Like other chapters, I've taken a number of liberties with some fights to keep a good pace up. In particular, I've made some enemies stronger and some weaker all for a certain point. Well, you'll see what I mean in Chapter 20, starting now!
Chapter 20
Mard Geer. I hated that name. More than that, I hated the demon it belonged to. In all of my countless lifetimes, he was the one demon I could never kill. Name any of the Demon Gates and I had fought them all at least once and won. Mard Geer, though…I never did kill him. Maybe if I had, the demons wouldn't have come back time and time again. Either way, hearing his voice in my head was a very unwelcome reminder of what needed to be done.
Even worse, I felt like he was talking directly to me. That fact alone made me scowl.
"Here we stand again, at the gates of hell," he said in that overly smug tone. "How many years has it been since we last clashed? Since humanity last proved its worth to be nothing? Surprising that you vermin still manage to infest the demons' gardens."
"Shut up!" I growled underneath my breath, my hands unconsciously tightening while Happy looked at me in worry. Through the telepathic wavelength, Mard Geer heard me.
"Natsu Dragneel, we speak again. Mard Geer is pleased that you are alive," he said haughtily. "You are the only human to have incited anything more than disinterest in Mard Geer. I look forward to fighting with you one last time before your existence is doused."
"Yeah, well, I look forward to scorching your stupid face!" It was a lame insult, but it got my intentions across as best as it could. Mard Geer could obviously care less.
"This is my reason for contacting all of you. Come find me Dragon Slayers. Find me and Zeref, and Mard Geer will bring about an end to this age." Like that, the telepathic communication was cut off and all went silent in our minds. Even Warren's voice didn't pop back in. My fists began unclenching and Wendy stood, the weight of the ages resting behind our eyes. Around us, the sounds of battle had resumed and I saw massive fires from Romeo and Flare directly behind us. Mard Geer's words were the most troubling thing to me in that moment, though.
"Natsu." I closed my eyes at Wendy's voice, not wanting to hear it. Carla had floated on top of her head while Happy and Lucy stared at the both of us. "Please look at me."
"I can't." More like I didn't want to. Wendy didn't want to give me much of a choice. She walked up behind me and hugged my torso tightly. I had experienced it so many times, but this time felt so different. Like a goodbye, almost. I don't know.
"Natsu, you made a promise," she whispered so that only I could hear. "You made a promise that this time things would be different. Were you lying?"
"I wasn't…" I said, that same old memory constantly being dredged up. "They are going to be different this time, Wendy. This time…there's no coming back. Our parents are spent. If we die…"
"I know that," she said softly, sniffling into the back of my shirt. "So we have to win, right? Zeref's all that's left."
"And Mard Geer," I reminded her as I turned around. "Wendy, I'm not sure I can-"
"Natsu Dragneel!" she snapped and I was reminded of the spitfire Wendy was four hundred years ago. "Keep your damn promise! We're the dragon siblings! We don't give up! We've lived countless lives for four hundred years all for this moment! We can't just throw in the towel before we get the chance to break loose! We're dragon slayers, so are we really going to give such pessimistic talk when we still have one thing left to destroy. The Natsu I love would never…"
"Stop," I said, bending down and pulling her into a hug. "Sis…I've missed you so much."
"Me too…Natsu," she sniffled again. I stood back up and grinned, her words infusing me with confidence once again. Wind blew through the area, carrying with it the dust of battles, and the smells. I sniffed with it and was able to easily distinguish the one familiar scent I was looking for: Zeref's.
"All right, let's finish this. I'm coming, Zeref!"
"We're really doing this, huh?" Lucy asked with a grim face. I didn't respond, but it wasn't like she was asking me to. She just breathed in and tied her hair up. "I'm in, right to the end, Natsu."
"Aye, sir!" Happy shouted and I looked at the both of them. Never did I hold the two of them dearer in my heart than right now. Happy, my eternal partner. He was small, but he had more courage than the world combined. And Lucy…well, I don't think there's much more to say about Lucy than I already have.
"Well, then what else is there to say?" I told them with a grin. I threw my fist in and all of the other four joined me with equally silly grins.
"We're all fired up!" Cheesy, but hey.
"All right, Zeref's in New Magnolia," I told them. "The quickest way there is past the cathedral."
"Aye, let's go!" Happy took off first and I led our little troupe right after him, Lucy on one side and Wendy right on the other. Carla quickly sped ahead to join with Happy. This was it. We were heading straight on a collision course for Zeref. My body shivered with determination as I saw the cathedral approaching.
When we came near, it was a practically horrific sight. The graves were split open and numerous skeletons, along with other obviously decomposing bodies, were crawling out of them. That was bad news for the Alliance members fighting near there. Essentially, they were being overrun by a horde of rampaging zombies…like we didn't have enough problems. So, I stepped into the fray and blew a huge billow of flame over the walking corpses. Wendy joined me, as did Lucy who summoned Scorpio. We might as well have done nothing for all the good it ultimately did.
The corpses were still standing, only now their attention was focused on us, heading in a creepy mass right for us. On top of this, the other Alliance members were either joining the Corpse Brigade or were otherwise recovering. They weren't joining us any time soon and we needed to conserve our magic. I still lit my fist on fire and punched at the first skeleton, shattering it to pieces. There was another one right behind it, and plenty more that were swarming like flies. How the hell was this happening?
"Lucy!" Happy cried as he flew down. His tiny hands attempted to grab Lucy out from the crushing weight of the corpses, but he just got buried with her. I was struggling, too, since they had managed to pin my legs.
"The story of the Salamander draws to a close today," a voice murmured from behind the skeletons. I growled loudly when I saw to whom it belonged: that freaky Keyes guy that had appeared on the Grimoire Heart airship. "When will humanity realize its follies? Like that man, Fried, his own vanity led him to the world of the dead. Such repugnant lumps of egotism to believe humanity could stand against demons."
"Don't you dare talk about Fried that way!" I roared. Keyes ignored me while I continued to try and push off the corpses.
"When will humanity cease its idle struggling? Give your bones over to your mortality, to my collection," he said calmly and confidently. "Through me, you will be able to live forever. I have perfected the art thanks to that man, Silver. His vessel was a most fascinating subject."
"Shut your damn mouth!" I looked up just in time to see a large trail of ice freezing everything in the area, including the corpses. I was spared, but I was locked in place. Surprisingly, I didn't mind it when I saw Gray sock Keyes in the face. "Sorry, Natsu, but right now, I can't let you interfere."
"The boy Gray."
"I thought I told you to shut your face!" Gray snapped, his eyes brimming with rage. With a breath of relief, I noticed that it wasn't the same kind of rage that Laxus had held. "You must be the one who killed my dad. And thanks to what you're doing here, I've got a pretty good idea of the crap you did to him. That's why I'm going to take you out for good."
"You will join your family in the afterlife?"
"My family's Fairy Tail, and you're its enemy. Juvia, now!" From a puddle of water behind Keyes, Juvia materialized with an equally fierce gaze.
"Water Slicer!" she screamed and sent the cutting water at the demon. Keyes barely even turned his head at the viciously quick oncoming attack. Turned out hat he didn't need to worry, because as soon as Juvia's attack hit, Keyes broke apart into tiny little black particles. For a brief moment, I thought Juvia had been successful until the freak reformed, looking completely unharmed. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, mostly because he face was entirely blank thanks to his mask.
"Ice Geyser!" Gray was wasting no time in getting flustered. His ice impacted with Keyes and shot him straight upward. The Archbishop of Tartaros was caught in Gray's freezing grip. Or, we would have thought so if the damn demon had stayed locked down for even a few seconds. Instead, he burst into his particles, shattering the ice at the same time before he reformed.
"Your story will come to an end today, too. Just as your father's did." Then he dissolved into the black particles again and shot off straight for Gray. Gray quickly tried another spell called "Gungnir" but the black mist was moving so fast that it missed. Instead, Keyes surrounded Gray's head like an evil black bubble. Even worse, grotesquely so, I saw those particles start to enter Gray in an attempt to choke him.
"Don't hurt Gray-sama! Water Nebula!" Juvia called all the water she could and sent it gushing at Gray. For a second there, I was almost sure Keyes would dodge and Juvia would just hit Gray, but he obviously overestimated his defensive capabilities. He stayed and the pressurized water hit him and blasted him off violently. Gray sank to his knees, choking in recovery from the brutal assault.
"Come on, Gray, get up!" I yelled at him. He turned his head to me with narrowed eyes before chuckling.
"Cold Excalibur!" he roared and his giant ice sword appeared in his hand. Keyes was hurtling at him again in that wicked black mist. Gray was having none of that and he swiped at the demon. Said demon dissolved again to avoid the slice and reappeared quickly. Gray whipped around and sliced again. Yet again, Keyes dissolved in black mist and swirled around towards Gray. He shattered his sword. "That ain't gonna work a second time. Ice Make: Shield!"
"Such petty attempts at prolonging the inevitable," Keyes murmured as he began sending his particles around Gray's shield. "Humanity's vanity lies in its belief that it can ever march to the world's tune, when all the world provides it is ceaseless suffering and death."
"That's why we live all the harder!" Juvia said, suddenly forming as her own human shield between Gray and Keyes. "You and your kind will never understand that, because you're already dead! Water Whip!"
"Ice Make: Deathscythe!" Gray didn't even wait for Juvia to finish her own attack. He created his own attack and sliced right through her body. Even Keyes' dissolving body couldn't avoid the perfectly timed attack. In particular, Gray's attack nailed him and sent him spiraling into one of the frozen pillars of dead bodies. "You need to learn something new about humanity!"
"Humanity?" Keyes mumbled as he began to stand. "Aha…Ha ha ha!" The laugh was grating and horrifying; like the dead themselves were climbing out of the gates of hell. I looked around to see everyone cringing, unable to cover their ears in the ice. The sound was especially damaging to my enhanced hearing and I wanted to break out. But I saw a look on Gray's face that told me to keep out of it.
In that exact moment, there was an unspoken bond of trust between us. It was something that told me he didn't need my help; that he would finish it without me. For once, my urge to get into the middle of an all-out battle was quelled. I relaxed in the ice and closed my eyes for a moment. From here on, I would leave the battle to Frozen Pants. He would win.
"Humanity is naught but repugnant lumps of egotism," Keyes cajoled as he stood. Gray slammed his fist against his palm as Juvia joined him at his side. "You speak about life when you ceaselessly crave death and destruction. Your father was much the same for the time that he walked as a puppet without strings. He would speak of making his body last, to live for his family, but all the while he was plotting to destroy us. I did away with him as soon as I knew."
"Shut the fuck up…" Gray snarled, and his tone was so deep it was scary. "You've got no right to judge us. My dad, even in death, was better than you'll ever be. Ice Make: Unlimited Magic!" I watched with an eyebrow raised as frozen weapons began appeared at mach speed in midair before throwing themselves against their demonic opponent. They pummeled Keyes, but it wasn't enough.
"Gray-sama," Juvia said with a hand on his shoulder. "Juvia will trap him, but you'll need to act quickly."
"You're not-"
"Juvia will be okay." Her body transformed into water and she blasted off, weaving through the storm of swords to tackle Keyes. "Now, Gray-sama! Water Lock!"
It was a little horrifying to say the least. Juvia encapsulated Keyes in water using her own body as Gray ran up and froze her like a giant globe of ice with both Keyes and Juvia trapped in the center. The demon found it amusing. "Same vanity, sacrificing yourselves to defeat me."
"No, Juvia is water. In here, Juvia has all the time in the world to wait for you to drown."
"Ah, but I do not plan on remaining here." He wasn't kidding. Even though he was sealed up in the ice, he was slowly breaking himself down into his particles that were leaking out of the ice. The whole situation was looking hopeless again. How could they beat a guy made of dust?
"Gray-sama," Juvia's voice echoed out. "Juvia cannot hold him in here, but Juvia thinks she can restrain him long enough for you to beat him."
"Juvia, are…are you sure?" Gray asked, his own face suspended in horror.
"Yes," the water girl answered. "Gray-sama…I love you very much." The tears in Gray's eyes said that he felt the same when the globe of ice shattered. Juvia didn't reform; instead, she kept herself as water and entered straight into Keyes' gullet. A little unsanitary if you ask me. Gray's fists clenched but he still composed himself enough to charge at the stationary demon.
"Dance of the Frenzied Masses! And Ice Bringer!" he screamed, two icy swords forming as he sliced through Keyes while his collection of ice pummeled him. A lot of things happened at once. The slash on Keyes' chest started gushing with water and those strange particles. Due to Gray's attack, Juvia was flung out of Keyes, and it was that action that caused the demon to suddenly explode, his skeletal mask breaking to pieces, finally defeated. Juvia hit the ground a rolled along, completely unconscious while the ice and dead bodies released their grip on us. We were instantly running for Juvia, even if Gray had gotten there first.
"She's alive, right?' Lucy asked desperately. I was pretty worried myself, but I didn't voice it.
"Barely," Gray said, his voice choked up. "I have to get her to Porlyusica."
"Yeah…" I breathed, shoving my hands into what was left of my pockets. "Be careful out there, Gray. Don't die."
"Same to you," he said as he picked Juvia up in his arms. "I'll try to join in on the fun of beating Zeref, so leave some room for me to get in some hits."
"Of course. Let's move, guys!" Lucy seemed to want to help Juvia out, but we all knew that she was in good hands. We had a different job to do. With the way everyone was going down or falling back to the school, I knew that it was my job to finish the job. Until then, I had to move forward, one foot in front of the other. Finally, we managed to depart from the cathedral and were heading for New Magnolia.
"I hope everyone's okay," Happy said dolefully from above me.
"Don't worry, little buddy. Everyone fighting is stronger than they look," I told him. I couldn't bring myself to admit that I was kind of worried myself. I just steeled my nerved and pressed forward. A nearby building exploded and I saw the form of Cana skidding along the ground before throwing some cards that sent raging bolts of lightning at some demons.
"Cana!" Lucy cried and the brunette turned to look at us, a nasty gash on her face. Wendy instantly went to heal her.
"You guys…are going for Zeref…right?" she asked, continuing to grip her cards tightly. I gave no answer, which appeared to be good enough. "I'll back you up…hold the line here."
"Cana, you're hurt."
"I'm fine, Lucy," she insisted before tossing a card into the air that burst with a bright light. I looked up at it and noticed it was a signal of some sort, but it made no sense to me. "Get going, Natsu! The others will make sure you get to Zeref!"
"Are you sure?" I asked, worried for her as she struggled to stand. She glared at me so hard I knew there was no changing her mind. She was in this as a fight to the death, and she was trusting me to finish it. It wasn't about just us, but everyone, and I saw that Cana understood that. So, I nodded and grabbed Lucy and Wendy's arms, that action telling them we were on the move. No sooner had we turned a corner than a huge explosion blasted from where Cana was. The others wanted to turn back but I kept my eyes forward.
A new onslaught of demons was pouring onto the road in front of me. I lit my hands on fire, but before I reached them, Chelia and Eve from Blue Pegasus swooped in to attack them, cutting us a clean path. Eve nodded subtly at me, and I kept running. I had the feeling that more members of the Alliance were going to run in to help out so I just focused on keeping my pace. My theory was proven right as when each horde of demons made its appearance, an Alliance member or two would jump in to fend them off. It must have been Cana's signal that had done the trick. Even though I hated leaving them all behind, I knew what I had to do.
"Do you guys hear that?" Lucy asked in a panting breath. Wendy stopped to listen.
"Sounds like…water…" Wendy's face suddenly elongated in terror as I realized what rushing water meant. "Lucy!"
Wendy's warning came too late. The water we'd heard came rushing around a corner like a gigantic tidal wave. My hand reached for Lucy's and she reached for me. Our fingers touched just as I felt something lifting me away. She suddenly retracted her hand and quietly said "Go." Then I was yanked away from her and above the torrent of water.
"Lucy!" I screamed in tandem with Wendy. For a brief moment, I felt my heart clench at the thought of Lucy's potential death. That is, until her head broke the surface and she grabbed onto a random floating piece of wood amidst the waves. My relief at her survival lasted only a second until I saw the giant shark cutting a path towards her. "Lucy, run!"
"Huh?" she gasped, out of breath. I could only watch in horror as the darkened form of Torafuzar slammed across her body, throwing her into a building. The shark whirled around.
"Get me down there, Happy!" Happy was ready to oblige when a different black shape was hurtling toward Torafuzar from the air.
"It's Gajeel!" Wendy cheered. I looked level with us and noticed Lily setting Levy down on a rooftop before flying for Lucy. Gajeel, in the meantime, extended his metal arm to slam Torafuzar in the face.
"About time you got here, Metal Head!" I yelled.
"Shut it, Salamander! I'm busy!" he yelled back. "Back me up here, Levy!"
"Stone!" Levy yelled and I saw her write the word "stone" which fell in big stone blocks upon Torafuzar's head. Might as well have been paper for all the good it did, other than getting the shark's attention. Lily was safe though, and was dragging Lucy to the roof nearest us.
"She's ice cold," Carla commented. Thank you, Miss Obvious, it's the middle of winter! I put my hands on her and began heating her body while Wendy set about her healing process.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Lily commented. "Leave this battle to Gajeel." I turned my head to see how the battle was faring. For Levy, it wasn't well. Torafuzar was barreling for her, to the point that he leapt out of the water in a raging arc for her.
"Wall!" Levy screamed and a wall of words appeared before her. Torafuzar slammed into it and through it. The defense slowed him down, but not by much and he headbutted Levy, ripping multiple times across her body as she slid across the roof.
"Hey, Shark-face," Gajeel taunted, "your fight's with me! Iron Dragon's Spear: Demon Logs!" Torafuzar turned as the attack impaled him. Obviously, that was enough for the demon to get seriously annoyed because he instantly dove back into the water. Gajeel went under and I watched as he sent an Iron Dragon's Club at Torafuzar while the shark-man was swimming at him. It was a mistake, because the attack recoiled and Gajeel snapped his hand back to grip it in pain. Torafuzar was still going, too, his jet like speed almost upon Gajeel. Gajeel grimaced and as Torafuzar was set upon him, Gajeel swam to the side and, with as much force as he could in the water, sent an Iron Dragon's Sword into the fiend's stomach. Torafuzar was flung back and slammed into a building. Gajeel surfaced for air.
"I haven't had this challenging a battle against you in quite some time, Black Steel," he said gleefully. "Fitting for our final one. Etherious Form!"
The burst of energy that came from Torafuzar's body crumbled the various buildings near him (like the water wasn't doing that already). Gajeel struggled to stay afloat amidst all that and mere seconds after his transformation, Torafuzar made it worse. From his body came a blackness eerily similar to Keyes' particles. It made the water so dark that I couldn't see any part of Gajeel that was in the water. After the demon's next move of swimming at him, I couldn't see him at all. Gajeel didn't resurface at all, and there were no air bubbles. Lucy was coughing beside me and I made a decision.
"Watch over her, Wendy," I said, throwing my shirt off to jump in the water. I had almost reached the edge of the building when I saw Levy running at full speed towards the edge of her own. "What are you doing, Levy?"
She didn't answer, only diving off the building and into the water. I could only stand and watch, hoping that the both of them would make it out alive. My body was shaking, when a light suddenly appeared from beneath the black water and I could see into its depths. Torafuzar was writhing, blinded by the light as Levy made her way to Gajeel and produced an air bubble around them. Gajeel still didn't move so she opened his mouth and kissed him. Okay, fine, she was giving him air. Whatever you call it, it worked because Gajeel retained consciousness. Levy seemed to say something to him and Gajeel retorted back angrily. It almost looked like they were arguing until Gajeel's body covered itself in shadows and he shot away from the air bubble at incredible speed towards Torafuzar.
The shark demon recovered just in time to have Gajeel impale the guy through his chest with his shadow sword. Gajeel then swam upward and threw Torafuzar against another building while Levy joined him.
"Gajeel, eat this! Steel!" she cried, attempting to not swallow any water.
"You idiot! I eat iron, not steel!"
"Then man up and get a steel back bone!" Levy snapped. Gajeel snarled for a moment before grabbing the word shaped hunk of metal and biting into it, devouring the snack in seconds.
"Gee hee, Salamander, watch this!" he cried. "A one time Steel Dragon Slayer Special. Steel Dragon's Sword!" Combined with his shadow powers, Gajeel sliced his powered up attack right through Torafuzar's body, dicing him to pieces. The shark demon was defeated. Seconds later, the water began draining. Lucy sat up and Lily went to go pick up Gajeel and Levy.
"So, what took you so damn long, Metal head? You should have finished that guy in seconds," I said once the two had joined us.
"Shut up, I was runnin' low on magic power before I jumped into the fray. You should be lucky that Lily got Bunny Girl out of there when he did," Gajeel snapped back. I just smirked in return, deciding to save the ammo of Levy's obvious kiss for later.
"This isn't the time to be arguing, boys," Levy chastised the both of us. "We've got a war to win here!"
"Yeah, yeah, shrimp," he responded, patting her on the head. Lucy was coming to stand now.
"Right…" I said as I smiled at her recovery. "Mard Geer's all that's left of the big demons."
"Then let's get moving," Lily said sternly. Gajeel walked over to the edge and I joined him, the both of us peering out over New Magnolia. At the same moment, we followed Zeref's scent to where it was most concentrated. Our faces tightened when we smelled just where he was.
"Makes sense," Gajeel commented bitterly. "Of course it was all going to end there." Wendy had joined us now and we didn't need to say anything to her for her to realize where we were going: the Magnolia Psychiatric Facility. I looked to both of my siblings. "Final battle, huh?"
"Yeah…" I breathed. Gajeel grinned at the thought as he turned away. He strode over to Levy and picked her up easily while Lily grabbed him. I followed suit and did the same with Lucy. Happy grabbed us and Carla grabbed Wendy. It appeared that even our cats knew where we were going, though it was hardly a surprise since we'd all come from there.
We floated over the ruined New Magnolia. Plenty of wizards were fighting below, but the battle was almost becoming a war of attrition. We'd have to put a stop to it soon. We were coming upon the Psychiatric Facility fast and I narrowed my eyes in order to see the place just a little sharper. I couldn't quite see Zeref, but I did see Mard Geer standing nonchalantly on the steps leading inward. I also saw a squirming mass of writhing demons teeming the streets that surrounded him. That was bad news. The second we'd step into the battle with Mard Geer, those demons would pounce.
"Let us down, Natsu," Lucy said from my arms. "You go after the head honcho. We'll take care of the army of freaks." I was reluctant, but when Lucy gets that steely look in her eyes, you don't deny her. I nodded and let go of her as Gajeel let Levy fall. Lucy swung in swiftly with her whip while Levy created steps that crushed her enemies. I was sure I heard a faint, "Hey, you know any hot guys?" before Lucy summoned Loke and I turned away.
"Natsu…" Happy said quietly from above me. "I…I wanna help Lucy!"
"All right then, little buddy," I said. "Let me at the big guy and you can go help her out."
"Aye, sir! Max Sped!" Happy increased his peed along with the others and we quickly cleared the army of what now appeared to be clones. Mard Geer was in sight and Happy let go of me. Carla and Lily let go of the other two as we hurtled towards the smug looking Mard Geer.
"Let's go! Arms! Armor! Vernier! Enchant!" Wendy screamed as we fell, her enhancement spells wrapping their way around our bodies. My body ignited and I snapped my arms to my sides.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" I roared as Gajeel sent his club at him. Mard Geer stood there calmly and with one hand, moved Gajeel's attack aside just enough to miss. I kept going, but he also dodged my own attack and I rolled up the steps before settling into a crouch.
"Thorn Brambles," the demon king said lazily. From his hands came a spiral of thorns that splashed out towards Gajeel and I. I rolled to the side and then tossed myself into the rotation of the thorns to aim straight for Mard Geer. Gajeel was just taking his Iron Dragon's Sword and was frenetically slashing through them as we approached out enemy. He actually seemed surprised by this when we reached him and both of us made a quick pummel of him in the face. Mard Geer flipped back.
"Sky Dragon's Tornado!" Wendy screamed and Gajeel and I leapt back. Her hair was pink again and she sent a giant tornado whipping upward and consuming Mard Geer. Obviously, the demon was not going to take it lying down and he sent more of his thorns at Wendy, not only destroying her attack, but sending her on the defensive. She dashed to the side, disappearing before the thorns could hit her, trying to close the gap between her and our opponent.
"You are not the human Mard Geer wishes to fight. Be gone," Mard Geer said coldly, flicking his fingers upward. The thorns moved so quickly that even Wendy couldn't dodge it. They jutted upwards and trapped her in a tightly enclosed thorny cage. She tried to move, but the thorns just cut into her legs and arms and kept growing. Wendy screamed. I growled loudly and ran for her. Mard Geer turned to me and sent a thorny whip at me. He wasn't going to let me get close.
"White Dragon's Roar!" The incoming laser made Mard Geer turn his head in time for both Gajeel and I to punch him in the stomach and send him flying. It was sheer luck that we managed to hit him into the path of the laser so it could impact because Sting's attack had been aimed at freeing Wendy. Our little sister went flying into the air, but Rogue caught her and placed her down. Both were in Dragon Force. "Who cares what humans you want to face? You mess with one of our family, you mess with all of us."
"You annoy Mard Geer. Garden!" With another whip of his fingers, the whole ground churned and broke apart with our enemy's thorns. Sting and Gajeel managed to avoid the first wave of them, but Rogue had taken the time to push Wendy away and the thorns had encapsulated his feet, digging into them without remorse.
"Fine. You want to fight me," I screamed, "then, let's fight on even ground. Fire Dragon's Iron Fist! Widespread!" I sent my flaming fist hurling into the ground and its fire spread outward, obliterating the thorns quickly. Mard Geer quirked an eyebrow at this development.
"Your fight's with us now, loser!" Sting said, propelling himself close to Mard Geer. Rogue was right at hi side. Sting's hands glowed white and he made rapid punches at Mard Geer, which the demon easily batted aside like it was air. Rogue was behind him in seconds using his shadows.
"Shadow Dragon's Slash!" Rogue slashed at his back, but Mard Geer threw his hand behind himself and blocked the blow. Sting was still mobile and he sunk his fist right into Mard Geer's face, sending him back while Rogue rejoined Sting. "Together, Sting!"
"White-Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" Sting and Rogue executed their attack perfectly, but I should have known it wasn't enough to stop Mard Geer. Hell, they hadn't even had a moment to blink before he caught their hands and threw them casually but with force in the direction of Wendy, the three all crashing into each other. Gajeel and I were up.
"Iron Dragon's Spear: Demon Logs!" Mard Geer turned back and began batting aside the attacks. I had to thank Metal Head. He had the guy so focused on his attack that Mard Geer wasn't able to easily notice my own incoming strike.
"Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!" I roared as I began pummeling the smug bastard in the face. I did some pretty good damage, but Mard Geer kept on smirking. It didn't take long to figure out why: I was way too damn close to him and I would pay for it by getting my body ripped apart by thorns.
"Poison Dragon's Spiral Twister!" Mard Geer didn't see that coming. Nor did I for that matter, but I guess Erik just wanted to steal my thunder. The ground underneath melted away and I dropped just enough for Erik's attack to hit Mard Geer. It was closely followed by a ginormous bolt of lightning that I was surprised hadn't vaporized Mard Geer. Laxus was in the game. I took the distraction to leap out of the hole as all six of the other dragon slayers stood by my side.
"Sorry, Natsu," Laxus said. "We got waylaid by that damn clone army on the streets."
"Yeah, if it wasn't for Jellal and some other assistance, we wouldn't have made it out," Erik admitted.
"How's everyone back at base?" I asked. Laxus flashed me a grin and I breathed a little easier.
"This is what I loathe about humans, even Zeref," Mard Geer said, dusting himself off. "You have a tendency to prattle on about such insignificancies. I must admit it frustrates me. Mard Geer is frustrated. Etherious Form!" Damn, we had to finish this fight fast. If there was one thing I knew about Mard Geer it was that when he entered his Etherious Form, it meant he was serious and the fight was going to end soon one way or another. So, we had to come out the winners.
"I can hear it…his intention to kill us," Erik said plainly.
"Let's not give him a chance," Laxus snapped as the smoke cleared and Mard Geer stood before us in his demonic armor. "Incoming!"
From Mard Geer's body came a ridiculous number of brambles and thorns. I lit my body on fire and burned away the ones heading for me. Gajeel took up the slack for the others, extending both arms to intercept the thorns as iron poles. Once they were locked in place, Erik dashed over and dissolved them with his poison. Almost immediately after the attack finished, Erik and Gajeel sank to one knee. We were all running low. It was time to end this.
"Let's combine our most powerful attacks right now!" I yelled. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"
"Karmic Demon Iron God Sword!"
"Shattering Light: Sky Drill!"
"Holy Nova!"
"Shadow Dragon's Roar!"
"Poison Dragon's Roar!"
"Roaring Thunder!" All of our attacks converged. They didn't quite combine, but that amount of attacks all impacting at once is sure to do some damage. We waited for the smoke to clear, but I wasn't surprised to still see Mard Geer standing, though his armor was broken.
"You actually look enraged," I said to him, commenting on the sheer anger on his face. "That's a surprise!"
"Mard Geer is enraged."
"Careful, he's about to do a widespread thorn attack," Erik warned all of us. "No…he's going to change the direction of the-"
"Silence, human!" Mard Geer said and the thorns exploded. Even with Cobra's hearing, it was next to impossible to determine where they would all strike. We couldn't act without that knowledge. So, I acted on instinct. I ran straight for Wendy, who was easily the most open of us. As I reached her, I saw a few shadows jump out of the dust. I only just noticed them to be Gray, Erza, Jellal and Lucy as they deflected the attacks. Then the red hot pain hit.
Mard Geer's attack sliced through my chest, impaling me for a moment until Gray came by and cut the thorns away. It didn't stop the pain from the attack and I had to stop myself from vomiting blood until the pain just as suddenly stopped. I looked down and saw Wendy's hands over my wound, healing it…along with the massive hole in her own chest.
"W…Wendy…" I whispered, revisiting those horrible memories. The glow around her hands flickered out and she reached up, but lost the strength to do so.
"Promise me…you'll win…" she said. I wasn't able to answer her before her body went limp.
In fact, everything went silent as I stared at her, the tears coming to my eyes. At least, the tears came before the rage started. I stood, my body shaking as lightning and fire surrounded me. Mard Geer could never realize the dragon he'd just awoken. I shot forward and grabbed him before throwing him to the ground. Gajeel, Sting and Rogue were at my side in seconds. Mard Geer counterattacked, his thorn whip flying out and grabbing Rogue's foot, breaking it with a sharp cry before slamming him into Sting. Gajeel turned into a shadow and appeared underneath Mard Geer, holding him down.
"Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" I roared as I slammed into him just as Gajeel let go. Mard Geer attempted to stand but Laxus zapped over to him and pinned him.
"Finish him!" he screamed.
"Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Blade!"
"Karmic Demon: Shadow God Sword!" Both of our attacks, filled with rage, split Mard Geer down the middle. He almost looked shocked, but I didn't care. I'd have him suffer that death a thousand times if I had to. I felt no pity for him as he disappeared. Laxus fell with him. Mard Geer was done.
So was…Wendy…
My rage subsided and the grief set in.
I truly believe there comes a point where all hope just leaves you. For me, it was that moment as I sank to my knees, almost empty on magic power and the despair of having lost my little sister consuming me. I crawled forward, just noticing that Gajeel's leg had been ripped through by a thorn. There was also the sound of that army approaching and the others looking to hold them back. I finally reached Wendy and lightly touched her cold body.
"Wendy…" I gasped. "Wake up, please…Please…" She wouldn't. "Please don't leave. I need to keep my promise to you, Wendy." Of course, she didn't answer and I began sobbing. Then I felt a hand on my back before it was removed.
"Natsu-san…" It was Sting. "I…I know how you feel…but we have to go…Zeref…"
"But Wendy-"
"I know," Sting said quietly. I could barely even hear him. I didn't want to hear him. I couldn't even move through my exhaustion and mental grief. "Look, Natsu-san…I've never been as strong as you. I always wanted to believe I was; that we'd be like real brothers in that regard. But I'm not…I can't do things on my own. I always need your help. I'm weak like that.
"But right now, I'm telling you to stay strong. I'm telling you to stand up and fight Zeref!"
"Sting, I can't-"
"You can, Natsu-san! Because I believe in you! We all do!" he cried, his own tears falling. I still couldn't believe him. Then I felt his hands under my body. "I've always been weaker, but that's why I looked up to you. Natsu, I'm saying…if you can't do this alone…then let me do it with you! Come on!"
I will never forget what Sting did that day.
Despite being just as physically and emotionally broken as I was, Sting lifted me off the ground, draped me across his shoulders and carried me.
He carried me all the way to Zeref.
Author's Note:…Review. Dare to Be Silly.