"WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THIS EXAM!?" Gajeel shouted into the air with anger. "CHOOSE A PATH AND FIND A GRAVE!? ALL I WANT TO DO IS BEAT UP SALAMANDER AND THE OTHERS!"
"What about me?" Levi asked him. "What about you?" Gajeel asked back. "All you do is talk about fighting. You're MY partner who's supposed to be worrying about ME." She told him. "Oh. You want me to mingle with you more, little one?" Gajeel laughed as he patted her head repeatedly. "Well then, get strong enough to spar with me."
"I..Already know..That I'm small and weak..I don't care anymore! YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT!" Levy yelled, smacking him in the face with her bag before running away. "OUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FO-" Gajeel shouted in anger, but took a look around to see nobody was there.
'What the hell is with that guy..I thought he changed since Phantom Lord..He even protected me from Laxus.." Levi thought as she ran, tears in her eyes. 'He's nothing but a jerk..I hate him..I hate him! I..I..' Her thoughts were interrupted by a rustle in the bushes, as she wiped her tears. "Gajeel?" She asked.
She turned to see two figures, leap out at her instantly. One was a rooster like creature, the other a beast like samurai. Levi was caught off guard, but reacted in time to dodge a slash from the samurai. "Who..Are you guys!?" She asked, right before the rooster grabbed her arms and threw her to the ground, pinning her, as the samurai readied his blade.
"One down." He stated, swinging at the immobile Levi, who was screaming. 'Gajeel..' She thought as she closed her eyes, bracing for impact. However, instead of feeling pain, she heard the sound of metal clanging against metal, as she opened her eyes.
Gajeel stood in front of her, his iron clad arm blocking the sword, and his other fist bashed into the face of the rooster, knocking him back and off of her. "When you're small, you're hard to find…" He said, making her look down. "So don't leave my side." He added, taking her by surprise, but then making her smile. "Yeah!" She agreed.
"So.." Gajeel began, throwing the samurai off him. "Who are these guys?" He asked. "Grimoire Heart." Levi answered, looking at their guild marks. "But why is the strongest dark guild on our island?" She asked.
"To start a war." The rooster, Karazu, answered. "..War..?" Gajeel raised his eyebrows. "You should know, Gajeel. Just like what you wanted before…We're here..TO HUNT DOWN ALL THE FAIRIES!" The samurai, Yomazu, shouted as he swung his blade. The word 'pound', appeared on his blade, as a loud roar burst from his sword, deafening Gajeel and Levi.
"His magic is like mine.." Levi said aloud, but Gajeel couldn't hear her. "WATCH OUT!" She yelled at Gajeel as Karazu charged them, but again, he could not hear her. "GAJEEL!" She grabbed his collar and threw him down, out of Karazu's path.
Gajeel immediately realized what was happening, but had no time to think as Karazu spat eggs from his mouth. The eggs cracked, as yolk like fists shot out of them, bashing into Gajeel and Levi. Gajeel recovered in time to notice Yomazu in the air above him, coming down on him with a slash, which he dodged.
"Solid Script! Silent!" Levi, using the same word magic, dispelled the loud roar, leaving the area completely silent. "She dispelled my writing magic with her own!?" Yomazu shouted in disbelief. "I HEARD YOU!" Gajeel instantly struck Yomazu in the gut with his iron pillar arm, sending him flying back.
"Pepepe!" Karazu fired more eggs, but Levi burned them to ash by creating fire with her word magic.
"Why you..!" Yomazu pulled his sword back. "BEHEAD!" He swung, the words 'behead' on his blade. The trees in the slash radius were cut in two, as Gajeel raised his iron clad arm to block. The shockwave of the slash struck Gajeel's arm, cutting right through his scales, shocking Gajeel.
"PIERCE!" This time, Yomazu lunged at Gajeel with his blade, cutting a chunk from the side of his ribs right off. Gajeel coughed up blood, stunned by the pain, as he dropped to one knee, blood spewing from his wound.
"DARK SWORD.." Yomazu pulled his sword back again. "NO!" Levi, wounded from continuous assaults from Karazu, screamed. "CRYING BITE!" He dashed forward, cutting Gajeel clear across the torso. Gajeel coughed up even more blood, his body bleeding furiously, as he fell to the ground. "GAJEEL!" Levi yelled.
"Hmph. If they are all at this level then we can finish them off before the main forces arrive." Karazu stated. Gajeel twitched at these words. "He's still alive..?" They asked in disbelief. "Main..Forces..?" He asked. "Our guild. All of Grimoire Heart's troops." They stated bluntly.
"That's..No Way.." Levi cried. "Levi…Run.." Gajeel told her, struggling to stand. "This is no ordinary war..The situation is far worse than you can imagine.." He got onto one knee. "But..I…" She hesitated. "GO! I ALONE AM ENOUGH FOR THEM!" He shouted.
Levi shook, still hesitant to leave him alone, before turning around and running away. "I WON'T LET YO-" Yomazu was cut off by a strike from Gajeel. "Didn't..You hear me..? I said..I alone am enough.." He panted.
"GAJEEL!" Levi shouted as a chunk of iron dropped in front of Gajeel, courtesy of her magic. "Please don't die." She cried, running. "Yeah." He replied, eating the iron. "You let the girl run away!" Yomazu yelled to his partner. "It doesn't matter! It'll be more fun to hunt her down later!" Karazu answered.
Gajeel slammed his fist into the ground, cracking it, making them both shut up. "You want war..With Fairy Tail…?" Gajeel asked with a growl. "He..Stood up!?" They asked with shock. "I'm not the same as I was before.." Gajeel stood.
"IT WAS A MISTAKE TO LAY YOUR HANDS ON FAIRY TAIL!" Natsu roared, bashing several flaming fists into Gajeel.
"I'll make you feel the same fear." Gajeel inhaled air. "IRON DRAGON'S..ROAR!" Gajeel fired his roar, which was blocked by Yomazu, but sent him skidding back. Karazu fired some egg bombs, breaking the ground beneath Gajeel as he dodged, knocking him off balance as Yomazu recovered and charged him, slashing several times.
Gajeel had no choice but to block each slash with his scales. "MY FORGED IRON WILL NOT LOSE..TO A RUSTY SWORD LIKE THAT! IRON DRAGON'S SWORD!" He knocked Yomazu off him and swung, hitting Karazu and knocking him down.
"AN OPENING!" Yomazu lunged forward at Gajeel. "PIERCE!" He swung, piercing right through Gajeel's palm, his blade coming out through Gajeel's shoulder. "GUH!" Gajeel grunted with pain, before closing his impaled palm and grabbing the sword. "I..Can't lose.." He panted. "This guy.." Yomazu was completely shocked Gajeel was bearing through such pain, and overpowering him.
"I..CAN'T LOSE, DAMN IT!"
Gajeel sat in a junk yard, on top of a pile of, well, junk, eating iron from different objects. "Is iron really that tasty?" Makarov asked, walking up to him. "Master Makarov?" Gajeel asked, confused as to why he was here.
"Juvia entered our guild yesterday. She was really worried about you too." Makarov told him. "What is that rain woman thinking!?" He barked. "There's no need to fall into the darkness. How about joining our guild as well?" Makarov asked.
"What!? You can't be serious!" Gajeel snorted. "There are those in this world who like being left alone. However, there isn't a single person who can bear the pain of being alone." Makarov told him, making his eyes widen.
"But I destroyed your guild.." Gajeel looked away with regret. "I don't care about that." Makarov told him bluntly. "I hurt your allies.." Gajeel added. "Yes. You did. And no matter what happens, I will never forgive you for that." Makarov declared with a look of pure, unyielding anger on his face and in his voice, which struck fear into Gajeel's very essence.
"But. If I stood by and just watched as a youngster fell into the darkness, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." He added, making Gajeel shake with emotion. "I'm not saving you. This is simply a path to tomorrow." Makarov extended an open hand to him. "Whether you stop or keep moving is up to you."
"I…AM A MAGE..OF FAIRY TAIL!" Gajeel closed his hand, just like he did around Makarov's hand on that fateful day, shattering Yomazu's blade with brute force. "W-What power.." Yomazu took a step back, shaking with fear. Gajeel snatched the broken tip out of the air with his mouth, devouring it.
"DRAGON SLAYER SECRET TECHNIQUE!" Gajeel slapped his hands together above his head as all his magic surrounded them. "KARMA DEMON: IRON GOD SWORD!" His arms joint to create a giant blade, as he slashed right through Karazu and Yomazu, completely shattering his armor and nearly cleaving him in two, as well as levelling the entire area.
Gajeel gasped for air, his arms returning to normal, as he collapsed to the ground. "GAJEEL! HOLD ON!" Levi yelled as she ran up to him, with Erza right behind her.
"Hahaha…" Yomazu laughed. "You may have defeated us, but you won't win this war. Our main forces will arrive soon, mages that I pale in comparison to..The 7 Kins of Purgatory." Yomazu ended a she lost consciousness.
"This is bad." Erza stated, pulling out a signal flare and firing it into the sky. "THIS EXAM IS ON HOLD..EVERY MAGE CURRENTLY ON TENROU ISLAND.." She continued as everyone on the island looked in surprise at the signal in the air.
"READY YOURSELVES FOR BATTLE!"