A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here. Back again with another chapter.
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- He Who Slays Dragons -
Ais and Tiona traveled down to the dungeon at a fast pace. They dashed through multitudes of tunnels of the first floors of the dungeon as they scanned the surroundings of the possible Irregular activity. Once they found nothing of sort, they moved on to the next. Their speed made it easier for the long search as it took a few minutes for them to survey an entire floor. Such was the capability of first-class adventurers. Their abilities were leagues greater than second-class and third-class. Not to mention, they were leading top adventurers that hold the title of one of the strongest.
Even though the Upper Floors weren't larger than the Middle or the Lower Floors, the intricate maze-like structure of the branching hallways made it challenging to pinpoint the Irregular presence. Dead-ends were also frequent in these floors but had long since been surveyed by the Guild so they had to explore them one by one to make sure. There were no signs of any noise that could help them lead towards it which would indicate that it wasn't on that floor. In addition, the possibility of it moving from floor to floor was on their minds so they had to make their search thorough.
The two stopped for a moment as they peered to another section of the floor.
"This one's clear too. On to the next one, Ais." Tiona shouted. Ais nodded in unison as they finished the 9th floor and turned their direction towards the stairs leading to the 10th.
The Loki Familia duo also searched for any signs of survivors or adventurers who might've stumbled unto it but it seemed like they haven't found anyone around their search. Maybe it was because the Irregular usually made a lot of noise. It was common for adventurers to avoid dangerous situations. Sometimes, instincts worked faster than greed which somehow saved some lives. However, there were some instances that ended up with people losing their lives for chasing glory, even worse when Irregulars appeared right in front of them. Any party who might've caught a glimpse of it decided to avoid it or that they may already have encountered it by misfortune and died in the process.
"Man, it looks like this is getting a little serious. It's been a long time since an Irregular has spawned in this part of the dungeon." Tiona said, pondering about the current situation as she ran. "I mean, what are the chances? I guess you really shouldn't underestimate the dungeon at all times."
The Sword Princess merely stared in her direction, the question resonating back to her due to a memory from her past. The incident looked a lot similar to it which was why she felt strongly to act. She recalled her first days when she first ventured to the dungeon as a young adventurer of the Loki Familia. A young girl that should not be holding a sword at her age was something of an oddity for most people but for the ones who witnessed her beginnings as an adventurer, she was nothing like no other. The small child danced with the monsters with her weapon, cutting down that dared to go in her path. At that time, many people could not tell who was the monster.
In just a year during that time, people became fearful of her. The image of the young girl cutting down countless monsters without remorse. To say that resentment and grudge were the main driving force of her being towards these beings was an understatement. Every step out of the way, she cut them down without hesitation. As if to her, monsters were the very things that needed to be eradicated. The reason for that remained unknown to anyone except herself. However, it didn't stop anyone from stepping up to calm her down from time to time. Every venture she made to the dungeon left her almost bloodied every time. And also the fact that she was the only adventurer who managed to level up from Level 1 to Level 2 in a year somehow managed to wrestle the fear towards her.
After all, her achievements still merited awe and admiration from others despite its grim start. Only those in her Familia who fought alongside her only managed to see through the veil of glory and truly saw what started it.
Leveling up as an adventurer in the Lower World was harder and more complicated than one would imagine. Some would take years or even longer even with the help of Falna. Even if one dedicated himself to killing monsters throughout their life, they wouldn't able to reach the heights like that of top adventurers. The criteria for leveling up according to the gods was that one must go on an adventure, to take one step closer to the gods and accomplish a feat that they will acknowledge. While many would interpret that hint in different ways, Ais' leveling up was nothing more but a numerous slaughter of monsters that accumulated her experience and challenged stronger ones once she had little to improve on her previous ventures.
If the gods acknowledged her efforts, then it would make sense that she would have the criteria to level up faster than anyone.
However, for Ais, her adventure was nothing like the ones that would appear in fairy tales. She did not see herself as the person that went on an adventure. Her young self at that time did not have time to delve into those dreams and aspirations. She had forced herself to take up the sword and fought the dungeon.
All for the sake of getting stronger.
It was different from her eyes. She knew that it wasn't anything to be proud of it. Venturing down into the dungeon had always been a dangerous hazard. It was the one side that carried along with fame and glory for all adventurers. A dark and tragic outcome for those that failed to seek theirs. So often that most of them tend to forget just what kind of dangerous occupation being an adventurer was in Orario.
It is a violent world of monsters and traps that will ensnare people to their deaths. And to be honest, the dungeon has no short of creativity of killing unwary adventurers.
Ais had her first impression of it. The brutality of the dungeon's nature towards adventurers. She faced it with her own eyes. The image that made her remember why she was there.
The black beast that haunted her. She could never forget it. For it was the one reminder that took 'them' away. The one that forced her to take up the sword. And in one incident, the dungeon showed it to her again as if it was mocking and reliving her of her helplessness by creating a spitting image of that monster to her.
Still, she never faltered or broke down.
No, she was already broken at that time. It was probably during that time when she looked at the black beast before they were taken away from her. Something broke inside her and another took its place and grew.
The black flame.
It grew inside her and continued to spread during that incident against an Irregular. She was young at that time but her feelings expressed nothing of an innocent child it had once been but a person who is filled with hatred and spite.
The spitting image of that Irregular reminded her of that monster.
At that point, it was her hatred for the monster that killed the Irregular. It was not an act of bravery or skillful art of swordsmanship that defeated it. No, it was the unrelenting rage that bested the monster.
She was never proud of it even as she grew but it didn't matter to her as a child since she was overwhelmed by the black flame, pushing her to do more. And it had not changed until now. Her desire pushed her to many life-threatening situations that would've spelled death to anyone if not for her talent and magic, as well as, the guidance of her senior adventurers that always reprimanded her whenever she got too far. It was only their teachings and even Loki that made her realize the danger of her path. They would always scold her whenever she would follow it. They never left a single moment of straightening her out whenever she did something stupid. It helped her from recklessly putting herself in danger all the time. No one had the gall the stop her whenever she went down to the dungeon on her own.
She felt grateful that they were always there for her. And with the appearance of Tiona, Lefiya, and the others, she became gradually more open and felt herself improving. The bonds she forged with them slowly changed her even just a bit. She could feel herself returning at least to the person she was before until that fateful time. But sometimes even with Riveria's words, she could not turn away from the black flame.
It would always come back and haunt her.
Then, the cycle continued once more.
All that mattered to her was getting stronger. The obsession keeps pushing her to become stronger.
Stronger than anyone else.
Her thoughts eventually finally came to a halt when she heard her fellow familia member calling out to her.
"Ais? Ais? Hello? Earth to Ais, are you there?"
"Tiona. What is it?" She muttered, her thoughts jumbled as her mind tried to stay back to the present.
"We've been searching around this floor and there's still no sign of the Irregular in sight. I was thinking that maybe it made its way to the Middle Floors. This should be the floor where it was seen, right?" Tiona stated.
According to the information they found from the wounded party, the 12th floor should be the last place that the Irregular was found. However, there weren't even signs of it anywhere even after their careful search. If Tiona's assumption was right, it might've headed down to the Middle Floors instead of going up.
"We should still deal with it." Ais proposed, noting that the Irregular still shouldn't be left alone.
"Well, it's not like we're not going in either. We gotta earn back our money from the expedition. This might help our funds a little if we get the quest done." Tiona answered as carefree as she always had.
But before they could proceed, Ais quickly noticed a presence nearby and quickly changed her direction to her left towards a tunnel. Her right hand holding Desperate as she stared at the approaching figure.
"Wait. Someone is coming." She muttered, earning the Amazoness' attention to shift into slight caution. The visibility of the tunnel from afar was difficult to visualize as the luminosity of the dungeon floor was low.
However, their cautioned gazes fell as soon as their sharp sights spotted the unfamiliar figures to that of a petite girl holding a wounded adventurer over her back.
"H-Hey! Are you alright?!" Tiona shouted and ran towards the limping girl with haste along with Ais. Meanwhile, the girl was on her last legs after exhausting every strength she had to make it back to the Upper Floors along with the injured adventurer on her back. As soon as she heard voices in front of her already weary eyes, she could only muster a weak attempt to call for help. It didn't bother her to check up who the voices were from. As long as she could call out to them, that's all that mattered.
All the remaining energy to stay afoot suddenly gave away as relief washed around her face, hoping her last cries could reach the voices
"H-Help."
She was about to fall flat onto the ground, possibly crushed along the added weight above her if it wasn't for the swordswoman catching her in time.
Ais quickly set her lying against her back while the man behind her was set aside by Tiona who proceeded to check his vitals.
"It looked like he suffered some major wounds but he seemed to have some first aid applied to them but he's going to need some further treatment if he's gonna survive. What about her?" The Amazoness looked over to the Sword Princess in question who had the struggling supporter at her arms.
Ais quickly scanned the girl's wounds. From scratches and slight cuts from parts of her body and clothes, gave her enough information to determine the girl's struggles.
"She got these injuries from different monsters on the next floor, particularly from Imps." She turned towards the hallway from where they came from. "She probably had run into some of them while escaping."
"It's quite a miracle she made it this long. If we didn't catch her, she might've gotten surrounded by the monsters on this floor too. Still, it looks like something happened that got this party in this state. I don't think a party of two would have a hard time in these parts. Could it be that they're missing someone?" Tiona pondered in worry.
Ais wordlessly nodded in response as she began her treatment to the girl with some spare healing potions she brought along. However, her attention soon glanced towards the blue-haired girl who simply reached with her shaking hands towards her.
"P-P-Please help him. Natsu-san." Her voice seemed too weak to muster a louder response due to the exhaustion but Ais still managed to catch on with her plea.
"Natsu?" Ais muttered silently, hearing an unfamiliar name.
"H-He stayed behind to help us… escape that monster. You must help him. P-Please." The girl's cries were soon noticed by Tiona. Ais looked with a serious gaze as soon as she pieced the clues together to understand the current situation.
She gently laid the girl down and glanced towards the direction leading to the next dungeon floor.
"I'll be going first, Tiona."
"Eh? You serious?"
"Take care of them." With that single statement, the Sword Princess dashed towards the stairs in quick succession, disappearing from the Amazoness' sight in seconds.
"Muoooo! I'm not a healer, you know!" Tiona peeved at the sudden departure of her fellow member, leaving her to the survivors.
…
The 12th Floor that once held its true essence to be a floor of mystery and silence due to the heavy mist and the dullish color that encapsulates its entirety was now being disrupted at the sounds of roaring monsters and shouts that reverberated around as streams of fire and explosions rang on some parts that made it look like there was a major battle going on. The sound of missed spells and flailing debris echoed throughout the floor that denizens of said floor found themselves attracted to it, only to be greeted by a fierce exchange of fire and destruction once they got close to it.
A battle that raged on between two combatants caused some portion of the landscape to change as craters left behind by their attacks captured the ferocity of the fight. The floor didn't look like a place for adventurers braving the dungeon for an adventure. Instead, it was now an arena of two opponents fighting with extreme intensity. Both of them freed from their bounded rules of both monsters and adventurers. It was a fight that captured their will to slay one another in a test of strength, endurance, and will.
It was as if they were born rivals to battle on this fated day with no one as their witness except for themselves.
Natsu tossed himself to the side, avoiding rock debris being thrown in his way. His eyes caught wind of the Irregular roaring at him with ferocity. The way it had been doing so far was to sow fear towards its enemies by showing dominance in the form of a roar. A bunch of newbie adventurers would crap themselves on the spot if they witnessed it.
It's why it is such a dangerous monster on the Upper Floors that require several parties in its vicinity to take down.
But an Irregular Infant Dragon? A mutated version of the original monster that would almost be in the category as a Monster Rex.
Yeah, no one should make eye-contact with it. Let alone challenge it in a one-on-one fight.
And yet here he was, doing exactly the opposite of what every adventurer should be doing when encountering such a situation that had a very minuscule chance as getting a free food pass from Mama Mia from the Hostess of Fertility.
If there was one silver lining to this dangerous situation was that the adventurer it is facing was fearless. Not to mention his magic seemed to affect it. If it were any other monsters on the same level as this, he probably would be at a clear disadvantage and perhaps even dead. Even so, it was quite a feat to be even standing straight in front of an enemy that had every chance to break all your bones and rip you apart and then eat you alive in the process.
After all, it is still a monster by nature and one of its driving forces is to eat its prey.
Natsu almost forgot about that thought as he continued to face this Irregular on his own. Luckily, his experience so far had kept him alive in the meantime. Additionally, his constitution as a fire mage gave him a slight advantage in this battle. Being immune to heat and using them aside from potions as replenishment was a much-needed help on his side. It was an ability that no one yet knew except Wendy who had been partying with him.
He shifted his thoughts as his eyes caught the massive reptile charging towards him. Usually, he would've just confronted the monster like he always did but he ceased that thought. Right now, the monster was stronger than him. That much was certain judging from the minimal damage he made on it during their previous exchange. It could probably even match against monsters on the Middle Floors.
That's how irregular the situation is.
Natsu turned in the other direction and made a sprint away from the raging beast. Since he was faster and more nimble than the monster, he easily put a distance between them while the latter continued to give chase without giving any thought to stopping him from running. However, the adventurer could not waste his energy running around in circles. Plus, the monsters residing on this floor made it difficult in maintaining his pace as they attacked him on sight. Natsu made easy work on them but it was putting a strain on his magic and stamina.
He wasn't also exactly carrying a lot of recovery potions as he lost some of them during the cave-in.
Turning his direction to the edge of the floor, he finally stopped in front of the wall of the dungeon. The space of the dungeon floor was limited to these towering walls that go all the way from the first floor to the deepest ones, all the while expanding as it went down. His head turned around to see the charging Irregular behind him. He calmly readied himself as he took a deep breath and waited for it to get closer. His hands hovered in front of him and his body slightly sinking into a stance. He then picked a small rock from the ground and his eyes shot towards the massive pair of red orbs.
In a few seconds, he stretched his arm forward, throwing the rock that hit on one of its eyes which caused it to lose its focus only for a moment. Natsu took that slight opening as he sprinted forward and used his hands to propel himself upward, making contact onto its snout and pushing himself up with enough speed and distance to avoid the massive body smashing onto him. His figure anding safely behind while the Irregular continued charging, only to realize a few seconds late of what had transpired and slammed towards the solid wall.
The crash generated a tremor that shook the dungeon floor which also caused some of the chunks of debris from above to fall off. At the same time, it also rendered the dragon stunned. The pink-haired adventurer took this chance and grabbed a shortsword from his back pocket. He jumped high with his weapon held above him and descended down at its unguarded back. The weapon made contact with the hide and without even a second, the impact recoiled the adventurer away, earning a loud grunt afterward.
"Guh…"
He recomposed himself as the sword made a stinging sound after making contact with the scaly hide. He dashed back a few meters away and took a brief look at his weapon.
The tip of the shortsword was chipped hard and a few cracks were seen all the way to the hilt.
It's going to take a few thousand of them to be able to pierce that thick hide. It looks like the stabbing-it-with-sharp-tools plan is out of the question.
'I guess it's going back to fists again.'
While he liked the idea of using his magic again, he didn't want to exhaust his reserves too early. He had a limited pool of magic and his already sustained injuries that were only mitigated with potions suggested that he didn't have much room to keep using this strategy in this situation. He didn't want to risk another sudden mind down which could only result in death.
This was not your average dungeon battle where you could go out with a blast. Natsu had no supporter beside him and the things to help him fight effectively were either left or lost. He only had two recovery potions left to replenish his magic and heal his injuries.
The Irregular monster seemed to have changed its attack patterns as it resorted to simply unrelenting charges in an effort to kill him. It never once used its flaming roar against him and only tried to use its lethal incisors and tail against him. Whether that indicated the existence of some sort of small intelligence, Natsu would never know. On the other hand, he knew that he could harm it with the use of his magic. The only downside was that it was the only thing that could help him fight against it. Nothing in his current gear would be able to injure the beast. The scaly hide made it extremely difficult for penetration.
In this current state, the two were at a stalemate. However, Natsu wasn't dumb enough to assume that he could hold out for too long. He was holding on to the hope that Wendy could come back with some help from adventurers above but that was ruled out after that collapse from the upper floor and the barred entrance leading outside of it.
It's going to take a long while before help arrives at this point. Holding out is no longer an option.
The Irregular roared as it got up again. Its attention traced towards his figure and let out a bellowing roar. Gales of wind blasted away from its opened snout as it launched a massive swing from one of its huge claws in a vertical direction.
Natsu dived forward into a dash, barely avoiding the huge lump of death as the position he was previously in kicked up a huge crunch of rubble and dust. The impact created another tremor as the weight of the claw hammered down. The adventurer fearlessly pressed on as he got beneath where it had no reach towards him. Coming down from below its exposed belly where it had little protection, he took the chance as flames enveloped him.
He conjured another attack as the flames swirled around him in a form of a drill where his head was located.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
In a stunning fashion, he propelled himself at high speed as jets of flames shot out from his feet and went straight towards its belly. With such force, the Irregular made a gnarly shriek in response to the pain it received from the blow. The attack also forced it to land on its back as Natsu overwhelmed its weight and managed to push it down.
Not letting up with the initial attack, he ran towards its head with his hands clad in fire. He then jumped just a few meters and clasped them into fists. With a shout, he descended down to its head.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The flaming fists connected as it smashed against its head, further injuring the monster as the impact rattled its thick skull. The pink-haired human jumped away quickly as soon as he noticed it quickly recovering from the punch and tried to clasp its canines towards him. He looked back, seeing it getting back on its feet once again without any indication of his attacks affecting its movements.
It was as if it had simply brushed off the damage it sustained from those attacks.
The Irregular growled, lifting its tail once more as it sighted several monsters surrounding it and proceeded to grab several of them in a coiled fashion.
Natsu's stared wide-eyed as soon as he found himself dodging monsters crashing towards him.
"YOU KIDDING ME?! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" He said in dismay as he watched it grabbing more monsters around it and started lobbing them towards him again. This was the first time he saw a monster using other monsters as projectiles. The incredulous reaction was proof of the unexpected tactic. Even for a monster.
More monsters were thrown in his way, forcing him to change positions. He sprinted to the side though the monster was quick to change trajectories and continued its monster bombardment.
"Kh―screw it!" He cursed under his breath, forcing himself to put some distance between them. Orcs with their large bodies along with the Hard Armored were dangerous enough to knock him out if he were to get hit. The velocity of those things showed the immense strength and power the Irregular had.
He made his run to the side once again as the Irregular took another bunch of monsters from its tail and flung it straight to his position. He poured magic into his feet as flames jot out from beneath and propelled himself away from the rain of monsters. A few seconds later, he landed to the side of a tall rock formation and used it as a platform where he dug his feet and poured another burst of flames underneath to shoot himself towards the Irregular. The rock cracked under the intense force as he leaped forward to meet the monster.
With such speed, the monster wasn't able to assess its opponent's next movement as Natsu closed the distance and flared his right fist.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He shouted as he swung his fist against its head, slamming it hard enough as it recoiled back and stumbled once more.
However, in the last second, the Irregular somehow regained itself almost immediately, erasing any opportunity for the mage to mount a followup-attack. It simply returned with a sound-piercing roar towards the adventurer to which he simply raised his arms in his face to defend himself against the intense shockwave sent on his way. The roar caused him to lose his footing in the process and was sent flying away from it. It was only then he managed to land back to the ground as he skidded a few meters back before stopping.
As soon as the roar died down, the ground patch was turned into a broken mess of rubble and debris. The air pressure generated by the roar was enough to tear a few inches of ground and would deal a lot of damage if caught by it.
The dust settled around the adventurer as he stood there unyielding with his arms raised, coupled with huge scratches due to the attack.
Natsu felt his ears ring from the shockwave. Still, he was standing and kicking. A wicked grin was plastered on his face as he turned his eyes towards the Irregular and returned a ferocious gaze. There was no trace of fear from his face even after taking a full force of a shockwave to the face. His body remained steady and without any trembling. Despite surviving that almost death-like attack, he never seemed to feel scared at all. Having it now would surely put him in a dangerous spot. If he showed any sign of falter, he would die.
Instead of fear, he felt more intensified in the battle. In fact, he was more invigorated to take on this monster.
He didn't know why but it felt like he was drawn to this fight. No matter how much his instincts advised him to avoid it, he couldn't seem to shake off the strong feeling in his heart. This Irregular seemed so fixated towards him as well. So much that he could feel its bloodlust and anger. Whether he realized that it was coming from his nature as its natural enemy, both of them were sharing the same feeling.
'I want to beat it.'
His battered fists balled in response. His body reacted almost immediately to its battle sense. His magic flared once more as flames surrounded his body, resonating with his feelings as they burst out wildly like an inferno, burning the surrounding ground around him. In the face of fighting for his life, he could not find the feeling of fear as his words called him to continue fighting.
"I'M ALL FIRED UP!"
The two combatants clashed once again in unison as the Irregular charged using its head while Natsu sprinted with his body coated in flames.
"Raaaaaaaaaarrghhhhh!"
Natsu jumped just before a few meters between the monster and descended to smash his own flame-clad fist against its head. The attack produced another blast around them as the monster was sent eating the ground.
With it being disoriented for a moment, he took the opportunity to climb up from its body and turned towards its eyes. With a knife in his pocket, he dashed onto its left eye and quickly buried it inside its socket. A splash of blood erupted for a moment but not before a sound-piercing shriek followed soon after as the Irregular roared in pain.
He wanted it completely blind so he tried to go for the next eye. Unfortunately, the monster shook him off from its head before he could do anything. Landing a few meters, he regained his footing.
ROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR!
The Irregular let out another shrieking roar. It was unlike its usual cry as it was loud enough to shake the entire dungeon around them.
Natsu could only cover his ears in response as the dragon continued roaring furiously. Seconds after, it died down. The dragon looked over to the adventurer with its remaining eye which had now started to glow deep red. The stabbed eye bled down as trails of blood flowed across its snout and fell to the ground yet somehow, it didn't seem unperturbed by the pain. Its breathing became coarser and rougher as if it was entering into a state of frenzy.
It must be going berserk.
Natsu had heard of this. It is one of the rare traits of an Infant Dragon. When pushed onto its limits, it lets out a cry that causes it to be more aggressive and dangerous. It is seen when it is threatened to its knees or approaches near-death. Parties are usually tasked to bring it down before it could run amok which is why it is a rare sight to happen. Early adventurers have to team up to put down this monster fast and not let it reach to that stage. However, with him alone, there is no way for him to subdue the monster on his own very quickly which can result in this situation.
Nevertheless, he braced himself as the monster suddenly resumed its attack on him. His focus concentrated as the monster opened its mouth.
His eyes suddenly widened in shock as he tried leaning himself to the left, barely missing a pressurized vortex of air though it still managed to graze on his right shoulder. It tore a piece of his cloth in the same area as it had hit him.
"What the―" He couldn't react at the speed of that attack as he was forced to reposition himself and tried to put more distance between them as two more consecutive massive air-pressured attacks were sent towards him.
It was much faster than before. Natsu used every ounce of his strength to dodge the first one but the second wave caught his entire body, sending him careening away.
The dragon continued firing from its mouth from the distance as if it shooting like a cannon. It followed the still recovering adventurer who quickly moved to avoid them with all his might. Another one managed to connect as Natsu felt pain from his chest despite having it blocked with his arms. The blast of air pushed his whole body, overpowering his firm feet in the process. He was sent flying once more though he managed to regain himself from it but not before taking another potion to mitigate damage.
"How about this?!" He shouted, planting his feet firmly after touchdown and took a handful amount of air into his lungs as flames began billowing from his mouth.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A huge stream of fire exploded and went straight towards the Irregular.
The dragon simply planted its stance as it sat in all fours with its head facing the roar. In response, it opened its mouth to release a roar of its own. A huge pressurized burst of air shot out to meet the raging roar. The fire wave was easily dispelled, canceling both roars in an instant. A massive blast encapsulated the middle, causing a huge dust cloud that obscured both him and the monster in it.
Despite that ferocious roar, it didn't even have the power to overcome it. However, it wasn't Natsu's intention to fight on equal grounds with the monster.
As both roars dissipated, Natsu dashed from the smokescreen, closing on the unsuspecting dragon with a knife in his hand imbued with his flame. He approached its exposed neck as he raised his arms forward. He leaped forward towards it with a fearless shout, his figure dashing like a streak of red in a matter of seconds. The weapon pierced through thick flesh, causing it to reel back from the attack. The pain generated from the attack got it riled up more than ever.
Natsu gritted his teeth as he saw the weapon only managed to dig a few centimeters of its skin. He expected it to cut all the way through the back due to the speed of his attack. Even so, the Irregular seemed to have sustained damage from it. Judging from his first attempt at using it without his magic, this one had a different effect.
It quickly penetrated through its armored hide without so much of a problem. He always thought that his magic was effective against it and that he could extend its effectiveness by channeling it to his arms or any part of his body. Which got him thinking if his magic could somehow do the same with objects, especially weapons. His punches could only do with blunt force but they lack piercing power so instead of using them, a sharp weapon would do well with the help of his speed.
This was his first time testing it which was also a gamble for him. If his magic didn't flow through the knife, he would've found himself at the mercy of the dragon.
Thank the goddess, he managed to do it on the first try.
However, his thoughts were interrupted as the Irregular smacked him away, leaving the knife from his hands in the process.
He crashed a few meters short, unable to recover this time. His eyes turned towards the dragon who was now about to do something.
Its wings, which had been kept from its back ever since its birth, now began to flap open. Natsu realized what it was about to do. Gales blew around the 4-meter monster as its wings swung back and forth. Soon after, it managed to get off the ground and into the air in just a few seconds. It hovered just a couple of meters from the ground, looking down at him with a predatory look.
Its sights looked down on the adventurer and roared in defiance as it tried to finish off its opponent from the skies.
Natsu would have no advantage against it. He was supposed to have his finishing chance on that last charge but it was not enough to down the beast before him. He already used his last potion and his weapon. His body was in tatters from the fight.
It seemed that it had enough of playing around.
In a few seconds, it made a sudden dive towards him, leaving him no time to think about anything else but dodge the deadly descent.
He ducked just in time as the dragon dove before rising again into the air. A swarm of violent wind blades was left in its wake. He looked behind and saw some of the rock formations sliced cleanly. At that time, he knew that he couldn't afford to be caught by the gale. The huge and wide frame of its wings along with the air was enough to serve as a weapon against him.
The strong gale emitted gave it enough time to confuse its attackers and catch off their guard as it prepared for another attack. The Irregular did just that as it made another turn as it descended down towards him without a moment to recompose himself.
Natsu saw this and immediately braced himself as the Irregular closed on him. He raised his arms as the dragon flew down on him in a desperate effort to protect himself. His arms made contact with the dragon's wings, causing a powerful shockwave.
"GUuuuaaaaaaAAA-!" A pained scream escaped his lips as he found himself unable to withstand the attack. The wind generated in its wings further amplified its attack as he easily lost his footing and crashed within a few meters away.
He ignored the numbing pain from his hands and quickly got up to his feet. His eyes tracked the hovering dragon making another pass towards him.
"Damn, is this guy not letting up?!" He wiped a streak of blood coming out from his mouth. His tone of voice contained nothing but discontentment at the current situation.
He couldn't afford to take any more hard hits or the wounds would take a toll on him and fall unconscious. He was out of potions and weapons and his enemy was at a range where he couldn't reach him. He needed a way to lure it close to him if he was going to be able to attack him with his magic.
He then watched as the dragon moved into another nosedive towards him. An idea popped as soon as he observed its attack pattern. A smile curled its way onto his lips as he prepared himself to face the beast once more.
"Alright let's try this one."
The Irregular came down on him once again with its massive flaps ready to sweep him off. The adventurer quickly got up to his feet and poured magic as the flames thrust him up in the air to avoid the nosedive. However, the dragon merely circled as it rose again. This time, it had its snout open. It didn't think about killing the adventurer and simply went on eating him instead.
Natsu prepared himself as he stared at the approaching beast. Just a few meters between them, he raised his left hand on his side and released an exploding burst of fire that pushed his body to the side. The dragon bit nothing but the air as he slipped to the side but not before he flared his right fist and connected it straight onto its jaw.
A loud blast echoed around the floor as the blow rocked the monster. It crashed down to the ground just a few meters away as soon as it got disoriented from the punch.
Natsu landed safely and looked over to the downed monster. The heavy breaths now became more evident as the overuse of his magic was already reach its limit. Prolonging the fight was no longer a winning strategy for him at this point. He expected that the attack would at least knock out the beast even if it didn't manage to kill it.
"Hah, hah, hah..." He didn't need to hide his heavy breaths as he got down to his knees, trying to catch his breath wherever he could.
However, his assumptions before were erased as the flaps emerged from the crash, indicating that the attack didn't knock the dragon out cold.
The dragon slowly emerged from the wreckage, turning its berserk-ridden eye towards him. This time, it didn't need to fly as it noticed him becoming more tired than before. Instead, it stood there and roared in defiance with its wings flapped wide behind it to show dominance.
"Fucking really. You really are one tough bastard…"
Natsu felt its call and for a moment, he thought about staying there as if to accept his defeat.
No matter how he looked at it, this was his loss. Whether it was the attack that would decide the battle or just a battle of endurance, he never got close to either of them in this fight. There was no way he could interpret it. He had to face reality. That he couldn't go any further than he could.
"I'm so pathetic..." He muttered, thinking all the words that he said all the time, this would be the place he found himself helpless. He was starting to think that he was eating his own words right now. All that confidence he had, fizzling out just like his magic.
Still, he did his best. After all, he came this far and held out for as long as he could. There was no help to be heard around here even after this long. The injuries he sustained during their fight caught up to him and the effects of the potions began to wear off. In these conditions, it was already impossible for him to continue further.
He heard stories from other adventurers from time to time that this kind of situation happened to those who were unfortunate. Those who witnessed the dungeon's unwelcoming brutality from which the likes never saw before.
This whole situation was an example of that. This Irregular monster that was almost the same as a Monster Rex was something only the dungeon was capable of making. He was faced with such an overwhelming adversary. For someone like him, it was close to impossible to win against it. He and Wendy, unfortunately, seemed to have drawn the short end of the stick in all of this though it seemed he was somehow glad he got it all to himself and not Wendy.
He couldn't handle the thought of feeling helpless along with the girl. After all, he didn't want her to lose herself in despair in this kind of situation.
But… if this was to be his end of the line, he wondered about what Hestia would feel.
She would feel incredibly sad. He had broken their promise if that was the case.
He's sure that she must be feeling sad that he couldn't come back despite her promising him to come back every day. He felt guilty thinking that he might not break that promise someday though it looked like it was closer than he thought it would.
And Igneel? What would he feel?
He would probably be ashamed of him for kicking the dust just like that. He IS that kind of a parent after all.
Even after all the confidence that he built earlier, it looks like it wasn't enough, seeing that he was reduced to this state.
He didn't get strong enough.
Even so, at least he tried, right? That's the most redeeming thing that people would find if he died here, right? People would speak of his struggle against an opponent that would be impossible to defeat for a Level 1 like him.
They would speak of his act of at least trying to fight against his fate. That he didn't go down without a fight.
I'm sure that he would be remembered as an inspiration for those people trying to overcome their obstacles.
NO.
He didn't want that.
He didn't want to be remembered like that. He didn't want to be regarded as someone unfortunate. He didn't want them to remember him as a figure who would inspire them. He didn't care what people would view of him.
And most of all, he didn't want to leave anyone.
There's yet to be more adventures he wanted to go with Wendy. More friends he wanted to meet along the way, more lessons he wanted to learn from Eina, and more days he wanted to enjoy along with Hestia. He refused to accept this to be his last adventure. After all, he wanted to fight stronger opponents like the Sword Princess. Even other high-ranking adventurers as well despite how stupid it looked. But he would train more and more and fight them again until he could beat them.
He wanted to show the world the familia that he and Hestia created.
He wanted it to climb higher.
He wanted more…
There are so many more things… to do.
That is why.
He will not stop here.
Regardless of anyone, he will keep moving forward.
This is not just a fight to beat this monster. This is a fight for his future. The things he will yet to encounter, he will fight for them.
"Not yet." He whispered.
That's right.
"I can't go down just yet. After all, there's a place above that I want to return to." His body forcing itself to get back up.
Just a little more.
"And also… There's someone waiting for me. I can't make her wait for me for too long." His feet wobbled everytime he moved.
That is why―
"I'll keep going!" A determined gaze occupying his face as he gritted in frustration.
Natsu stood defiantly once more. His strained body refusing to go down. The symbols of his Falna from his goddess continued glowing in bright yellow in response to his feelings. The skill activated once more to heed his call, casting the remaining flames around his very figure.
However, the flames this time were different from usual. It had a golden-yellow hue much unlike its usual reddish color. The heat intensified and the light from his back became brighter and brighter. The flames also grew bigger as they slowly changed the temperature around them.
The Flames of Emotion was continuously strengthening it. To the point that the flames' brightness was clearing away the low visibility of the mist surrounding it.
At that moment, the stage was clear for both of them as the Irregular reacted to the bright flame in front of it. The majestic flame was for all denizens to see as they all looked in unison to its direction, in fear, and awe despite their monstrous variety.
The dragon had enough of seeing the rising flame and simply began to move in its stance to charge head-on.
Natsu noticed this and simply muttered under his breath.
"I'll beat you and I'm going back up there!"
He pulled himself up from his feet as the remaining power he had begun collecting into his hands. Golden flames danced around his body once more as he clad himself in a golden fire while the Irregular surrounded itself with the wind.
"...So let's finish this, monster!" He shouted, pouring every last bit of magical energy.
It's now or never.
A final standoff between them.
Natsu momentarily closed his eyes as the words of his father reemerged inside his mind.
Have faith in your own power, Natsu. For I, Igneel will always be with you.
That's right. The very same words that encouraged him to believe in himself and his power.
The power to overcome his adversaries. Even in the face of hopelessness, he must not lose his faith in it. After all, it is one of the things that he and his father can only show pride in. He must not show disgrace, for it is the one thing that makes him proud of it. For being the kind of person he is, this is a symbol that he must not put to shame. For all its glory, he will continue to show it and never tarnish its reputation.
"Dragonslayer's Secret Art: Crimson Lotus―"
The dragon charged towards him at full speed, roaring as it rampaged and approached him in mere seconds.
Natsu opened his eyes, his once black onyx orbs now replaced with crimson shade. The surrounding flames clad themselves around his body like armor, gathering around his arms as he spun them around. His voice calling out the final attack.
"―Exploding Flame Blade!"
A massive torrent of flames erupted within his hands as it condensed into tiny miniature explosions that were sent towards the dragon. The monster. having no idea of what's coming, continued in its charge, and was engulfed in the sea of fire.
The final clash ended between them as both sides were soon enveloped in a flash of light. The dungeon floor itself also succumbed to this phenomenon with a loud and final boom. And then, its silence returned.
…
Ais was always fond of stories.
From the time she was still a child, she would often hear and read stories from her mother about them; she would read them to her from the books in front of her, telling her of the great tales of old. Tales of heroes, legends, and perhaps even events that inspired multiple people and had left their mark on history.
Whether its legitimacy was validated was of no importance to her. As a child, she was always fascinated by them. Heroic feats of people who managed to turn the tides of conflict from their adversaries.
She was always fond of them.
Even going as far as that she loved those stories. And she never lost her attachment to it as she grew up.
The scene before her reminded her of one particular story.
It was a tale of a man who went on his quest to slay the evil dragon and save the world. The journey of this story is not met with roses and easy shortcuts. It was a bittersweet one. It was a journey full of strife and anguish. A story of the man who would go on different trials to gather the weapons to defeat the dragon. Tragedy and sorrow would come along on this man but so do hope and his unwavering spirit.
She remembered it well about how that man would encounter many things in his life during his quest. And all the companions that followed before him until the day of the final battle.
He would lose some of his comrades and sometimes would be alone on his own. He would struggle but he would always continue forward.
Never losing himself to his hopelessness.
His spirit was his strongest trait aside from the weapons in that story. His ability to find courage in the most helpless of situations. And it was the reason why she loved that particular story. Because that hero never gave up. He never turned his back on his journey and even in the face of despair, he would find hope and rekindled his desire to overcome them.
It was his undying will to move forward that moved her.
She would watch further as the lone adventurer trudged his way towards the slain monster and finally delivered the finishing blow with the knife stuck on the monster's neck. She watched him put down his knife on its magic stone as the downed beast finally crumbled to dust.
It was almost similar to that story.
The sight of that adventurer standing proudly on his victory against his mighty and sworn enemy was reminiscent of that last page of that story. It was as if she was looking at the same story that she read a long time ago.
The falling light particles around the dungeon floor added a surreal feeling to that scene. It was the aftermath of their final clash. The silence to which that followed feels as if it was a sign of a story drawing to a close.
She witnessed it firsthand. She was there. And she could only stand there speechless as the fight came to its conclusion.
She could've intervened between their fight early on and finish the monster and save the man but she didn't. Something inside her told her to watch and observe.
To see this story through.
And she was enamored. She felt her heart tug at the slightest of its cold self. She always thought that she could not feel anything anymore after having herself consumed by the black flame. It was different from the feelings she had with her familia.
The golden flame that resonated within that dungeon. While it did not bear witness to people, she was able to see it for herself. It was a beautiful flame. A complete opposite of her black flame that burned inside her heart.
Flames are both a curse and a blessing. Ais would imagine hers and the golden flame to be similar in that aspect. Both started as little embers but had different ways of attaining their splendor. But there was one thing that made the golden flame differ from hers.
Its warmth.
It was not a flame that torched everything. It was a flame that provided comfort.
That warmth gave her a feeling of security from the black flame raging inside her.
It was a feeling that she once lost long ago from herself.
That innocent, happy, and comfortable feeling that she thought that was gone after taking up the sword. The one that she valued the most as it reminded her of herself when she was still with her mother. Those times gave her a life full of hope and happiness before that incident.
This adventurer gave it back to her. It made her remember once again.
The flame that reminded one of family.
The flame that captured the spirit of all adventurers and heroes alike.
That bright golden flame of hope.
She felt her chest soothe as the black flame smoldering inside her vanish.
The black flame was no more.
She would never forget this battle. She would continue to remind it from her battles and to the next. In every struggle she would face, she would remember it.
Her lips curled to a smile as she would whisper the name of the man that she would remember all her life.
"Natsu."
…
A/N: And there you have it. Apologies for the other stories that needed to be updated than this. I have written and made progress with the other chapters over the past few days but this one had my motivation the most so this was the recent update. Rest assured, I'll be returning to them once I finished my 'farming' next week.
Anyways, what do you think of this chapter? It would make a great deal for me to hear your opinions so I can improve them as time passes.
That's about it. I'll see y'all in the next chapter!
- The wiErDos send their regards...