Wow, I must be feeling inspired, because it's been a while since I wrote this much in a single month. Hope you're all feeling well and staying safe.
This chapter should be the end to the Phantom Lord war, while the next chapter will be the epilogue to the arc. What happens next? Who knows! All I can say is we'll find out soon enough. As for now though, enjoy the chapter and see you in the next one!
Chapter 22: Light in the Darkness
Title Song: Red Riot Awakening - My/Boku no Hero Academia OST
Bisca held a single magic tommy gun, spraying constant fire. Back to back with her was her team partner, Alzach. His pistol was letting shots off endlessly, only pausing to reload. As she lowered her weapon from a fresh spray, only to watch the shades above them regenerate, she paused to watch their new bullet slinging ally.
"The second they fully reform, get ready…" He muttered. His fingers started lighting up with red magic power.
He wasn't the only one, over by Macao and Wakaba, Hyde was charging up electricity for his next attack, likewise, from where she had joined Cana and Laki, Lilina was holding a red ruby in her hand, the gem glowing with magic.
This inspired the others to also prepare. The shades reformed, and Dan's eyes narrowed. "Now! Scarlet Hellfire!" He called out, releasing bullets all at once, causing a large explosion to blast apart several shades.
Everyone else threw their own spells into the mix, desperately trying to stop the ghostly soldiers from getting any closer.
When the smoke faded, the shades just respawned like nothing had happened. "Tch… they just keep coming…" Dan growled.
At the top of the Phantom guildhall, Marcus and Natsu stared down at Gajeel, who gave a dark smirk as he stared back.
"Guess it's not too hard to catch a Salamander if you use the right bait," Gajeel chuckled. "And it seems to work on royalty as well, right, Kaiser?"
"Unlike you Phantom creeps, I watch out for my friends, I won't let you lay a hand on her!" Natsu shouted.
"It's the same with me. You hurt one of my guildmates, our newest recruit in fact. Do you know how much guilt I've been feeling? Her first job, and she's already in the hospital big time?" Marcus added. "It's time one of us got some payback."
"Natsu… Marcus…" Lucy sighed with a smile.
"Stay back," Marcus warned.
"Right, this could get ugly," Natsu added.
"Gajeel?" Asked one of the extras off to the side. Marcus didn't care for them.
"These two are mine," Gajeel smirked, leaping forwards.
"Oh yeah?!" Natsu leapt first, dodging Gajeel's club and grabbing it, twirling around in the air and throwing him into the wall. Gajeel positioned himself to kick off, but before he could react, Natsu was upon him with a flaming fist, which he barely blocked with his iron.
The fire splashed off, causing the other Phantom members to start running. Gajeel leapt back, trying to gain some ground, but Natsu was on him, socking him in the face with a strong right hook, sending him flying across the room.
Gajeel grunted as he shook off the hits, but he was surprised with Marcus coming straight at him. "Ice Dragon Spearhead!" He yelled, slamming into Gajeel's stomach. Gajeel dropped to the bottom of the wall.
"Fire Dragon Talon!" Natsu was back, flipping forwards with a foot bathed in flames. Gajeel blocked it with his clubs.
Lucy gasped as she watched the fight. "Whoa…" Her eyes couldn't leave the showdown, the three dragon slayers brawling across the room.
"Hey, are you alright, that looked like it hurt," Happy ran over.
"I'm sure it'll bruise, but I'll be fine," Lucy grunted. Happy followed her gaze.
"Is something wrong?" He asked.
"It's just… I've never seen Natsu like this… And Marcus is on par with him…" Lucy observed.
"Aye. Both are fired up, more than I've ever seen before," Happy nodded. "I wouldn't want to be that other guy, especially since it's two vs one."
The three dragons were clearly catching their breath, before the next bout began.
"You're going to pay for what you've done to Lucy, Shadow Gear and Emi," Natsu said. "As payback, I'm gonna use my fire to melt your ugly iron face!"
"Oooh! I wanna see what happens if I freeze the result!" Marcus grinned darkly.
Gajeel laughed, "Sounds like fun!" He grinned back. "So gimme me your best shot!"
They lunged back in. Natsu and Gajeel matching blow for blow, before Natsu used Gajeel's club as leverage, springing off it and kicking him in the face.
Marcus then sprang in, fists coated in ice. "Ice Dragon Frigid Hammer!" He called out, unleashing a flurry of hits, Gajeel blocked a few, but others got in, before Marcus leapt back as something sliced the air he was standing in a second ago.
"That's a pretty gnarly looking toy!" Natsu observed. Gajeel's right arm had transformed into a large barbed sword.
"This is the Iron Dragon Sword, anything it touches is cut to shreds!" Gajeel smirked. "That little dragon girl already met this thing, she got off without a scratch from it, let's see some on you!"
Marcus growled, this was the weapon that hurt Emma, and it also almost hurt Wendy. "How is he doing that?" Lucy asked, terrified with the barbs that were now rotating around the sword with super quick speed.
"With Iron Dragon slayer magic!" Happy reminded her.
"I admit, you got some unique tricks rustbucket, I have some as well," Marcus said.
Gajeel rushed at them, attempting to cleave them in two, but Natsu and Marcus both leapt round like master gymnasts, executing flips and twirls that would make professionals jealous.
"You're both nimble little pests, I'll give you that," He growled.
"You're no slouch yourself," Natsu admitted.
"But we've still got a score to settle. Kaiser, that goes for you too," Gajeel grinned. "No time like the present!"
"Let's go rivet face, I'm all fired up now!" Natsu shot back. Marcus nodded, nothing to add.
As dragon slayers, they have the ability to take on the powers of such mythical creatures. Which means that three wizards that are strong enough to slay dragons are about to duke it out right in front of me…! Lucy thought, panic covering her face.
Gajeel's magic energy swelled, a magic circle appearing beneath his feet. Natsu, Marcus and their two supporters were surprised to see him covering himself with iron scales.
"Are you ready punks?!" Gajeel asked. He sprang forwards. "Iron Dragon Hard Fist!" His fist cannoned into Natsu's arm, sending the fire dragon flying.
"Natsu-!" Before Marcus could act, Gajeel swung his leg towards him, slamming into his gut. Like Natsu, he also shot into the wall.
Both grunted as they nursed bruises that were black and blue. Gajeel wasn't done though, landing blow after blow, each heavier than the last thanks to his reinforced fists.
Gajeel laughed, swinging his leg again, missing, but the sheer force behind his kick caused the ground to split from the pressurised air slicing through it.
"Is there seriously that much wind behind that kick?!" Lucy demanded, holding down her skirt, while Happy held onto her shirt for dear life.
Natsu landed a flaming fist on Gajeel's face. "Ooh, that had to hurt! Hate to break it to ya, but there's no way you're cracking my scales!"
Natsu yelled out, nursing his swollen hand. "I'll take a shot. Ice Make…" Marcus said, gathering the power and the image in his mind.
"Ha! Maker Magic? Don't make me laugh!" Gajeel boomed. He grunted as Marcus dashed past, a cut appearing on his thigh.
"Dragon Blade!" Marcus now said his spell, the item in his hand being a beautiful icy katana with a dragon head at the base of the blade.
"What the…?!" Gajeel asked, grunting at the attack.
"Using the ice of my dragon slayer magic with my maker magic, I can create anti dragon weapons. I can't confirm their effectiveness on actual dragons, but they seem to work fine on iron dragon scales," Marcus explained. "I know it hurts, but get up Natsu."
"Shut up man! That really friggin' hurt!" Natsu complained. "Alright you metal freak, time to blow you away! Fire Dragon…!"
"Iron Dragon…!" Marcus blanched, leaping to safety as Gajeel took his own deep breath.
"He's got a breath attack just like Natsu!"
"ROAR!" Fire collided with a storm of iron shavings, before a huge explosion of pressure knocked back everyone bar the attacking dragon slayers.
"Looks like there's some pretty big differences between fire and iron dragons, aren't there, Salamander?" The smoke and dust settled, both were standing. Gajeel's jacket had a burnt hole in the stomach, while there were tears everywhere on Natsu.
"You can keep breathing fire until you run outta hot air, but it's not gonna crack my armour, on the other hand just one of my iron shaving charged breath attacks will rip you to pieces," Gajeel bragged.
"Are you sure about that?" Natsu asked. "Sure you're not feeling a breeze?"
A crack formed on Gajeel's right side of his face. "I can't crack your armour huh?" Natsu asked. "I don't breathe ordinary flames pal, the fire dragon roar destroys everything it touches." He took off his jacket, probably to spare the need for a replacement when the fight was over.
"And you forgot something. ME! Ice Dragon ROAR!" A sudden snowstorm gushed over Gajeel, and when it passed, the black haired young man was shivering. "I thought so. Fun fact, iron is not a great cover against the elements, my attacks will slowly start to freeze you over until you're out of steam," Marcus observed. "Also…" More cracks formed across his body. "As I thought, rapidly cooling hot metal makes it brittle, and since you're constantly moving, it might start falling apart."
Natsu started swelling with magic power, "I think it's time we stopped playing around, it's time to get serious," He growled.
Gajeel laughed. "Bring it. Let's GO!" He roared, his jacket shredding off as he exerted his own strength.
"I'm not about to be left behind, bring it on!" Marcus dropped his jacket, his black polo shirt torn at the collar and sleeves. His own power swelling to match his fellow dragons.
"Yep, they're dragon slayers alright!" Happy sighed.
"They're amazing. And two out of three are practically half naked," Lucy gasped.
"Black Steel… let's go," Natsu snarled.
"The sky's not big enough for all these dragons Salamander, Kaiser," Gajeel smirked. "Which means I've gotta take you down!"
"Ha! Bring it iron breath, we're done playing around," Marcus growled.
Back at the guild hall, the shades were up to something new. "Uh oh…" Hyde muttered, first to realise what was happening.
They were merging into one giant ball of magic, before six large hands extended out, two red eyes glowing from in the ball.
"That thing's got creepy hands all over the place!" Laki noted.
"That's the least of your worries…" Dan muttered. He was right, the ball shade started to throw it's hands at the remains of the guildhall.
"It's tearing down our guildhall!" Cana gasped, mortified.
"Not if we can't help it!" Dan looked up and gave a small smile as Alicia dropped from the sky, scythe slashing through one arm. She looked back up, expecting a clean slice, but nothing changed.
"Not good…" Macao groaned.
"Let us try! Full Moon Blaster!" A pink laser slammed into one eye of the monster.
"Sky Dragon ROAR!" A tornado of pale blue wind was added, hitting the other eye.
"Great timing girls!" Hyde grinned.
"Shut up and hit it!" Carla commanded.
The monster was flailing randomly as it couldn't see, however, the arms were still hitting the guildhall.
"I don't care if you have to drain every inch of your power, KILL IT!" Cana commanded.
Everyone got back in, throwing spell after spell.
Lilina took a deep breath. "I've never done this before… Sapphire, Emerald, Amber!" She called, appearing around her was three gems, floating before her, spinning in a circle, which formed yellow, blue and green magic circles. "Three Gem Fusion: Tempest Twister!" She called out.
A tidal surge of water, wind and lightning spun into a unison attack of the storms, a tornado of power slamming into the monster with as much power she could create.
"You're not alone Lilina! Here we go… I call upon the might of the Thunderbird! Lightning Piercer!" He yelled, forming a massive spear of lightning and throwing it into the mix.
"I refuse to be let down yet!" Dan gripped his fists. Closing his eyes, he began to focus, channelling his power into a different spot than normal. His entire hand. Opening his eyes, he smirked upon seeing his hands glowing red. "Bullet Magic: Crimson Cannon!" He called out, firing two massive bullets from his hands.
Everyone was working hard to stop the monster, Alicia kept trying to slice the arms off, Laki was building walls to slow it's advance, Macao tried binding the arms together with his purple fire, to no success.
Hurry guys, we're running out of time here… Cana thought.
Three wordless bellows signified the start of the next fight, Marcus slamming his right fist covered with ice into Gajeel's left, while his right hand was blocking Natsu. The resulting explosion was powerful. Marcus gasped as Natsu and Gajeel both took to the sky.
"I'm not being left behind. Ice Make: Glider!" Marcus called out, willing his creation to catch the winds and get after the other two dragons.
He caught up just in time to bash Gajeel in the side with a frigid hammer. "Hope you didn't forget about me!" He snapped.
Natsu and Marcus stood on the crown of the giant, while Gajeel stood on the centre spike. Both sprang in, fists colliding with Gajeel's own. He kept dishing out his heavy armoured blows, but neither of his foes were backing down. Standing on the spike, Marcus hooked Gajeel, before he received a jab. They then collided fists, then lunged with a kick, matching each other blow for blow again, the shockwave from the hit tearing the concrete and steel holding up the spike apart.
The three dragon slayers landed back in the first room. Everyone watching was shocked to see they were all still standing. "I don't believe it, these kids are beating Gajeel?" Sue asked.
"No, look, Salamander and Kaiser are both running low on steam too," Bose, the other wizard that helped grab Lucy, observed.
Marcus dropped his head, catching his breath. However, it shot back up when he heard clinking and crunching. "Oh… this can't be good…" He muttered.
Gajeel was eating.
While normally, this might be an odd time, but it was perfectly a good idea.
"He really eats iron?" Lucy asked, not wanting to believe the bizarre scene she was watching.
"Wonder if it tastes good?" Happy mused.
Natsu was about to object to this mid-battle meal, but suddenly, he felt the air chill. "I won't let you power up! Dragon Slayer Secret Art!" Marcus called out.
Gajeel blinked, swallowing the iron he had crunched up. Marcus' arms were coated in curved ice blades. "Sacred Snow: Ice Cold Retribution!" He yelled, leaping forward, slamming the blades together, his power sending him into a spin.
I don't have much left… the battle at Oak Town, Winona, all the grunts here, José. Too much fighting with not enough time to recover. He thought as he shot towards Gajeel. I have to end this now, before I'm made useless!
"Nice try kid. I respect you for that," Gajeel said, as a green aura shone around him. "Iron Dragon Sword!"
Marcus didn't see the slash, however, it was hard to miss the fact his ice got completely shattered, and he knew the aftermath, he was spiralling towards the water, the angle of his last ditch effort being to knock Gajeel into the water. His eyes flickered open and shut, but as he fell, he saw the Fairy Tail guildhall being pulzerised by a massive shade monster.
The last thing he felt was something catching him, his eyes closing as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Back in the main hall, Sarah ducked, narrowly avoiding a Power Surge from José. She ducked and weaved around more dark skulls. As they fought, more of the wall began to crumble, before breaking down completely.
Erza then took a brave slash at the Phantom Lord. Her sword slashed through him, but it turned out to be a thought projection, the real José right behind her, pulsing out a kinetic force from his fingers. Erza dodged every single one, barely able to stay ahead.
The building began to shake again, perhaps with even more ferocity than earlier. "My… what unruly dragons we both have," José chuckled.
Both girls realised he had paused his attacks, allowing them to catch their breath. "If I know Natsu and Marcus, there's no way they're letting your iron faced pet get away with the crimes he's committed," Sarah panted.
"Agreed. While I can't be certain of Marcus, Natsu may be unruly, but he's also an extremely powerful wizard," Erza sighed. "In fact, I would be bold enough to say he's as strong as I am, if not stronger."
"Come now, there's no need for modesty here 'Titania' Erza," José shrugged. "Your magic is just as spectacular as Salamander's. And let's not forget the Daughter of Darkness. A magic not so different from my own. You two are also the first foes I've faced to last this long."
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Sarah shot back.
"Perhaps, but if it wasn't for the fact you're both still recovering from defending against Jupiter, I'd probably be outmatched," José nodded.
Neither fairy made a sound. José decided to continue. "You know what urks me about Fairy Tail? There are so many powerful wizards that choose to ally with Makarov!" He spat out the name, as well as a sudden flick of magic, the pressurised attack impacting against Erza, sending her reeling. "Since there's no way to tempt you into joining Phantom, I've got no choice but to kill every last one of you!" He unleashed blast after blast, Erza and Sarah forced to go on the defensive as he refused to give them room.
"That will send the old coot into a pit of despair," José smirked. "Imagine the look on his face when he comes back to find his guildhall destroyed and his 'children' dead at his feet," He grinned. "He'd be lost, completely consumed by sorrow."
The smoke settled, Sarah was holding up her Shield of Ignis, covering herself and the unconscious Mira. Nearby, Erza was emerging untouched by the barrage of attacks.
"Once he's like that, I'll be able to swoop in and kill him, but not before torturing him and making him beg for me to put him out of his misery," José snickered.
Erza and Sarah both charged, sword and fist at the ready. José revealed a new trick, teleporting behind them both.
"As long as I can remember, Phantom Lord has always been at the top. We have the most powerful wizards with the strongest spells. We also have more capital and more members than any other guild," José smiled. That inverted quickly. "However, Fairy Tail has begun to catch up, putting our position at the top in jeopardy. The names Erza, Sarah, Laxus and Mystogan began to become widely known, and stories of 'Salamander' began to spread across the land like wildfire."
He snarled. "Now Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail are considered equals, and have become the top two guilds in this kingdom." He made a gagging sound. "The thought disgusts me. I refuse to be acquainted with such a feeble guild!"
"Silence!" Erza had enough. She slashed, just for José to dodge again. "You mean to tell me the reason we're fighting, why so much blood has been spilt, is because you had a fit of jealousy?"
"Jealous? No. We just wanted to prove to Fiore that we are still the top guild!" José snorted.
"Newsflash! That's jealousy! My sister and her team are in the hospital because you wanted to force your way to the top? Pathetic! The actions you have allowed your guild to perform, the Jupiter cannon, Abyss Break. You're leading your guild to become a Dark guild! You won't be at the top. You'll become just another nest of bugs that the Magic council will have to squash," Sarah yelled.
José suddenly activated a magic circle. "Phantom Bindings!" He called out. Before either girl could act, shadowy tendrils wrapped around them, before clamping tight, causing both to scream as they squeezed tightly, red lightning surging through them.
"While I've always hated your guild, it wasn't the sparking for this war. It was a very wealthy man who approached us, asking to return his daughter to him. That man was Mr Heartfelia, head of the family of the same name. The daughter of one of the richest men in the kingdom in Fairy Tail… so Makarov is trying to buy his way to the top!?" José demanded.
"No way José!" Sarah groaned. "If you care so much about getting LuLu back, you probably want to double check your facts," She said.
"What?!" José asked.
"She's right. Lucy came to us as a runaway. She has no access to her family fortune. She rents an apartment for seventy thousand jewel a month. She works hard to make a living. She fights alongside us, she laughs and cries with us. She's a member of Fairy Tail because she wanted to live a life away from the man controlling her path!" Erza smirked, despite the pain.
"She's the reason we're at war? She maybe the daughter of papa Heartfelia, but she never asked for that. Just as flowers don't decide where they bloom, children don't choose their parents. I should know. I've got a right miserable pair for parents of my own!" Sarah spoke up.
"You really think that I'll hand her over without some kind of benefit?" José asked, making the girls' blood run cold. "I'll make her my prisoner and force her father to meet my demands! I'll bleed the Heartfelia family completely dry of every drop of wealth they have!"
"Curse you!" Erza cried, both she and Sarah trying to struggle against the magic bindings.
"Oh, I wouldn't struggle like that, it'll only make this more painful!" José roared, a second magic circle appearing on his other hand, two skeletal phantoms appearing before each girl and inhaling.
Sarah howled as she felt as if her soul was being sucked out. I'm honestly struggling to think of what's worse, this guy, or my parents… She thought. She wasn't the only one in pain, as she heard her fellow S-class wizard yell in pain as well.
"You're not looking very well, are you my dears?" José asked, enjoying this. "Don't give up yet, it's almost time for you to be shown to your peers. Once they see you in this state, they're sure to surrender!"
No way… Sarah thought, glancing over to Erza, who shared a nod. Erza knows I'll choose death over being used against my friends. Natsu… Marcus… we know you'll win!
She closed her eyes, patiently waiting for the end. However, it never came. Instead, a warm light washed over them. Erza's armour was repaired, and their wounds began to heal.
"This light… no way!" Sarah whirled around to see the small but powerful Master Makarov Dreyar descend to stand on the debris.
"You have shed the blood of our children… and that is unforgivable! They have been made to suffer because of the incompetence of their parents. We are both to blame, José. This war between us has gone on long enough. Let's end this here and now!" The Fairy Tail master boomed.
He's not looking happy. We'd best clear out before the fireworks really kick off. Otherwise, we'll be buried in the battle. Sarah thought.
Beside the hill of rubble, Gray, Elfman and Mira began to stir, as did Winona and Melody. José without warning, suddenly acted, unleashing a massive wave of skeletal heads. No less than six gold magic circles then lit up, swallowing the attacks with ease. Makarov stood before the Fairies, Melody and Winona. "You kids need to get out while you can."
"He's right, we're just holding him back! We need to get out so he can really let loose," Sarah said, stopping Gray and Elfman before they could object.
As they began to retreat, the duo of Sarah and Erza covered their allies. "Be careful master!" Erza called.
"Kick his ass for us! Then give him an extra beating for me!" Sarah added, before they both ran after their allies.
By the time the seven got outside, a gold glow had started to wash over them, covering the remains of the giant, but also the Fairy Tail guildhall. The shades, big and small, were all blown away by the light.
"What is that?!" Alicia asked.
"Whatever it is, I think it's friendly, after all, we're in the light and not dead," Hyde said.
"I'll take the help, those shades were irritating," Dan groaned.
"Lighten up Danny, we helped hold the line," Lilina sighed.
"It's Fairy Law. One of the most powerful spells in the world. It only targets those which the caster sees as their enemy," Erza explained.
"Um… I'll be fine, right?" Winona asked.
"Don't worry. I think he's only using it on one guy, who is definitely an enemy of the Master," Sarah grinned.
"It's beautiful…" Melody gasped.
"ALRIGHT! WE BEAT PHANTOM!" Fairy Tail's entire guild called out, cheering and celebrating together now that the battle was over.
Makarov was soon seen stood on one of the arms of the giant. "We are victorious!" He boomed. "But I had very little to do with it. This victory is yours my children!"
Sarah slumped over onto her backside. "Just in time Gramps, just in time." She sighed, before bursting into laughter. "We WON!" She grinned.
By the guildhall, Wendy watched as Carla lowered to the ground, carrying a slumped, unconscious Marcus. "He's just out cold. Evidently, the massive chain of battle after battle was too much," She said, holding the young man's arm over her shoulder. Wendy quickly moved to help, taking his other arm over her shoulder.
They put him down on the grassy bank, Wendy sighed, putting Marcus' head on what remained of the Fairy Tail banner. "We did it, Marcus. We won." She smiled. And although he was unconscious, a smile formed on his face.
Melody: Wow, that was a great way to end it, but Marcus being KO'd before the end of the fight was kinda cheap.
Wendy: Something tells me the reason it ended like that was because it was Natsu's fight to end, and Marcus tried to stop Gajeel before he got all boosted by that iron.
Sarah: I think that too. When it comes to José though, I hope I never have to fight someone like him ever again. Even with Erza, he flattened us.
Carla: Well, either way, the war with that bunch of brutes is over, and we can finally go home.
All: Next time: The Fairy-Cat Alliance!
