The Flaming Dragon Slayer
A/N: As the allied guild begin turning the tides of the battle in the front lines, the cave entrance and shrine defense continue their battle against the remaining shadow monsters. However, the battle is still difficult as Erza's team and Makarov's continue their respective fights. Can Natsu and Erza defeat the remaining enemies or will they fail?
All right, this chapter was originally part of chapter 27, but it became so long that I decided to split it into two. However, this chapter will be nowhere as long as the previous, but it should still be a lengthy amount. Anyhow, I want to thank everyone for reading, reviewing, favoring, and following my story. Now, enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Fairy Tail.
*SC* = Scene Change
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
"Telepathy"
Chapter 28: Defend the Shrine
Len stands in the middle of the battlefield as the shadow dragons attack the allied guilds and Rune Knights. Standing in front of him is Erza, the woman known as Titania. Erza stares at Len as she tries to understand why this man will not care for his own comrades. However, she decides to ignore it and concentrate on eliminating this man. She takes a step forward as she changes armor once again. Erza reveals her new armor as the Lightning Empress Armor.
"What do you plan on using with that?" asked Jellal.
"He uses sand at a quick pace," replied Erza. "Perhaps I can use lightning to counter it."
Sand begins to appear around Len as he raises his right hand causing the sand to follow his movements. Erza raises her spear preparing to fight the sand mage. Jellal steps forward, causing Erza to turn her attention to him.
"We will fight together," said Jellal.
Erza charges forward as she swings her spear as she creates a wave of lightning towards Len. Len waves his hand forward causing the sand to rush towards Erza. The two attacks clash creating a large explosion of lightning and sand. Suddenly, Jellal appears from the mist of the explosion jumping into the air.
"Grand Chariot!" shouted Jellal.
The sky turns a bit darker as seven magic seals appear in the sky. The seals connect to each other as powerful light beams shoot from the seals towards Len. Len narrows his eyes as he forms the sand around him into a large shield.
"Sand Shield!" shouted Len as the light beams connect with the sand shield.
A few seconds later, the light beams begin to break through the sand shield surprising Len.
"Lightning Beam!" shouted Erza as she appears behind Len.
"Shi…," started Len as he turns around only for the lightning attack to hit him straight in the back.
Erza's attack sends Len flying backwards as Jellal arrives and grabs the brown-haired.
"Meteor," said Jellal as a cloak of Heavenly Body Magic surrounds him.
Jellal slams his fist into the stomach of Len causing the man tremendous man. Suddenly, Jellal disappears and then reappears behind Len. Jellal slams a powerful kick to Len and then follows up with a strong punch to the face. Len's sand tries to protect him from Jellal, but the sand is unable to catch up the mage. A few seconds later, Erza appears and strikes Len with her spear. She unleashes another wave of lightning causing the man even more damage. Len tries to retaliate, but Jellal appears above him and slams his foot into Len's head sending the brown-haired man crashing to the ground. Len uses the sand to help him stand as he stares at the two mages in front of him. How could one person change the tide of battle? In addition, the other two people who came with him have managed to keep the shadow dragons busy. No matter, he will not lose here.
"Midas taught us to draw in Eternano, but since we only had a couple days of training, he knew we are not ready for the technique," said Len. "However, he did give us something else. The ability to absorb the shadow monsters themselves."
A bat shadow monster appears behind Len as it enters his body through the mage's back. Erza and Jellal watch with widen eyes as sand erupts around Len at uncontrollable speed.
"Now, I'll defeat both of you!" shouted Len as the sand around becomes darker.
"The sand is changing color," said Jellal.
Suddenly, the sand shoots towards the two mages forcing them to dodge the attack. Erza runs around Len trying to find an opening through the sand surrounding Len at amazing speed. It seems like Len has produced enough sand to defend and attack. Erza allows the magic to soar through her as she points her spear at Len.
"Lightning Cyclotron!" shouted Erza.
The scarlet-haired woman unleashes a wave of multiple lightning strikes towards Len. The sand moves at rapid speeds and blocks the lightning strikes surprising Erza. Meanwhile, Jellal uses his meteor spell to increase his speed. He manages to bypass Len's attacking sand as he reaches the defending sand. Spikes appear from the sand as it shoots out forcing Jellal to dodge the attacks. Jellal continues running around the defensive sand with amazing speed. Soon, he moves in as he places his hands above his head.
"Altairis!" shouted Jellal as black orb forms above him while gathering the shadows around him.
The ground begins to shake as Jellal throws the powerful ball of energy towards Len. The attack clashes with Len's sand shield, but neither side collapses as the orb and shield continue to hold. A few seconds later, a large explosion occurs causing the sand to spread throughout the area. Len growls as he raises his right hand to reform the gap in the shield. However, Erza jumps through the hole as she twirls her spear. Soon, she points the spear towards Len unleashing bolts of lightning. The attack hits Len directly in the chest. The force of the attack sends Len sliding across the ground, but it does not last long as sand stops any further sliding. Erza lands on the ground as she charges forward. However, to her surprise, Len stands back up despite the burn mark on his chest. Sand forms around Len's right arm as a sword forms.
"We end this now!" shouted Len.
Len rushes towards Erza as the scarlet-haired woman does the same thing. Erza uses her weapon's range advantage to thrust the spear forward forcing Len to side step to the right. Len charges forward as he raises his sword up and then swings it down. Erza jumps back to avoid the attack as she lifts her spear causing the blade to swing by Len's face. Len stops his advance as the tip of the spear passes him. Erza uses this chance to thrust the spear forward as Len raises his left hand causing sand to erupt from the ground. The sand hits Erza as the small pieces of sand cuts through Erza's exposed skin while it shreds her clothing.
Suddenly, several beams of energy come crashing towards the area around forcing Len to jump away. Jellal appears behind Len as he hits the brown-haired man with a powerful punch. Len turns around hitting Jellal with a powerful wave of sand. Jellal tries to dodge the attack, but Len appears near him slashing Jellal across the abdomen. The blue-haired man lands on the ground while Len appears above Jellal with his sword pointing towards the blue-haired mage. Suddenly, pain surges through Len as he coughs up blood.
"What the hell?" questioned Len.
Erza appears behind Len swinging her spear. However, Len gains control of his body managing to dodge the attack. Len uses the sand to help him as he turns his attention to Erza. Erza stares at Len as blood drips from her forehead. She breathes in and out, as she changes her clothing once more. Len raises an eyebrow when Erza appears in her normal robes with a single katana in her hands. The scarlet-haired woman raises her katana preparing to fight.
"Out of all your armors, you chose that," said Len. "Fine, let's finish this."
Erza and Len charge at each other, preparing for the final strike. Soon, the two mages cross blades stopping a few feet from each other.
"My body," said Len. "My arms didn't respond. You win, Erza Scarlet."
A large gash opens up on Len's chest as he falls to the ground. Erza's muscles begin hurting indicating she has reached her limit for the moment. She falls towards the ground only for someone to catch her.
"You did well," said Jellal as a shadow dragon lands near him and Erza.
"Damn it," said Erza.
The dragon stares at the two mages as it opens its mouth. However, ice hits the dragon causing it to turn towards the source. Gray charges from the forest with his hands together. Soon, Gajeel appears from another side followed by Lucy on another side. The five shadow dragons turn their attention to the new arrivals. A few seconds later, Orion, Eolin, and Violet charge out from the forest with an army of golden soldiers.
"Who are they?" asked Erza.
"I don't know," replied Jellal.
"Take down the dragons!" shouted Orion as he faces one of the shadow dragons.
The dragon growls as it open its mouth unleashing a wave of fire towards Orion. Orion smirks as a seal appears next to him.
"Water Seal: Activate!" shouted Orion. "Tsunami Wall!"
Orion summons a wall of water hitting the dragon while stopping its attack. Orion appears next to the dragon's tail grabbing it in the process.
"Try to fly from this!" shouted Orion as he lifts the dragon and then slams it into the ground.
All the mages in the area stare in shock by the strength displayed by Orion. Nobody thought a person could even lift a dragon let alone overpower it.
"What is everybody waiting for? Attack!" shouted Orion.
*SC*
"Erza has defeated Len," said Hibiki. "There are still the shadow dragons left near the cave entrance."
Natsu massages his head as he hears Hibiki's announcement. He smirks inwardly knowing his friends have defeated the enemies on the surface. In addition, he knows Lucy won her fight making him proud of the person he chose. However, as of now, Natsu needs to make sure he wins his fight. He returns his attention to the fight in front of him. A moment ago, Marek knocked Natsu straight into the cavern walls.
Laxus and Marek clash as lightning hits the area nearby. Marek stares at Laxus trying to overpower the lightning dragon slayer, but the blonde mage manages to hold his own. Marek's strength surprises Laxus. Even with the Eternano technique activated, it seems that the silver-haired man's power is enough to give him a hard time. The two mages stare at each other as they continue in their strength deadlock. Marek smirks as he slams his foot on the ground.
"Uplift Wave!" shouted Marek.
The ground beneath Laxus cracks open as a single pillar made from pure wave magic hits the lightning dragon slayer in the chin. This movement causes Laxus to lose his grip on Marek as the silver-haired man flattens his right hand with the palm pointing towards Laxus.
"Tiger's Paw!" shouted Marek as he slams his open palm into Laxus' chest.
A beam of magic in the form of a tiger's paw strikes Laxus sending the blonde man across the cavern. Laxus hits the cavern wall as Marek charges forward. Suddenly, Natsu appears with flames emitting from his hands.
"No you won't!" exclaimed Natsu. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
The fire around Natsu's hands extend as he whips them around hitting Marek in the process. Marek grunts in pain as he hits the ground, but not before raising his hand while sending off a wave attack. The attack hits Natsu sending him to the ground while rolling over a few times. The pink-haired mage coughs as he stands up slowly. He looks towards Marek, who also stands back up.
"I admit, the two of you are strong," said Marek. "There have only been a few people capable of challenging me."
Marek sighs as a large explosion occurs in the cavern.
"It seems like Midas is still fighting the other two," said Marek. "No matter, let him fight them. It's a few people less to fight. Plus, I should thanks Midas. Without him, I wouldn't have gained the powers I have right now."
Laxus cracks his knuckles as he returns to the battle. He and Natsu stare at Marek a single creature appears next to him. Both of them did not realize that shadow monsters even reached the shrine. Furthermore, this monster seems to be a bat as the creature approaches Marek.
"Fusion with a shadow monster," said Marek. "I would have never thought it possible."
The bat enters through Marek's back as pure magic erupts from Marek while Natsu and Laxus watch on with surprised expressions. They shield their eyes as dirt flies from the ground due to the amount of energy from Marek. The silver-haired man stares at the two dragon slayers with a smirk on his face.
"Now, this is what I call power!" exclaimed Marek as his demeanor changes. "Come so I can kill you both!"
Marek release more magic as he disappears. Soon, the silver-haired appears behind Natsu with wave magic surrounding his hand. However, Laxus intervenes as he kicks Marek away from Natsu. As Marek sides across the ground, he raises his right hand sending a wave of magic towards Laxus. The attack hits Laxus as Marek uses the force of the attack to twirl his body around as he lands on his feet. Laxus lands on the ground with a large bruise on this chest, but he tries his best to ignore the pain. Laxus looks up as Marek approaches him. Laxus grunts as he stands back up. He takes a deep breath before charging towards Marek. The two mages clash as Natsu appears behind Marek hitting the silver-haired man in the back.
"Damn you both!" shouted Marek.
Marek battles both mages as Laxus jumps back with lightning forming around his hands.
"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" shouted Laxus.
Laxus shoots his attack towards Marek, who notices it. Marek raises his hands into the air creating a small, but strong shield. Laxus' attack hits the shield, but does not pierce it. Laxus grunts in annoyance as Marek appears to Laxus' left. Marek punches Laxus in the face while unleashing a wave attack dealing more damage. As Laxus hits the ground, Natsu charges forward with fire around his fists.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fists!" shouted Natsu.
Natsu swings his right fist only for Marek to dodge it. Natsu stops his attack while Marek appears behind the fire dragon slayer.
"You stand no chance against me," said Marek as he punches Natsu in the back.
Marek grabs Natsu and pulls him back. The moment Natsu's body passes Marek; the silver-haired man grabs Natsu's shoulders and then knees the dragon slayer in the stomach. Natsu coughs badly as Marek slams his hands into Natsu's stomach. Marek jumps back as his hands begin glowing.
"Wave Strike!" shouted Marek unleashing a stream of wave magic heading towards Natsu.
The magic slams into Natsu causing the dragon slayer even more pain. The moment Natsu lands on the ground, he coughs blood. Marek appears above Natsu and slams his foot in the back of the dragon slayer. Laxus appears again as he punches Marek off Natsu. The lightning dragon slayer charges forward, trying to hit Marek, but fails. Laxus growls a bit, as he changes his body into complete lightning. Laxus appears behind Marek swinging his left fist in the process. However, the moment he nears Marek, his hand hits the silver-haired man's shield. The force of the shield forces Laxus to bounce off the defense. Marek turns around and slams his fists into Laxus' chest.
"Wave Punch!" shouted Marek unleashing a powerful punch filled with wave magic.
Laxus shouts in pain as he lands on the ground again. Marek jumps into the air as he lowers his hands towards Laxus.
"Wave Barrage!" shouted Marek unleashing numerous wave magic attacks.
Each attack hits Laxus with full force while creating large cracks in the ground. Laxus grunts in pain as Marek appears above the lightning dragon slayer. Marek bends down and grabs Laxus by the throat. He lifts the blonde mage and smirks during the process. Marek begins to feel a small amount of pain in his body, but takes it as a sign of fatigue. Soon, the silver-haired mage begins punching Laxus in the stomach with wave-filled fists. Repeatedly, Marek continues to punch Laxus, as the blonde man's stomach becomes purple, red, and green.
Natsu grunts in pain as he watches Marek torture Laxus with numerous punches filled with wave magic. The fire dragon slayer's hands begin digging into the dirt as he starts to stand up. He has gone too far to give up now. So many people are counting on him to win this fight. The pink-haired mage breathes in and out, as he gathers Eternano with his eyes closed. He can feel his body weakening due to the technique, but he has to ignore the pain. He has to continue fighting. Marek and Midas have caused too much problems and he will not stand for it.
Natsu opens his eyes and screams as flames erupt from his body followed by lightning. He stares at Marek, who stares back at him. Marek drops Laxus, who coughs blood. Marek charges at Natsu as the fire dragon slayer does the same. The two mages clash unleashing fire, lightning, and wave magic throughout the area. Natsu continues his attack as he unleashes a series of punches. Meanwhile, Marek counters with his own wave of attacks. Natsu punches Marek in the stomach as Marek hits Natsu in the face. They continue their attack hitting each other in the chest, stomach, arms, and face. Natsu uppercuts Marek causing the silver-haired man to take a few steps back.
"I will never give up!" shouted Natsu as the fire and lightning intensify causing Marek to back away.
"What is this?" questioned Marek as Natsu continues attacking.
"Lightning Flame Dragon's Fist!" shouted Natsu hitting Marek in the stomach with a very powerful punch.
Marek coughs out blood as the force of the attack sends him away from Natsu. The silver-haired man manages to keep himself on his feet, but Natsu does not allow him to rest.
"I will not lose to you!" exclaimed Marek as he charges at Natsu.
Marek raises his hands and unleashes balls of wave magic towards Natsu. To Marek's surprise, Natsu dodges the attack using untold speed. Natsu appears behind Marek as he feels magic soar through his body. The fire dragon slayer lands a powerful punch to Marek's lower back causing the silver-haired to shout in pain. Marek turns around swinging his arm at Natsu only hit nothing.
"Where is…?" questioned Marek as he hears a voice to his left.
"Lightning Flame Dragon's Rooaaarrrr!" yelled Natsu.
Marek's eyes widen as Natsu unleashes a powerful combination of fire and lightning towards him. Marek tries to move, but pain shoots through his body.
"No, damn you Natsu!" shouted Marek as the powerful attack hits Marek directly.
'Everything I've worked for,' thought Marek. 'I put my trust in the wrong man.'
The attack continues onward hitting the side cavern wall completely obliterating it. After the attack ends, Natsu exits Lightning Flame Dragon Mode as his Eternano technique ends. Natsu sits on the ground as a small amount of pain shoots through his body.
"You did well," said Laxus as he sits next to Natsu. "We need to take a few minutes to rest before helping Gramps and Gildarts. There is no way we can fight right now."
"I know," replied Natsu as he tries to move his body, but fails.
*SC*
"Great news everybody!" exclaimed Hibiki. "Natsu and Laxus have defeated Marek. The only person remaining is Midas. Furthermore, it seems like Orion and his allies have overcome most of the shadow dragons."
Makarov lands on the ground breathing heavily. He smiles inwardly on the news from the outside. He and Gildarts saw Natsu's finishing attack since they are in the same room. It seems like Midas is the only person remaining.
"I can sense all of them fading," said Midas as he punches Gildarts with his left hand.
As Gildarts lands on the ground, Midas stops moving and stares at Makarov and Gildarts. Midas remains calm and steady while his two opponents breathe heavily.
"My allies have fallen," said Midas. "Not that it mattered. They were all puppets and fools. I told them that absorbing the shadow monsters will grant them tremendous power, which is true, but at the cost of their lives."
Makarov and Gildarts' eyes widen at this news. The man in front of them sacrificed his own allies, but for what. Why do such a thing to the people who were helping them? A white flash of light interrupts their thoughts. A black box appears in Midas' left hand. A few seconds later, five shadow bats appear behind him.
"The key I gained from your guild simply unlocks the first seal," said Midas. "However, there is a second seal your founding members did not see. This seal requires five sacrifices. Well, I found my sacrifices."
"You monster," said Gildarts.
"Thank you," replied Midas.
Makarov clenches his hands due to the man in front of him. How could someone be so evil? Nobody should be sacrifices.
"Gildarts, we must end this fight," said Makarov.
"You two will never defeat me," said Midas as he points his sword towards them.
"We'll see," said Gildarts.
Gildarts charges forward as he raises his right hand. The S-Class mage sends a wave of magic as Midas swings his sword unleashing water. Gildarts' magic cuts the water into pieces stopping it in the process. However, once the water clears, Midas is no longer in the same spot.
"Where did he…," started Gildarts as Midas appears behind him.
Suddenly, Makarov unleashes a giant hand hitting Midas in the process. The force of the attack sends Midas into the ground. Makarov enlarges his left hand and then swings it into the ground hitting Midas. As Makarov lifts his hand, he notices a pile of water in the newly formed crater.
"You're strong, but age has made you quite slow," said Midas appearing behind Makarov.
Makarov tries to turn around, but Midas slams his knee into the elder man's side. The blue-haired man grabs Makarov and then tosses him into the ground. Midas raises his hand towards Makarov, who has not moved since the previous attack.
"Rapid Water!" shouted Midas.
Midas unleashes numerous water balls at Makarov with amazing speed. Suddenly, Gildarts appears using his magic to stop the attack. The S-Class mage charges forward as Midas does the same. The two men clash as Gildarts tries punching Midas, but the blue-haired man manages to dodge each strike. Midas jumps back as he swings his sword unleashing a wave of water. Gildarts jumps to the right avoiding the attack. However, Midas appears next to Gildarts and slams his foot into Gildarts' side. The force of the attack sends the S-Class mage sliding across the cavern ground.
Makarov jumps forward as he enlarges his left fist. He swings the fist at Midas, who remains motionless. As the attack reaches Midas, the blue-haired man raises his left hand catching Makarov's fist surprising the guild master.
"What?" inquired Makarov as Midas disappears.
Midas appears behind Makarov slashing the guild master in the back. Makarov grunts in pain as Midas appears in front of Makarov. He grabs the older man and slams him into the ground. Suddenly, Gildarts slams his fight into Midas' face. Shortly after, he unleashes a series of attacks as Midas hits the ground. Gildarts raises his right hand as he slams it into Midas' stomach causing a crater to form beneath Midas. Midas opens his eyes as water shoots from his body hitting Gildarts. The S-Class mage grunts in pain as his skin begins to burn. He jumps back as the skin on his face and arms have burn marks.
'Boiling water?' thought Gildarts.
Gildarts snaps out of his thoughts as Midas swings his sword diagonally cutting Gildarts across the chest. Midas grabs Gildarts and tosses the S-Class mage into Makarov, who attempted to attack the blue-haired from the rear. The two mages roll across the ground. Makarov stops rolling while Gildarts continues for a few seconds longer before stopping. Meanwhile, Midas remain motionless as he stares at the two mages.
'This is so annoying,' thought Midas. 'No matter, I will end this now.'
Midas raises his sword towards the sky as water gathers around him. The blue-haired man grins as power surges through him. Meanwhile, Gildarts approaches Makarov as he helps the older man stand back up. The two Fairy Tail mages stare at Midas, who simply stares back at them. Soon, Midas takes a step forward as he disappears. Makarov and Gildarts enter a defensive stance looking for any signs of Midas. A few seconds later, numerous pillars of water erupt from the ground as the two Fairy Tail mages search for the blue-haired man. Their search is not a long one as the numerous pillar stop gushing revealing hundreds of Midas.
The Midas army walks towards Makarov and Gildarts with their swords drawn for battle. One of the Midas charge as Gildarts raises his hand cutting the blue-haired into numerous pieces, but it turns into water. A second Midas charges, but Makarov increases the size of his hand hitting the blue-haired man. Unfortunately, the man turns into water again. Another Midas attempts to strike Makarov, but guild master swings his left hand slamming into Midas turning him into water again. On the other hand, Gildarts unleashes a wave of magic destroying numerous Midas. However, a few of them manage to withstand the attack as they raise their hands unleashing a wave of water. Gildarts sends another wave of magic stopping the water, but Midas appears behind Gildarts slashing the S-Class mage on the back.
"Water Clone Rampage!" shouted Midas.
Suddenly, the clones appear around Makarov and Gildarts before either mage have the chance to notice. In a few seconds time, the numerous Midas unleash powerful attacks with their fists, feet, and swords dealing a huge amount of damage. Multiple cuts appear on the bodies of Makarov and Gildarts as they try to fight back, but each hit stops them from countering.
"You are both strong," said Midas as he continues his attacks. "But it means nothing if you can't respond."
'Damn it, I can't use anything,' thought Gildarts.
"One Sword Style: Shark's Bite!" shouted Midas as the army unleash numerous vertical attacks with their swords.
Each of the attacks hit Gildarts and Makarov as both mages realize pure energy emitting from the swords. The force of the attack explodes on contact causing tremendous pain to Gildarts and Makarov.
'I failed,' thought Makarov.
'He beat us,' thought Gildarts.
As Gildarts and Makarov land on the ground unconscious, the Midas army turns into water except for one person.
"It is over," said Midas.
*SC*
Meanwhile, Hibiki watches the result of the fight with a surprised expression. He did not expect Midas to beat Makarov and Gildarts. However, there is still hope.
"Listen everyone," said Hibiki. "I have horrible news. Midas has defeated Makarov and Gildarts. Natsu and Laxus are still in the room, but I think everyone should hurry."
*SC*
Midas approaches Makarov and Gildarts as he raises his sword to finish both of them. However, he stops the moment he hears a noise behind him.
"You're not killing anyone!" shouted a voice.
Midas turns around only for a fist to slam into his face sending him across the cavern. As Midas is about to hit the ground, he uses water to break his fall and to twirl him around. He looks at the person who hit him. Natsu slams his fists together as Laxus lands next to him.
"Your fight is with us," said Laxus.
"We'll beat you down!" shouted Natsu. "I'm all fired up!"
"Very well," said Midas. "I'll kill both of you before breaking the seal."
Natsu smirks as he charges at Midas. He will save his friends. He will save everything he cares for. He will fight for Erza, Gray, Happy, and so many others. He will also give his best for Lucy, his special person. Today, Natsu, the flaming dragon slayer, stops the master of water, Midas!
*SC*
A/N: All right, I enjoyed writing this chapter. I admit, I did my best on the Makarov/Gildarts versus Midas fight, since I tried to improve it as much as I could. Anyhow, the next chapter begins the fight between Natsu and Midas. Now, I will grant everyone a view of Midas' abilities fully. Who will win? Regardless, thanks for reading and please review.
