Meanwhile, the battle of Mount Olympus was nearing its ultimate conclusion. The Demon Gates overpowered and captured almost every god and goddess, and only Igneel was left on his own. Because the Etherious had become far deadlier and much stronger than they were eons ago, the gods' defeat was all but certain. But the king of Olympus, ever brave and courageous, wasn't willing to surrender.
"GET BACK, BLAST YOU!" Igneel roared, and he hurled his mighty fire breath again, but Ezel's solid rock body continued to break through. Clenching his fists, the Rock Etherious raised them and smashed open the gates of Olympus in one single movement.
"Oooh!" Mard exclaimed. "That's GOT to hurt!"
"Igneel…" Ezel growled. The Demon Gates were one step closer to getting their revenge.
At the docks of Crocus, citizens were fleeing the city, which had just been attacked by Franmalth a while ago. Between the chaos, the destruction, and the desperate attempts to hold things together, the capital city of Fiore had devolved into something of a literal demolition derby. The ships would be filled with people seeking stability across the ocean to hopefully avoid Franmalth's wrath. Right now, there was only one ship left, and dozens of desperate citizens boarded the ship before its departure.
"C'mon, hurry up! We're shovin' off here!" the captain called out to the last passenger about to board the ship. It was Yajima, who remained hurt and embittered after Natsu rejected and disowned him. Throughout his career, many heroes trained under him and failed. Even his new pupil, consumed by evil temptations and false love, failed to meet his expectations.
Yajima's hopes for training the greatest hero of all time had been dashed, this time for good. He may as well face the facts; he was a bad teacher, a bad trainer, and a failure… and he would never establish anything.
"Yaj!" a familiar voice cried. Yajima turned to see Lucy flown by Happy's wings.
"Oh, it's you," Yajima recognized with a frown, crossing his arms. "Having another date with your boyfriend, I suppose?"
"There's no time!" Lucy shook her head. "You gotta come with us! Natsu needs your help!"
"So, Natsu needs my help, huh?" Yajima said sarcastically. He then scoffed, "Ha! What does he need me for when he's got friends like you?"
"He won't listen to me," Lucy protested.
"Good! He's finally learned something!" Yajima spat, and he turned away in disgust for the boat.
"Listen to me, you crusty old cheapskate!" Happy yelled angrily, blocking Yajima's path. "Mard Geer stole Natsu's magic and sent a monster to kill him! And you're gonna abandon him JUST BECAUSE HE'S IN LOVE WITH LUCY?!"
Yajima asked incredulously, "W-What? Mard Geer? Natsu's magic stolen? Monster?!"
Lucy reasoned, "Look, Yaj, I know we had our differences, but right now, this isn't about me. It's about him. If you don't help him now, he'll die."
Yajima's heart raced with worry. The news of Natsu's impending doom sounded displeasing.
"I NEED REINFORCEMENTS!" Igneel demanded.
Leo reported worriedly, "All our defense forces have been wiped out, my Lord. Everyone's been captured." Kain and Rustyrose emerged from the clouds, grabbed Leo, and dragged him away. "I'VE been captured! Hey, watch the suit!"
Before he could attempt to save Leo, Igneel was surrounded by Jackal and Seilah. The two shot lava and ice from their mouths, trapping Igneel in a solid mound of mixed elements that went way up top. He tried to break free, but the casing quickly hardened, preventing any chance of escape.
Mard Geer steered his chariot above Igneel's level with a wicked smile. He greeted mockingly, "Iggy, I'm home!"
"Mard Geer!" Igneel growled, his face blanched with shock and fury. "YOU'RE BEHIND THIS?!"
"That's right!" Mard roared with laughter. "You should've seen the look on your face when I brought those Etherious over!"
"Why are you doing this?" Igneel demanded.
"I thought it was clearly obvious, brother," Mard chuckled sinisterly. "I'm here to take over! I've released a few friends of mine to come along for the ride." He gestured to the six Demon Gates, "And I would like to take this moment to thank the little fire boy who helped make this day a smashing success!"
"Little fire boy…? Natsu!" Igneel gasped. "What have you done to my son?!"
"If you think your son's coming to save you, you're terribly mistaken," Mard smirked. "The source of his strength is gone, his spirit is shattered, and as we speak, he's going for a halo."
"No…" Igneel whispered fearfully.
"And now, it's time to finish what I've started long time ago!" Mard declared. "The Demon Gates I released have grown more powerful since you last imprisoned them. Now their strength goes beyond any Olympian! With their help, my victory was assured. For too long, I've been living in the shadow of those pansy Olympians. I've been denied my rightful place. But no more! I'll be the new ruler of Olympus! I'll have a new home from above instead of below. And more importantly, the cosmos will be MINE!"
The Lord of the Dead laughed triumphantly, and the six Demon Gates bellowed in victory, as a black shadow fell over the clouds of Olympus.
Back at Crocus, Natsu and Franmalth were still battling. The Cyclops Etherious laughed wickedly, deriving great pleasure at the complete suffering of his opponent. Natsu was kicked and tossed like a ball, and it often followed with smacks from Franmalth's cane that sent him crashing into stuff. Could this day get any worse?
"Flea!" Franmalth mocked. He flicked Natsu away with his cane again, sending him crashing into multiple houses until he stopped into an old cart lying in the street. The salmon-haired boy collapsed in complete exhaustion, his body completely bruised.
A few miles away from Franmalth, Wendy, Romeo, Carla, and Gajeel spotted him at the northwest corner of the city. "There it is!" Wendy noticed.
"So this is the monster, huh?" Gajeel smirked. "This should be fun. My first real fight in a very long time!"
Romeo grinned jokingly, "Welcome back to the mortal world, Gajeel!"
"We must focus!" Carla reminded. "Natsu is in danger! We must help him!"
Just then, a loud hiss erupted, stopping them in their tracks. "Huh? What was that?" Romeo wondered.
"Did you guys hear a hiss? It sounded like a train or something," Gajeel stated.
A few seconds later, the hiss intensified and grew louder. The noise came from a gigantic cloud of fog which appeared out of nowhere and smothered more than half of the city in its misty blanket. Wendy and her group were trapped in the fog's embrace, much to their confusion.
"Behold…" Keyes's voice echoed. "I am the Mist Etherious. I am nowhere and everywhere. I am the fog itself. All my victims were lost in the labyrinth of mist."
Ignoring Keyes, Carla turned to her friends and asked, "Goodness gracious, what happened here? Why should a fog appear in the middle of the city?"
Gajeel assumed, "Must've been the weather conditions. Chagot's got a little problem changing the seasons."
Hearing Chagot's name brought worry to Carla's heart. She muttered to herself, "Mother…"
"Leave it to me. I'll eat the fog. I've done this before," Wendy offered with a smile. With that, she strongly inhaled, and she sucked the fog in, unaware that it was Keyes's body she was eating.
"W-Wait! What are you doing?! You're eating my…" Keyes screamed, horrified to see Wendy swallowing his misty body. Within seconds, less than half of his giant body remained. "No! NO! NOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO…"
Those were the last words of the Mist Etherious, who was completely swallowed up by Wendy's ability to eat air, leaving behind small traces of fog that disappeared from the city. Who would've imagined that a 12-year old demigoddess could defeat an Etherious, an omnipotent being, in his own game?
"Whoo!" Wendy wiped her mouth, energized by the air she devoured. She cheered, "Like Natsu used to say, I've got a fire in my belly!"
Romeo chuckled, "More like air!"
"This could work to our advantage," Carla suggested. "With all of the air she consumed, Wendy could subdue the monster with great force."
"You're right! I can do this! If Natsu can do anything, so can I!" Wendy cried in determination.
Meanwhile, Franmalth was approaching a defeated Natsu, preparing to deliver the final blow. He laughed delightfully, "I'm going to enjoy beating the tar out of you!"
"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy inhaled and fired a gust of wind towards Franmalth. Only this time, it was gigantic and a thousand times more powerful, due to all the air she consumed from Keyes's body.
"Huh?" Franmalth noticed the incoming attack.
BOOM! The Sky Dragon's Roar struck Franmalth's chest, pushing him towards the mountains and destroying them on impact. The Cyclops Etherious groaned of his injury, and fell unconscious.
Romeo, Carla, Gajeel, and some of the citizens witnessing the whole thing were completely stunned of Wendy's incredible feat. Their faces froze with shock, and their bodies refused to budge.
"I did it! I took out that monster!" Wendy cried happily, but paused to see the priceless looks on everybody's faces. "Huh? What's wrong? Did I miss anything?"
Natsu sprawled on the ground, sustaining grievous injuries from the intense beating he suffered. He never imagined it would end this way— with his magic gone, his demise seemed inevitable. Just one more blow, and it would be the death of him…
"Natsu!" three voices cried. They belonged to Wendy, Romeo, and Carla, who rushed to tend their friend's weakened state.
"Wendy… Romeo… Carla…" Natsu breathed. "I thought you were…"
"Sorry it took so long, Natsu," Wendy said softly. "But we're here now. I'll heal you." She inched her hands closer to Natsu's body. The moment they glowed, the injuries slowly began to heal, and the salmon-haired boy took slow and steady breaths.
"I knew you'd be there for me," Natsu wheezed, caressing Wendy's warm cheek. "Thank you…"
"Natsu…" Wendy whispered, as she felt a single tear trail down her cheek.
"We're sorry. We're so sorry," Romeo tried his best to fight back his own tears. "We should've stayed with you."
Natsu chuckled weakly, "It's okay. You've got nothing to worry about. That what friends are for." He turned to Gajeel, "And who are you? I've never seen you before."
Gajeel introduced himself, "The name's Gajeel. You're Natsu the Fire Dragon Slayer, right?"
"Yeah," Natsu nodded. "Well, I used to be…"
"Natsu!" another voice yelled. It belonged to Yajima, who landed safely along with Lucy and Happy.
"Yaj," Natsu croaked in relief.
"NATSU!" Happy sobbed, hugging Natsu's stomach. "I THOUGHT I'D NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!"
Natsu greeted tiredly, "Hey, Happy."
Yajima came over to Natsu and urged, "Come on, Natsu. Snap out of it! The monster won't stay down for long! You have to fight back! You can take out this large brute. I know you can! He's just a pushover!"
"Who am I kidding? I failed," Natsu moaned despairingly. "My magic is gone, and I've been beaten to death by a huge one-eyed freak. Worst of all, I left everyone unprotected." He pounded his fist against the ground in frustration, "Mard was right. I'm just a… a zero."
Happy shouted in disbelief, "No! Don't say that! Please, don't say that! You're not like that!"
Yajima snapped, "Now is not the time to beat yourself up! We need you now!"
"I'm some hero…" Natsu murmured dreadfully. "You were right all along, Yaj. Dreams are for rookies."
"No, no, no, no, no. That's not what I meant," Yajima shook his head. "Giving up is for rookies. Your friends came back because they're not giving up on you, and neither am I. I'm willing to go the distance." He paused to let this sink in, "How about you?"
For a moment, Natsu seemed to contemplate his teacher's words. His face softened, and he gave a bright smile, the words getting through to him.
And then, Franmalth jumped from the mountains and landed back into the city with a loud thud, having recovered from Wendy's Sky Dragon's Roar. Though he was struck hard, his insanity never wavered. "Looks like I've been struck by a mighty gust of wind! How much of a sin does it cost, I wonder?"
"Uh-oh," Wendy, Romeo, Gajeel, Lucy, Happy, Carla, and Yajima gulped in unison.
Laughing evilly, Franmalth caught Natsu's body in his hand, intent on finishing the young hero off. "I'm about to have one salmon-haired kid for breakfast!"
Emblazoned by Yajima's words of encouragement, Natsu came prepared. Taking a piece of burning wood moments before Franmalth could bite his head off, Natsu threw it towards the monster's eye. Blinded by the small embers, Franmalth screamed in pain and was forced to release Natsu from his grip. While the Etherious was distracted, Natsu quickly grabbed a long rope and tied it around Franmalth's legs, knotting them together. In the end, the Cyclops Etherious tripped and fell off a cliff into a deep pit nearby. BOOM! A colossal bang was heard, indicating that Franmalth was the second of the Eight Demon Gates to have fallen in battle.
Exhausted from his ordeals, Natsu smiled in satisfaction. Even without his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, he was still capable of doing the impossible.
But that victory was short lived, however. The loud crash caused a pillar to come loose and fall towards Natsu!
"Natsu, look out!" Lucy screamed. She pushed him out of the way, only for the pillar to fall on her instead. BOOM!
"LUUUUUCCCCCCY!" Natsu let out a anguished scream of the blonde-haired girl's name. The rest of his friends were stunned of the terrible accident.
Desperate to save Lucy, the salmon-haired boy grasped the edges of the pillar, using all of his strength— what's left of it— to lift it up. Just then, a dim light surrounded Natsu the moment he touched the pillar. The light softened his injuries, healing faster than Wendy's Sky Magic. Strength returned to his muscles. And then…
…his hands ignited with fire! Natsu's burning fingers broke through the pillar, and in an instant, the entire structure shattered into a million pieces of rock. Everyone couldn't believe their eyes. His Fire Dragon Slayer Magic had returned!
Romeo exclaimed, "Whoa! Natsu! Your hands are burning again!"
Wendy stated, "Your Fire Dragon Slayer Magic is back!"
Happy cheered, "Hooray! The fire is back!"
Natsu, too, was surprised by the sudden return of his magic. He asked, "What's happening?"
Lucy was released from the pillar, but it wasn't for the better. She lay flat on the ground, crushed by the awesome might of the object, and most of her body was rendered immobile. Using her remaining strength, Lucy explained, "M-Mard's deal is broken. He promised I wouldn't get hurt."
"Lucy…" Natsu was heavily confused. She was willing to sacrifice herself for him? "Why… Why did you… You didn't have to…"
Lucy smiled weakly, "People always do crazy things when they're in love."
"Oh, Lucy…" Natsu whispered, overcome with emotions. He still loved her, and she loved him because of what she was forced to do. "Lucy, I… I…"
"Are you always this articulate?" Lucy giggled tiredly. Natsu smiled back, remembering those words the first time they met.
Romeo asked Wendy, "Can't you use your Sky Magic to heal her?"
"I tried," Wendy responded, showing her glowing hands. "But this injury is very strange to me. It doesn't seem to heal, no matter how hard I tried."
Carla insisted, "Save your energy, child. The more you use your magic, it will risk draining your strength. Use it if you really need to."
"You haven't got much time, Natsu. You can still stop Mard," Lucy suggested.
Wendy agreed, "She's right! We can't let Mard Geer get away with this! Everyone's counting on us!"
Romeo added, "We'll show that freak what happens when you mess with Team Natsu. And if that means we're fighting giant monsters, that's fine by me!"
Happy nodded, "Aye. It's gonna be hard, but we'll do anything as long as we work together!"
Carla added, "For the sake of everyone we hold dear, we will never give up."
Yajima offered, "I'll stay here and watch over her. You kids better be going." He pushed a rock under Lucy's head to prop it up.
"You're gonna be alright," Natsu said to Lucy with a deep sigh. "I promise." He turned to his friends with fierce determination and strong resolve, "Let's go, guys!"
Wendy, Romeo, Happy, and Carla shouted, "YEAH!"
"Rainbow Fire: Rocket Feet!" Romeo's legs blazed with multicolored fire, enabling him to fly. Happy and Carla lifted Natsu and Wendy with their paws and flew up into the air, and Romeo followed soon after. The young heroes' next destination: Mount Olympus.
"No fair," Gajeel grumbled. "I wanna join the fight, too! I wanna give Mard a piece of my own mind. I mean, I'm a Dragon Slayer, too! I'm the son of Metalicana! How come I don't get to have any fun?"
Yajima shrugged, "Well, at least you can help me watch over Lucy."
"Oh, sure," Gajeel said sarcastically. "Just sit around and do nothing but babysit Natsu's down-for-the-count girlfriend." He added with a deep groan, "This sucks."