Chapter 15
'Thinking' – thoughts
"Speaking" – speech
'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking
"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are property of Hiro Masima.
NoBarNicholas: Yes that is the inspiration for Shedo.
Vincent Blames: If you remember how I set this universe up in chapter 1 I used the Grim Reaper as Draco Mortem's servants. As for what happens, you have a chapter to read here friend and I hope you enjoy it.
- In the Tower of Heaven-
Haru and Gray were standing shoulder to shoulder, glaring at Jellal. Erza was unable to move from her spot beside the two teens since she was affected with the 'Bind Snake' spell Jellal sneaked onto her.
"Simon, get Erza out of the way," Haru said, not taking his eyes off of the blue-haired man in front of him. Simon gave a quick nod and the large man easily picked Erza up and carefully placed her down near the other two mages, who was still sitting comfortably as if they were on a picnic.
Erza wanted to shout out that he should let her stay, she wanted to say that she can fight, but she knew that with the binding spell on her she would just cause problems for her guildmates. She looked over to Natsu and Ultear with a frown on her face. 'Why isn't he doing anything, what is he up to,' Erza thought to herself.
"Let's teach this guy a lesson Gray," Haru shouted out.
"Right behind you Flame Brain," Gray replied.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist" Haru called out as he charged Jellal. "Ice-Make: Sword" Gray called out and followed Haru's lead in charging Jellal. A smirk grew on Jellal's face as he saw the two teens charging him. "Dark Mass" Jellal called out. A sphere of darkness formed in his hand, it expanded to twice the size of Jellal's hand before multiple tentacles shot out of it towards Haru and Gray.
Haru and Gray combined their efforts to destroy the tentacles, with Haru punching them and Gray slicing them with his icy sword. This slowed their advance considerably. This gave Jellal enough time to consider his next move. "Dark Cage" Jellal called out.
Jellal crushed a dark orb that formed in his hand. As soon as the orb was crushed dark ghosts sprouted from the ground beneath the two Fairy Tail mages' feet. The ghosts grabbed hold of them and further halted their advance. It was now near a standstill. As the ghosts grabbed hold of the mages they also let out a pained yell.
"Come on, at least entertain me for a little while," Jellal laughed while looking up with a crazed look on his face.
"Fire Dragon Sword Horn" Haru called out. As his body lit up in flames the ghosts that were keeping him disintegrated. Haru launched himself at the crazed man, who was unable to dodge due to him not fully paying attention. Gray used his icy sword to slice the ghosts ad once he was freed he dispelled the sword and called out "Ice-Make Lance". The icy lances that Gray shot towards Jellal surrounded Haru just before he rammed his head into Jellal's stomach.
Jellal was launched into one of the lacrima spikes due to the fire mage head-butting him and the icy lances making an impact. Jellal crashed into the spike with great force, destroying the spike. When he got back up he didn't seem fazed by the combined attack from the two mages.
"Now that's more I like it, if you keep this up you might live long enough to see Zeref's resurrection," Jellal laughed like a madman.
"We will stop you from resurrecting him," Haru shouted.
"I will not allow Zeref to be revived and wreaking havoc again," Gray declared. He was one of the many who had suffered due to Zeref's exploits. In his case, it was Zeref's demon Deliora.
"Ice-Make: Cannon" Gray called out and created an ice cannon in his hands. Gray quickly cast a glance in Haru's direction. Their eyes met and Haru gave a slight nod. With a grin, Gray launched a barrage of ice balls in Jellal's direction. "Dark Shot" Jellal countered the ice balls with orbs of darkness. It seemed like the two barrages were even, with neither gaining ground
"Don't forget about me," Haru shouted from behind Jellal. "Fire Dragon Roar" Haru called out and launched a stream of fire at the unprepared bluenette. The attack caused Jellal to stumble forward, stopping his counted to Gray's attack. This resulted in Jellal being pummelled by the ice balls from Gray's ice cannon.
This combination of attacks presented better results for the Fairy Tail mages. Jellal struggled a bit to get back up and there were burn marks on his body and clothes along with a few bruises.
"I'm impressed, you managed to damage me. I guess that means I can step it up a bit," Jellal grinned. "Dark Rondo" Jellal called out and extended a hand in each of the two teens' direction. A flurry of ghosts was released from each one of his hands and rushed the two mages.
"Fire Dragon Roar" Haru called out and sent a vortex of flames to counter the ghosts. "Ice-Make: Shield" Gray called out, going for a more defensive approach. The increased power Jellal put into this attacked proved too much for both mages. They were lucky that their efforts at defending weren't in vain since the attack that managed to hit them were already considerably weaker compared to when they were launched.
"Hey Ice Princess, we need to work together if we are going to beat this guy," Haru shouted over to his rival who was already busy making his way over to him.
"Don't just stand there, get your but over here you pyro," Gray yelled back at him.
A smile grew on Erza's face as she observed the two work together. 'When you two come together I don't think there is much that can defeat you,' Erza thought to herself with a smile. She quickly cast a glance at Natsu and Ultear, curious as to see their reaction to the fight. Natsu was intently looking at what Haru was doing with a barely visible grin and Ultear had a face of indifference.
"You are better at defence, whereas my magic is completely focused on attack, so I suggest you watch our backs while I hit him hard," Haru said to Gray once they met up across from Jellal.
"Don't think that I will let you do all the fighting, but you do have a good point there," Gray replied.
"You two having fun talking, I thought you were fighting me to stop me," Jellal laughed like a maniac.
"Fire Dragon Wing Attack" Haru called out, sending two fire whips at Jellal. "Dark Slash" Jellal countered, sending a wave of darkness at Haru. "Ice-Make: Shied" Gray called out, forming an ice shield between Haru and Jellal's attacks. The dark wave destroyed the ice shield but lost all its power, allowing the whips of fire to reach Jellal.
Jellal let out a scream of pain as the flames licked at his skin. "Ice-Make: Hammer" Gray called out, his defensive role fulfilled in this attack, meaning that he can switch to adding Haru in attacking. The giant ice hammer that formed above Jellal and after a moment it slammed him into the ground.
"They are actually beating him?" Simon said in utter shock. For as long as he could remember Jellal's power seemed to be unreachable by his allies. But now these two guys were working together beautifully to defeat the stronger mage.
"This is what Fairy Tail is, a family that works together to overcome their advisories. No one who faces us will succeed," Erza said with a smile adorning her face.
"I think it's time to end this fight and proceed to fulfil my destiny," Jellal said as he stood up.
"The time has come to resurrect Zeref," a new voice said but it sounded exactly the same as Jellal's. The Fairy Tail mages and Simon snapped their heads to the new voice and saw a man that looked like Jellal with the only difference between the two being the clothes they wore.
"Siegrain, what are you doing here?" Erza asked the Council Member.
"Well you see Jellal needs some help since he can't access his full power right now," Siegrain said as he walked over to Jellal. The twins stood shoulder to shoulder, both having a grin on their faces.
"I don't understand, you are part of the Magic Council, you are supposed to protect the magic world," Erza said with confusion and anger written on her face.
"I had my reason for being on the Council, and as you can see those reasons were to power the tower if nothing else," Siegrain replied.
"So you were helping him out all along, you were never against your brother, you only lead us to believe so," Erza said, narrowing her eyes. Haru, Gray and Simon were looking at the exchange with interest and shock while Natsu started to shift, moving Ultear off of him. Ultear wasn't very happy being moved away from her love but seeing what was currently happening she knew their turn to act was fast approaching.
"The thing is Erza," Siegrain began.
"It would be quite hard for us to be against one another," Jellal continued.
"If we aren't even different people," Jellal and Siegrain both said in unison. This was when the Fairy Tail mages and Simon realised that they could see the outline of the crystals through Siegrain's body. Siegrain continued to step into Jellal's body. Once Siegrain was back in Jellal's body his magic power spiked.
"How is this possible?" Erza asked.
"Wait, that Council guy was Jellal all along?" Haru and Gray both shouted in surprise.
"You never even expected that the Council Member you had interacted with was nothing other than thought projection," Jellal said with a victorious grin.
"You will not get away with this, when we defeat you and hand you over to the Council you will live out the rest of your life in prison," Gray said with anger.
"But first we will teach you a lesson never to harm our family," Haru shouted. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist" Haru called out, igniting his hands in flames and dashing towards Jellal. "Ice-Make: Seven Slice Dance" Gray called out, creating two blades of ice that jutted out of his forearms. Haru and Gray unleashed a flurry of attacks on Jellal. "Meteor" Jellal whispered just before the first attack hit him. He was coated in a golden light and even though the two Fairy Tail mages were attacking him at inhumane speeds he was able to dodge nearly all of the attacks.
"With my original power restored you are no match for me," Jellal said as he placed both arms on top of each other with the top hand having only the index and middle fingers spread out.
"And now I will let you feel my power and the gap between us," Jellal continued with a smirk. "Grand Chariot" Jellal called out as seven magic seals appeared in front of him which formed a constellation of sorts. The seals then lit up and each released a powerful blast of light on the two teens.
Jellal looked down at the defeated mages with an evil smile. "Altairis" Jellal called out as he crossed his arms above his head. The shadows that were cast on the ground began to shift and eventually, all the nearby shadows were pulled into the spell Jellal was casting, forming a ball of shadows with specks of white in it, similar to the night sky.
"Now you die," Jellal called out as he released the devastating and deadly attack.
"No," Erza yelled out as she heard the cries of her comrades. When Simon heard the distressed call from Erza he decided to step in between the fallen mages and the deadly attack. 'I will sacrifice myself for you and your friends Erza,' Simon thought with a smile as he awaited death.
"It's time for me to take the stage. Wait for my signal Ultear," Natsu said as he stood up, he quickly cast a glance at Ultear and when she nodded Natsu walked over to the two downed mages.
"Death Dragon's Death Blast" Natsu called out as he stepped in front of Simon. The purple and grey orb he threw collided with the ball that resembled the night sky. Natsu turned around and motioned Simon to get Gray.
"You have done admirably and this allowed me to evaluate your strength," Natsu softly said as he picked up Haru. Simon picked up the Ice mage and together they placed the downed mages next to Erza, who released a breath she didn't know she was holding as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"Your actions here have cemented your fate,' Natsu growled as he turned back towards Jellal, his eyes filled with rage.
"The only fate I have is to resurrect Zeref and rule over his new world," Jellal said with a smirk.
"You are a delusional man Jellal, I will not allow you to tread on the territory that belongs to my father. You will not meddle in the affairs of death," Natsu said as a purple and grey aura surrounded him. Jellal quickly exerted his own magical aura to battle Natsu's.
-With the group on a boat-
"What is that?" Lucy asked with fear evident in her voice. First, they see Etherion hitting the tower, which is then revealed to be a giant lacrima. And then they see a huge blast of golden light. And now they could see the top of the tower and the sky above it is split in two, one side being grey and purple and the other being golden.
"That golden aura must be Jellal with his Heavenly Body magic, but the other one I have no idea," Wally said as he looked in awe at the powers emanating from the tower.
-With Natsu and Jellal-
"You cannot stop destiny, I will resurrect Zeref," Jellal shouted. "Meteor" Jellal called out, once again surrounding himself with golden magic before dashing to Natsu. "Death Dragon's Elbow" Natsu called out and slammed his elbow, which was covered in purple and grey energy into Jellal's back as he dashed past him to get behind him. Jellal crashed into the ground with a grunt.
"You predicted my movements?" Jellal asked as he pulled himself out of the small crater.
"Death Dragon's Devastating Fist" Natsu called out without answering Jellal's question and slammed his fist into Jellal's chest. Jellal was sent flying backwards until he hit a lacrima pillar. The impact caused him to cough out some saliva.
"You don't seem to want to talk," Jellal said as he got back up.
"I take any opportunity that is presented, that is how I survived until now," Natsu replied as kept his steady gaze fixed on Jellal.
"Well, this is where that track record will end," Jellal replied with a smirk. "Pleiades" Jellal called out as he raised his right hand while holding his left hand at hip height. Six rays of light fell from the sky in quick succession. Natsu switched between jumping and rolling to dodge each of the rays of light.
"Jiu Leixing" Jellal continued his offensive. Nine swords consisting completely of light formed beside him before rushing forward to where Natsu ended up after dodging the previous attack. "Death Dragon's Secret Art: Decaying Grasp: Death Dragon's Oblivion Blade" Natsu called out as he saw the swords flying at him. A grey sword materialised in his hand which had a purple aura. Natsu was too slow to react to the first sword which sliced his side.
The rest of the light swords were struck down but the purple aura that surrounded the Oblivion Blade. As Natsu took a few swings of the blade the aura followed behind, forming what looked like a visible path that the blade had previously followed. Natsu then swung the blade in the direction of Jellal with great force. The purple aura formed a wave that flew towards Jellal.
"Meteor" Jellal called out and used the speed the spell gave him to dodge the purple wave. Jellal took the long route around Natsu, not wanting a repeat of the previous time he dashed past him. "Heavenly Arrows" Jellal called out as he made his way around Natsu. Golden arrows formed in his wake before being launched at Natsu.
Natsu swung his Oblivion Sword at the incoming arrows and cancelled them out with the purple wave. Jellal picked up the light sword that had hit Natsu and with his added speed from his 'Meteor' spell attacked Natsu with a downwards swing. Natsu countered the sword swing from Jellal by holding his sword above his head, supporting it with one hand on the handle and another on the flat of the blade. The force of Jellal's attack shattered both swords and they soon disintegrated into nothing.
"Not bad but let's see how you deal with this," Jellal said as he jumped backwards. Jellal began drawing a large magic circle in front of him that was quickly recognised by Erza and Simon.
"That's Abyss Break but that will kill us all," Simon said with fear.
"Oh, no, If 'Death Walker' dodges that attack we will be hit," Erza said as she saw that Jellal had positioned himself so that Natsu was in between him and the Fairy Tail mages and she was sure this barrier thing wouldn't be able to stand up to the destructive power of Abyss Break.
"Ultear, pour as much magic into that orb now or you will all die," Natsu shouted out. Ultear didn't wait for any other words as she began pouring all of her time magic she could muster into the orb of death. Erza and Simon's eyes widened in fear as the orb swallowed them up but they were confused when they didn't feel any effect. They looked around them and saw that they were in a dome of Death Magic.
"I don't know how this works but he said that I should do this and last time I was fine," Ultear quickly said, remembering not to call Natsu by name, when she saw the puzzled looks on the two mages faces. She couldn't keep the giggle that escaped in when she saw the two mages' shoulders slumped, knowing that they would probably never get an answer to their question.
Natsu turned his full attention to the crazed man who was charging up the forbidden spell known as Abyss Break. Natsu took a calming breath and thought back to one of the many lessons Draco had taught him.
-Flashback-
Natsu was leaning with his back against his adoptive father's side. This was a usual sight in the Afterlife, seeing the father and son duo enjoying a peaceful tine and simply talking about all sorts of intellectual and philosophical subject, with death or magic often being the focus of said talks. And this time wasn't any different.
"My son, there might come a time when you require more magic but there are no available sources for you to draw from. Today I want to tell you a bit more about what magic is," Draco said as he moved his colossal head to look Natsu in the eyes.
"I know how to draw magic from the living things around me and I am aware of how that works but what does that have to do with what magic is?" Natsu asked his father with curiosity all over his young face.
"You see, magic is a living thing. It might not be alive by the normal standards but it has a will of its own. Magic is a beautiful thing to me because it is the only other thing I have come across that has an eternal lifespan. Magic is an eternally changing thing, you can see it at work through the various types of mages that exist in the world," Draco said as he looked at his son.
"So are you saying that it is possible to draw more magic from that area around me when I need more?" Natsu asked the Dragon God.
"Yes, young one. The catch, however, is that all beings capable of using magic are already drawing in magical energy from their surroundings naturally, that is why, given enough time, a mage can recover their magic," Draco said as he began to trace a circle on the ground in front of Natsu. Natsu looked at the circle with great interest as Draco drew a line that cut the circle in two, one large side and one small.
"Now think of this circle as the natural magic that exists. The magic a mage can draw in naturally can be shown by this large portion," Draco said, pointing to the area of the circle that covered around ninety per cent of the circle.
"This remaining part is what Magic keeps for itself so that it can gather the magic used by spells to refuel the cycle of recovering magic. Normally this magic energy would be unreachable, meaning we can't gather it to recover our power or increase our reserve, but as with everything in existence, there is an exception. If there happens to be an abundant amount of magical energy in one area that would normally not possess such levels, you can draw power from it," Draco said.
"But won't that just be converted into the magic we can absorb naturally?" Natsu asked.
"Logically that would make sense, however, Magic is anything but logical. The way Magic works with how it keeps magic from others is by looking at the total magical energy and taking a portion, this portion is always the same, irrelevant to how much energy there actually is," Draco explained.
"So it is possible that the magic that is being kept is way more than what is needed," Natsu concluded, looking at his father for confirmation.
"Indeed, and going from there it is possible to absorb this excess magic. To do this is quite simple, seeing as you only need to concentrate on actively absorbing the magic instead of solely relying on your natural absorbing rate," Draco said.
"I think I understand," Natsu said with a happy smile.
-End of Flashback-
The bright blue colour of the lacrima around Natsu began to fade as Natsu absorbed all the excess magical energy in the area. Jellal's eyes widened in shock when he saw the lacrima around Natsu began to turn grey.
"I will not allow you to come between me and my dream," Jellal shouted as he released the Abyss Break spell. Something about Natsu's fluctuating power level and the lacrima turning grey worried the blue-haired man. It was almost as if his opponent was absorbing the massive amount of magical energy he had stored in the lacrima.
The dark blast rushed toward Natsu who didn't even seem to notice it. Then a massive explosion followed which engulfed Natsu in a raging inferno of darkness.
"So much for stopping me. Now all I have to do is get my sacrifice and then Zeref will bring a new era," Jellal laughed victoriously as he watched the explosion with glee.
"Natsu," Ultear called out in worry, she completely cast aside trying to keep Natsu's name a secret as her heart seemed to come to a halt. Tears began to stream down her face as she saw the one she loved and the one who would save her from her life of darkness being engulfed by the explosion from the forbidden spell.
"N-No," Haru managed to croak out, he had just woken up in time to see Natsu being engulfed by the dark blast. 'He was going to help me keep everyone safe,' Haru thought with sadness in his eyes to see one of his friends die in front of him.
Jellal turned his attention on the strange purple and grey barrier. 'That thing seems to be some of 'Death Walker's' magic, but if he is dead then how is it still up?' Jellal thought to himself. He was about to question whether 'Death Walker' was still alive until he remembered seeing Ultear pouring magic into the orb.
"Ultear, I will forgive your betrayal if you release this barrier now, otherwise I will destroy you all," Jellal said with a smirk.
"That won't be happening, I told you that I will not allow you to tread on my father's domain. Your time has come to an end," Natsu's voice sounded from within the remnants of the explosion. His voice sounded a bit different other than seemingly carrying more power. It sounded as if his voice had been combined with that of a great beast.
"Impossible, no one can take an Abyss Break and survive," Jellal shouted in shock and anger. From the mages inside the barrier, the emotions that they felt were relief and joy. Ultear's tears of sorrow and loss became tears of joy.
As the last of the explosion died down the mages could see a silhouette becoming visible. What they saw at first was two peaks coming out of a larger dome. When the ambient light reached the silhouette they realised that the dome and peaks were a set of decayed draconic wings.
The wings slowly unfolded, revealing Natsu standing there, no worse for wear than he was before taking the Abyss Break spell. His face was covered in pale grey scales, scales covered his arms and legs, and his eyes shone in a violent purple. His hands and feet were clawed and taloned, giving him an even closer resemblance to that of a dragon.
"It might be true that Abyss Break will kill any normal human, but that is where the small fact that you are facing the might of a Dragon comes into play," Natsu said as he slowly began walking toward Jellal.
"Dragon Force?" Jellal asked with a bit of fear. His time on the Council allowed him to access the Council's archives. Seeing as Erza was part of Fairy Tail Jellal took it upon himself to study on all of their members' magic abilities, which naturally lead him to also learning about Dragon Slayer magic seeing as Haru was one of the few members that might have caused him trouble.
"The state where a Dragon Slayer comes as close to being a dragon without crossing that threshold," Natsu confirmed as he flared up his magic once again. The difference between this time and the last was the absurd amount of magic he was able to release.
"You will pay for getting in my way," Jellal shouted in rage before dropping into the same stance he used before destroying the Magic Council Headquarters. "True Heavenly Body Magic: Sema" Jellal called out. The storm clouds that swirled above the tower revealed that large meteor that was about to crash into the tower.
"Jellal stop, even if you defeat him you will destroy this tower, rendering you unable to fulfil your dream," Erza shouted out to the enraged man. She was hoping that Jellal would call off the attack that would highly likely end in most of them dying.
"With the knowledge I gained throughout the years while building this tower will allow me to reconstruct it in a shorter amount of time and there are many other ways to gather enough energy. If I destroy you all now I will not be challenged on my second attempt," Jellal replied with a vicious grin.
"Give it up, he has lost his sense of reason," Ultear said in a sad tone. The guilt she felt from her part in this madness was catching up to her.
"Death Dragon's Secret Art: Decaying Grasp: Death Dragon's Fist" Natsu called out and gathered a massive amount of energy in his fist. He released the energy in a punching motion towards the oncoming meteor, sending a large purple and grey fist made of pure magical energy its way.
A look of pure horror dawned on Jellal's face as he saw the meteor being obliterated by the purple and grey fist.
"Death Dragon's Forbidden Art: Soul Rend" Natsu said in an eerie voice that would have sounded better coming from a grim reaper. A swirling mass of grey and purple engulfed Natsu and Jellal, obscuring them from the view of the other mages.
Inside this swirling dome, Natsu was standing right in front of Jellal with his hand coated in the same violent purple coloured energy that Natsu's eyes had. Natsu dashed forward and rammed his outstretched arm into Jellal's chest. The same darkness that Jellal used against Haru and Gray came out of Jellal's back in a humanoid form. The being let out a screech as it materialised in the world. Natsu caught Jellal as he toppled over unconscious.
"It's a shame you were so far lost that you didn't think clearly in this fight, if you had a clear mind this fight would have been a lot more challenging," Natsu whispered to Jellal before laying him down on the ground and turning his attention to the being of darkness.
"Now for the other soul I sensed in him," Ants said in a threatening tone," Natsu said in a more threatening tone while giving the being a death glare.
"Resurrect Zeref, resurrect Zeref," the being repeated in a broken voice that faintly resembled Jellal's. The being gathered its darkness in a sphere in front of it before throwing it at Natsu. Natsu only waved his hand that was covered in the purple energy and easily dispelled the dark orb.
"You are too weak to stand against me, and for the crimes that you committed I, Natsu Dragneel, son of Draco Mortem sentence you to be erased from existence," Natsu said in a voice that carried absolute power.
The being gathered even more power than the previous attack. Natsu surrounded himself with his magical aura before letting his God Slayer Magic to combine with the magic he currently wielded. "Death Dragon God's Forbidden Art: Death's Eternal Embrace" Natsu said as he released his most devastating attack.
The swirling vortex of purple, grey and black consumed the being of darkness.
Once the vortex dissipated nothing was left in its wake. The being of darkness was wiped from existence. Natsu dispelled the dome that sounded him and Jellal as well as the barrier that protected the other mages.
"Where, where is Jellal?" Erza asked. She recognised the purple, grey and black swirl that could be seen through the purple dome and feared that the worst had happened and the fact that the 'Binding Snake' spell was released cemented her fears. She didn't want Jellal's existence to be wiped, sure he deserved to pay for his crimes but prison should suffice.
"His crimes lead to his downfall," Natsu replied, not realising that Erza feared that Jellal's existence was erased. Erza fell to her knees as tears began to run down her face.
"You should get out of here, I have one more thing to do but if you remain you might be killed," Natsu said.
"What do you mean by that?" Ultear asked.
"This tower will soon explode. It wasn't designed to contain this much power for a prolonged period of time," Natsu replied.
"But what are you going to do," Ultear asked.
"I'll explain later, but you should get going before you get caught in the resulting blast," Natsu said with a bit of urgency entering his voice.
"I will not leave unless you tell me what you are going to do, I will not risk losing you again," Ultear said as she grabbed onto Natsu's shirt and buried her face in his chest. Natsu felt something wet against his chest and realised that Ultear was crying.
"I promise I will return to you and I will explain everything, but please trust me when I say that once I absorbed the excess energy the attack I will use will surely kill you if you stay," Natsu whispered tenderly into Ultear's ear as he stroke her hair.
"Fine, but you better come back," Ultear softly said before turning to the Fairy Tail mages.
"We need to leave now and if you can't walk those who can help," Ultear said.
Haru and Gray supported one another as they stood up and Simon walked over to Erza to see if she was able to walk on her own.
"And don't forget Jellal when you leave," Natsu said as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder. Erza's head shot up at the mention of Jellal before she looked in the direction Natsu was pointing at. She needed to lean to one side to see behind him but once her eyes fell on the unconscious man behind him relief flooded her face. Erza stood up and shakily walked over to Jellal.
"I'll take him, you just make sure to get yourself out, and if you need it I will be right here to support you," Simon said as he walked past Erza and picked up Jellal.
"Thank you," Erza replied as she followed Ultear, Haru and Gray towards the exit. She cast a last glance at 'Death Walker' wondering what he was up to but considering her past encounters with the man she knew he wouldn't answer any questions she had for him. Erza followed her fellow mages down the stairway.
The mages soon found their way to the beaches and luckily they found a boat that was still able to float.
"We should get some way out into the water but I don't want to go too far, I doubt even he will be able to stand after releasing so much energy in one go," Ultear said once they all climbed into the boat. She was worried about what would happen to Natsu if collapsed and she wanted to be close by to help him.
The group pushed out into the open waters and paddled to a safe distance before they stopped to watch what was happening at the Tower of Heaven.
"Isn't that Lucy's group over there?" Gray asked as he pointed to another boat a bit further out to sea.
"Let's call them over, they must be worried," Erza said. "Re-quip: Morning Star Armour" Erza called out. After the golden light died down Erza was clad in a set of armour that is mainly composed of orange and yellow leather-like material with several orange wing-shaped pauldrons that covered her shoulders and waist. She had a plain white one-piece suit with a matching pair of metal arm guards under the orange and yellow leather. Her hair is styled in tangled buns on top of her hair and to complete the armour she wears a silver choker with a red gem.
"Light Emission" Erza called out as her armour emitted a bright light. Once she was sure the other boat saw them she re-quipped back into her standard Heat Kreuz Armour. It didn't take long for the other group to reach them.
"I'm so glad to you all made it out," Lucy said as they came to a stop beside the other boat.
"Who fought with Jellal, we saw a purple aura rivalling his but we are not sure who it belonged to," Juvia inquired.
"That magic belongs to 'Death Walker'," Erza replied.
"And did you guys beat Jellal?" Millianna asked as she saw the bruised Haru and Gray.
"We fought with him, but that was before he fused with Siegrain, who actually was his thought projection. When they fused Jellal gained a massive power boost. With that boost he completely decimated us," Gray gave them a quick rundown about what happened.
"When Jellal defeated them I was prepared to sacrifice myself to save them but 'Death Walker' stepped in and block the attack like it was nothing. He proceeded to go into Dragon Force and then he used a spell that covered them in a dome, so we couldn't see what the rest of the fight looked like," Simon continued giving them a rundown from where Gray left off.
"He finished the fight with the same spell he used on Lullaby before he dispelled the dome," Haru finished the short retelling. Lucy saw Jellal's unconscious form in the boat and a question arose in her mind.
"But if he used that spell then why is Jellal still here?" Lucy asked since she remembered 'Death Walker' telling them that that spell erased the existence of its target.
"Why would Jellal not be here?" Millianna asked.
"The spell he used completely erased the target's existence," Lucy explained.
"He can do something like that?" Wally asked in fear.
"There is a lot that he can do that we can't even fathom," Ultear said in a soft voice as she remembered how he revived her mother.
"Wait where is 'Death Walker'?" Juvia asked as she couldn't see the mysterious mage.
As if to answer her question a powerful tremor shook the Tower of Heaven and a massive amount of purple and grey energy blasted from the top of the tower. The tower's light blue colour quickly drained before it shattered into pieces with a huge explosion. The force of the blast sent out caused the ocean to create large waves that rocked the boats violently.
"We have to go back now," Ultear said with a hint of urgency and worry in her voice. With a quick nod from the rest of the mages, they rowed back to the island that no longer had a massive lacrima on it, only a large pile of rubble.
There you go, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 15. I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter especially since a majority of it was the final battle of the arc. I know Erza didn't seem to do much in this chapter but I am planning to have a bit more character development in the next chapter that she would have gotten by this point in the anime. The next chapter will finish this arc up and set up for the next one. Leave a review and then I will see you in the next chapter.