Despite the advantage of future sight, Natsu was still having a hard time dealing with his past self; it was a combination of the Dragon's ferocious attacks and his tough body, not to mention Natsu needed to make sure not to kill the Dragon King otherwise he would cease to exist. He flew back dodging Dragneel's sharp claw, but when the dragon's flew by, his tail whipped Natsu away, knocking him across the air. Dragneel gave chase, his body unleashing a torrent of fire as he bulleted into Natsu. The impact would have killed any normal human, luckily for Natsu, he only received a few broken ribs. Magic circles appeared behind Dragneel pointing at Natsu.
"If you truly are my future, then prove it to me!" Dragneel roared, following it up by bombarding Natsu with beams of red energy.
"Contego" Natsu's shield wrapped around him, just in time to defend him from the incoming assault; the barrier held but he could see subtle cracks. Swiping his hand Natsu formed five red arrows sending them towards Dragneel; the dragon let the attack hit and was engulfed in smoke with his eyes glowing through the dust.
"I said to prove to me you are my future!" the dragon roared; the air started to become dry, Dragneel's body flaring with fire burning away the clouds.
"I am trying to keep myself alive!" Natsu roared back. "The moment I kill you, I will cease to exist!"
"Then let it be!" Dragneel expanded his wings. "Try and kill me, only then will I accept you as my future!"
"What kind of logic is that you stubborn idiot!" Natsu argued, he knew this would happen, this was precisely why he wanted to avoid revealing the truth to his past self, though it was a mistake on his part, he should have avoided using fire spells; but what's done is done, he now needed a way to keep the King occupied, at least until Zitana found a way to send all the dragons back to their time.
"Then what if I destroy these humans? Would that motivate you?" Natsu's eyes widened; the dragon's threat actually made him question whether the being in front of him was actually him, if he managed to get out of this alive he needed to do some major self reflecting.
"You wouldn't dare!" Dragneel smirked at Natsu's cries.
"You have until midnight, defeat me before that happens" Dragneel instructed, Natsu could only stare in absolute horror.
"You used Ragnarok?" the Dragon Slayer stuttered, his head snapped up, a magic circle that spanned over the entire city floated above them. Ragnarok was one of Natsu's four great magic spells, a magic that summons forth the destruction of all life.
Natsu seething with anger smashed into Dragneel, he tackled the Dragon, bringing them further up, Natsu empowered his fist with fire and continuously struck Dragneel in the chest before moving up, and with all his strength punched the Dragon across the jaw.
His face set ablaze, Dragneel actually felt pain but not enough to cause him to recoil, the Dragon backhanded Natsu; the Dragon Slayer parried the claw with his fist redirecting the bone shattering strike.
"I know you are still holding back" Dragneel bellowed.
"Blame those ridiculously tough scales!" Natsu screamed back. "Not even a high tier magic arrow can pierce that armor!" Dragneel looked smug.
"But I can see your resolve building up, are you finally ready to kill me?"
"At this point you leave me no choice" Natsu responded, he clicked his fingers, ten balls of fire appeared circling around him. Dragneel looked surprised, he gazed upon one of his spells. Five of the orbs jumped into action targeting Dragneel, the Dragon King retaliated with his own Heaven's Wrath, the balls of fire made contact with each other creating booming eruptions in the sky.
Everyone below had stopped what they were doing to take a quick look at what was happening, all they could see was the sky set ablaze. Natsu backed away from the smoke as five of Dragneel's orbs of fire locked onto him, commanding his remaining orbs he sent them to intercept. There was another set of explosions, looking up Natsu watched Dragneel descend onto him and strike him with a flaming fist, Natsu moved forward dodging the strike, this then gave him the chance to strike; kicking the dragon in the gut, Natsu hit a weak spot numbing Dragneel's stomach. Zipping up, Natsu moved behind Dragneel's vision causing the dragon to spin his head, only to be greeted by Natsu's fire and lightning enhanced punch.
"Looks like I learn a few new tricks" Dragneel said recovering from the pain. The clouds suddenly surged with electricity.
"You learn more than simple tricks" Natsu responded, clapping his hands Dragneel was struck with lightning, the dragon withstood, inwardly screaming in pain. But Natsu wasn't finished.
"Fire Lightning Dragon's Rain Dance" hundreds of fire lightning javelins assaulted Dragneel, most harmlessly pelted away against the dragon's armor, with only a few actually able to puncture through.
"Why did I have to be so darn tough" Natsu muttered to himself.
Lisanna was worried for Natsu, she watched him fly around the thunder clouds avoiding the Dragon King's attacks. She was suddenly tackled to the ground by Sora, a breath attack barely missing her.
"Don't get distracted mother" he said.
"Mother? Isn't Wendy your mother?" she questioned. Sora pulled Lisanna behind a wall covering her from fire.
"I'll keep it short, she is my mother by blood, but you are Aine's mother, so you are my second mother" Lisanna was a little awed by the revelation, she looked away, but anyone would have noticed the light pink brush over her cheeks. The two hugged the wall, bits of rubble raining down on them; Lisanna noticed a hatchling sneak around a corner and prepare an attack directed at Sora; she pulled the boy behind her, a flaming serpent coiled around her arm and shooting towards the beast, subjugating it.
"Your magic is always so beautiful" Sora commented, Lisanna raised a brow.
"Beautiful?" Sora smiled at her.
"The way you make your flames dance; you would always use it to tell stories to tuck Aine and I into bed when we were younger" Lisanna stared blankly unsure how to respond, she was both embarrassed and happy, embarrassed by something she hasn't done yet and happy that she would be part of Natsu's family. She then frowned, her future daughter was kidnapped; before, she was ready to assist in any way possible for Natsu's daughter, but now she was determined to get her back.
"When this battle is over, we're going to save Aine" she told Sora, he smiled nodding. There was another boom, this time a shock wave brushed over the city sending everyone into a panic; both Lisanna and Sora turned to look back up, shocked by what they saw; like a full blown war in the sky, thousands of fire orbs were thrown at each other detonating at impact lighting up the night. Everyone below could feel the heat and jumped when they saw two stray orbs hit a city building completely obliterating everything in the area. Sora grabbed Lisanna's hand.
"We need to get to somewhere safe" he said, Lisanna couldn't agree more.
Natsu looked down, shocked that one of his attacks had gone rogue, worried for the people below, he hoped nobody had gotten caught in the blast; he then glanced up at the magic circle.
Four hours before Ragnarok
Snaking around the sea of fireballs he made his way towards Dragneel, knowing that the dragon was doing the same.
"Fire Lightning Dragon's Sword Horn!" wrapped in fire and lightning Natsu charged into Dragneel who was enveloped in fire. The opposing attacks crashed and then passed; kicking up their speed they soared through the air meeting each other at every moment, sparks splashed everywhere, scorching Natsu's clothes and scratching Dragneel's armored scales.
"Fire Lightning Dragon's Wing Attack!" a whirl of fire and lightning washed over Dragneel. There was a moment of silence before Natsu quickly backed away flying up away from the city knowing what was coming next. A beam of devastating fire power plowed through all the chaos; Natsu dodged it, avoiding the Dragon King's Breath attack, the beam pierced through the earth's atmosphere hitting the moon. Natsu stared at the celestial body's new crater before turning back to Dragneel.
"You're insane" he said
"And what does that make you?" Dragneel asked, Natsu didn't respond prompting the dragon to question further. "I'm curious, why do you cherish these humans so much?"
"The same reason why we cherish our kin; because I love mankind" Dragneel scowled
"Love mankind? I can't believe those words are coming from your mouth. Have you forgotten what we represent? Our status as superior beings?" Natsu let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm afraid I cannot speak any further, that is a journey you must walk yourself" Dragneel didn't look satisfied. Natsu didn't have time to respond as he was struck down by two fire orbs.
Ultear was separated from Jellal and Meredy; wandering alone, she tried to find her way but all the roads have become unfamiliar to her. Climbing over a brick wall she halted in her tracks and quickly hid herself behind some rubble. Holding her breath she watched eight hatchlings run pass her, she waited a minute before peeking her head out, her eyes darted left and right, with the coast clear, she continued moving. Observing the destruction, ominous memories started resurfacing, the pain and destruction she caused when she was part of Grimoire Heart, they were all coming back to her.
"Meredy…" the girl she cherished most, yet it was her fault that Meredy suffered so much. Something crashed in front of her breaking her out of her train of thought. Making her way to the mini crater she found Natsu sprawled out on the ground.
"Damn…. He did not take my answer well" standing up his entire body was aching, jumping on his toes he started shaking off the pain. "So that's what it feels like to get hit by a Heaven's Wrath… Not pretty"
"Are you alright?" Ultear called, Natsu looked surprised to see her.
"I'm fine, but what are you doing here" he called back.
"I got separated from the others" she replied. Natsu climbed out of the hole, continuing to shake his arms and feet, he cracked his neck, looking up at Dragneel; the sky was clear of fire leaving only smoke.
"You should regroup with the others, being alone on the battlefield is dangerous" he told her, but before Natsu could take off, Ultear stopped him.
"Wait!" he looked back waiting for her to speak, she hesitated and swallowed, shaking her head before finally answering. "Nevermind, it's nothing" Natsu turned to face her.
"Don't do it" Ultear looked up, surprise written all over her face.
"Wha… What are you talking about?" Natsu didn't falter.
"I know that look, I've seen it many times before; would your mother really want to know that she sacrificed everything for you just for you to throw that all away?" Ultear's surprise twisted into anger.
"What do you know!" she screamed finally breaking down. Natsu replied softly.
"I know that your mother loved you very much, so much that she would throw away everything to look for you had she known you were alive. I'm sure Gray has told you all this before when you faced him, but I'm going to repeat it, Ur loves you, still does" when Ultear didn't respond, he continued. "Would you like to meet her?" Ultear looked up.
"My mother is dead, how am I supposed to meet her?"
"I know a way, you only need to promise me not to do anything stupid" Ultear stared at him for a second, contemplating his words, she then let out a soft chuckle.
"To be lectured by you, how I've fallen" Natsu grinned.
"I'll have you know I take offence to that" Ultear grinned back.
"As you should" however their short moment was interrupted by a load roar; Natsu froze, he turned to the sky; multiple roars followed suit. Throughout the city the dragons took flight and the hatchlings disappeared.
"What's going on?" Ultear asked; Natsu ignored her question.
"Ultear can you use telepathy to contact everyone in the city?" Natsu asked.
"My ability in telepathy is limited, I can only connect with a few people" she replied.
"Then connect me with a Fairy Tail mage called Warren; can you do that?" Ultear nodded; she placed a two fingers onto Natsu's forehead, there was a moment before she nodded.
"Warren, can you hear me?" Natsu said.
"Natsu? Is that you?" his voice replied.
"Yes, connect me with everyone in the city, it's urgent" Natsu was frantic and Warren could tell.
"Understood… Alright you're through"
"Everyone, can you hear my voice?" a sea of voices filled his head. However Natsu didn't have the patience to let them quiet on their own. "Silence!" his voice boomed with authority and everyone went quiet; only Gajeel's voice was heard.
"Salamander, was that call what I think it was?" Natsu looked grim.
"It was; everyone, listen closely, in just a few moments this city will be in ruins, find cover; Mavis, can you cast Fairy Sphere over the city?" Everyone not in Fairy Tail looked confused, and those who knew the name could only wonder why Natsu spoke it. For a moment it seemed like Natsu was talking to himself.
"I'm afraid Fairy Sphere is a situational magic, at this moment it cannot be cast" she replied.
"Then what about Contego? Can you cast one on a global scale?" Natsu asked.
"With my limited magic, I cannot cast one that large, I can however do my best to cast one over each individual in the city"
"Do it" Natsu responded, knowing not everyone could hear Mavis, he conveyed the message. "Everyone, a magic shield is going to be cast over you, if you have people close by, please huddle together" Zitana's voice interjected.
"We need to make sure the Eclipse Gate is unharmed, if it is destroyed I won't be able to send the Dragon's back and if that happens…. Well things would be very bad" Natsu gritted his teeth muttering to himself.
"Indeed, if the Dragon's stay, I would cease to exist" Ultear heard him but decided to stay silent.
"I'll cast a Contego over the gate. Lisanna, I need you to redirect the incoming attack, at least enough to lessen the impact, Contego cannot withstand the full brunt of Heaven's Wrath"
"You're asking me to take control of an actual Dragon's fire?" he could tell that she was afraid.
"Lisanna, you've obtained the power of the King's Voice; you're the only one who can do this"
"What!" it was Sting who yelled. "Someone actually managed to wield that power?"
"What do you mean?" Mira sounded concerned.
"Those who fail to control the power of the King's Voice are killed by its flame, but those who can wield it are in possession of immeasurable power" Rogue explained.
"Natsu" Mira's voice was demonic, threatening even, she was not happy.
"Lecture me later Mira, I'll even let you kick my ass, but now is not the time; Lisanna, I need you to do this" Lisanna hesitated, swallowing hard, she was afraid; she felt a hand grasp her shoulder, looking back she expected to face Sora, instead she was face to face with a blonde haired woman, she looked like Master Mavis but older.
"Lady Vermillion" Sora whispered, staring at the sudden appearance of the woman.
"Mother?" Mavis sounded surprised as well, Natsu grinned. The woman placed a finger over her lip silencing Lisanna before grasping tighter onto the takeover mage's shoulder, a flow of magic entered the girl, soothing and empowering her. Taking a deep breath Lisanna had new found determination.
"Alright, I'll do it" Natsu smiled.
"Everyone, get to safety now!" the connection cut off; everyone scrambled for cover, hiding behind walls and inside broken houses. Grabbing Ultear's hand, Natsu pulled her close casting Contego over the two of them; they squeezed their eyes tight.
Dragneel stared at the humans; he looked over to his comrades who all looked like they had seen better days; to be able to cause this much trouble for them, the humans have become stronger through the ages, or was it because some of those humans were dragons incarnate; he didn't know nor did he care, all he cared right now was to destroy the humans below. Activating Heaven's Wrath, ten orbs of fire were formed; these fireballs were much stronger than the ones he used to duel with his future self. Sending them down, the orbs descended upon the city; from the corner of his eye Dragneel noticed four of the orbs veered off course away from the city, the remaining hit their mark.
From a far off distance the explosion was earth shattering, the country of Fiore was shaken up and the people could feel strong tremors across their land. It was so powerful that even the people from the country over could feel its presence. The civilians that were evacuated could feel nothing but fear as their eyes gazed upon the mushroom cloud that was once their home. The City of Crocus was no more.
Three hours before Ragnarok.