AN: Thanks HSInstinct, AliceCullen3, Goku275, and Oceansane. In response to Oceansane's question, I do not really have much of a reason why I ship Natsu and Millianna together instead of other pairings (in fact, I've actually read stories shipping both of them with others).
I suppose that I ship them because of the way that canon Natsu pretended to be a cat and canon Millianna freed him because of it. This may sound weird, but I feel like the scene shows that the two are both energetic goofballs in the same way, that they are different from others in the same way. Plus, I just feel like they are cute together.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" roared Natsu, punching Jiemma. The older man crossed his arms in defense, but he was still pushed back several feet. Before Jiemma could strike back, the dragon slayer followed up with another attack. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
Natsu slammed his head into his opponent's stomach, knocking the wind out of Jiemma. The Sabertooth guild master was pushed back again, though he took advantage of this to put some distance between himself and the Fairy Tail guild master.
"It appears I've underestimated you, Salamander," said Jiemma, in more pain than he had expected. However, rather than concerned, he appeared interested. "As a guild master, it has been a while since I took part in a truly challenging battle. The guild hall will require repairs afterward, but it seems that defeating you will require me to fight seriously."
As he monologued, Jiemma began emitting a ferocious purple aura as he concentrated Magic Power into his right palm. After uttered the word "seriously," the Sabertooth guild master unleashed his spell, launching a massive explosion at Natsu.
However, instead of dodging, blocking, or countering with his own attack, the dragon slayer merely slurped the explosion into his stomach.
"It tastes like a lump of charcoal," spoke Natsu, grimacing at the spell's flavor. "But I'll gladly accept more Magic Power. After all, more energy means that I can give you an even worse beating!"
Jiemma stared at his opponent with shock, unable to comprehend what just happened. He knew that the Salamander could eat fire, but explosions? The Sabertooth guild master was beginning to regret pissing the Fairy off. Jiemma's pride prevented him from admitting this fact, even to himself, though, so the fight continued.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" shouted Natsu, blasting his enemy into the air. He followed up with a Fire Dragon's Claw, kicking the Sabertooth guild master through a wall. The dragon slayer then delivered a Fire Dragon's Roar, sending his opponent through another wall.
Jiemma found that he could not do anything other than take these hits. Natsu was too fast to dodge, too strong to block, and his magic made Jiemma's into nothing but a snack! The Sabertooth guild master was filled with two long-forgotten feelings: fear and pain.
Over the next several minutes, Natsu proceeded to one-sidedly knock Jiemma through the building, demolishing much of it in the process. The Fairy Tail and Sabertooth mages in the building all evacuated, terrified of getting caught in the battle/beatdown.
Every abled bodied member of Sabertooth didn't stop running until they were well into Crocus, unable to even contemplate standing against somebody who could pummel their guild master. The fallen Sabertooth mages, on the over hand, were dragged out by members Fairy Tail, who brought them to the front of the guild hall, directly outside the building.
Incidentally, this included the four defeated members of Team Sabertooth (something that further intimidated the guild), although only Sting was conscious. The White Dragon Slayer remained hostile, though the fact that he was laying on his belly, too drained of energy to get up, severely undercut any attempts by him to appear threatening.
Suddenly, Jiemma burst through the front of the guild hall, propelled by a Fire Dragon's Roar. He landed between the building and the people, several yards from the evacuated mages. The once-frightening guild master had been reduced to a collection of burns, bruises, and broke bones, too injured to move.
Natsu jumped through the hole he had just made, landing several feet from Jiemma. Slowly, he walked up to the man, looked him in the eye, and asked a question in a menacing tone.
"Had enough?"
"I surrender," rasped Sabertooth's guild master, resigned. His pride had been shattered, and the fear he felt towards the dragon slayer had long since given way to despair. "The Guild War between Sabertooth and Fairy Tail is over."
"My, my," interjected a malicious, feminine voice. "I never thought I'd see the day that the great Master Jiemma was laid low like this. As a proud member of Sabertooth, I simply must do something about this."
An oddly-colored distortion appeared above Jiemma's forehead, directly over his guild mark. It exploded, ruining the symbol and knocking the man unconscious. Everyone present stared at Jiemma's body in shock, then turned toward the source of both the voice and the attack.
"Father, you are official no longer a member of Sabertooth, effective immediately," proclaimed Minerva, looking at Jiemma. "We have no use for weaklings. Don't worry, though; I will make this guild stronger than ever as its new guild master."
Minerva then turned toward Natsu before continuing to speak. "Contrary to Ex-Master Jiemma's words, our little conflict is not over yet. Now, I would recommend that you stop you rampage, otherwise I will harm them."
With that, Minerva flourished her right arm and summoned Millianna and little Erza with her magic. The two were trapped in her Territory, powerless.
"You monster!" yelled Natsu, enraged by obeying the self-proclaimed new guild master. "If you've hurt even a hair on either of them, then I'll…"
"Don't worry. I haven't done anything yet," responded Minerva grinning. She then created another Territory around the guild master. "I would much rather break somebody powerful like you than some weaklings like them."
Minerva gleefully started creating Territory Explosions within the space containing Natsu. The dragon slayer could only grit his teeth and take these attacks, as Minerva would no doubt make his family suffer otherwise.
"So much for caring about your comrades making you stronger," snarked Sting to every Fairy within earshot. "Your guild master is stuck as a punching bag because of his feelings."
"Natsu may be down for now, but he'll turn things around," spoke a voice above Sting. "He always does, especially when his loved ones are on the line."
"Yeah right," dismissed Sting, struggling to raise his head towards the Fairy speaking to him. "Natsu may be stronger than the rest of your pathetic guild, but he's clearly a weakling thanks to his emotions."
"Well, if Fairy Tail is so weak, why are you on the ground?" replied the voice.
"That's because you flies are so annoying that I wore myself out trying to swat you!" responded Sting hotly. "None of you could defeat me in a real fight, and if I had the strength to stand, I'd walk over to you and…"
The Sabertooth mage trailed off, his eyes widening as he caught sight of who he was talking to. It was Happy, the blue Exceed who followed Natsu around. However, what drew Sting's attention was the Exceed that Happy was carrying over his back.
"Lector!" shouted Sting, filled with a mixture of concern and rage. The dragon slayer began forcing himself up. He looked Happy in the eye and spoke, his voice full of venom. "I'll rip apart anybody who tries to use Lector as a hostage! He's my friend, and—"
"Lector's not a hostage," interjected a voice. Sting, still furious, turned toward the voice and saw Frosch. "Happy knocked him unconscious earlier, but he doesn't intend to cause Lector any more harm. Happy is only holding him now to get Lector away from the fighting."
"…" Sting silently glared at Happy for several seconds before speaking in a hostile tone. "Put him down in front of me, then move away."
Happy obeyed, placing Lector before Sting's feet. Frosch landed beside Lector, watching the Exceed and waiting for him to wake up. Several more moments of silence passed.
"…You're delusional if you believe that Natsu's feelings will let him win," Sting finally said, his voice still gruff. "Caring about others doesn't make a person stronger. It just gives them weaknesses for their enemies to exploit."
"If that's true, then why were you able to stand when you thought Lector was in danger?" asked Happy.
Sting froze. It hadn't occurred to him until now, but he was standing! Less than a minute ago, he could barely move, let alone support his own weight!
Doubts started to fill the dragon slayer's mind as he considered the blue Exceed's words. These thoughts, however, did not prevent him from noticing a large cloud of smoke form in the direction of Natsu and Minerva.
"Hahaha!" cackled Minerva sadistically as she assaulted Natsu with an onslaught of Territory Explosions. The dragon slayer remained silent, rage written on his face. "I wonder how long it will be until you break!"
Internally, though, her voice was slightly different. "I can't wait for your façade to crumbled! Pretending to be a 'heroic father' in front of your subordinates may have inspired them to fight harder, but maintaining it, even when it meant allowing me to capture you, was the height of idiocy!"
As her torture went on and Natsu continued to stand strong, however, Minerva quickly grew furious. She began yelling at the Salamander to break.
"Why!? Why are you just standing there!? Scream! Cry! Do anything!"
"Give up already! We both know it's just an act! Caring fathers don't exist! I've known that for years, ever since mine started 'training' me! Show me your suffering, just like how Jiemma suffered! I want every father to feel their own cruelty times one thousand!"
So caught up in her brutalization, Minerva failed to notice as pink smoke completed surrounded her and the captured Dragneels. At least, not until a portion of the smoke closed in on her and engulfed her entire body.
"Gah! *hack* Smoke?" coughed Minerva, her attention finally drawn from Natsu. She was then snapped out her stupor when a gust of wind blew past her. "Territory *wheeze* Nihility!"
With a wave of her hand, Minerva created a shockwave to dispel the smoke, both around her body and surrounding the area. The latter reformed immediately, though.
The Sabertooth mage scanned the area and noticed that Millianna and little Erza were gone. "What!? Where are my hostages?"
"Jet grabbed them while you were distracted by Wakaba's smoke," answered Natsu, smirking. "And now that they're safe, I can kick your ass into next year!"
"Hah!" snorted Minerva arrogantly. "This smoke may prevent me from reclaiming your little family, but I would hardly call anybody in your precious guild safe! You are the only one who could possibly defeat me, and you're battered, bloodied, and — oh, that's right — trapped in my Territory! I've already won!"
"You know, I may have been planning on beating up all of Sabertooth for touching my family, but I was going to hold back against everyone other than Jiemma," said Natsu, entering an eerily calm state. "Warren psychically told me before I fought that bastard that nobody other than him seemed to know about the kidnapping, much less was involved in it."
"Then, you threatened to harm my family, right in from of me," continued Natsu. "So I'm going to make an exception."
Finished talking, the dragon slayer sent an enormous surge of Magic Power through his body. Massive flames engulfed Natsu, as scales grew over his body.
"Dragon Force!?" exclaimed Minerva, stunned. "No matter, you still cannot possibly break through my—"
Natsu's Flame of Emotion burned through Minerva's Territory in moments, as if it were made of wood soaked in gasoline. The Fairy then shot towards Minerva with the speed and force of a raging dragon. The Sabertooth mage could only utter a single word as she hastily produced a Territory in front of herself in a futile attempt at defense.
"Fuck."
The rage within Natsu burned with an intensity that only a dragon could produce. Even as he struck Minerva with a Dragon Force-enhanced Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, sending her through the already damaged front wall of her guild hall, his anger barely diminished.
"Fire Dragon's Claw," spoke Natsu coldly, shooting flames from his feet as he jumped to propel himself through the hole he just made and towards his enemy. As he approached her, the dragon slayer twisted his body to deliver a kick to Minerva's face.
The Sabertooth mage arced upwards, smashing through two ceilings and indenting a third before dropping to the ground. As she struggled up on all fours, Natsu burst through the floorboards beneath her and delivered another attack.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack," uttered Natsu frostily, blasting Minerva straight up this time. She burst through several more ceilings before breaking through the roof and soaring into the air.
Sadly for her, not even the sky was safe. Natsu leaped after her, again propelled by his flames. As the two reached the apex of their flight, Natsu unleashed a point blank Fire Dragon's Roar, hurtling her straight back down. Minerva's body crashed through every floor of the guild hall, her drop only ending when she hit the ground of the dungeon that had previously housed Millianna and little Erza.
Additionally, the Fire Dragon's Roar reduced the building to rubble, allowing Fairy Tail and the remnants of Sabertooth a clear view as Natsu performed his final spell.
"With a flame in my right hand, and a flame in my left hand," spoke Natsu, his voice becoming louder as his emotionless demeanor started breaking. "When you combine the flames together… FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!"
Minerva could only stare at the miniature sun as Natsu threw it towards her.
Although, she couldn't do much before then either. The dragon slayer's first punch had brought her to the brink of unconsciousness, and everything that followed was more about punishing Minerva than simply defeating her.
Yet, as she laid helpless and in agony, watching Natsu's spell come closer, her thoughts wandered to something else.
"The feeling behind his strikes… that expression on his face… He really does care about his daughter…"
Minerva, despite being barely aware as she was beaten senseless, had realized that Natsu's attitude towards his family was genuine. She mentally gave a weak chuckle.
"I suppose I'm a little envious of you… Erza Dragneel…"
Everyone could only gawk as Natsu activated the Dragon Force and tossed Minerva around like a ragdoll.
"It's insane how strong Natsu's gotten," stated Warren, awed. "If he took the S-Class Trial now, there's no way he'd lose!"
"Does anybody else get the feeling that he didn't need our help?" asked Wakaba, wondering if his and Jet's help was truly necessary. "I'm not sure that Minerva could have beaten him, even if Natsu stayed trapped in her magic."
"Im-impossible," said Sting, overcoming his shock enough to speak. "A first generation dragon slayer can't activate the Dragon Force at will!"
"Natsu has been training to use it on command, and his efforts recently started showing results," explained Happy to Sting. "His bonds with everyone push Natsu to become as strong as he can, so that he can protect his nakama. Caring about others… fighting for them… Natsu's carries the hopes and dreams of everyone else alongside his own."
Sting's eyes widening in epiphany and restored admiration. "I understand now. He bears the collective resolve of his entire guild, which is far greater than that of a single person! Because of this, Natsu never gives up, not until he's made the impossible possible!"
"Exactly!" agreed Happy.
At that moment, Natsu performed his Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame, creating a fire so grand that everyone felt a wave of heat wash over them. When the spell landed, they all had to turn their bodies away from it to shield themselves from the ensuing shockwave.
Once the shockwave passed, they all looked at where the Sabertooth guild hall once stood. Nothing remained except a crater and several small fires. In the crater, they saw Natsu standing over a tattered, burnt (but still alive) Minerva Orland. The Fire Dragon Slayer spoke five words.
"It's over. Fairy Tail's stronger."
Omake
Thibault grinned as him and the rest of his GMG team strolled towards Sabertooth's guild hall. He didn't understand why Fiore's newly crowned strongest guild was fighting the dead last Fairy Tail guild, but he welcomed the conflict. Another loss would only increase the odds of those has-beens accepting his guild's… proposition.
"We're almost there, boys," said Thibault eagerly. "I just can't wait for Twilight Ogre to officially become Magnolia's number one guild!"
It was at that moment that the Twilight Ogre mages noticed several members of Sabertooth running in their direction, looks of terror on their faces.
"Run for your lives!" shouted one of the Sabertooth mages as they passed.
Thibault and his comrades shared confused glances but continued forward. When they eventually got close enough to see the guild hall, they realized why those Sabertooth mages were running away.
Countless members of Sabertooth lay on the ground, defeated. Their guild hall was in shambles, torn apart by battle. Most of all, the Fairy Tail guild master just punched a person up through the building's roof and was slamming them back down.
Thibault and co. watched in disbelief as the legendary Salamander unleashed an immense fire spell on the guild hall while yelling "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame" loud enough for them to hear, despite how far away they still were.
After a minute, once the shock wore off, Thibault spoke in a hasty tone.
"On second thought, it's better to be the number two guild in Magnolia. We get nearly the same profits and reputation, but none of the pressure of living up to the high expectations of the public."
His guildmates nodded dumbly, still processing the sheer amount of power they had just witnessed. The five then ran away as quickly as possible, desperate to put as much distance as possible between themselves and Fairy Tail.
AN: unlike the previous battles, this was just two plain, no-holds-barred beatdowns. I did try to characterize Minerva a bit, though, explaining her cruelty as the lashing out of somebody who themselves is a victim. Sting, on the other hand, has seen just how caring about others can push you to surpass your limits and keep fighting.
As a quick side note, I have decided to give Erza Dragneel the nickname "Blaze" in reference to Blaze the Cat, a pyrokinetic character from the Sonic Franchise. I decided against "Zee" as my sibling has recently decided to go by that name, and it would feel awkward to me if I wrote a character with the same name as somebody I know.
The next chapter will cover the aftermath of this incident and the fate of Sabertooth. See you all then!