Chapter 17

Natsu yelled out, tackling the closest guard to him when the cannon fired. The BOOM that sounded from the weapon was deafening, and the earth trembled as the beam shot overhead. It hit the far end of camp, and Natsu could hear the screams and cries from all those that had been within the vicinity. As far as he could tell, the blast was made of raw magic power, and even when it finally began to dissipate, he could feel the intense aura of magic bearing down on him.

Master Makarov rushed into action, doing his best to regroup the panicking guards and mages. They were all a disorganized mess, forming up into uneven lines as they tried to make sense of what was happening. Already, the Jupiter Cannon was glowing in preparation to fire again. Natsu didn't know how long it took to charge the weapon, but he knew that they needed to be as ready as possible for when it did.

The far end of camp was nothing more than a smoldering wasteland. Smoke was rising from the earth, and he could make out a few figures laying on the ground—some being eerily still. There were no longer any traces of the tents that had been pitched there, and he could only hope that most of the people had been able to survive the hit.

Part of him desperately wanted to rush over and check on his family, but he knew that he needed to focus on the task ahead. The mages with less offensive magic will handle the injured, and they needed to stop Phantom Lord from using that cannon again. Gray ran passed him, running in the direction of the town, and Erza was quick to follow. The Magnolia guards were still rushing to get into formation, but some had already begun the advance to the Oak Town walls.

The guards on top of the Oak Town walls shouted at them and fired a burst of magic at the advancing Fairy Tail mages. All types of magic began to fly overhead, ranging from golden arrows, to bursts of water, and he could even spot a few stars flying towards them. The Magnolia guards raised their shields, each glowing with their own magical enchantments. Master Makarov had introduced the enchantment on the journey here, and it seemed that it was already proving to be useful. The guards managed to effectively block many of the incoming attacks, although a few still managed to slip through the gaps.

The attacks from Oak Town were relentless, and with the Jupiter Cannon steadily recharging, they were on borrowed time. Natsu rushed to the front of the line, following Erza and Gray as they made their way towards the walls. He could hear Master Makarov still shouting behind him, and even though they were progressing at a steady pace, they would never make it in time unless they managed to lessen the attacks raining down on them.

Elfman was one of the few mages standing at the front of the line. He had transformed his arms into one of his beast souls, using them to hold up a giant square shield—one that was thrice the size of the ones used by the guards. His arms looked to be made of some type of metal, and the mage roared as more attacks battered against his shield. Some guards hid behind his shield, but even with his powerful magic, he was slowly being forced back by the intensity behind Oak Town's strikes.

A few of the Fairy Tail mages attempted to fire off their own magic in retaliation, although they typically missed their mark, either falling to the earth before the wall, or flying passed and into the city beyond. Natsu could only hope that Phantom Lord had at least cared about the citizens enough to warn them ahead of time or provide them with some form of protection.

Erza and Gray were already at the walls. There was a brief flash of blue light and a magic circle soon formed underneath Gray's feet. Then, a brief lull, until a giant pillar of ice appeared from behind the ice mage, flying over their heads and colliding into the walls of Oak Town. Chunks of stone were sent flying into the air as many of the guards atop the wall disappeared in the clouds of smoke and debris or were sent flying from the force of the impact. The attacks on Fairy Tail momentarily paused as the Oak Town guards attempted to help their companions, which allowed for the Magnolia line to pick up speed.

"Here's our chance!" Master Makarov yelled, using his magic to grow larger. He held out a hand, pointing at the town. "We need to reach the walls!"

Natsu surged forward ahead of the line. He wanted to get involved in the action immediately, and he'd be damned if he let Gray take all the credit. There wasn't much of a run to reach the base of the wall and had only needed to dodge a few attacks on the way there. Many of the Oak Town defenders were still scrambling after Gray's attack, although Natsu found it concerning that they really hadn't attempted to stop the ice mage's attack before it could hit. It almost seemed like they had broken through all too easily.

He used the remains of Gray's initial ice pillar to run up to the walls. When his foot finally met with the stone path atop of the wall, he sent an enflamed fist straight into the closest guard's face. Three more guards quickly swarmed him, pointing their spears or firing some magic in his direction. But, before he could deal with them, a figure in black descended from the sky, and they were quickly subdued.

Erza stood in front of him in her Black Wing Armor, looking angrier than he had ever seen. She held her sword up in the air, glancing back at the Fairy Tail soldiers advancing before turning back.

"Natsu," she said, pausing a moment to take another breath. "Let us deal with the rest of the guards here. Make your way towards the Phantom Lord and clear out any other opposition on the way. I'll send Gray forward as well."

She was gone before he could reply, disappearing down the wall and attacking another set of Oak Town guards. He didn't need any further instructions, jumping down into the town with a scream. A guard jabbed at him with a spear, which he grabbed and yanked out of the guard's hands before sending him flying with a, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

He shoved another out of the way, taking off down the streets. The town was in chaos, with citizens rushing around wildly in a desperate attempt to find cover. A few of the buildings were burning, with smoke billowing up into the sky and painting the once blue sky a foggy gray. He stopped for a moment next to one of the fires, swallowing as much of the flames as he could before moving on down the street.

The air was filled with the sounds of screaming and fighting. It was a bit overwhelming, and he couldn't recall a time where his senses had been this overloaded before. He could smell the smoke all around them, feel the earth as it trembled beneath them, and even the faint metallic smell of blood was pungent. It was one thing to hear about the stories of destruction and war across the land, but to be standing within the midst of one was an entirely different experience.

Nevertheless, he pushed forward. He couldn't afford to stop now, not if he wanted any chance at saving his friends. The rest of the guild was giving it their all, and so he would give it everything he had as well, even if it meant pushing himself more than ever before.

He was steadily moving closer to the Phantom Lord guild hall. The Jupiter Cannon was angling down, away from the Fairy Tail camp and directly at the front line. If they shot it as it was, then it would not only hit Fairy Tail, but also a large portion of Oak Town. Natsu hesitated for a moment, and a large man ran into him, sending him tumbling to the ground. He barely managed to look up in time, pushing himself up to his hands and knees, to see the barrel of the Jupiter Cannon beginning to grow bright.

His panic grew with increased vigor. He thought that he could hear Phantom Lord's master, Jose Porla shouting something again, but it was muffled by the cries of the people around him. He had just managed to stumble back to his feet and continue his path through the town when the world began to shake again. He grabbed onto the closest building, pulling a smaller child along with him while using the old bricks to try and keep his balance. When the shaking was over, the child ran off quicker than Natsu could stop him.

The gate into Oak Town had been destroyed, and Natsu could see the Master's enlarged form towering over many of the smaller buildings as he stepped through. The Fairy Tail Master's body had a golden hue around it, and he could see the rage pulsing in the older man's eyes. He didn't think that he had ever seen the master so angry before. Makarov pointed a finger forward, directly at the Phantom Lord guild hall.

"Push through!" Makarov yelled. "Rescue our family!"

The rest of Fairy Tail surged through the gateway, flinging magic and attacking any enemies that were before them. It was a scene that Natsu could have never imagined before, and he had to tighten his grip on the rough stone on the building in order to keep himself focused. It seemed like they were gaining the upper hand now, but he still couldn't help but feel like it was going to well for them. So far, they had only faced the Oak Town guards, and maybe a few Phantom Lord mages here and there, and if that was the case, then where were the rest of them?

It was only when he heard the groaning from the Jupiter Cannon again that he was knocked back out of his thoughts. The barrel was moving again, clinking as it did so, and this time, it was aiming right at the gate where the Fairy Tail members were still pouring through.

Natsu began to run towards Fairy Tail, all thoughts of reaching the guild hall quickly forgotten. The magic pressure grew immensely overhead, and Jose's cackling only grew louder. It was nearly impossible to move through the street, as he kept needing to weave in between all the people moving in the opposite direction. There would be no way he would make it in time.

There was a bright flash of light, and the beam from the cannon descended upon the grouped-up members of Fairy Tail. Natsu yelled, pushing passed a few more citizens, but there was nothing he could do but watch. Master Makarov's eyes even widened, as he held his hands up in front of him to form a barrier, but having been distracted in the initial charge, it looked like he would be too slow.

The beam of magic tore the roofs off many of the buildings, temporarily blinding many that looked at it. He was still rushing back but let out a small breath of relief when he spotted Erza standing on top of one of the buildings above him, adorned in her Adamantine Armor. She quickly locked her shields together, bracing herself on the shaky rooftop as best as she could. He wasted no time, scaling up the side of the building and jumping over a few of the rooftops to stand right behind her, doing his best to support her.

A wall of ice erected itself behind them, allowing for Erza to brace herself even further, and Gray quickly slid in next to them as well. There was silence for a moment, with only the trembling of the earth below and the pressure from the cannon bearing down on them. And the next, they were all screaming as they withstood the blast from the cannon.

Erza bore the brunt of the blast, limbs trembling from the effort of holding her shields up. She screamed, and Natsu did his best to help stop her from collapsing under the pressure. Gray was constantly rebuilding the ice wall behind them as it continuously crumbled.

Natsu shut his eyes tight, his limbs feeling like they were on fire. The pressure from the blast was more intense than anything he had felt before, and no doubt, if he was feeling this way, than Erza was in much worse condition. She was one of the strongest mages that he had ever met, but there was no way that even she could handle this much magic at once.

It was over as quickly as it begun. All that was left around them were the crumbled remains of the many houses and shops that had been destroyed. Gray delicately used his magic to bring them back down to the streets, which is when Erza promptly faded. Her armor was smoking, cracked, and she shivered even though her face was doused in sweat. Natsu promptly picked her up, the rest of her armor shattering as he did so, with Gray using a hand to keep her forehead cool.

They began to rush back to the Fairy Tail line. They looked mostly unharmed, thanks to Erza, but the streets leading up to them looked mysteriously empty. He could only hope that the rest of the citizens had found somewhere safe to hide.

Master Makarov shrunk down as soon as they were within reach, placing a hand on Erza's forehead and muttering to himself. She was shivering even worse now. "Foolish girl." He looked up at Natsu and Gray. "Bring her back to the camp. She's in no condition to continue. None of us are."

Jose Porla's voice rang out over head, and this was the first time Natsu had been able to hear him since the battle had begun. "Looks like you Fairy Tail mages have a bit more in you than I initially thought. To think that one of you had the power to withstand a blast from the Jupiter Cannon." Jose sighed, and Natsu wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face. "No matter. The Jupiter Cannon will be charged again shortly, and there will be nothing more than any of you can do to stop us. Phantom Lord will prevail!"

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thanks for reading! Sorry for the wait, and I hope you enjoyed!

Feel free to let me know what you thought in a review! I always do my best to reply to every single one!

Thanks for the favorites, follows, and reviews(FireShifter, SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta, Awareness Bringer, Ushindeshi, and Lady of the Sphinx).