Chapter 91:
Natsu landed on the corpse of Plutogrim, his form shifting soundlessly from the towering body of a dragon to the human body. He stepped out of the swirling black energy his transformation brought, the magic clinging to his back like a grand cloak for a brief moment before it trickled out of existence.
It must've been quite an impressive sight, Natsu reckoned but his thoughts quickly turned back to why he came to this part of the island. He truly hoped he was wrong even though he knew that it was just wishful thinking. He would never forget the feel of that magic, no matter how long it had been since he last felt it. His contemplation and silent dread cleared to make a way in his head as something profoundly wrong reared its ugly head. He turned around, trying to pinpoint it. And then he realized what it was as his eyes fell on the several unmoving specks of his own magic left floating in the air. He stared at it, unsure what to make of it. The magic should've dissipated by now, and most surely it shouldn't just stand in the air like that.
Almost like… almost like the time had frozen. He tensed even further, teeth grinding together as he turned around again only for a voice to sound behind him.
"It's been quite a while, Natsu"
Wishful thinking, indeed.
It truly had been quite a while, though. When he later thought back on this moment, he would wonder how he could with such clarity recall the sound of the man's voice. The dragon prince stood still for a moment, taking a deep breath. The scent of dead trees and grass mixed with blood, the scent of old, and over it all that distinctive sulfuric smell of a demon.
It's been almost eight years.
"Zeref," Natsu said, part of him marveling how he managed to sound so calm despite the fact that he always took pride in his near unshakable stoicism.
The black-haired mage gave him a small smile that looked far too genuine and warm and it immediately made Natsu tense even further, to the point he knew was not good if it came to a fight.
"How are you?"
Natsu blinked, the question throwing him completely off balance. The type of question one would ask over a cup of coffee in that tone of voice, not in the middle of… whatever this whole mess was.
"Is that a serious question?" Natsu managed to speak over the disbelief, showing no trace of it in his voice and only the barest hints of it in his raised eyebrow.
Zeref shrugged. "I am curious," he admitted, "But I didn't expect an answer. I imagine you are not overly happy with the situation"
He wasn't happy about it just as much as Acnologia was a lizard. Understatement of a century. Natsu felt the urge to snort. He didn't. Instead, he leveled the Black Wizard with the coldest, most hateful glare he could muster. And he could muster an impressive glare.
Zeref apparently shared his brother's (and it made Natsu almost flinch just by thinking about that) stoicism. The mage didn't so much as blink.
"What do you want?" Natsu asked after a moment of undisturbed silence. Part of him wanted to jump at the mage and pull his heart out through his mouth (And wasn't a satisfying image). But once again he didn't. Because the other mage didn't do anything to attack yet. Because he wanted to know what Zeref could possibly hope to accomplish with this conversation. Because he wanted answers.
"What I want?" Zeref asked, voice quiet as if he was marveling at the concept that someone asked him this. "What I want is for you to kill me," he stated quite bluntly and it made Natsu's thoughts come, once again, to a grinding halt. "What I want more than anything, however, is for Ankhseram to pay for everything he did. If that brings about my demise than all the more reason to do it"
Considering that Zeref and Ankhseram shared history and emotional baggage of some 400 years Natsu was comfortable assuming there are quite a few things the Demon God could've done to anger the black-haired terror. "You have his mark," Natsu said after a moment, "He cursed you but he couldn't have done that had you not asked for something in return. You brought your immortality on yourself – and whatever else that you hate him for"
Zeref's eyes were cold as well now, a red glint in them that spoke of 400 years of carefully nurtured rage. Natsu stayed carefully still, reminded that for all his appearances, Zeref was quite possibly stronger than Acnologia.
"Just as you let him curse you as well," Zeref responded crossly. "Don't even think for a second that you got the better end of the deal between you two. I made that mistake a long time ago when I asked him to bring you back to life for the first time"
Natsu swallowed before he managed to hide his reaction. The dragon prince grimaced at the foul taste that suddenly filled his mouth and he looked at the sky just above Zeref's shoulder. The moon looked back at him with no answers to offer.
Zeref sighed, shifting and Natsu's eyes snapped back to him as he moved for the first time since he appeared, turning to look at the distant lights of Magnolia. "Ankhseram revived you twice now, Natsu," the Black Wizard spoke quietly, "He has been looking over your shoulder for most of your life and he knows everything there is to know about you, your strengths, your weaknesses, your fears, your hopes" he paused before he turned his head to look at Natsu again, "but he doesn't know anything about END. My masterpiece"
Natsu stayed silent, still unsure what to even think, let alone say. When he did finally spoke his voice was quiet, "I sold my soul to one Devil. I am not doing it again"
Zeref chuckled in return as if the very notion that he could choose was laughable. "Humans sell pieces of their souls to devils throughout their lives. No one can avoid it. It is a part of life as much as breathing. It is just a matter of how much you can get out of your soul before you have none left"
"I sold my soul to Ankhseram in exchange for you, Natsu. For the past 400 years, all I have done was for the god I hate. All the demons I created are for him. Etherious are all a masterpiece in their own right, all made for him. The demons of Tartaros are the harbingers of the war that will come when they succeed and they will succeed"
"I will stop them," Natsu growled in response, fist clenched at his side. Zeref shook his head, "The Blade of Ankhseram is unsealed. They have all but succeeded already. All you can do now is survive the upcoming war"
The Black Wizard sighed, "I have nothing left to sell and even less to give. I made a poor bargain with my soul. Don't follow my example, brother"
"Why are you telling me all this?"
Zeref blinked before he shrugged. "To prepare you. And I thought that we deserved at least one normal conversation before we try to kill each other"
Natsu couldn't help it. He snorted derisively, another glare sent to Zeref. "You call this normal?"
Zeref once again smiled that stupidly genuine smile. "Perhaps not. But it is as close to one as we will have," a pause, and then, "Fight well, brother. The pieces on the board are falling rapidly. I hope you will not be among them before you and I have a chance to see each other again"
He disappeared as suddenly as he appeared. Without any sound or ripple, leaving only the faintest traces of his magic and scent behind. Natsu's eyes snapped to his own magic, still suspended in the air until now, watching as the last parts of it finally disappeared. For a second, he wondered if it had been a thought projection but he quickly dismissed it. Thought projections did not have a scent.
He gave an involuntary shudder, the air suddenly feeling entirely too cold.
Zeref had been here. He couldn't help but feel like laughing at the irony of it all. The Tartaros all preached about returning to the Black Wizard and that same Wizard was walking among them at this very moment. Or at least he had been.
He shook his head. This whole war with Tartaros – if it even was war – suddenly seemed insignificant in face of what was coming. Zeref's appearance was not something he truly expected. Foolish, wishful thinking. His appearance changed everything and nothing and that absurdity elected a mirthless chuckle from him.
Zeref confirmed what he already knew, at least. His hand traveled to the pocket of the tatters that had been his cloak, fingers wrapping around the scarlet orb and he pulled it out. He looked at it for a second, turning it in his fingers. If the dragons decided that this was not warranted, they will exile him if not execute him. But in this case, it just might be better to overreact than to react too late.
Yes, Zeref's appearance changed everything.
But is it really the time? The dragon in him refused to admit that they needed help – they didn't need it. They could deal with Tartaros on their own. He was even confident enough to say that he could deal with Tartaros on his own. Sometimes, the line between pride and reality got blurred but even he knew they could not deal with the whole army of demons.
He released frustrated sound as he looked around. He might've memorized the map of the place fairly well but that was before he turned the hallways into rubble. How he was to find Mira and Ultear in this he had no idea. He was almost frustrated enough to just start blasting holes into what was left of the walls and hope for the best. He sighed, reining in his frustration and anger and pushing it into the dark corner of his mind that was starting to get crowded with how much he was showing into it today.
He gave another involuntary shudder before he could stop it. He paused abruptly as he realized that the air did turn frigid, his breath coming out in white puffs. He pocketed the scarlet orb hesitantly, still not sure if he should've just crushed the damn thing. To the devil with the consequences (and that was exactly where they all would end up if he didn't react quickly enough).
"Stop hiding," Natsu suddenly called out, quite sick of the whole day and wishing nothing more than to wake up in his bed and realize it was all another nightmare.
Silver stepped out from behind the wall that he was leaning against, apparently not at all surprised that the dragon had realized he was there – not that he had been particularly subtle.
He was, however, surprised when the dragon only growled in response, "All of you"
Silver blinked, staring in wonder as Tempester, Keyes, and Torafuzar showed themselves. The ice user almost liked their chances. He shifted on the rubble of what had been Plutogrim and grimaced. Almost.
"I am impressed," Silver spoke, deciding that it just might be the best course of action. He did not know how much the more reserved members of the Nine knew about who they were looking at. He needed to make sure they were completely aware who was glaring at them with a glare that quite frankly made Silver shiver.
"To bring down Plutogrim with one spell," the demon slayer continued, noting that neither Keyes, Tempester nor Torafuzar seemed surprised by the news. Good. "I had thought you were a demon during our last… spat, truth to be told," Silver continued, "But apparently you're a dragon"
Natsu heard the unasked question. 'What are you?' could've hardly been asked clearer without the man actually voicing the words. Natsu was not feeling inclined to answer. He was not feeling particularly inclined to talk at all, to be frank. But he needed one more thing answered, "Who blew up the guild?"
Who killed my daughter?
Silver stayed silent for a moment, a smirk etched into his face despite the fact that he felt anything but smug at the moment. "Seilah," Torafuzar answered, surprisingly enough. The large demon regarded the Fairy Tail master coldly. Silver frowned. They still didn't take him seriously enough. Just as well. "She's dead already," he continued bluntly and Silver saw it the moment before it happened.
The dragon moved from his spot with a speed that had no right to be possible, crossing the distance between himself and Torafuzar almost in an instant and the only thing the large demon could do was hastily bring his hands up to block the knee that had flown towards his wide eyes. Natsu didn't so much as pause, pushing himself off and towards the ground right in front of the demon, turning on the balls of his feet and slamming his elbow into the demon's stomach.
The demons around the two watched with wide eyes as the large demon was lifted off of the ground and sent flying. Silver could feel his eyes widen, the difference between the speed the dragon had shown in their last fight and now was nothing short of ridiculous. He glanced at the gathered demons, all of whom stood frozen in shock for a moment.
Natsu didn't waste the precious few seconds it took them to respond, jumping towards the still airborne demon before he touched the ground and slamming his clasped fists into his stomach. Torafuzar slammed into the ground with a force that cracked the concrete, black blood flying out of his mouth and his eyes bulging.
Silver swallowed as Natsu's fist suddenly wrapped in a swirling black and red and he realized the dragon prince had managed to bring down Torafuzar without any magic. But at the sight of Natsu's magic, the demons seemed to snap out of it, and as one they rushed at the dragon prince just before he managed to finish off the poisonous demon. Natsu didn't disappoint, twisting in spot and lashing out with one hand as Keyes drew closer, scattering the demon into black particles as a sizable blast of chaos energy arched from his hand. He ducked under Tempester's wind-coated fist, springing to his feet not even a second later and driving a closed fist into the blond demon's jaw with such force the considerable momentum the demon had was lost in an instant, and Tempester was sent flying towards Silver's attack, blocking its path to Natsu in the process.
Keyes moved towards him again, scowling. "You might be strong, young dragon," the skeleton spoke, "But you are no match for the three Etherious"
As if on a cue Torafuzar appeared behind Natsu, blade-like extensions on his forearms slashing at the pink-haired dragon who deflected one hand and twisted out of the path of the second, right inside Torafuzar's guard and he slammed his open palm into his chest, magic exploding violently at his growled command, "Chaos Dragon's Grip Strike!"
Torafuzar was once again sent flying, skin, and muscle stripped almost to the bone in the epicenter of the attack. Tempester's next attack connected – a swirling inferno that covered the dragon prince whole and Silver felt himself relax for a brief moment only for that same dragon to emerge from the fire and slam bodily into Tempester, apparently undisturbed by the fire still licking at the remains of his clothes. The dragon prince flattened on the ground to get out of the way of Silver's attack and rolled on it to avoid Keyes, effectively extinguishing any fire left before he sprang to his feet and forced the skeleton back and into the path of Tempester's next attack. The four were not used to working together. They never had to. Silver cursed under his breath, bewildered still that the dragon prince was single-handedly battling four of them and winning.
Lily and Lisanna had left in search of the girl's sister not long after they woke up form whatever happened and the Iron dragon slayer couldn't help but envy the two just a tiny bit as he and Gray all but ran straight into a room choke-full of Etherious. That was until they saw Natsu and both visibly relaxed, watching in an awed shock as the dragon prince moved with grace and speed that should be illegal, fighting off four of the Nine Gates singlehandedly.
They had seen him fight before, of course, but rarely did they get a chance to actually watch it like this. Which wasn't something that they should be doing, all things considered. "Shouldn't we go and help him?" Gray spoke almost hesitantly. As much as Gajeel would like to break a few bones he wasn't sure that they would actually be of much help in the current situation.
"I don't know about you but I think we'd only get in the way"
The two almost jumped out of their skin when the dragon prince disappeared in the torrent of flames but they haven't made more than a step towards him before he emerged from the fire and continued with the almost methodical grinding of the four into a fine paste.
"Still doesn't feel right to just sit here and watch," Gray muttered and Gajeel heartily agreed. The choice about whether to jump in or not was taken from them as a swirling tornado of ice as tall as they were ripped right through their cover. The two avoided it by only an inch, throwing themselves out of the way as fast as they could and flattening themselves against the ground as the spell passed above them.
The sudden silence greeted them and the two jumped to their feet only to find every eye on the battleground trained on them. The pink-haired dragon prince stared back at them and Gajeel got a rather absurd impression that of all the people in front of them the dragon prince was the most annoyed at their appearance. Part of Gajeel couldn't help but lament over their entrance into the fight. There had been at least a dozen cooler ways to do it.
Gray broke the silence, "Heya, Natsu!"
"What do we have here?" Keyes spoke, disdain clear in the voice. "You humans are like cockroaches, appearing and scurrying under every rock as soon as there is one of you somewhere"
"Watch who you call a cockroach," Gajeel snapped, growling, "You should be wearing a coffin and not a dress, bastard, so I don't think you have any right to talk"
Gajeel felt rather smug at the twitch in the Silver's lips. Keyes didn't look impressed.
"I'm going to pretend that you had a good reason for hiding behind a rock for the past few minutes," Natsu said and Gajeel scowled in return. The bastard knew they were there since they got there. He'd almost bet he somehow angled Silver to attack their hiding spot just to prove a point.
The sudden lull in battle was enough for Torafuzar to raise to his feet and to stand beside Tempester.
"You will regret attacking Tartaros, humans," Tempester spoke evenly. "Your guild attacked first, you fuck," Gajeel growled back.
"And besides, do you really think we would let you start another Great War," Natsu spoke mildly and Gajeel and Gray couldn't help but turn to stare at him. The dragon slayer was not sure if he was appreciating the bluntness, quite frankly.
Natsu glanced at them, face completely blank. He never managed to tell the rest of the guild what the Tartaros was planning. 'Great War' as he called it didn't really tell them much either but it certainly didn't sound good.
"Enough!" Torafuzar growled, the energy around him spiking as his Curse suddenly rose around him. "You will witness the power of the Etherious and you will regret the stain your interference left on the guild's dignity"
The three Fairy Tail members tensed as Torafuzar and Tempester suddenly transformed and across Natsu's face briefly flickered annoyance before he scolded his features and Chaos energy erupted around him. With another grimace that barely hid the anger, the dragon prince rushed at the transformed duo.
Mard Geer stood on one of the few intact walls, looking down at the distant battle taking place. He was loath to admit it but he already knew who would emerge victoriously. The dragon prince was truly a formidable opponent. His fist clenched at his side, the only outward side of his anger. Their guild, their members, everything laid in shambles all because of that beast. Not that he cared much for anyone on the island but the fact that so many died made them look weak. Made him look weak. Something which was unforgivable. Their goal was still achievable but even the carefully constructed plan laid in shambles. A plan he worked on for decades.
There were no words to describe how furious he was. Maybe those who died at the hands of Fairy Tail were lucky. He will certainly show any of the surviving members just how displeased he is.
A movement in the corner of his eye made him turn his head away from the fight and his eyes landed on a pair of women. One was a demon, without a doubt though he was not sure he recognized her which meant she must be the one they brought from Fairy Tail and transformed her and the other must be another member of the wretched guild. If he was not wrong – and he never was – these two must be the pair who killed Seilah. A cold smile worked its way on his face as he made his way towards them.
He will deal with one problem at the time. First, he will get rid of these two, and then he will go after the dragon. The plan may be all but ruined but the dragon island was not so far out of reach and from the last he had seen of its movements it was standing still for the time being. He will have to thrust Kyôka to do her part. She will sooner die trying than fail him again.
He appeared behind the two mages, his mood improved as he finally got a good look at their sorry state. This will not be difficult at all.
"Mard Geer had arrived, little humans. I will teach you the meaning of the word terror"
Predictably, both humans jumped at the sound of his voice, turning quickly around to face him. The white-haired one was definitely in a worse state than her bald partner who promptly positioned herself between the two.
"Who the fuck are you?" the new demoness growled and Mard Geer suddenly realized that both women were blinking back tears, eyes too bright and red. His smile widened, prompting the demon and the mage to tense even further.
"You know that voice, Ultear," the white-haired one whispered, managing a rather impressive glare considering her state. "He's the one that intercepted Warren's telepathy"
"Mard Geer Tartaros," Mard Geer repeated pleasantly, spreading his arms slightly, a wicked smile on his face. He pulled back the book to his chest, putting the other hand in front of himself almost lazily. He lifted his index and middle finger, twisting the arm slightly to the side. "Let me show you the fraction of the power of what you tried defeating"
A ball of white light and flickering black suddenly spread in front of his fingers, and the two mages barely had time to look shocked before it exploded. "Let me show you the futility of your defiance"
The white-haired woman was thrown back into a wall with a scream, bouncing off of it and rolling down the debris, lines of beautiful scarlet blood left in her wake as the skin was shredded across the sharp stone. The demon fared slightly better, managing to make a mediocre attempt at dodging. The demon skidded across the ground, hurt but still standing and she turned around to look at her companion. "Mira!"
Mard Geer rolled his eyes. Demon or not she was still human at her core. Humans and their foolish sentimentality. "I do believe you have bigger concerns than the welfare of your friend," he informed her, white light and flickering black blooming around them.
The new demoness jumped away, moving towards Mirajane with surprising speed. Mard Geer smiled again. One might call him arrogant and overconfident. He was no such thing. He was simply confident in his superiority, and with a very good reason. There was simply no way that some sad excuse of a being such as humans were stronger than him.
Mira had climbed to her feet somewhat shakily with Ultear's help, both glaring at the demon. "Are you alright?" Ultear asked, eyes wide with worry but never once did they stray from the self-proclaimed Underworld King.
Mira's response to it was a flare of her magic, the Satan Soul wrapping around her battered form. Ultear didn't look like her worries were assuaged. The white-haired mage didn't seem to care much, jumping at Mard Geer as if her reserves were not nearly depleted. Ultear didn't hesitate despite her fears, joining the other woman least she let her fight on her own.
They both quickly discovered that Mard Geer had a good reason to stand there without a trace of worry. Magic and Curse flew around them with abandon, each magic spell louder and stronger than the last, and each curse spell more lethal than the last. But one terrifying thing soon became clear.
Mard Geer was toying with them.
He twisted out of the way of the incoming orb, turning on his heel to avoid Mira's heel and without a moment of pause, he grasped Ultear's hand that came flying towards him and threw the demoness at her partner. They had rather impressive teamwork going, Mard Geer had to admit. It was not enough to actually faze him, of course. He twitched his fingers, vines filled with thorns bursting from the ground at his command and rushing towards the two.
He blinked as they dodged, twisting around the green plants as if they had known about the curse all along. Another smile worked its way on his face as they closed the distance between them and he rose two fingers into the air, twisting them to the side almost lazily.
Mira was the first to respond, throwing herself out of the way and dragging the demoness with her to the ground as the white orb of light obliterated an impressive amount of rubble. Mard Geer sighed, fingers tapping against the covers of the book in his hand. This was getting rather tiresome.
"Why don't you just give up? I'll even make it quick if you stop with this pointless resistance"
Mira snarled at him in response, "Give up?! I will never give up! So long as one demon stands, I will not rest. You will pay for what you did to the guild. To Ultear! For what you did to Annie!"
Mard Geer did not look particularly impressed with the outburst, raising one elegant eyebrow at her even as the woman rushed towards her, Ultear once again not even a step behind her. " 'So long as one demon stands?'," the demon echoed with a smile, "My, you have your work cut out for you then. There are more demons than there are sand grains in this world, human"
"I don't care!" Mira snarled at him, her attacks actually managing to pick up speed. Mard Geer hummed under his breath. Interesting. Meaningless. But interesting. She swung her fist at his face, magic weekly coating the limb, and the demon grabbed her wrist, holding it in a vice grip. He was not prepared for the wicked smile on Mirajane's face.
Her fist suddenly opened and he blinked at the palm in front of her face as magic suddenly exploded out of her arm. "Soul Extinctor"
The grip on her hand went slack for a brief moment and she didn't waste it, jumping back to look at her handiwork, smile working its way to her face at the smoking spot that was left of Mard Geer in the wake of her attack. Ultear stood beside her, watching their surroundings dubiously.
"That was too easy," the demoness muttered. Mirajane shrugged in response, "Sometimes the surprise is all it takes"
"I couldn't agree more," they both turned around to see Mard Geer already moving, his fist far too close to dodge as he slammed it into the white-haired woman's back with as much strength as he could muster.
Which was quite a lot.
"MIRA!"
The girl was sent flying and all three of them heard something snap in her lower back. A shrill scream pierced the air as she landed on the ground several feet away, still howling. Mard Geer had to say he was impressed that he hadn't punched a hole straight through her.
But he didn't have time to admire his handiwork for long as Ultear sprang beside him, hand flying towards his hands and two more directing the golden orbs towards him. "You BASTARD!"
The demon rolled his eyes at the raging time manipulator, once again twisting his fingers in the air, the other hand tightening its hold on the book. "I told you to surrender," he admonished, grabbing the wrist of one of her hands and promptly slammed it into his knee at a completely wrong angle. To her credit, the woman only screeched without slowing down as her hand was broken.
And once again she made a fatal mistake of being worried as she looked at Mira who was staring at the ground with an expression that clearly stated she was in shock. Mard Geer promptly brought her attention back by a thick vine of thorns that sprang from the ground towards her, quickly moving to riddle her with holes.
The demon jumped back suddenly, a red sword almost as large as he was embedded into the ground where he stood. He barely had time to process the large black humanoid cat that dropped beside the blade when another mage moved to barrel into him. He dodged, eyebrow raised as he looked at the teen in front of him. She looked remarkedly similar to the other woman.
The newcomer explained it easily enough, "Sister!"
"Are you two alright?" the cat asked, bringing the giant sword to rest on his shoulders, glaring at Mard Geer. He glanced towards her finally, only to stop in shock and stare at the time demon. "Wha – What happened to you?"
Ultear swallowed, looking at Lisanna and Lily with an odd mix of terror and relief. Relief that help arrived. Terror because she knew it would not be enough. "It's a long story… their fault if it even matters. But I'll be fine," she managed, never taking her eyes off of the demon who once again seemed content to let them talk. She gritted her teeth, wanting nothing more than to remove that arrogant smile from his face yet aware that she couldn't do much about it. He was arrogant but he had a good reason to be, as loath as she was to admit it. "Mira's not good," she continued in a strained voice, "I… I think he broke her spine"
Lisanna gasped, eyes flying wide and Lily swallowed, eyes flickering to Mirajane who lied on the ground further away, eyes staring blankly in front of her. She looked barely alive if Lily was completely honest with himself.
"Lily, try to find Natsu or Wendy," Lisanna suddenly commanded and the black cat's head snapped to her in surprise.
"I'm not leaving you to fight alone this monster!"
"Do as she says," Ultear spoke, voice leaving no room for argument. Her eyes never left Mard Geer's and she easily saw the widening smirk on his face. The uncomfortable feeling of doing exactly what the demon wanted settled in her gut but she pushed it away. "Take Mira with you and get help," Ultear said, raising her chin as she glared at the demon.
The giant cat quickly ran towards the white-haired mage, carefully pulling her into his arms. He grimaced, aware that in her state they shouldn't be moving her at all but it was hardly going to do more harm than if she stayed here. All the while Mard Geer looked at them with that arrogant tilt to his lips.
"Now then," he spoke as soon as Lily was in the air, turning to regard the two in front of him. "Where were we?"
"In the process of ending you," Lisanna hissed at him, her features sharpening into that resembling a tiger. Another take-over mage then. Mard Geer smiled at her, a smile that sent chills down her spine.
"Be careful Lisanna," Ultear warned, "He is strong… I would dare say not even Natsu could defeat him easily"
Mard Geer watched as the girl paled, staring at him in shock. His smile widened in response, fingers tapping against the covers of the book. Ultear gritted her teeth. What was that book that he refused to let go of it?! And worse yet. He had been using only one hand against them. She was not weak. Far from it, in fact. But in front of this monster, she felt completely inadequate. It was frustrating. It was...
The source of their pain and anguish was right in front of them, the leader of Tartaros. And she couldn't do anything about it. Of all the spells they hurled at him only Mira's final even left a mark and his retaliation to that particular attack was swift and brutal.
Lisanna stayed still beside her, obviously taking her warning seriously. Maybe more than seriously, Ultear realized as she glanced at the quiet teen. She was terrified.
She looked back at Mard Geer, eyes narrowing even as the blood rushed in her ears, her heartbeat slamming against her ribcage. Lisanna wasn't the only one who was terrified.
Lily was not sure what to make of his rapidly approaching fellow cats, each carrying their own obviously injured mage. He swallowed as his eyes fell on the deathly pale face of Arthur and the almost as white face of Wendy. He wanted to curse. Not good.
This was not good at all.
"Lily!" Happy called, eyes wide and terrified. "You have to help us! We need to find Natsu! Or Porlyusica! Or -"
Carla interrupted him, eyes wide as she looked at the woman in his arms, "What happened to Mira?!"
Happy fell silent, eyes even wider than before and part of Lily wondered if his eyes could fell out.
"She got hurt pretty bad in the fight. I'm looking for Natsu as well. If I don't find him soon…," Mard Geer's cold, amused eyes flashed in front of him and he swallowed again. He left Ultear and Lisanna there to that… monster. "We need to find him"
As if hearing their plight, a roar of swirling black and red tore straight through the sky behind Lily. The cats didn't need further prompting, sharing a look before all three moved towards it. It only later, when it was far too late, occurred the black cat that rushing towards what was obviously a battle with three injured mages was not a good idea.
Natsu's head grabbed the wrist of the blond demon, pulling him off balance with a quick jerk before he drew his knee into his stomach. Tempester coughed, black blood mixed with saliva flying from his mouth. He tried to move out of the way, twisting to the side and pulling away with his curse but even as the wind shredded the skin around the dragon's palm the grip stayed strong and Chaos magic erupted from his hands, the unoccupied fist driving firmly into his shoulder and he was sent spinning away as the dragon prince released his hold on his hand. Natsu bared his teeth at the demon that landed with a grunt several feet away but was forced to move as Keyes swooped down on him, black tendrils of his Curse trying to take hold of the dragon.
Silver had disappeared somewhere with Gray, Natsu noted. The demon slayer had been slowly but surely moving their fight away from the other five until he finally just blasted the ice user away and bounced after him. The dragon prince could hear the sound of their fight dimly so they couldn't be that far and he did have more pressing matters to worry about. Like the three remining demons that were trying their best to kill him and Gajeel.
He wasn't worried about Gray. At least that's what he's been trying to tell himself ever since he lost sight of the two ice users.
His eyes moved briefly to Gajeel's fight with Torafuzar and he couldn't help but frown. They seemed almost evenly matched. If someone had asked him, he would be more than happy to take care of the four Tartaros members on his own even though he knew it would've been a challenge now that he had seen the Etherious form of the two of them. Natsu sighed, forcing himself to focus completely at the two demons that tried to pin him down.
Keyes' was not strong per se. The demon had yet to land a solid hit on him. The only thing he had going for him was Natsu's lack of ability to actually hit him. Which meant they were in a similar conundrum. But unlike Keyes, Natsu has yet to slow down.
Tempester was another matter entirely. The demon had become even faster in his new form, his Curse power rising and his attack came at a much higher rate and they were much more devastating. Not to mention that no matter how many times Natsu already sent him flying he always came back for more.
He jumped out of the way of Tempester's new attack. Keeping his attention split between the three demons around him, thinking about the best way to get rid of Keyes, and the fastest way to bring Tempester down and make him stay down, was giving him a headache.
The best way he could see to get rid of Keyes would be to somehow inject him with enough of his special brand of poison. The demon was almost untouchable, unfortunately. A wicked smile stretched Natsu's lips. Key word: 'almost'. There was one instance where Natsu noticed he could touch him. And that was when the other demon cast spells. But he will have to move fast. And there was no telling if it would even work.
He ducked under a torrent of flames from Tempester, rolling to the side quickly as Keyes' black tendrils riddled the ground where he had been with holes. He twisted on his feet, hand snapping at the skeleton demon and a black and red arch of Chaos magic raced towards him, cutting him in half. Keyes scowled at him, hands moving with the golden staff firmly clasped in his hands.
Tempester regarded him silently for a moment before he spoke, "You are arrogant, young dragon, if you think you will be able to defeat all of us. A flaw all of your kind seems to share, it would seem"
Natsu lifted his chin in response, "Arrogance is the trait of a demon, I would say. Tell me, when you look around yourself, what do you see? The power of a dragon or the power of a demon"
He was referring to the dead Plutogrim, they all knew.
Keyes apparently ignored his words, "Your resistance will only lead to pain. I am the necromancer of Tartaros. The power I alone wield is beyond your imagination, beast"
Natsu almost snorted at the irony. "Don't make assumptions, demon"
Keyes only scowled further. Natsu looked him in the eyes, another small, twisted smile lifting the corner of his lips. If only they knew. His smile widened, fingers enlengthening into black claws. The demons apparently were done talking because Tempester once again moved to attack, a whispered word the only warning Natsu got before he had to move, lightning striking the ground where he had stood. He dropped to the ground as a tornado ripped above him and he glanced at Keyes who twisted the staff in his hands, black energy seeming around the golden object. Natsu sprang to his feet, rushing towards Tempester with all his considerable speed. Just as the other demon moved to intercept his attack he fainted to the right, spinning on the balls of his feet and pushed towards Keyes. The skeleton's eyes widened as the dragon's spread fingers gripped his face, claws digging into the bone. He quickly abandoned the spell he was casting, dispersing into the black particles and escaping the grip that cracked the white bone of his face in the brief moment that the dragon got a hold of him.
The dragon grinned at the skeleton a moment later. Natsu knew that the grin showed far too many teeth to look anything but deranged but he was rewarded by the visible shudder in the skeleton demon. Keyes looked at him, uncomprehending for a moment before he suddenly stumbled, wheezed in shock, eyes wide as he looked at him.
"What have you done to me?"
He had been in contact with Keyes for barely a second. Natsu rose a hand, spreading his clawed fingers. The demon stumbled again, forcing himself to stand straight with great difficulty. The dragon eyed him carefully. Crawford had dropped the moment he had pierced his skin, Doriate as well. The Etherious were not all just talk, apparently. Would it work differently on other members? He looked over his shoulder at Tempester just as the demon came inches from his face. The dragon was moving in an instant, moving to the side with a snarl. The wind wrapped around Tempester's fist shredded the skin and muscle of his shoulder, tearing deeply into it and almost to the bone. The dragon responded in kind, his other hand moving quickly as he slammed the closed fist into the demon's jaw.
"Chaos dragon's iron fist!"
There was an audible crack as Tempester once again was sent flying and Natsu dared a glance away from his two opponents just in time to see Gajeel stumble back from a blow and Torafuzar moving to cut him down in the brief moment he managed to get the upper hand. Natsu snarled, 'Get away from my student!'
"Chaos dragon's ROAR!"
Torafuzar turned towards him in shock, eyes opening wide a moment before the energy slammed into him and sent him flying away from the surprised iron user. Gajeel blinked, Chaos energy dancing wildly around him. It didn't hurt. It felt odd, but not uncomfortable. Like being submerged in a hot liquid. He blinked again, eyes locking with Natsu's as the roar died down. He had never before associated heat with the dragon prince. And it wasn't because of his lack of attention. The heat was new. Natsu nodded at him before he turned to Tempester, Keyes still standing on the side and grasping almost frantically at his head.
"Thanks," Natsu heard Gajeel's smiling reply even as the dragon slayer turned his attention back to Torafuzar who pulled himself out of the rubble with a huff.
The dragon was surprised, however, at the sudden water that appeared out of nowhere, slamming into him like a wall. He lost his footing, slowing down only when he slammed into one of the protruding remnants of a wall. He blinked into the dark water that appeared out of nowhere, watching in no small amount of confusion as the light of the moon disappeared as the level of the water rapidly rose until all around him was pitch black.
He paused, feet gently hitting against the ground as he gripped the wall behind him, head turning around. He blinked again, pupils widening to the point where almost none of the red of his irises was left and he looked around again. Torafuzar's form was moving towards him rapidly, Gajeel's iron encased form glinting behind as the iron slayer tried to catch up to the demon who was apparently even faster in water than he was outside of it.
Natsu cursed mentally, pushing away with a burst of magic just as Torafuzar slammed into the spot where he had been before and the dragon twisted in the water, hands spreading around him before he slammed them down. 'Chaos dragon's wing attack!'
This was the demon who poisoned Arthur. Natsu knew that now without a doubt. That also meant that the water around them was poisonous. Torafuzar swam out of the way of the attack swiftly, only for Gajeel's club-shaped hand to drive into his stomach.
Where were Torafuzar and Keyes? Natsu glanced around, most of his attention on Torafuzar who was swimming towards Gajeel. His eyes found the two's silhouettes, well above them as they perched on one of the walls, just above the water level. So, they thought that Torafuzar could deal with the two of them on his own underneath the water. Or they couldn't fight underneath it?
"The deep seas of Hades. Your final resting place"
So, he could talk underneath the water? Convenient.
He switched his attention back to Torafuzar, a grin working its way onto his face. How nice of them to make this easy. He propelled himself through the water like a bullet with a well-placed burst of magic at his feet, slamming into Torafuzar just as Gajeel was sent flying back through the black liquid by a large fist. The demon turned to Natsu just in time to cross his two hands in front as a guard, his Curse spiking around them.
'Chaos dragon's iron fist!'
Natsu's fist connected with the suddenly silvery skin of the demon who grinned at him. "I have the strongest defenses of all the Etherious. You are not leaving this fight alive"
"My skin and bones are harder than diamond," the demon continued, "Your attacks do not affect me"
Natsu glanced at the iron slayer behind the demon, a memory of a battle that seemed like it had been a lifetime ago surfacing to the front of his mind.
''Try breaking me now'' Gajeel replied with a smirk. ''My skin and bones are harder than steel''
How many years has it been since then? Eight? The iron dragon slayer changed much since his Phantom Lord days. Natsu focused back on the demon. Everything can be broken.
The dragon moved swiftly, the dragon slayer on the other side following a moment later and the demon in the middle bared his teeth.
The three traded blows quickly, black and red mixing with steel and silver, water bubbling around them. Natsu's fist slammed into the demon's shoulder and the muscle in the dragon's cheek twitched as the bones in his fist cracked at the impact, not even a scratch on the demon left. The demon didn't so much as twitch, turning towards Gajeel and grabbing his fist out of the water before it made contact with him and sent the dragon slayer flying towards the dragon. The two were sent flying back, air knocked out of Natsu's lungs and he cursed, looking up to see how far from the surface were they. Only to realize that he couldn't even say with certainty which way was up and which way was down.
He exchanged a glance with a scowling dragon slayer and the two nodded. They needed to end this. Fast. Natsu looked at Torafuzar, the demon already moving towards them, purple eyes flashing.
A grin wormed its way to Natsu's face even as the edges of his vision darkened as the lack of oxygen started taking its toll on him. He glanced one more time at Gajeel, index and middle finger pointing at his eyes and he was satisfied when the dragon slayer's eyes widened in understanding and he grinned as well.
The dragon prince shot at the demon, magic spreading around him as he slammed a fist into the demon's massive chest, twisting out of the way of the half-formed punch and as the demon twisted to follow him the dragon prince disappeared through the Void. The demon blinked, looking around frantically, too late noticing the dragon slayer who dropped onto his massive shoulders. He grabbed the leg of his opponent, squeezing it with all his might as he tried to pull the dragon slayer off. To his credit, Gajeel only gave a sharp grunt as the bone in his leg snapped, the iron scales over his skin cracking around the grip but Torafuzar was quickly forced to turn his attention to the dragon who reappeared, a roar of black and red ripping out of the Void before the dragon even made his presence known. Gajeel grunted again as the roar washed over him but ignored it as best as he could, index fingers turning into a sharp, iron set of thin blades ten inches long. Before the roar even died down Gajeel gripped the sides of Torafuzar's face, driving his fingers through his eyes and into his brain.
Torafuzar twitched, a half-formed gurgle leaving his throat. The water around them disappeared as suddenly as it came and the two Fairy Tail mages dropped to the ground, gasping for air.
Natsu was quickly on his feet, looking down at the iron dragon slayer with an expression Gajeel couldn't place for several long moments. The dragon offered a hand to the dragon slayer, that expression still there and Gajeel suddenly recognized it.
Pride.
He was proud of him. The dragon slayer blinked, not sure why that mattered so much but he didn't delve on it for too long, grinning instead like an idiot. A grin that only widened at the rather small one he received in return.
The moment was broken as Tempester suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Keyes stood behind him, the skeletal demon barely standing. Natsu scowled at the two in return, eyes straying towards Keyes and he wondered what exactly made the demon so resistant to the effect of the poison – really a potent mix of Chaos Curse and Magic. Would it work better or worse on other Etherious?
"You managed to kill Torafuzar," Tempester intoned though he didn't sound particularly shaken. Natsu wondered if the demon was aware that he was practically the only one standing around to face him. Sure, Natsu was beginning to feel the drain from a whole day of fighting but he had both his dragon and demon form to call upon. Tempester already showed his trump card.
The dragon prince glanced at the iron dragon slayer who struggled to get to his feet, obviously favoring one leg and the dragon fought back a grimace as he saw the ugly purple blooming over the dragon slayer's skin. Broken, the dragon reckoned.
"Stay back, Gajeel," Natsu told him, straightening his spine to regard the two demons. "I'll take care of this"
Something in his voice made Gajeel sit back down without a protest and in a second, the dragon rushed at the two demons.
Happy almost cried in relief when his large eyes spotted the dragon prince in the distance when the black water finally receded.
"There he is! Carla! Lily! I found -"
He was interrupted before he could finish the sentence as Carla slammed into him with a wide-eyed look. Not a moment too soon as a yellow flash bloomed where he had been, followed by an explosion that sent both cats and their charges flying back towards the ground.
Lily shouted in alarm, moving towards them even as he looked around, trying to spot the source of the attack.
"Let me tell you, I did not expect that finding the bloody brat would be so damn difficult," their attacker made himself known and all three turned as one to look at the blond-haired demon perched on one of the pillars protruding from the ground like fingers of a dying man reaching for the sky.
"Who the hell are you?" Lily growled, shifting gingerly the woman in his arms, eyes moving around to find the best place to set her down. He can't fight like this. He growled in frustration. Three mages, unable to fight or even defend themselves in their care and neither of the three cats could do much against one of the Nine Gates – and that was without a doubt what the young-looking demon in front of them was.
"I'm Jackal, pussy," the demon said, arrogant tilt in his lips. If Lily's skin wasn't covered in fur, he was certain he would be as white as paper. This was the guy that was behind the Massacre. The demon laughed as Lily's eyes widened, obviously seeing the desperation flickering in them.
"I see you heard of me"
"B-but Natsu killed you!" Happy shouted suddenly, denying what was clearly in front of them. Jackal shrugged in return. "He did," he leered at them, "I got better"
He paused, eyes searching over the three mages the cats carried and his grin widened even further, splitting his face from ear to ear. "I've been trying to get back at him for that," the demon spoke, his grin still showing far too many teeth, "I hoped to find one of the brats and I have to say I expected it to be easier. Getting his whore as well is an unexpected bonus"
Lily blinked, needing a moment to process what the demon just said. He hadn't just randomly stumbled across them. He had been searching for the Smith siblings (the remaining Smith sibling, Lily reminded himself with a shudder) to get back at Natsu. The demon knew exactly who Arthur was. As well as who Mira was.
They had to get out of here. Fast.
'But how?!'
He couldn't just stay back and distract the demon. Happy and Carla couldn't carry Mira, especially not in her condition. But what could he do? The best he could hope for was to land and fight the guy and hope their fight attracted enough attention. And he had to hope it would not be any unwanted attention.
"Land!"
The two fellow cats looked at him like he was crazy. He was contemplating it as well. But they couldn't outrun the demon if the fact he caught up to them now was any indication. And he didn't want to risk any more injuries. Jackal grinned at him again, all sharp teeth and wicked lines and the blond moved, obviously preparing to attack. And Happy and Carla stood frozen.
"Do it!"
Surprisingly, they did. Moving swiftly, the three landed, doing their best to place the three injured mages as carefully as they could. "I'll try to keep him distracted and you make sure these three are safe"
Carla blinked, silent for a moment before she scowled, "That's your plan?! 'Stay alive'? How long do you think that will last?!"
Lily sighed, shouldering his great sword as Jackal landed lightly in front of him. "For as long as it has to"
"Done talking?" the demon asked mildly and Lily growled in response through gritted teeth. Without prompting his mind went to Gajeel. The mage was the closest thing he had to family, a brother in everything that counted. He stared at Jackal's grinning face, golden light blooming around them.
'It's been an honor, Gajeel Redfox'
He sprang out of the way of the explosion as fast as he could and barreled toward the demon who only grinned, bending backward to avoid a slash of his sword before he twisted, aiming to plant a kick at Lily's feet and the cat sprang into the air, vigilant to avoid touching the demon. 'Everything he touches turns to explosive,' he recalled grimly, moving towards the demon and trying his best to skewer him with the red blade. He knew it was futile, the demon was dancing circles around him. The cat was fast but he was not fast enough, not strong enough.
And he hated it. But he couldn't give up. He wouldn't give up.
Because the others relied on him. If all he could do was act as a distraction before someone stronger came than so be it. The cat dodged desperately as the currently smaller demon bounced towards him to grab his hand, on instinct spinning on his feet and moving to plant his elbow into the demon. Only to pull the attack back as he remembered who he was fighting and stumble in his spot, once again off-balance as Jackal bared down on him, explosion blooming beneath him.
He sprang his wings behind him, lifting into the air and grimaced as a better part of his tail got burned in the explosion.
'There's got to be someone from Fairy Tail around!' Lily thought, almost desperately as he palmed a rock and threw it with as much strength as he could muster. The demon ducked under it, changing his direction suddenly and moving towards Happy and Carla and the mages behind them.
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" Lily hollered, slamming bodily into the demon. He knew it was a mistake as soon as he did it but he did manage to slow the demon down as the two went tumbling over the edge of a hole in the floor and fell some good twenty feet below.
He could hear the frantic shouts of Carla and Happy but he had to focus on the demon who scowled at him as he dusted himself off. He didn't pause, swinging his sword in an arch that was meant to decapitate the demon only to hit nothing but air.
Jackal was grinning again and Lily was seriously starting to hate that face. "You touched me," the demon crowned. Lily knew that already. That was why he was so desperate to land a hit on the demon. Golden seals already bloomed over his left shoulder and arm.
Lightning suddenly split the air and he tensed even further. Flinching back and stumbling, losing focus long enough for Jackal to slam his fist into the cat's stomach.
Another lightning light up the sky and another golden seal bloomed on the cat's stomach. Lily cursed, trying to force his frozen limbs to move only for Jackal's heel to connect with the side of his head and he was sent flying, sword leaving his grip as he collapsed to the ground and Jackal stood above him, grinning that same wicked grin.
"Pathetic," the demon mocked, arrogance in every fiber of his being, and Lily squinted up at him, golden light of the seal now spreading over his face almost blinding.
But he could see another bolt of lightning as it raced towards them. Lightning always terrified him, more than he ever wanted to admit. But right now, it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. The bolt slammed into Jackal and the demon screeched in shock as he was sent flying. Lily got a brief view of Laxus' hunched form, a smile spreading over his face and the world went white.
'I did it. I held on long enough, Gajeel'
End of chapter 91.
I almost forgot to update this today ^-^'. Well, in any case! I hope you enjoyed reading this because I had rewritten segments of this chapter some 5 times. This 10k word monstrosity of a chapter was actually supposed to be even longer, truth to be told but I cut it here so that it's (I hope) easier to read. And it has this nice cliffhanger at the end. A win-win. For me at least ;)
You know the drill, people! Please review and thanks for reading :)