slowly took to the shape of his body, but they didn't stop there. Clad head to toe in blood red flames, the man continued to grow, eventually towering the buildings around him. His form the very definition of demonic, Gurian raised two massive arms towards the sky.
"Time to die Fairy Tail wizards!" a booming voice screamed towards the heavens. "You'll join this whole pathetic city in the depths of hell!."
Gurian's voice filled the night sky. Now that he was able to move, the pink-haired mage fought his pain enough to stand. One look at the demon above him, and a wide grin spread on his face. "Finally, time to really let loose. Alright Lucy, here's what I think we should...Lucy?."
At a glance over his shoulder, Natsu felt his heart drop. Unlike him, the girl hadn't gotten up from Gurian's attack.
"Lucy!" Natsu screamed, falling to knees by his friend's side. Her eyes were shut, and her skin was beginning to turn pale. Trying his best not to panic, Natsu scooped the girl into his arms. Several soft pats on her cheek gained no reaction.
"I-I don't think she got it all out Natsu" Happy said, sniveling softly on the girl's opposite side. "E-E-Erza s-s-said she could die if she d-didn't burn up the e-ether-nano."
"No!. That's not true, if I survived it she can too!." As he screamed at his friend, Natsu realized he was really just trying to convince himself. Looking down at the motionless girl in his arms, he couldn't hold back a sudden stream of tears. "This can't be happening...it can't."
His tears landed softly on Lucy cheek, causing him to wipe them away repeatedly. During that cycle, a thought entered his mind. If he'd lived through swallowing ether-nano once, why couldn't he do it again?. All he had to do was move it from Lucy's body to his own.
'Oh god, Happy's never gonna let me live this down.'
Slightly shifting his hold on the girl's body, Natsu placed a firm grip on the back of her head. "Sorry about this Luce, but I won't lose someone I love...not again."
It was impossible to ignore Happy's response to his actions. The moment his lips touched Lucy's, the cat went white from shock. But that ceased to matter as time went on. He could be embarrassed later, right now he had to focus.
Using his dragon lungs, Natsu sucked every last drop of ether-nano from the girl's body. The act lasted no more than a few seconds. After which, he immediately pulled back.
"Uh...Natsu?" Happy asked.
"I didn't have a choice" Natsu answered. Back on his feet, the pink-haired mage was already forced to hold his stomach. He could feel the ether-nano starting to meld with his dragon slayer magic. The same way it had back in the tower of heaven, the experience nearly brought him to his knees.
"Not that Natsu!" Happy screamed, "above us!."
Half choking, Natsu barely managed to follow his friend's gaze. When he did however, it took him seconds to regain his composure. A massive magic circle filled the night sky above Soveria. Blood red, and with a horned demon at its center, the circle bathed the entire town in its eerie light.
"What the hell!?" Natsu yelled while rubbing his throat. "What's that maniac thinking!?. An attack that big won't just wipe out the whole city, it'll destroy the R-system too!."
Happy stood by Lucy's motionless form. "Maybe not. Remember the tower of heaven Natsu, it completely absorbed a shot from the Etherion. If Gurian destroys the city, the R-system might be the only thing that's left standing. Who knows, it could even finish charging it."
Once he'd finished speaking, Natsu knew his friend was right. "Damn it. I guess we'll have to stop it then."
As both wizards began to look towards the sky, several hard coughs drew their attention back down. Lucy slowly opened her eyes, sitting up as she took in the situation around her. Before the girl could get out a single word, the magic circle above them roared to life. The sound it made could only be described as ungodly.
A cold chill traveled through Natsu's body. "Well that can't be good."
"Natsu...your face" Lucy said in a soft tone.
Raising an eyebrow at his friend's words, Natsu removed his gloves and cautiously touched his own cheek. The scales on his face weren't as pronounced as they'd been in the past, but were noticeable nonetheless. He had little time to take in the fact however. When the red tint that covered the city tripled in intensity, it became impossible not to focus on the sky.
From every inch of Gurian's magic circle, an inferno of crimson flames was being released. The flames danced around as they fell, almost as if they were teasing their intended target. And from his position, Natsu couldn't blame them. Soveria, at least in its current state, was defenseless against an attack of this magnitude.
If the cities wizards weren't on the brink of death, they could've easily pooled together their magic energy. Maybe created a magical barrier to shield themselves. But that was just wishful thinking. With the R-system still draining Soveria's magical energy, Fairy Tail's strongest team were the only one's who could stop this attack.
All these thoughts, and many others, traveled through Natsu's mind in a matter of seconds. As he watched the city-wide fireball inch slowly closer to the ground, he felt a strange warmth in the pit of his stomach.
"Hey Lucy" he said solemnly, instantly gaining his friend's attention. "On the balcony, during that dance thing. Remember what you said to me?."
No doubt pondering his question, Lucy stood to her feet. The pink-haired mage didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he brought a roaring flame to both his feet. The flames launched him into the air like a shot, leaving behind one very confused cat, and one blushing blond-haired girl.
Even for a fire mage like himself, Gurian's crimson flames got unbearably hot the farther he flew. Still, he refused to turn around. Soaring into the sky with a body covered in flame, he could almost imagine Igneel flying beside him. Wings outstretched to cover the sky, eyes slanted in boiling anger, and two monstrous legs aimed straight ahead.
That thought fueled his ascent, to the point that his flames eventually took on that very form. A dragon made entirely of fire slammed claws first into Gurian's flames. Together, the two massive inferno's fought for supremacy over the sky. The Dragon roared constantly during this power struggle, an Earthland shattering move on its part.
For a moment it looked as though neither side would reign supreme. Against the Dragon's overwhelming natural strength, Gurian's magic circle simply continued to spill out fire. Try as it might, the Dragon couldn't keep the spell from falling farther and farther out of the sky. That is, until it opened its mouth.
Easily matching Gurian's spell, a mountain of flames shot out from the Dragon's mouth. The night sky turned to light in that instant, shining as brightly as the sun itself. What was once an equal match became a one-sided slug fest. The Dragon's breath attack easily pushed back Gurian's spell.
After a few seconds of blinding light, the Dragon's attack successfully reached the spell's magic circle. In one frighteningly beautiful explosion of fire, the circle was completely obliterated. As it continued to explode, Natsu shot out from the Dragon's mouth. Tearing directly through the wall of smoke, he found Gurian's demonic form on the other end.
Never once stopping, the pink-haired mage charged straight into his opponent's flames. Leaving a large whole in his wake, he exited the demon's back with Gurian in hand. Without its core, the demonic form disappeared.
"It's over Gurian" Natsu said through gritted teeth. Holding the man by his shirt, he made certain their eyes met as he spoke. "Now that I've got a fire in my belly, you don't stand a chance."
Gurian looked far worse for wear. Cuts and bruises marked most of his body, and his clothes were torn in several places. His face still wore a fairly demented stare, but it was also fighting back a fair amount of fear.
"I...I'll never stop trying" Gurian said weakly, speaking in a light whisper. "Do whatever you want to me Salamander, but I'll never stop trying to bring her back. You'll be forced to kill me."
Natsu clenched his free fist. Opening his mouth to speak, he was cut off by the sound of a muffled explosion.
"No!" Gurian screamed. Relentlessly squabbling to free himself, the man's gaze was dead set over Natsu's shoulder. "What have you done!?."
At a glance over his shoulder, Natsu couldn't help but grin. A large beam of magical energy was shooting directly through the roof of Gurian's estate. "Well, you only have yourself to blame" he said to the man in his grasp. "You left four Fairy Tail wizards in a room with a giant breakable tower. What did you think would happen?."
Gurian's reply came in a burst of crimson flame. The attack did no physical damage, but it took Natsu off guard, causing him to release his grip. Once he was free, Gurian wasted no time in taking off across the sky.
"What the hell?" Natsu asked himself. At first, it looked as though the man was running away from him. But when his destination became clear, the pink-haired mage instantly began his pursuit.
"Don't do it Gurian!" he screamed, unable to clear the space between them. "It's too much energy, you won't be able to control it!."
His demand went unheeded. Gurian ran his body straight into the beam of magical energy, screaming in pain as he disappeared into its midst. Natsu stopped a foot away from the beam. "Gurian!."
The next few seconds went by at a snail's pace. Even with the power of a dragon flowing inside of him, Natsu couldn't find the strength to fly inside the beam. All he could was watch, bathed in the beam's light, as a blood curdling scream filled the night air.
"Natsu!."
The call of his name drew Natsu's gaze below him. Lucy and Happy flew quickly to his side, both wide-eyed at the beam of energy in front of him. "We saw what happened" Lucy exclaimed heartily, "I can't believe Gurian would just sacrifice himself like that. Who was he trying to bring back anyway?."
Natsu took a moment to consider his answer. "A friend" he said simply.
"That's so sad" Lucy replied, "maybe now...at least they'll get to see each other again."
While all three wizards smiled at the girl's words, Gurian's screaming finally came to an abrupt end. He knew he'd come to regret it, but Natsu allowed himself a quick sigh of relief. It was only seconds later that he'd realize how big of a mistake that was. Gurian's scream had ended, but it was almost immediately replaced by a fit of maniacal laughter.
The laughter grew and grew, until all three wizards felt their skin crawl simultaneously. When it reached its peak, the beam of energy turned from a pleasant light blue, into a hideous blood red.
"Back up!" Natsu yelled. Certain to keep a constant eye behind him, the pink-haired mage led his friends as far back as he could fly. By the time he turned around, they were directly above the train station at the cities outskirts.
"This can't be possible!" Happy screamed in disbelief, "no one could absorb that much magic energy without dying!."
Natsu decided not to answer. Whether or not it was possible, it was happening. As the beam dissipated, Gurian appeared from inside, his demonic form already covering his body. This time however, rather than dwarfing a single building, the form grew large enough to dwarf the city itself.
"He actually did it!" Lucy cried, the girl's fear evident in her voice. "The magic of every wizard in the city, he absorbed all of it!. He'll be unstoppable, there's no way we can defeat someone that powerful!."
At the end of her outburst, Lucy sounded on the verge of tears. Even though he could understand her reaction, the sound caused Natsu's scales to spread. Gurian's form blocked out the moonlight from their position, shrouding them in darkness. Through that darkness, he somehow managed to find the warmth of Lucy's hand.
"I've been thinking Lucy" he said solemnly, his tone completely disregarding the danger looming over them. "When I was little, I'd spend every night with Igneel, watching the night sky until I fell asleep. He told me that whenever a dragon was lost, all he needed was a starry night to find his way home.
Gurian had spotted them by now, but that didn't stop Natsu from continuing. "I always wondered what he meant by that, until the day I met you. The stars, your spirits, are a dragon's greatest ally. I'd say that makes our magic pretty compatible, don't ya think?."
As he finished speaking, Natsu felt a surge of magical energy erupt around him. Lucy's face was bright red, but she did return his gaze. "Yeah" she said softly, "I guess it does."
"You two better not start making out right in front of me" Happy teased playfully.
The two mages turned to face one another, their hands intertwined. A strong magical aura slowly spread over both their bodies. At this point, Gurian was directly on top of them. A hand of crimson flame, easily the size of a building, was quickly lowering in a downward strike of unbelievable power.
"The flames of a Dragon" Natsu started off, every word pulsating the aura around him.
"And the light of the stars" Lucy continued, trying her best not to blush.
Just when Gurian's attack would've swatted them from the air, both mages disappeared in a sudden flash of light. The light split into two separate orbs, which soared through the air almost too fast to see. Leaving a trail of fire as it went, Natsu's orb circled the city multiple times. In less than a minute, a wall of roaring flame covered Soveria's border.
In turn, Lucy's orb shot straight up. Avoiding a number of swipes from Gurian's demonic form, the orb flew in a dizzying pattern in the sky above him. When Natsu's orb finished its fire wall around the city, its light slowly started to diminish. Now covered in a faint aura, the pink-haired mage flew back into the cities middle.
At that time, Lucy completed her magic circle above Gurian. As she started to fly towards him, Natsu stretched out an open hand in her direction. "Put them together!" he screamed.
Like his own, Lucy's magical aura lessened the longer she flew. But with Happy's wings to propel her, the girl still managed to grab her friend's hand. "And this is what you get!" Lucy added with a grin.
"Unison Raid, Celestial Inferno!" they screamed together.
From their joined hands, a powerful wave of energy brought their spell to life. Gurian's demonic form tried to turn and face them, but failed just short of the action. Over a dozen hands of solid flame shot forth from the wall around the city. Each hand grabbed hold of Gurian's gargantuan form, keeping the struggling demon in place for what was next to come.
Lucy's magic circle came to life alongside a blinding light. Matching the stars themselves in beauty, the circle shot a dazzling beam of golden energy from its center. The beam completely engulfed Gurian's demonic form. As the demon's pain fueled cry grew, the beam's energy slowly tore away at its body.
Within a few minutes, only Gurian's human form was left inside the beam. Seeing this, both wizards let go of each others hands. The beam of energy stopped shining in an instant. As a result, Gurian's tattered body fell motionless from the sky. During that fall, the man's body began to shine with its stolen magical energy.
Natsu visibly cringed when Gurian's body hit the street. Because of the energy stored within him, the demented man made a crater far exceeding the size of his body. But from that same ruined street, the cities salvation finally shot into the sky. The stolen magic dispersed into the stars, taking the form of small golden droplets that fell all over Soveria's landscape.
It was a sight Natsu wanted to see for some time now, and it did not disappoint.
"Natsu" Lucy said, her voice barely audible. "I think that attack drained most of my magic."
"I'm running low too" Happy said in agreement, his wings slowly shrinking on his back.
Watching his friends with a grin, Natsu lowered himself directly under them. Lucy fell into his arms, her eyes fighting to remain open, and Happy collapsed onto the girl's stomach. A careful eye on both, the pink-haired mage began his descent towards the city below. His boots hit the ground a few steps away from Gurian's crater.
Gurian's chest was still moving, but it was apparent he no longer had the strength to stand. "I made you a promise Gurian" Natsu said, breathing heavily on his walk into the crater's center. "I promise that I'd protect this city, no matter what." Using his boot to flip the man onto his back, Natsu furiously slanted his gaze.
The once demented man no longer looked insane. Instead, his eyes were filled with tears. Fists clenched, he tried unsuccessfully to stand. "Tr...Trisha" he said weakly, raising one arm towards the night sky.
"She's dead Gurian" Natsu said in a scolding tone. "If you can't learn to accept that, than her death meant nothing." The defeated man continued to try and stand, until a swift kick knocked him out cold.
"Hey is that the Mayor?", a voice in the distance asked.
"Yeah" another voice answered, "and I'd recognize that other guy anywhere. That's Salamander of Fairy Tail!."
"I wonder what happened?."
That conversation, along with countless others, began to fill the street. Natsu finally took notice of the area surrounding the crater. Along every inch of the crater's outer edge, wizards of all shapes and sizes were staring down at him. He also spotted the rest of his friends in the crowd, smiling down at him through their exhaustion.
Maybe it was the ether-nano flowing through him, or the feeling of Lucy's body in his arms. But either way, the pink-haired mage simply couldn't resist his next move. Rearing his head back, he let loose an ear shattering roar that echoed throughout the city. Even if they didn't know exactly what he'd done, every mage in Soveria now knew the power of a Fairy Tail wizard.