And Onto the Story
WHAT!?" Half the guild screamed in shock as they looked at the now fifteen year old boy sitting at the bar. He had grown his hair out, his salmon locks slicked back. He was wearing a long white coat, with two golden clasps over his collarbone. He was wearing slim black cargo pants and military boots, and a tight dark red tank top.
"That's right, this idiot is now officially the tenth Wizard Saint," Mira said with a smirk as she looked at the boy to her left. She was wearing a black sports bra with the straps crossed around her neck, and a deep purple skirt and white belt. Her hair was held back with a magenta hair bow. There was a blue cat sitting quietly between them, happily munching away on a platter of fish while Natsu ate his lunch.
Macao and Wakaba were sitting over at the far end of the bar wearing their usual clothes, Cana was sitting to their right, wearing a long green spaghetti strap dress under an orange checkered shirt, and a blue metal arm band on her left bicep.
Everyone was currently looking at the fire mage in a mixture of shock, jealousy and appreciation.
"You gotta be fucking me!" Gray groaned as he looked at the salmon haired man, who continued to eat his lunch, ignoring his gawking guild mates.
"In your dreams Gray, grow up." Cana retorted as she took a drink out of her mug, sending a sidelong glance down the bar to the Saint, who replied with a wink.
"Oh cmon, first he gets promoted to S Class without even attempting the trial, and now he joins the Wizard Saints? He's not even a legal adult, isn't that against the rules?" Gray replied from his seat, a couple of voices chiming in affirmation.
"Gray, article four subsection twelve of the Wizard Saint Rules and Regulations states that it is suggested that a mage be of legal age before joining their ranks, simply so that they can ensure the mage is mature enough to complete their mission. There is no actual age restriction as long as the mage passes the written test and is above the age of 14." Levy chimed in as she continued to read her book, ignoring her teammates praise of her intellect.
"Yeah, well, am I the only one who finds it annoying that the second he joined both Laxus and Gildarts started training with him? Like, sure, maybe what happened with the master wasn't his fault, but talk about a lack of equal opportunity." Gray rebutted, making Lisanna roll her eyes while Mira growled, frustrated that he still hasn't gotten over that.
"Gray, how many times do we have to tell you that Natsu required assistance in controlling his magic?" Makarov chimed in from the top floor, hopping onto the balcony ledge as he looked down on his brats, sighing when Gray simply crossed his arms and huffed, not noticing how uncomfortable Elfman was about the situation.
"Natsu, I need to speak to you in my office please," Makarov continued as he hopped off the ledge and turned around, returning to his office while Natsu silently stood up, giving Mira a quick apology as he placed a wad of jewels on the bar top before walking towards the stairs, giving Cana a quick nod as he walked past.
"Gee, I wonder what that's about, another secret mission? Maybe a magic lesson. Ooh how-" Gray mocked from his seat as he took a sip from his mug, only to get flattened by a chair as Mira stood up, magic coating her right fist as she glared at the Ice Mage.
"What is with you! Seriously, can't you go one day without being an insufferable prick?" Mira moaned as she slumped back onto her stool, and resting her face on her hand, a cute pout on her lips. Without turning around she pointed her left hand back at Gray, a ball of darkness magic shooting toward Gray and catching him off guard.
Gray was sent flying backwards into Laki's table, nocking the poor wood make mage onto the hard floor, who quickly kicked Gray off of her, sending him towards the bar.
"Wind Edge!" Cana said as she carefully threw two cards into the air, causing a huge gust of wind to slam into Gray, sending him towards Levy's table. Unfortunately, her attack also caught Loki in the crossfire.
The slow two thirds of team shadow gear quickly stood up, prepared to protect Levy at all costs.
"Knuckle Plant!" Droy cried out as he threw a handful of seeds at the floor, sending giant vine whips towards the airborne ice mage, and sending him back to his seat, starting yet another guild wide brawl, minus Lisanna, Cana and Mira, who all migrated back to the bar, a safe distance away from the fight. Even Nab had joined in on the fun, fighting a shorter Elfman in hand to hand.
"What do you think Master wants with Natsu?" Lisanna asked curiously as the guild worker placed an orange juice in front of her, being graced with a smile as payment. Her hair had grown, now falling past her jaw bone, her bangs swept to the right side of her face. She was wearing a burgundy dress that ended mid thigh, with a pink collar tied with a clean white bow. Her Fairy tail guild mark was proudly displayed on her left bicep in a dark red, with detached pink sleeves held up by golden clasps.
"Eh, probably a mission or something. Don't worry about it." Cana replied as she took another drink from her mug, not all too worried about the kid.
"It must be really dangerous if they have to meet in his office for it," Lisanna said nervously as she looked up towards the second floor before turning her eyes back to her orange juice, a nervous blush rising to her cheeks.
"Lis, seriously, he's gonna be alright, the flame brain is a lot stronger than he looks." MIra said comfortingly as she placed a hand on her sister's shoulders, once again putting her family's needs before her own, and ignoring her own fears in the back of her mind.
"Y'know, I think everyone has noticed your crush on him, except him," Cana commented as she looked towards the younger girl, who slammed her face into her arms, attempting to hide herself from the world, unknowingly disturbing the blue lump on the bar top.
"Ermmm…. Is it time to go home?" A cute voice asked, making Lisanna's head shot up, realizing she woke him up, while Cana and Mira smirked, enjoying this moment more than they should.
"Nuuuu! Happy I'm so sorry!" The white haired girl wailed as she scooped the cat up in her arms, holding it against her budding chest, a content smile on the cat's face as he curled into the arms of his "mother".
"Ya know you treat the dam cat like an actual baby…" Mira trailed off as she noticed Natsu begin to make his way down the stairs, a letter clutched in his hand as he sat down beside Cana, his food being returned to him freshly steaming.
"Soo…." Cana trailed off, a smirk on her face as she looked at the boy to her left, making the boy place his utensils down with a nervous smile on his face as he turned to look at them.
"The council is requesting Gildarts and I to track down a beast." Natsu dropped on them, the entire guild stopping as they looked at him in shock. Not only was it an honour to be addressed personally by the council, but Gildarts was a god among men… Magic wise anyways. He was a nationally recognized mage, almost solely responsible for the stature that Fairy Tail held now.
Also, this was the first time Gildarts was requested to go on a mission with someone. The ace had gone on a mission with Laxus when he became the second S-class mage in the guild. But other than that he was a notorious lone wolf, except for the three months after Natsu joined the guild.
"See? What did I tell ya? It's probably jus-" Gray began, only to get smashed in the face by Cana's mug, sending him to the ground.
"What type of beast is it?" Levy piqued up curiously, almost instantly appearing at Natsu's side, her thirst for knowledge always being a priority over all things for her.
"The council's not exactly sure, reports state a large black winged creature destroyed a town in the mountains north of Crocus. The Crown got spooked so the Council had to make immediate actions," Natsu replied with a sigh as he finished his meals before gently placing his utensils on the bar before turning around on the stool and putting his elbows on the bar behind him.
"Hmm, usually mountain wyverns are a dark gray, could be mistaken as black in-" Levy began to ramble, only to be cut off by Mira, who was curiously somber, missing her usual cocky attitude.
"Which city was it?" Mira asked as she held her hand up to Levy, who nodded in agreement, internally beginning to try and figure out what they were requested to hunt down.
"It was Caigehill, there were only 46 survivors… most currently in critical condition." Natsu replied with a sigh as he looked his best friend in the eye, the current mood changing entirely as everyone recognized the severity of the situation.
"How did we not hear about this, Caigehill was fairly large, there were almost eleven thousand people living there?!" Macao commented in shock as he and Wakaba made their way towards the bar, the brawl officially over as everyone started to clean up.
"The council probably wants to keep this on the down low until they have good news" Cana replied as she turned to Levy, hoping the girl had a couple ideas by now.
"It's probably a Salamander, which makes sense why the council would request Natsu, other resident monsters include Manticores, Wyverns, or on a very rare occasion a Hainu," Levy rambled, holding her right had to her chin as she considered the region and weather.
"Well, here's hoping. God forbid it's who I think it is…" Natsu muttered with a sigh as he stood up, turning to Lisanna with a gentle smile on his face.
"Hey, do you mind looking after him for a couple more weeks? Natsu asked as he looked the younger girl in the eyes, completely oblivious to the blush on her cheeks as she nodded her head rapidly.
"Of course I don't mind, this little guy is my responsibility too ya know?" Lisanna replied with an angelic smile, that was quickly mirrored on Natsu face as he took some money out of his pocket and slipping it to Mira with a wink before making his way out of the guild, unaware of the pain he was causing his best friend.
'Why did she have to fall for him as well?' Mira thought with a pained smile on her face as she watched her best friend walk away, knowing she may never get any closer to him than this no matter how much her heart yearned for more.
Gildarts PoV
"Still having troubles with trains huh?" Gildarts asked with a shit eating grin on his face as he watched Natsu stumble off the train, his tanned skin looking paler than usual as he held his stomach, a glare on his face as he looked at the older man.
"Go to hell," Natsu bit out as he slowly righted himself. His body was covered by a long black cloak with a silver clasp at the front near his neck, with the hood drawn up. There were dozens of people at the station, collecting their luggage and hopping on the train.
"Yeah yeah, cmon, how've you been?" Gildarts asked as he clapped Natsu on the back, pushing him towards the exit.
"Not bad, been working mostly… How'd Master get in touch with you so quick? Usually you're impossible to get ahold of," Natsu asked curiously as he held the door for the crash mage, making their way into the street.
"One of the girls… what's her name…. Cana! Made me a contact card for the Master for situations like this, when I dropped you off at the guild." Gildarts exclaimed, missing the widening of the boys eyes as he pulled a "Call Gramps" card out of his pocket, with a picture of Makarov dancing in his jester costume.
'She's getting there,' Natsu thought with a sigh as they continued to walk through town, getting a lot of speculation as they went. Two mysterious men, wearing cloaks and hiding their faces, especially in a time like this, made everyone nervous.
Natsu carefully removed his hood, revealing spiky pink locks, brushed back similarily to Gildarts Orange mane, but it was less controlled, the ends spiking out, his body was covered in a flash of light, everyone gasping when they saw the wizard saint cloak on his shoulders.
"What do you think it is?" Natsu asked after a couple of minutes of companionable silence, making Gildarts sigh.
"Honestly? I'm not sure what would be strong enough to completely wiped out that town… They had a guild ya know? They had at least an S-Class mage and a few A-Class mages there too." Gildarts responded, all too familiar with this type of job due to his reputation, and it never got easier.
One of the reasons why his quests took so long was that he made sure to bury every single body, a symbol of his guilt as he ensured everyone was laid to rest properly
"Fuck… So we should check the mountains first," Natsu responded with a sigh as they looked up, the peaks of the mountains disappearing into the dark clouds, no doubt going to rain within a day.
"So you do listen!" Gildarts exclaimed as he reached over to ruffle the boys hair, who took a couple steps forward, evading the hand with a glare.
"Sooooo, how's it going with the ladies?" Gildarts asked with a smirk as he ruffled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, making Natsu snort as he dropped his glare.
"Not too bad… apparently I got a kid now too," Natsu replied with a smirk, bursting into laughter as Gildarts stopped dead in his tracks, pale as a ghost and eyes wide as saucers.
"I'm kidding, jeez laweeez," Natsu said with a laugh as he chucked a ball of fire at the older man, who caught it and looked at the picture in his hand.
It was a picture of Natsu holding a small blue cat, a huge grin on his face, Mira hanging onto his back with a grin on her face, arms around his neck. To his left was Cana, a smile on her face as her right arm around his waist, with Lisanna in a similar position to his right. Laxus was standing behind the young brunette, arms crossed, headphones on and a small grin on his face.
"Can I keep this?" Gildarts said with a small smile on his face as he returned to Natsu's side.
"Um, duh! That's why I gave it to you. Now get your head in the game" Natsu said with a small eye roll, happy to do his small part in bringing a family closer together.
"Right! What do you think?" Gildarts asked seriously, returning to the matter at hand as he looked at the young man. While Gildarts was renown for killing monsters and demons a like, Natsu had nearly as much experience because of Igneel.
"Honestly? Worst case it's a dragon but theres only a couple roaming around. It's probably a wyvern or a Salamander," Natsu replied with a sigh as they crossed the town limits,
"Thanks for visiting Northgate! Hope to see you again" the sign read.
"Damn, haven't fought one of those bastards in a while, hopefully it's a good matchup," Gildarts said as he rolled his right shoulder, rubbing a particular scar as they entered the woods North of… well… Northgate.
"Yeah, well, Lets not cloud our judgement right?" Natsu replied with a smirk that was returned by Gildarts, their kinship only growing since their training trip two years ago.
"Took the words right out of my mouth!" Gildarts replied as he clapped the boy on the shoulder, happy to see the boy smile after everything that happened.
They continued to walk in silence, neither making a sound as they trudged their way towards the mountain valley, keeping their eyes open for any signs of monsters as they went.
This wasn't the first time they went together on a hunt, sometimes they competed and others they worked together. Once they got within a good distance of their prey they always went silent, becoming hunters as they searched for it's den.
It took them about forty five minutes to make their way to the base of the mountains, shocked to find next to no signs of wildlife near the mountains.
The only tracks they could find were small rodents and birds. All of the natural predators like Wolves, Foxes, and Cougars were absent, as well as larger prey like Moose, Deer and Hogs.
Which could only mean they were hunting something really strong, or Northgate had some of the most greedy hunters on Earthland. Generally, the new presence of a larger monster would make all wildlife clear out to avoid being killed. Smaller life would generally be left alone as they wouldn't be worth the time.
The mountains were a dark mysterious gray, with next to no life or plants in sight other than a few dying trees, struggling to hang onto the sheer cliff face. There were no trails paths to be found, only rock and more rock.
Natsu and Gildarts looked each other in the eye before nodding, sprinting towards the mountain and launching themselves as high as possible, before digging their hands into the cliff and quickly scaling their way up, an unspoken race between the two as they made their way to the top.
Natsu had the advantage of Dragon Heritage and reflexes, but physically, Gildarts still had him beat from decades of experience and training, just beating the young boy to the landing, that appeared to be a third of the way up the mountain, and approximately one hundred feet in the air.
From their new vantage point, they could truly see just how creepy the mountain range was, split by a large barren canyon, with no trees or life anywhere in sight.
Gildarts simply looked the boy in the eye, a smirk on his face while Natsu rolled his eyes and gestured for Gildarts to start leading the way, who simply tapped his nose with his right index finger.
Natsu shook his head, making the older man nod before turning around and flipping his hood, leading the way into the mountain with the boy following behind, carefully making their way up the mountain, the sky darkening with every minute that passed. After twenty minutes of hiking Natsu reached out and tapped Gildarts shoulder, making the older man pause as Natsu started sniffing the air, his nose crinkling as he picked up on the scent of rotting meat.
Natsu looked up, seeing an overhanging cliff on the opposite side of the chasm. Gildarts nodded his head, before bending his knees and jumping over the chasm, launching himself into the air before hooking his fingers onto the cliff, and pulling himself onto the ledge onto to be blasted back by a blast of pure white light, barely protecting himself with a shield of crash magic as he flew back, caught by a claw made of fire before being set on the cliff.
Natsu glared up at the cliff, a scent reaching his noise that confirmed his worst nightmare, only confirmed by the sounds of crushing rock, a bright flash of light encompassing the area as a bellowing, enraged roar echoed throughout the canyon, shaking the earth itself as it made its presence known.
Gildarts shared a nervous look with Natsu as they stared up at the cliff, a flash of dark wings, or spiky tail as they prepared themselves for the battle of their life. Large black claws gripped the cliff as the dragon made its way forward, its wings flaring out, revealing blue tribal marked feathered wings as his head ducked forward, revealing his curved snout and large white teeth.
Natsu's eyes widened before narrowing, his magic flaring as he roared in response, surprising Gildarts as he glared up at the dragon.
"ACNOLOGIA!" The dragon slayer roared as he launched himself at the dragon, his body covered in flames as he pulled his fist back, scaring Gildarts as he looked at the rumored king of dragons, realizing just how fucked they truly were.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu growled as he slammed his hand into the dragon's snout, only to get instantly rebuffed when the Dragon twisted his head and throwing the boy back.
"Natsu… I know you got some beef with this guy, but I want you to run and don't look back." Gildarts commented when Natsu landed beside him, a beastial snarl on his face, emphasizing his enlarged canines and his magic spiked.
"No can do ol' man. I made a promise and I'm not going to break it!" Natsu retorted as he waiting for the false king to make the next move.
"Who's slayer are you, brat" The dragon rumbled as he rose to his full height, His body barely fitting on the cliff as he glared at the two interlopers disturbing his slumber.
"My name, is Natsu Dragneel, chosen heir of Igneel, the King of Dragons!" Natsu growled in response as he sprung into action, making Gildarts curse as he quickly scanned the dragon, seeing no end to impenetrable scales overlapping hardened muscle.
"Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Natsu roared as he swung his hand at the dragon, who scoffed before spreading his wings, the sheer air pressure created was enough to push the boy back, his attack losing most of its force as it brushed across his white abdomen.
"Fire Dragons Roar!" Natsu bellowed, a pillar of flame four feet in diameter shooting out of his mouth, smashing into the dragon who simply took the attack, the force of the flames throwing Natsu back onto the ledge below.
"Natsu! I'm serious! Both of us don't need to die here!" Gildarts cried as he examined their situation, realizing that due to the terrain, they were already at a severe disadvantage.
"And I told you I made a promise!" Natsu growled back, his magic swirling around him as he entered his fire drive.
"Then jump!" Gildarts bellowed, the boy not even questioning the aces request as he jumped as high as he could into the air, both hands consumed by flames.
"Crash!" Gildarts cried as his magic exploded around him, instantly destroying the mountains around him, destroying and altering the terrain around them, surprising even the Scourge of Dragons.
"With flames of humanity on the left, dragonkin on my right! Put them together and get Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Natsu cried out as he placed his hands together, a large ball of flames forming in his hands as he threw it at Acnologia, watching in shock as he consumed the entire ball of flames, shocking both present as the mountains crumbled from Gildarts power, creating a level playing field for all parties.
"I'm sure Igneel forgot to mention That little detail…" Acnologia grumbled as he launched himself into the air, looking down on the pitiful mages before him, who thought they stood a chance against him.
"Natsu, want to explain THAT to me?!" GIldarts cried out as Natsu landed beside him, shocked that their only weapon against that thing only made him stronger.
"I have no fucking clue… But I know I can make a flame he can't eat! If I can't I'll find one!" Natsu growled as he looked up at the dragon, the stormy skies behind it only adding to the dark atmosphere, the fear in their stomachs growing.
Acnoloiga dove down his wings drawn in as he dove towards the two mages, who looked up at him in anticipation. The dragon pulled up last second, his tail cutting through the earth like a hot knife through butter, making the mages dive to the side rolling out of the way and taking advantage to strike. Both mages dug their feet into the ground, before shooting towards the dragon.
"Crushing Evil; Spreading the Truth! Absolute Heaven!" Gildarts bellowed as he slammed his fist into Acnologia's side, not testing his opponent out like he usually would. This was Acnologia… There are no holds barred.
"Fire Dragon's Secret Art; Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!" Natsu cried out, scales growing out of the skin on his fists as they lit on fire, pulled back in preparation.
Both men struck at the same time, Acnologia roaring in anger as he actually felt their attacks, his tail striking at Natsu who dodged, before striking at Gildarts who was falling to the ground, catching the man off guard as he spun mid air, catching the tail, but still cutting his hands as he was thrown back.
Acnologia flew higher, in an attempt to throw off the dragon slayer, who was fortunately very accustomed to fighting mid air, carefully grasping and slashing away at the scales to remain afloat as the dragon twirled.
Natsu landed one last punch, finally cracking through the scales before Acnologia roared, letting his magic run loose, throwing the boy away before smashing him in the chest with his tail, cracking two of the boys ribs before he smashed into the ground.
"Pathetic! Is this his majesty's champion!?" Acnologia roared mockingly as he looked down at the men on the ground.
"How Dare you?!" Natsu screamed as his magic swirled around him, his magic spiking uncontrollably as he flipped his lid, the ground shattering around his feet as he roared to the sky.
"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!" Natsu growled as he shot off the ground, moving faster than before as he shot upwards striking Acnologia who simply grumbled, cursing the disadvantages of his size.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Natsu screeched as he followed through, spinning as fire coiled along his elbows, two long whips of fire lashing out, and hitting where he had damaged the scales, breaking a few more off.
"Flaming Steps!" Natsu growled as he reverted to flame, appearing above the dragon.
Gildarts knelt down before jumping at the dragon, magic circling around his fist as he attempted to land a hit on the injuries Natsu created, but every time Acnologia shifted, with Gildarts falling back to the ground.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu roared as he covered his body in flames, plummeting down into Aconologia who roared in fury, enraged that someone was actually taking advantage of him in this day and age.
Gildarts watched in worry, knowing that Natsu was too far gone to think straight… 'Maybe I could attack where the scales are broken? I just got to trust that he's still in there somewhere.' Gildarts concluded as he watched the boy do nothing but irritate the dragon.
"Flaming Steps!" Natsu cried out last minute, avoiding a deadly claw as he zipped around to the other side of the Dragon once more, unloading another slew of attacks while Gildarts prepared to launch himself airborne once more.
Gildarts leapt as far as he could, fist drawn back as he aimed his fist at the dragon's injured side once more, coating his fist in pure magic. Acnologia trembled and raged, his wings throwing both mages to the ground, cutting through even bone before they slammed into the ground.
"Fuck!" Natsu growled as he looked at what was left of his arm, the muscles and even bone broken, torn beyond use, GIldarts eyes widening as he looked at the boy, ignoring the large gash on his chest.
His jaw dropped, even given the circumstances, when Natsu tore the rest of his arm off, sealing the wound just above his elbow as he lit his right hand on fire.
"Why did you- What?!" Gildarts screamed as he attempted to sit up, his chest flaring in pain as he looked down, disturbed to see his intestine, roaring in pain when Natsu threw a ball of fire at his stomach, burning his wound closed as a roll of white cloth landed on his chest, a glare beading into the boys back as he once again launched himself towards the dragon, a serious injury setting him back for a total of a minute before he attacked again.
Gildarts looked at the severed arm in pity as he wrapped his torso, feeling completely responsible as he was the senior mage, but was barely able to help due to the matter of monster they were facing.
"Fire Dragon's Rocket!" Natsu growled as he knelt down, flames covering his entire form before he shot up, faster than Gildarts could follow as he raised his hand, landing a perfect strike right into Acnologia's wound, moving even faster than the dragon could anticipate.
Natsu shifted to fire just as the stinger shaped tail passed through him, reverting instantly after.
"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu growled as he launched his foot straight into the now gaping injury, blood flowing freely onto the ground as Acnologia roared, finally reaching his limit as his magic power exploded from his body, blinding Gildarts and Natsu in a flash of light, the boy once more plummeting into the ground, his body embedding in the earth.
"Natsu!" Gildarts cried out as he ran towards the boy, still rubbing his eyes as he looked down at the kid, who was coughing, blood dribbling down his lip as he attempted to sit up. Gildarts placed his hand on Natsu's chest, instantly noticing that one of the boy's lungs was probably damaged by a broken rib, counting at least six broken and two cracked.
"I have never been pushed into this form before… Igneel clearly taught the brat how to fight a Dragon…" A different voice, still carrying the same power from before commented, Gildarts eyes widening when he saw a large, blue haired man standing on the ground twenty feet to his right.
He had long, blue untamable hair, flowing down to mid back, with bangs framing his eyes. He had dark, tanned skin, dark blue tattoo's peeking on his cheeks. He was wearing a dark cloak that covered his shoulders, the ends torn and ragged. He was wearing a necklace with 5 large teeth spread across the front.
He was very tanned, the dark blue tattoos spanning even onto his chest, swirling and crossing over his skin, far too reminiscent of the Dragon of Apocalypse…
"Acnologia?!" Gildarts cried in shock as he shot to his feet in front Natsu, crossing his arms into a defensive stance as he prepared to protect the young boy.
"Really? So he never told you? This, is why I could never be the Dragon King… Because I AM... a human…" Acnologia explained as he spread his arms out, letting Gildarts see the bleeding wound on the left side of his abdomen.
'If he changed forms… I should be able to defeat him! This is my chance!' Gildarts decided as he rushed at Acnologia, his fist covered in magic. "All Crush!" Gildarts roared as he slammed his fist towards the Monster turned Man raised his hand, easily catching the fist as the ground shattered beneath him.
Gildarts attempted to follow up with a knee, only to get caught in the Man's palm, crushing his knee, bones shattering and piercing his muscle, the nerves shredding in the most agonizing way as Acnologia's pointed nails pierced his skin, a shrill scream tearing out of his lips as his other leg buckled, struggling the urge to pass out from the pain, his jaw dropping and tears rolling down his face when Acnologia then pulled his fist forward, slamming his left hand into Gildarts elbow, snapping the joint, before stepping back, watching as the man fell to the ground, screaming in agony.
"The arrogance of humans… Did you honestly think you could beat me? Before I obtained my dragon form… I fought as a human for decades!" Acnologia growled as he looked down at the writhing human, knowing his knee would have to be amputated, the joint wouldn't even be able to be healed with magic.
A spike of magic directed Acnologia's attention towards the fallen boy on the ground, eyes widening when he saw the Magic circle appearing on the ground below the boy, electricity sparking as a seal appeared on Natsu's right pectoral, the seal of the Dragon King bleeding onto his skin as a pillar of flames appeared.
"What?! What is this!" Acnologia roared as he watched the boy stand up, scales appearing on his skin as his eyes began to glow red, the aura of Igneel standing behind him as he roared into the sky his fingers lengthening into claws, his left arm being formed by a construct made entirely of dark red flames.
"It's been a while since I was allowed to enter the mortal plane… Even if it is weird to have to do so through my son's body…" A disembodied voice commented, Acnologia's eyes widening in fury as he realized what had happened.
Igneel, possessing Natsu's body through the Seal of the King, returned to Earthland for the first time in centuries.
"The council could not ignore this… We made the mistake once of holding back, But now the risk is too great," The disembodied voice continued, completely ignoring Acnologia as he examined his son's condition with a closer eye, before his head shot up at the Man, eyes burning furiously as he looked at the false dragon.
"You took his arm… So I will take yours… It's the only thing that will work" Igneel explained as he shot towards the man, forcing Acnologia on the defensive as he started to burn the man, his flames burning the man's skin as he began to over power the Dragon.
"We can not allow him to come back yet… He doesn't have enough control," Igneel explained, ignoring the dragon's attempts to fight back, easily deflecting all hits and kicks.
"I'm running out of time… Know… Next time My son… My champion will do more than burn you…" Igneel explained as he caught Acnologia's arm punching two nerves in his arm, temporarily disabling his arm as he pierced the dragon's shoulder with his claws, flexing his construct and scaled arm and tearing with all his might, ripping the arm off as Acnologia trembled in rage.
"How… How dare you! It's forbidden! Favoritism!" Acnologia raged as he stumbled backwards, clutching the stump as he glared at the true king, before smashing his foot on the ground, shattering the earth beneath him and disappearing from sight.
Igneel sighed, before looking at the arm in his hands, before lifting it to his face, whispering an incantation from an old ancient language, sounding like a mixture of groans and growls as runes began to appear on the arm, glowing as he raised it to his lips, lighting it on fire.
The arm began to burn, the runes glowing brighter as the arm turned to flame, before Igneel inhaled them with a sigh, watching as the left stump began to glow, an arm growing back, matching Natsu's skin tone. But red tattoos, reminiscent of Acnologia appearing on his arm, growing up his shoulder to his neck, before wrapping around the mark on his chest. Igneel turned to man on the ground, picking him up before disappearing in a flash of fire.
'I pray… That this will only push you to grow stronger… Use your power for good, and control the demon you keep at bay… I love you… My son,' Igneel thought as he left the two in front of a house in the woods, knocking on the door before removing his control of Natsu's body which slowly began to fall, watching as the door flew open, a smile on his face as the men were quickly brought inside.