Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail.
WARNING: Horrific death ahead. Feel free to puke. I'm dead serious. Darkest death I've ever written. Like, Jack the Ripper dark.
Chapter 19: Perdition (X784)
It was quite simply the most physically exhaustive thing he had done since he was still a callow youth, but climbing the trees for a better vantage point of the mansion proved to be an astute decision. Their view of the building and the road leading up to it was mostly unhindered, while they were quite well hidden in the thick canopy of the forest that surrounded the staging point for the light guilds' offence. It gave them the perfect observation post to watch the light mages as they made their own way to the designated gathering place, looking extremely relaxed and completely unaware of Oración Seis' presence.
The first to arrive were the Blue Pegasus mages aboard their airship. Brain scoffed at the laughable idea of using something that gigantic against them. It made sense as an intimidation tool, or long distance artillery support. But conversely, a big airship provided a big target for them to aim at, especially when they were a mobile guild of six. The airship commanders would also have to triangulate their location accurately, and take them by surprise with a sudden, inescapable volley of fire; conditions that were difficult to attain at best, and all but impossible against Oración Seis.
Mentally categorising the threat from Blue Pegasus as minimal, Brain kept his vigil on the road leading to the mansion. Most of the mages that were assembling against Oración Seis were but insignificant specks to Brain. He harboured no fear of the various famous mages from each guild that could potentially be sent to this fight. There was only one truly dangerous man he was wary of, and perhaps even relished his upcoming clash of strength and wits with. It had been far too long since he found himself an opponent that he couldn't outsmart with outrageous ease.
As a horse-drawn carriage with a huge load of luggage ambled along the dirt road towards its destination, Brain had to enforce his authority with a hefty dose of killing intent and a deathly glare at his impetuous subordinates. Midnight, who loathed upsetting his father, backed down timidly. Cobra refused to be cowed so easily, and it took both Hoteye and Racer holding back the vengeful man to keep him from blowing their cover.
Or at least, the perception of being hidden.
If there were any doubts about their foe's abilities, they were instantly dispelled when the man lying on the roof of that carriage turned his head slowly, gazing straight at the copse of trees within which Oración Seis were perched. The blond man kept up the stare for a good half minute, announcing to Brain that it was no coincidence he was looking in their direction, before he turned his half-lidded orbs back to the sky. Letting go of a breath he didn't realise he had been holding, the white-haired mage watched with increasing wariness as the carriage pulled to a stop before the mansion, and their main target, of all people, stepped off the vehicle.
"Isn't that the girl we're after?" Angel whispered to her leader, pointing at the little dragon slayer who was gaping at the lavish mansion. "Doesn't he know that we're after her?"
"He definitely knows. He snatched her from under my nose less than a week ago," Brain snapped, scowling as his brilliant mind tried to process the situation.
Angel, for all her deviousness when using Gemini, was clearly no brighter than the mages she had manipulated, as she snorted derisively. "Is he stupid then? Bringing our target right into the battle is just calling for us to snatch her away. How did we ever lose to such an idiot?"
"Because he's not the idiot that you so casually label him as," Brain gritted his teeth, wishing, not for the first time, that he could share some of his intellect with his guild members. He had more than enough to spare without considerably restraining his higher mental faculties. "There's obviously something afoot."
Throwing a quick glance at Cobra to make sure the petulant dragon slayer had ceased his childish tantrum, Brain shifted his entire focus to figuring out Naruto's stratagem. It would be folly for him to assume the man was without a plan just because he gave off the appearance of not having one, and even sillier to assume that he was an idiot just because he brought their target out into broad daylight, seemingly unprotected. Naruto proved to be clever enough to unravel his initial plans. Brain was not going to suffer a repeat of that embarrassment, even if he was convinced nothing was wrong with the concept around his kidnapping attempt.
To him, it was simply an indictment of his enemy's intelligence.
He knows we're here, but did nothing to even warn his comrades. That means he either doesn't care about our presence because it doesn't affect his plans, or that he expected it from the very beginning. By bringing our target out so blatantly, it's clearly a lure for us to expose ourselves. He probably expected his alliance to be watched by us, and provided the perfect bait for us to latch on accordingly. If I weren't cautious, I would have taken the bait without hesitation. He also intercepted Gemini and found out about their spying abilities. He should be privy of our knowledge of their plans. That he willingly allowed for his meeting to go ahead without modifications is another clear indication that this is nothing but a trap.
"Cobra," Brain barked, drawing the grumpy man's attention. "Is the dragon slayer the real one?"
"Yea. Too far to hear her thoughts, but she smells like the real one all right," Cobra muttered moodily.
So he's definitely confident about his plan if he's willing to let the real one turn up. After all, Racer reported that he had some doppelgänger technique. I wouldn't put it past him to know Transformation either. This whole set up stinks to high heaven. There's no way I'm going to approach the place personally.
"And I have the perfect monkey wrenches to throw into your works," Brain mumbled to himself, smirking as he turned to Racer. "Get our men to surround and attack that building. Order them to kill everyone but the Sky Dragon Slayer. They may take advantage of the airship that one of the guilds has so conveniently left outside for us to…borrow. Hurry, I want to catch them before they can set their plans into motion."
Training his eyes back on the open doorway of the mansion, Brain couldn't help but feel exhilarated by this intriguing game of strategy.
Let's see what surprises you have conjured for me, Uzumaki Naruto.
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Erza would readily admit that she wasn't much of a thinker, especially in battle. While she was perceptive and could identify an enemy's abilities before selecting the right armour for combat, she wasn't particularly suited to orchestrating large-scale battles involving multiple parties on both sides. It was one of the reasons why she was quite adamant that Naruto lead the alliance in their fight against Oración Seis. While she had no first hand experience of his tactical acumen, she was quite sure that he was better than most of the mages in the alliance in that respect.
She didn't really think too deeply into their situation, with only instinct guiding her to that idea. But in retrospect, it was clear that with the way guilds operated independently from one another, there was no easy way for all the mages of four different guilds to band together and work harmoniously, against a group of dark mages that would have worked together for a long time. Just from the interactions within the group, she could tell that there would be issues when the fighting really began. They needed a firm leader and a tactician, two roles that Naruto would have fulfilled quite easily.
The consequences of a large group lacking team dynamics, and having little tactical sense on the whole, was exposed over the next few minutes. The explosion that took out the wall showered the allied mages with debris, but crucially, it buried their most suitable leader under a thick layer of rubble. Before Erza could instruct anyone to dig Naruto out, a volley of magical blasts bombarded the area haphazardly, keeping them from reaching the man in fear of being evaporated by the powerful magical cannon fire.
To the Blue Pegasus mages' horror, they recognised it as their own airship's cannons that were firing those blasts. The only consolation from the enemy's hijacking of Christina was that they were unfamiliar with the operation of the airship, and were clearly novices at using the various gun turrets that were installed on the ship. But even so, the mansion made for a huge target, and it was easy enough to just pepper the entire building with as many shots as possible, slowly but surely bringing the place down. The beautiful home was taken to pieces chunk by chunk, as blast after blast rocked the house, the dull booming noise doing little to ease the panic that was setting in.
Erza could tell that no one had any idea of what to do. The unexpected attack took out the man touted as the strongest of their group without a sweat. The deafening noise of the place tumbling down around them did no favours for the crippling anxiety either. They were essentially lost and helpless under the heavy fire, and the thought of the enemy using their biggest weapon against them was almost too much to bear. Despair was setting in quickly, and it was the absolute worst time for people to lose their cool.
Even the calmest head of the group, Jura, was having difficulty trying to plot out their next logical move. Erza took a quick, sweeping look at their surroundings, and decided to let instinct guide her as they have done for every battle she fought in thus far. So, with little time to spare, Erza commanded everyone to get out of the mansion. While it would seem silly to rush out into the open when under heavy artillery fire, it was a whole lot better than letting the roof to fall on their heads. As everyone rushed out of the mansion helter-skelter, only the swordswoman chanced a look back at the small pile of bricks and mortar sitting atop Naruto.
The enemy seemed to possess a certain instinct for demolition, given how thoroughly they tore apart the load-bearing points of the mansion, circling the house several times to punch holes all around the building. Just as Jura, rounding up the rear of the group, ran through the large ornate doorway, the entire mansion shuddered and groaned, before the roof and walls simultaneously collapsed inwards. There was no gradual disintegration of the building, or any dramatic, systematic collapse. It was quick and sudden, almost anticlimactic in the way the house tumbled down into a heap.
A cloud of dust and debris washed over the allied mages as the mortar met the ground, the dirty air inducing a round of hacking coughs from everyone. The cloud of dust didn't linger for long, but the disheartening view of the mangled mansion refused to leave. The once majestic home was a wreck, no better than a derelict squatter. The catastrophic start to their campaign against Oración Seis struck most of the group dumb, gaping at the wreckage with no small amount of distress.
But the brief lull in the enemy offence gave everyone in the alliance a moment to regroup themselves and figure out what on earth to do from there. Ostensibly the leaders of their respective guild representatives, Erza, Jura and Ichiya shared worried glances with one another. Erza opened her mouth, ready to ask about Naruto's fate underneath the rubble, but Jura beat her to the punch.
"Is Uzumaki-dono…" Jura murmured, his eyes flicking to the ruins of the grand mansion.
Ichiya shook his head. "I cannot smell his perfume anymore."
Erza wanted to believe otherwise, but she couldn't. She always had trouble pinpointing Naruto's magical signature because it was so well hidden, to the point of being nonexistent. So, for Jura not to sense his life force was not an indication that the man was dead or out of commission. But Ichiya's nose, however, was different. It was more than just a detector for beautiful women. The man was capable of sensing and analysing the magical prowess of everyone based on their scent, and as an added bonus, become a living radar that finds any magic user in a certain radius. He could definitely smell Naruto and his magical presence before, and now he could not. There was no doubt that Naruto was, at the very least, missing in action.
There was no time to lament his loss, or grieve his possible passing, as the bushes rustled from the sounds of a hundred men. That was no exaggeration, as out of the forest, numerous savage faces emerged, all of them wearing wide, murderous grins. From above the ruins of the mansion, Christina glided down to a more visible altitude, the gleaming airship's cannons all aimed in the general direction of the allied mages. In the face of an overwhelming number of enemies, the light mages unconsciously arranged themselves in a tight defensive circle, their backs to each other.
A bead of sweat rolled down Erza's cheek, the Requip mage fighting the urge to wipe it away. The dark mages seem content to wait, flexing their muscles and leering at the women. Everyone in the vicinity knew who possessed the greater firepower. Even with a Wizard Saint on the light mages' side, the dark mages had a substantial numbers advantage, along with a powerful airship for artillery support. They didn't need to hurry, because they held the best cards at the moment.
Then, the rubble of the mansion shifted, before it exploded outwards. The unexpected eruption of debris was accompanied by a bone-shaking, gut-wrenching roar that made the weaker mages quiver at the knees. A massive jet-black fox stood in the middle of the ruins, its fur bristling as it growled menacingly. Gnashing gleaming teeth the size of swords, the fox had drawn everybody's attention onto it. And if the dark mages didn't deem the fox as the greatest threat they would have to face, it soon dispelled that particular notion as it unleashed a wave of white-hot flames that engulfed the forests with one powerful breath.
Standing on the dirt road leading to the mansion, the allied mages were relatively unscathed by the cleansing fire that burnt and consumed with an eye-watering ferocity. Jura found it prudent to raise an earthen wall around their circle, shielding them from the worst of the blaze. The wall obfuscated their view of the forests, but it could not silence the unholy screams of their enemies as they perished in the hungry fires. Overactive imaginations fuelled by the morbid sounds led Lucy and Wendy to clasp their hands over their mouths, only just keeping the bile from reaching past their throats.
The fox let out another loud roar, but this time, it was not the same chilling noise from before. The animal sounded pained, and Jura duly lowered the earth barrier. The alliance was greeted with the sight of the living dark mages focusing their attacks on the large target that was the canine. It was clear that it was none other than Kurama, and he was in more than just a spot of trouble. With all the worry over Naruto's fate, Erza had completely forgotten about the fox. But he had certainly returned to the forefront of everyone's consciousness in a loud manner.
None of the mages in their loose alliance were going to lose out to a fox of all things. They had pride in their abilities, pride in their guilds, and they weren't going to let a transforming fox upstage them. Confidence surged as they realised that despite the odds stacked against them, they were more than capable of winning. The numbers they faced meant nothing. The airship belonged to them; they knew how it worked and all its weaknesses. Victory was in their grasp. There was nothing to fear, nothing to worry about but the enemy in front of them.
"LET'S GET WILD!" Natsu hollered, a fierce grin stretching from ear to ear as he led the reckless charge into the fray.
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Brain wasn't too sure what sort of trap Naruto had installed for him, but he hoped it was toast along with the mansion. The fire from the giant fox was dangerous, but ultimately a mere annoyance to Oración Seis. It was nowhere as fearsome as the black fire that Naruto had used against them before. All it took was a wave of Midnight's hand to redirect the white fire away from his father. None of them showed a shred of compassion or guilt as the deflected flames took one of their grunts by surprise, the wave of fire sweeping over him from behind and roasting him to a black crisp.
Retreating further away from the impromptu battlefield to avoid any nasty surprises or stray attacks, Brain found himself getting increasingly anxious with every minute that passed without Naruto's appearance. He could clearly see his men fighting the light mages to a relative standstill, and yet there was no sign of the blond man who seemed to enjoy thwarting his plans. He would expect a light mage like him to rush over to the fighting and try to save his comrades. Or, at the very least, he might swoop in and grab Wendy to safety, ensuring that Oración Seis' main target isn't captured in the melee.
Annoyingly, the smoke from the blaze was interfering with Cobra's nose, the cacophony of fighting his Sound Magic. Hoteye couldn't find him with his Heaven's Eye either, which indicated that he was either not watching the battle, or he was so well hidden that not even his best sensor mages could find him. Neither scenario boded well for Oración Seis. It was a situation Brain didn't expect to find himself in, being at the mercy of his enemy's machinations and having to fight reactively. He manipulated people, not the other way around.
What is his play here? Is he still preparing the trap? Or is the trap already set? Brain furrowed his brow, taking a brief moment to wipe the coalescing sweat from his forehead. Was the trap destroyed in our preemptive attack? Is his waiting for us to appear before he springs something on us? What an infuriating opponent he is.
But his agitation at the lack of visible action from his enemy only enhanced his admiration for the mage known as Uzumaki Naruto. The man kept everyone from his enemies to his allies in the dark, and played the most perceptive of men like puppets. Brain had no doubts that Naruto had meant to make him sweat it out; quite literally too, given that they were close enough to feel the heat from the crackling forest fires that the fox had inadvertently started. He couldn't prevent the slightly crazed grin from spreading across his features.
"Father, what is it that amuses you?" Midnight asked meekly, shrinking back slightly as Brain affixed him with a narrowed glance. "Should we not capture our target? She's exposed, and Maelstrom is not around?"
"Feel free to jump in with the rest of the idiots there," Brain gestured at his pawns. "And possibly get killed by Uzumaki without even a whimper. Do you think I sent them to attack for no reason? They're there to draw Uzumaki out if possible. If not, I don't care if they live or die against the light mages. Cutting down the chaff is a bonus. None of them matter once we get our hands on Nirvana."
"But we need the girl to heal-"
"And do you think I'm unaware of the fact?" Brain replied coldly, causing Midnight to stumble back a step in fright. "That man knows that we're after her. He was smart enough to catch up to me, and snatch the dragon slayer from right under my nose. She's clearly the bait to lure us in. Uzumaki may fancy himself a fisherman, but I'm a shark. And I'm not biting on something as obvious as our target fighting out in the open."
Nodding quietly, Midnight cowered as Brain returned his gaze to the raging battle, eyes darting about to spot his elusive adversary. He could hear the rebellious mutterings of Cobra behind him, but at that point, Brain didn't care about what they felt of him. He never really did feel concerned for their wellbeing, only their potential and their usefulness to him. He would, if absolutely necessary, toss aside even Midnight if that suited his agenda. Just as Naruto was willing to abandon his alliance when it was the most suitable action for his strategy to work.
A light mage willing to sacrifice a few pawns to achieve an overall victory…that's a sort of man you won't see everyday, Brain mused, as he watched his grunts resort to continuous bombing of the allied light mages, with ground troop numbers dwindling alarmingly fast. Then, before Brain could ponder a next move, a sudden wave of energy smashed into his finely tuned senses like a sledgehammer. But he was not the only one to feel that burst of power; even the least sensitive of mages could detect that thick, almost suffocating power. Each and every one of the mages on either side of the fight turned their heads to see a massive pillar of black light erupting from the ground, giant strands of dark, pulsating energies swirling around the central beam.
Hoteye curled into himself as he clutched his head with both hands, a pained groan escaping his lips. Mildly concerned that the money-obsessed man was going to be a liability, Brain walked over and clamped a powerful hand on Hoteye's shoulder. There was clearly a correlation between the activation of Nirvana and Hoteye's condition, and Brain had studied enough ancient Nirvit scriptures to know what it meant. Brain squeezed hard, hoping the physical pain would distract Hoteye from his indecisiveness. The orange-haired man trembled, before he suddenly straightened up, a polite smile on his angular, geometric face.
"I am fine. The money awaits," Hoteye proclaimed.
Brain nodded sharply, acknowledging that he had his man back. "Good. Let's hurry."
The white-haired man nearly guffawed in glee as he charged in the direction of the light with wild abandon, his guild members trailing closely behind him. He couldn't be more surprised by the actions taken by his nemesis, but on further thought, it fitted the blond man's modus operandi down to a tee. To activate Nirvana when it is our final goal…is extremely foolhardy, Brain smirked, the idea of getting his hands on Nirvana making his steps swifter. But making the riskiest moves will often reap the greatest rewards. Keeping me occupied with the idea of a trap when there might be none at all! How delightfully devious.
There was no one to impede their way, unlike the light mages who would have plenty of dark mages still to go through. He was not built for speed like the rest of his guild however, and an impatient Cobra pulled ahead, having realised just who may be awaiting them at their destination. Brain gritted his teeth at Cobra's impulsiveness, but decided there was no point in holding the dragon slayer back. With Nirvana activated, everything became inconsequential. Even his game of strategy with Uzumaki Naruto paled in significance to Oración Seis' ultimate prize, a prize the Wizard Saint was so graciously presenting to them.
Seeing Cobra take the lead, Midnight gave his father an imploring glance. Brain waved his free hand dismissively, and a look of unadulterated joy crossed Midnight's face before the man put in a burst of speed to catch up with the dragon slayer. The two men disappeared into the thick foliage, leaving the remaining four members of Oración Seis behind. It appeared that all but Hoteye seemed to enjoy the feeling of intoxicating power washing over their senses, the heady sensation almost begging them to grasp the power on offer and make the world bend its knee in subservience.
Barreling into the small clearing where the pillar of energy erupted from, Brain couldn't hide his euphoria at seeing the majestic black light's source. The power of Nirvana had sundered the land surrounding the magnificent pillar, leaving behind a rough circle of rocky outcrops. The huge, elaborate structure hummed with awesome power, its energy uplifting and crushing all at the same time. It was a potent mix that threatened to bend the strongest wills and break the most resilient minds.
But Brain's joy at finally finding Nirvana only lasted for so long, as he watched Cobra and Midnight pound furiously on a translucent blue barrier that refused to budge. Both men's faces were contorted in frustration and fury, as their mortal nemesis sat behind the safety of his shield, with Nirvana ensconced safely inside with him. Brain's grin fell away, barely noticing Hoteye hunching over once more. The white-haired leader of Oración Seis locked eyes with Naruto, glaring fiercely at his counterpart. Naruto maintained his lotus position, his eyes filled with icy calm.
"What is your purpose of activating Nirvana, Uzumaki?" Brain frowned, pointing his staff at the super-weapon behind the blond. "Are you trying to destroy it?"
"It's the only way to destroy Nirvana for good. Or at least, that's what Roubaul told me," his adversary replied pleasantly, as if there weren't two berserk S-class mages throwing everything they had at his barrier. "I tried to distract you with Wendy, but it appears that you didn't fall for the bait."
"Of course not. I won't make the mistake of underestimating you. I have nothing to fear from the mages who allow themselves to be burdened by the notion of compassion and camaraderie. But you…" Brain answered freely, unable to stop himself from falling into conversation. "You are not a typical mage of the light. You fight like us. You plot like us. You think like us. The only difference between you and I, is that we stand on opposing sides."
"I have to stop and correct you there. In reality, I'm no more a mage than the rocks on the ground, or the trees in the forest," Naruto remarked, closing his eyes. "I don't use Ethernano the same way as a mage does. So calling me a mage of the light is a bit of a misnomer."
"Mere semantics. Deep down, we're the same type of person, are we not? But all of that means nothing to me now that you're in my way," Brain proclaimed, keeping his eyes trained on Naruto as he barked his orders. "Hoteye! Loosen the ground around his barrier. Let's see just how deep your barrier runs."
"No."
Brain spun around incredulously, briefly noting his guild members' similarly stunned faces as they regarded their tallest member. The orange-haired man had a peaceful smile etched on his angular face. "Love is what the world needs!"
"Unbelievable," Brain shook his head at the bitter irony of his own man turned by the weapon he coveted. "Racer, Angel, deal with it."
Receiving simultaneous nods, the two other Oración Seis members jumped straight into fighting Hoteye. The man was about to jump backwards, out of the way, when his back collided with something unyielding. Calmly, the Liquid Ground mage held his hand to his face, placing his index and middle fingers underneath each eye. Both eyes glowed brightly for a moment, then as he swung that hand outwards, a wave of liquefied earth scooped Angel and Racer up, trying to bury them alive.
Racer with his Slowing Magic avoided the tsunami of earth easily enough, but Angel wasn't the most agile of fighters at the best of times. A tendril of liquid soil snagged her foot, and the woman was tossed bodily across the rocky clearing they were in. With a loud thump, she contacted a shimmering blue wall, one that now stretched all around the clearing. Naruto's eyes snapped open, yellowish toad eyes glinting with intent. Racer quickly retrieved Angel, and Oración Seis unconsciously gathered closer, while Hoteye moved to stand beside the inner barrier that protected Naruto.
"W-What is this?" Brain stuttered momentarily, swinging his head around to find a weakness in the ring-shaped barrier that Oración Seis was now trapped within. "When did you…"
"Did you really think I'd be silly enough to let you roam free and remain a threat against humanity?" Naruto snorted. "Please give me a bit more credit. This mission is two-fold. Destroying Nirvana only denies you a weapon. It doesn't prevent you from being a danger to Fiore."
"So this is…" Brain simmered in his building rage, his grip on his staff tightening. His knuckles turned white from the force as he stabbed the weapon into the ground in a fit of pique. "This is your real trap."
Naruto allowed his hidden smile to reach his eyes. "You are too wily to trap conventionally. You also knew of the alliance we arranged for, something that is difficult to change logistically. With all the cards I've been dealt, I had to do the best I can with what I had. So Wendy became a deterrent, keeping you away from the alliance with the fear of a trap. And the activation of Nirvana is the pull factor, because it's all you're really after. You want Nirvana, and you were trying to get it through Jellal by healing him with Wendy. If you could find or activate Nirvana without his help, you would have done so already."
"You…"
"He was crucial for his knowledge of Nirvana, and I've rendered that unnecessary by activating it. With your main goal essentially achieved, you will have no reason to continue attacking the alliance, or targeting Wendy. They will be the first victims of Nirvana, so why does it matter if they are alive or dead when you get your prize?" Naruto explained.
The whole of Oración Seis listened raptly to the conversation between the two foes, enthralled. Brain's face, twisted in ire, took a while to loosen. Then, he erupted in laughter, his body shaking erratically. "Brilliant! How audacious! I said I won't make the mistake of underestimating you, but it seems I did. Now, you have us trapped and helpless. What do you intend to do to end our reign of terror then? Even with Hoteye on your side, we are more than a match for you."
"I promised someone I wouldn't sacrifice my life for anyone else, but I suppose I'll be forgiven for this transgression eventually," Naruto stood up, brushing his pants off casually.
He turned around, and pressed a palm against the cool surface of Nirvana. Smooth, elegant lines spread from where he placed his hand, spreading across the pillar evenly from the starting point. The thick, graceful strokes sometimes curled into itself, morphing into indecipherable, archaic runes. Brain's eyes quickly studied the growing script, finding them awfully familiar. Then, the realisation hit him, and an involuntary gasp escaped his lips. "Those scripts…impossible! How on earth…"
Naruto didn't seem to register his words, keeping his vigil on the black lines that swiftly covered the entire pillar. The complex script flashed an ominous red, the glow almost lost in the scintillating light that Nirvana was still throwing out. Only when the script settled down did the blond ninja turn around to face his opponents again. "Truthfully, I'm not confident that destroying just the 'king area' of Nirvana will guarantee that no one can repair it for nefarious purposes in the future. Roubaul agrees with me."
"You created a destruction script linked to your life…" Brain murmured, still in shock.
Naruto's toad-like orbs widened in surprise, but he regained his focus instantly. He waved his hand, bringing down the barrier that kept him shielded from Oración Seis. "Yes I did. Now, if you kill me, the seal will be triggered and destroy Nirvana's main control point along with everything in a hundred metre radius. So I have the licence to end your lives, but you cannot kill me without repercussions."
Before Cobra or Midnight could take a step towards their foe to show must how much they didn't care, the ground trembled ferociously. As everyone but Naruto struggled to find their footing on the shaking earth, thick beams of light burst out of the ground randomly, spreading from the epicentre that was the Nirvana pillar. The earth broke up into chunks as slowly but surely, something beneath the ground began to rise. Earthen blocks of varying sizes fell off the giant that raised itself from deep down under, its eight legs uprooting trees and digging furrows as Nirvana pushed itself upright.
Nirvana rose from its slumber with a terrifying majesty, its eight legs supporting the huge bulky half-sphere of rock that made up its midsection. Now that Nirvana's true form was uncovered, Oración Seis found themselves standing on a beautiful octagonal stage, with broken, uneven pillars at each point of the octagon. The entire platform was built high above the rest of the Nirvana, the central tower of the massive machine. From their position at the top of Nirvana, they could cast their eyes over the ancient Nirvit city and the large forest that Nirvana was hidden in. Naruto's blue barrier, still active, was a little smaller in area, forming a cylindrical block within the perimeter of the stage.
Naruto walked forwards, approaching Oración Seis as if they weren't a guild of merciless murderers. Hoteye followed him closely, receiving a nod from his blond ally. Without any discernible movement, a clone of Naruto appeared behind him, dead centre of the platform they were on. The same blue shield from before sprung up, protecting the doppelgänger as he swiped his arms in front of him, conjuring a ring of floating cards that encircled his form. Then, loud noises of grinding stone signalled the start of Nirvana's sluggish gait, the walking city smashing up bits of forest with every step.
"Where are you taking Nirvana?" Brain gritted his teeth.
"To the northern seas, to drown it so deep underwater no one will be able to retrieve it," Naruto replied honestly.
Brain howled. "You're a madman! You are willing to kill yourself just to destroy Nirvana?!"
"Yes. But I won't just be destroying Nirvana, I'll also be ending your lives," Naruto stated firmly. "We'll walk into the ocean, and I'll release the barrier when we're all submerged deep enough for the water pressure to crush us. If I die before that, my script will destroy Nirvana. The barrier I've erected is independent of me, so even if I'm killed, it will not fall until the seal has run out of energy. Which means that you'll all be trapped here when my destruction seal goes off and eradicates everything within this space. There will be no escape for anyone. I apologise, but you'll be dead too, Hoteye."
"I understand that love sometimes needs sacrifices!" Hoteye chirped. "And call me Richard! That's my real name."
"Richard-san it is," Naruto inclined his head at Hoteye, before returning his attention to the rest of Oración Seis. "And while we're on the march, I thought I might spend the time cutting down some of you. I don't think any of you will be able to escape the blast if I die, or escape the ocean when we get there, but I might as well not take any chances. And since you can't really go for killing blows, I might not even have to perish today."
"Do I look like I give a shit?!" Cobra yelled out, drawing everyone's eyes to him. "As long as you die before me…as long as I can kill you to avenge Cubellios…I DON'T CARE!"
Letting loose a guttural roar, the Poison Dragon Slayer darted forwards, hell bent on making Naruto suffer for his actions. The blond ninja's hands flicked out, and a crescent wave of three-pronged throwing knives flew towards Cobra out of nowhere. The dragon slayer snarled bestially, covering his arms with impenetrable dragon scales as he charged heedlessly into the path of the kunai, using his hands to knock them off course. But before he could reach his nemesis, the man vanished, only to reappear behind Cobra.
The dragon slayer spun around as fast as he could, but not quick enough to catch Naruto as the man disappeared once more, leaving behind only a small rectangular piece of paper in his wake. The tag glowed brightly before it exploded in a flash of white light. Cobra howled as the piercing light blinded him and everyone without eye protection or adequate warning in the vicinity, and furious rubbing of his eyes did nothing to improve his visibility. But Racer was wearing shades, and thus he was just about able to catch Naruto's movement as he teleported to another one of his funky knives near the Oración Seis member, a giant cleaver ready to bifurcate Angel and him with a single horizontal stroke.
Unleashing his Slowing Magic to the fullest, Racer only just managed to pull Angel down to the ground in time, the gleaming sword making a loud whooshing noise as it sliced above their heads. Quickly noting the positions of all the knives he could see, the speed-obsessed mage dived for the closest open space without any of those kunai that would leave him within cutting distance of that menacing blade. He saved Angel's life, but it was a matter of convenience and not real concern for her safety. His own life was far more important to him.
Racer watched as Angel, still disorientated by the flash and being suddenly jerked down to the ground by him, scrabbled at her waist for her Celestial Spirit keys. But she was too slow to defend herself from the man who towered over her unseeing form, too slow to summon any of her spirits to block the giant blade. Kubikiribōchō swung in a wide, lazy arc, the guillotine sword decapitating Angel with a macabre elegance. Warm blood squirted from her carotid arteries, the unknowing heart still pumping out the crimson liquid. Angel's head rolled to a slow stop at Brain's feet, the man regaining his sight just in time to see her beautiful face staring up at him, scrunched up in a rictus of terror.
The executioner's blade was spotless, as was their adversary. He stood nonchalantly over Angel's headless body, completely unfazed by the fact that he had just ended a life. The thick blood pooled around the cooling corpse, and Naruto merely took a step back to avoid the spreading puddle as if it were a natural occurrence. All of Oración Seis had seen violence and death; Angel herself was particularly notorious for playing with her prey before ending their lives brutally. But to see one of their own elite cut down before the battle even really started was frightening. They knew of his abilities, they knew of his differences to other light mages, but nothing could prepare them to see their enemy kill so casually.
The mages that killed were usually on their side. As if to prove how ruthless he was, the blond man even bent down to loot her keys from her body, making them vanish from sight in puffs of smoke.
"I don't usually kill," Naruto commented flippantly, like he was discussing the weather. "But I'll make an exception for all of you."
Brain stumbled back, away from Angel's head. A set of lines on his face glowed, before they slowly disappeared off his skin. Naruto cocked an eyebrow at the sight, but didn't comment. Or rather, he didn't have time to say anything, as he was forced to dodge a powerful Poison Dragon's Roar that burst from Cobra's mouth. Hoteye jumped into action as well, turning the ground beneath Cobra to liquid, but the dragon slayer was equal to that, hopping away quickly before dashing after the rapidly retreating Naruto.
Midnight was not going to let his prey be taken by Cobra either, as he recklessly swung his hands around, firing off numerous large Distort Blades that flew right at Cobra's back. The dragon slayer snarled as he sensed the incoming invisible blades of air, and grudgingly ducked as they flew by him, right into Naruto's face. The man's toad-like eyes widened momentarily, before a sphere of wind erupted from his body, hurling aside Cobra and disrupting every single Distort Blade. Cobra dug his heels into the ground, only just managing to keep his balance as he arrested his sudden backward movement.
The winds dissipated quickly, and Midnight was quick to pounce, using his Reflector magic to try and crush his opponent. As Naruto's coat wrapped itself tightly around him and started to squeeze, Hoteye intervened, a wave of liquid earth rushing towards Midnight. The raven-haired mage was forced to dodge, breaking his spell on Naruto, who then had to contend with a volley of small, scale-like bullets of poison that sprayed in all directions, forcing even Racer to take evasive action.
Knowing of Cobra's Sound Magic, Racer decided to add his own hail of projectiles to the mix. Raising his hand high up in the air, a small halo surrounded his wrist, and as he brought it down, vehicle tires burst out from nowhere, all bouncing towards Naruto at high speed. Their enemy was forced to dodge, but Cobra heard every movement that he wanted to make with ease, aiming his Poison Dragon's Scales right where Naruto was thinking of moving to. In response, the ninja conjured a dome of spiralling winds, blowing all the attacks aimed at him off-course.
A huge beam of darkness then pierced right through the earthen wave that Hoteye tried to overwhelm Midnight with, targeted directly at the middle of the dome of wind where Naruto was. The winds dispersed as the powerful blast punched right through the shield, but there was no sign of their opponent. Said man had teleported to another one of his knives, yellow eyes narrowed grimly as he stared at Brain, who was still holding out his staff after firing off his Dark Capriccio.
He was given no time to think as Midnight made an ethereal grab for his clothes once again. A swift Kawarimi had Racer in his position, the Oración Seis member's breath forced out of his lungs as his own clothes tried to crush him. Sneering, Midnight dropped his ally to the ground unceremoniously, focusing his concentration on catching his adversary. He was only allowed quick glimpses of a fluttering crimson coat as Naruto Hiraishin-ed quickly from marker to marker, keeping Oración Seis on their toes. Even as he moved about with insane speeds, he was scattering more and more kunai in the arena, though none of the knives were even nicking anyone.
"We have to get rid of the knives! They are how he gets around!" Racer cried out a warning.
At that advice, Brain, Midnight and Cobra unleashed all they had to blast the three-pronged kunai as far away from their bodies as physically possible. Hoteye tried to intervene, but he was sent flying away by Midnight, the man in no mood to get interrupted. As they cleared a circle around themselves that was bereft of Naruto's knives, a loud swooshing noise was heard. Cobra was the first to hear it, and tilting his head up, he spotted Naruto hovering above them, standing upon nothing but air. With a loud howl, he gathered his poison in his palms, and swung his arms upwards into a cross guard, two thick fangs of venom flung right at his nemesis.
Brain was not slow by any means, but he wasn't the fastest mage around. Hence, by the time he registered the sound of a flying Kubikiribōchō bearing down on him, the cleaver was already too close for him to react to. He tried to raise Klodoa in defence, but he knew that even if he brought his staff up in time, the wooden tool wasn't going to do him any good. He had only gotten Klodoa halfway up as Kubikiribōchō came within a revolution of cutting him in twain. Then, all of a sudden, it was blown away from its original trajectory, smashing loudly into the barrier, far away from Brain.
In the next moment, a bloodcurdling scream filled Brain's ears, and he swivelled his head towards the source of the noise. A humongous fist of slicing winds had smashed down on Midnight, no longer protected by his automatic defence the moment he deflected Kubikiribōchō away from his father. Naruto took merciless advantage of that one act of selflessness, taking the raven-haired man by complete surprise with his powerful attack. Deep cuts and gashes sprung up all over Midnight's body, his clothes all torn to shreds. Midnight threw his hands out desperately, dissipating the fierce cutting gale that had surrounding him with an uncontrolled blast of Reflector.
But that just gave their enemy another opening, the man diving down like a peregrine falcon as he conveniently dodged the Poison Dragon's Twin Fang that Cobra had thrown at him. His right hand was cocked back, and as he reached a startled Midnight within a split second, his arm fired forward to stab a wind-coated hand right into Midnight's midsection.
Racer watched the grisly scene with no small amount of disgust as Naruto's hand, flattened into the rough facsimile of a knife, punched straight through Midnight's abdomen and came out the other side with morbid ease. Midnight's eyes were bulging from the excruciating pain as blood spurted from his lips. Even more of the crimson fluid streamed out of the huge wound in his gut, but Naruto wasn't done. He snarled as the winds around his hand stretched to cover his whole arm, tearing a bigger hole in Midnight's body. With a savage roar, Naruto jerked his hand skywards, his limb shearing through Midnight in a terrifying display of power.
Flesh and bone dissolved into a pink mist as the blond man's arm traveled from belly to skull, annihilating everything in its path. Midnight collapsed to the ground in a boneless heap, his severed organs slipping out of his body with wet, sickening squelches. He was effectively split into half from head to navel, a huge vertical chunk of his body now virtually nonexistent. The strongest mage in Oración Seis had just died the most grotesque death anyone present had ever seen in their lives. Not even Naruto himself had killed someone in such a ghastly manner, and the shock from the horrendous sight showed. Even Cobra, obsessed with avenging Cubellios, was sucked into the lull in battle that descended upon the combatants.
The winds surrounding Naruto's hand kept his forearm and glove completely free of blood, but it also splattered the crimson liquid all over his clothes. The blood dripped down his face in tiny rivulets, his mask darkening from the dampness. Slowly, Naruto reached for the edge of his mask, pulling downwards past his chin to allow himself to breathe in something other than the metallic tang of blood. He stretched his right arm out, and in a blast of smoke, Kubikiribōchō was once more in his hands, the blade looking pristine despite a hefty impact with his powerful barrier. Dripping in crimson and wielding his massive sword, Racer couldn't help but see the blond ninja as Oración Seis' designated reaper.
"I was hoping to take you by surprise, and when he defended you, test the limits of his automatic defence," Naruto explained to Brain coldly. "It seems his magic can only be focused at one place. But even with his magic's limits established, I didn't think it would be that easy to kill the so-called strongest member of Oración Seis."
"You…killed him…" Brain rasped, his voice hitched as another set of spidery lines disappeared from his skin. His eyes were riveted on the broken corpse of Midnight, his shoulders shaking unwittingly. "He was…the only thing…I may have ever cared for…"
Brain's psychotic gaze snapped to Naruto, before he thrust Klodoa forward. From the staff's skull head, a huge beam of darkness erupted, almost too fast for Naruto to dodge. But dodge he did, executing a quick Kawarimi with Racer once more. Not even his most powerful Slowing Magic could help the speedster find the reflexes to get out of the way of Brain's Dark Capriccio. Racer gurgled as the dark light pierced his chest and heart, blood filling his lungs. The red liquid bubbled out of his lips as the man keeled over without a sound, the least dramatic death of the day.
Oración Seis were down from four to two in the short space of a few seconds. But neither Brain nor Cobra could find it within them to care about Racer's demise, as they sought the death of the man who took the most important person of their lives away. Brain fired off numerous blasts of Dark Capriccio, the beams of dark energy scouring the area with impunity. Hoteye dived into the ground to avoid the wild barrage of attacks, and Cobra was forced to dodge the energy blasts on instinct; he could no longer hear anything in Brain's heart but death to Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto took to the skies once more, spiralling jets of wind blasting from his palms and feet as he soared through the air. The distance he had put between himself and Brain gave him plenty of time to avoid his Dark Capriccios, as he weaved between the flashing beams of dark power. With boiling hot rage consuming Brain, he became so focused on the airborne Naruto that he blotted out all of his peripheral awareness. Hence, it was almost a formality as a clone of Naruto snuck up on the oblivious leader of Oración Seis, and executed him with extreme prejudice.
Kubikiribōchō drank sweet arterial blood for the second time that day, as Brain's head came off his shoulders with little fanfare. Naruto thought Momochi Zabuza would have been rather proud of him at that moment, acting like a real shinobi and doing Kubikiribōchō's infamous reputation justice. As the white-haired man's body crumpled to the ground gracelessly, Klodoa hopped up, the sentient staff intent on catching Naruto by surprise. The Uzumaki, eyes trained on Cobra, didn't even blink as he smashed the wooden construct with the flat side of Kubikiribōchō, shattering the staff into splinters. Klodoa's skull fell right into Naruto's path, and the blond man stomped on the cranium remorselessly.
Hoteye emerged from the ground to stand beside Naruto. "Uzumaki-san, Cobra has a form of Sound Magic that allows him to hear your innermost thoughts and predict your attacks."
"Thanks for the heads-up, Richard-san," Naruto nodded tersely. "You don't have to kill your former teammates if you don't want to. I can handle Cobra alone."
"I shall stay out of your way then, Uzumaki-san. Good luck," Hoteye murmured, taking a step back to watch the final clash.
"I've been salivating for this moment since you killed Cubellios, bastard," Cobra hissed sibilantly, whip-like tentacles of poison dancing around his body. "Now with no one to get in my way, I'll make you regret the moment you tried to cook all of us with that black fire of yours!"
"Sound Magic, huh?" Naruto murmured, unperturbed by Cobra's death threat. "I wonder…"
With a flick of his wrist, a guitar popped into existence. The Poison Dragon Slayer scoffed loudly at his mortal enemy's weapon, and from his mouth unleashed a powerful Poison Dragon's Roar. Naruto strummed the guitar, recalling the musical lessons from Mira and the magical guitar lessons from Vidaldus. Cobra howled in agony, clutching his ears as his strongest attack petered out to nothing, Naruto barely having to shift his body to avoid the last wisps of poison. Naruto shook his head in mild disbelief as he walked closer to Cobra, channeling chakra through his guitar as he played a simple set of chords.
"To think you'll be rendered helpless by a guitar of all things," Naruto remarked, standing in front of Cobra, who had fallen to his knees as his ears bled freely. "I guess I'm lucky in that regard, knowing people I can learn the instrument from. Goodbye, Cobra. I'll see you in hell eventually."
A small whirlwind surrounded his right hand, and he swiped it along the guitar, enveloping the musical instrument in a wreath of cutting winds. Though the music had finally stopped, Cobra only had time to look up at his executioner before Naruto lopped his head off with his guitar. More blood splashed onto Naruto's garments, but it was inconsequential to the man who had just singlehandedly ended the threat of Oración Seis. Sending his guitar back into his storage seal with a snap of his hand, Naruto bent down to study Cobra's body.
The body was still pulsing with a small amount of energy despite Cobra's passing. The blond shinobi would have completely missed it had he been completely out of sage chakra. As luck would have it, he still had a modicum of sage chakra left; enough for him to run an eye over Cobra's corpse. Naruto focused on his chakra sense, superimposing it over his regular vision to allow him to see Ethernano and its flow. There was still a good concentration of magic in Cobra's upper abdomen, a sphere of throbbing energies.
Sheathing his right hand in wind chakra, Naruto played doctor, slicing open Cobra's thoracic abdomen with surgical efficiency. Ignoring the uncomfortable sensation of sticking his hand into a dead man's guts, Naruto fumbled inside Cobra's body until he felt something smooth and definitely foreign. His fingers struggled to find purchase on the smooth and bloody object, but eventually he got his hands on the sphere and ripped it out of Cobra. It was a transparent ball of purplish-black energy, about the size of a grapefruit.
"That is the dragon lacrima that was implanted in Cobra when he was but a child," Hoteye commented, rising from the earth behind the crouching Naruto. "The lacrima is worth a lot of money. I'm surprised you know that Cobra is a second generation dragon slayer."
"I don't. I merely sensed the power of the lacrima from inside his body," Naruto mumbled, dumping the lacrima into the storage seal on his wrist as he did Angel's Celestial Spirit keys.
Standing up, Naruto snapped his fingers, dispelling both his barriers and the clone that was managing the movement of Nirvana. Naruto groaned in hurt as the memories hit him, along with the magical control linkage to Nirvana that started draining his energies greedily. Wiping a droplet of blood from his nose, Naruto shook away the cobwebs in his head as he gazed northwards, a soft sigh of relief escaping his lips as the breathtaking vista of a sparkling blue ocean greeted his weary azure orbs. If the overbearing stench of blood was not currently filling his nostrils, he reckoned he might even be able to smell the salty sea breeze. It was a beautiful view; one he figured would be as good as any for the final chapter of his story.
"Someone needs to walk Nirvana deep enough that no one can ever salvage it. It's time for you to disembark, Richard-san," Naruto spoke.
"You don't have to be the one to do this, Uzumaki-san. I'm the criminal. Your presence is still needed to protect our world," Hoteye argued. "All I request will be for you to help me find my brother and make sure he's safe."
"I…I can't do that to you, Richard-san," Naruto shook his head in disagreement.
Hoteye smiled sincerely, patting the distraught blond man on the shoulder comfortingly. "You said earlier you promised someone never to sacrifice your life, didn't you? You can keep the promise now. It's not good to break your word, you know."
But before he could make a decision, his thought processes were brought to a juddering halt as the king's area they were standing upon started to rotate. Shocked, Hoteye and Naruto exchanged concerned gazes as the floor began to spiral open from the centre of the octagonal tower, the control pillar that was Nirvana's first stage slowly rising through the gap. The destruction seal that Naruto had written on the pillar was still present, but it was hardly something that allayed their worry. Before either could voice their puzzlement at this turn of events, the pillar was suddenly ensconced in a blazing white light.
The beam of light pierced the clouds above, scattering the formations and leaving a clear blue sky behind. Then, Naruto and Hoteye watched in alarm as black, writhing tendrils of energy swiftly became visible high up in the sky. They were sucked towards the pillar of light, slowly turning the beam darker. Naruto didn't have time to question the bizarre scene as he was suddenly brought to his knees. Hoteye let out a cry of concern as the blond man clutched his head, moaning in great pain as he slowly pushed himself back to his feet, his head still bent forwards.
"Uzumaki-san, are you all right?" Hoteye asked worriedly.
"Yes…" Naruto grunted, grinding his teeth. "I…I think that…this is the…third stage…Roubaul didn't tell me…that it would…activate…on its own…"
As Hoteye was about to question Naruto about what he meant, a broiling hot wave of fire descended upon the duo. The orange-haired mage was just aware enough to bring up a wave of earth to smother the fire. Naruto hobbled around, cursing as he spotted Natsu hovering in the air with Happy's aid. The fiery man looked incensed as he pointed at Naruto, gnashing his sharp teeth together in barely restrained fury.
"I knew it!" Natsu roared. "You're working with Oración Seis! You bastard, I'll kill you!"
"No, wait!" Hoteye exclaimed, but it was too late.
Natsu went into a nosedive, headed straight for Naruto. Hoteye was about to grab Naruto and dive into the ground for cover, but the blond man pushed him aside and out of Natsu's way instead. The former Oración Seis member could only stare in horror as a flaming fist smashed into Naruto's cheek, sending him careening across the king's area. Natsu chose to hover over the platform, knowing that landing on Nirvana would mean motion sickness. But even so, he could feel himself getting ill as the horrible odour of congealing blood pervaded his nose, causing him to dry heave. Happy voiced his concern, but Natsu quickly regained a hold of himself, wiping his lips with his arm as he waited for Naruto to climb back up to his feet.
The blond man's eyes were shadowed as he rose, his arms hanging limply from his hunched shoulders. A soft chuckle filled the air, and slowly, the laughter grew in volume until it was practically maniacal. Naruto threw his head back, clutching his stomach as he became hysterical. Natsu shifted his body into a defensive pose as he studied the strange behaviour, unsure of what to make of it. Then, the laughter abruptly stopped, and Naruto snapped his head back. He gazed at Natsu with his storm grey eyes, a crazed grin splitting his cheeks. As blood dribbled from his nostrils, the blond ninja licked the liquid away, causing Natsu to recoil lightly.
"Ah, Natsu, Natsu, Natsu," the man clucked his tongue, the wicked grin refusing to leave his features. "You want a piece of me, don't you? For hurting everyone on Fairy Tail? So c'mon then, I'm here, you're here, let's settle this like…what did you call it? Like men? Yea, let's do that."
"W-What's happening?" Happy muttered, wide-eyed as Naruto laughed crazily once more. "He sounds…different."
"W-What's happening?" Naruto jutted his jaw out in mockery, mimicking the stuttering cat. "What's happening is that I'm going to take this baby for a ride, and kill everyone in Magnolia Town! That's what's happening, Happy~~"
Nirvana jerked backwards suddenly, as the giant eight-legged machine slowly backtracked, moving in the complete opposite direction as before. That was the clearest indicator to Hoteye that Naruto had been twisted by Nirvana, for he was no longer guiding the walking city into the ocean as he originally planned, but towards civilisation.
"He's not the same Uzumaki-san as before…" Hoteye said in despair, adjusting his footing to compensate for Nirvana suddenly switching directions. "He's been changed by Nirvana! We have to stop him!"
"Aren't you a bad guy?" Natsu scratched the back of his head.
"I was changed by Nirvana too. So now I'm one of you," Hoteye smiled at Natsu, before he furrowed his brow. "But Uzumaki-san was connected to Nirvana when this…third stage happened. I think Nirvana is collecting all the evil of the world, and channeling it to him."
"What?! So now he's the bad guy, and you're not?" Natsu growled in frustration. "But you're supposed to be a bad guy, and he's supposed to be an asshole dressed up as a good guy? Argh! I'm confused!"
"He's not a bad guy, he's just being turned bad by Nirvana. I don't know how to stop Nirvana, but if we can stop him, I think we can stop both," Hoteye stated, keeping a vigilant eye on Naruto, wary of the man who was capable of killing all of Oraciȯn Seis on his own. "We have to hurry, before Nirvana gets out of the forest and starts wreaking havoc in towns and cities."
However, Naruto seemed content to just watch as Hoteye and Natsu discussed matters. "Are you guys done? I'm getting bored, and I'm not the one who's wasting time here~~"
"Shut up, asshole! I'm going to turn you to ashes!" Natsu growled. "I'm glad Erza sent me here first! I get to be the one to beat you to a pulp!"
"Confident, aren't we?" Naruto smirked derogatorily, stretching his arm out towards Natsu and gesturing for him to attack the ninja.
"What are you waiting for then? Bring. It. On."
Author's Notes: My god! An update in less than a week? Dayum!
Not the best ending ever, but it'll do. Hardest fight scene I've written yet. 6 different characters in one big melee! If I didn't kill Angel right from the start...
Have an internet cookie if you expected Stage 3 Nirvana. I hope I'm the first author to do it. That would be cool beans.
How it's activated is up to your own interpretation. Could be that it needs a blood offer, or five human sacrifices (aka five dead Oración Seis members). Or just Roubaul being a forgetful twit and not telling Naruto it'll activate automatically.
I figured that if the Nirvits were gunning for world peace, they had to convert every bad guy into a good guy, forcibly. Stage 1/2 can't do that. So there must be a Stage 3 at least. And that sets up the second phase of the fight, Naruto vs. Light Team. I wonder if anyone has been anticipating this moment since Naruto left Fairy Tail.
If you think Naruto's plan is stupidly convoluted, I'll explain again. Jellal wanted to destroy Nirvana by blowing up the control pillar thingamajig. Who's not to say someone can repair it? Sinking it into the ocean sounds like a far better plan. And hell, if Oración Seis can't get Nirvana, they can still go around killing people. Naruto's not that irresponsible to just let them go. He can go guerilla and kill them one by one, but when are you going to get the opportunity for all of them to be in one place at one time, under your conditions and rules?
And the whole destroy-Nirvana-when-I-die thing is a backup plan. Plus it may force Oración Seis to hold back, which gives Naruto an advantage. Or you can see the sink-it-in-the-sea plan as the backup, it doesn't really matter. It's a double-layered thing. And Naruto didn't choose to just let Nirvana walk them to their deaths because he doesn't know if Oración Seis has some way to escape. Just in case.
Now I'm confused. Whatever. At least the battle was cool.
As for why Naruto can't just Hiraishin his ass out of his own barrier, it's a space-time barrier. I didn't say it explicitly in the story, but it's clearly designed to trap Uchihas with their Hax-ingan, not mages. Who in Fairy Tail (besides Zeref/dragons who are 'myths') necessitates designing such a powerful barrier anyway? So no teleporting out of his barriers with Kamui or Hiraishin. He can't use Amaterasu either, because Midnight can use that to break his barrier.
I like to restrain my characters with all sorts of limiters. Makes the battles more interesting. Although Oración Seis mostly died in underwhelming ways. Zero didn't even turn up. But that's how ninjas should roll, so I'm not apologising for that.
If you find Naruto's strength inconsistent with previous fight scenes, keep in mind he didn't really want to kill any of his other opponents. But he has no qualms about killing Oración Seis. He thinks it's necessary.
Oh, and did anyone notice the irony? Normally it's the bad guys killing the good guys' precious people. And it's the good guys that knock sense into the bad guys. I had Naruto kill Cobra/Brain's precious people, and Natsu knock the evil into Naruto. Hehe.
I hope I haven't turned people off with the violence. Time to go find a psychiatrist...