Chapter 93:
"NATSU!"
The three Fairy Tail members raised their heads with a snap, eyes locking on the flying feline seconds before it crashed straight into the dragon prince. Natsu's hand shot out on instinct, snatching the cat's wing before he made contact and holding him inches from his chest.
"Happy? What -"
"No time! Mira! Ultear! Ultear and Lisanna are in danger! Mira's hurt! I – I -"
Natsu's eyes widened, worry squeezing his throat shut for a moment before anger pushed through and he shook the poor cat in his grip. Lips pulled back over his teeth, all sharp and pointed and he snarled "Where?!"
"I-I don't know where Lisanna and Ultear are… Lily came with Mira and he knew where they were but -"
"Where's Lily?" Gajeel asked, voice quiet and eyes wide. His mind immediately went to the worst possible scenario but he tried to force the thoughts away. There was no way that –
"Jackal k-killed him," Happy was sobbing now and Natsu let go of him, blinking in shock. He shook himself, flinching as something unknown and alien washed over him and he jerked his head to Gray and the shell-shocked Gajeel.
"N-no…" the dragon slayer whispered, corner of his lips trembling. "You know where Mira is?" Natsu demanded of the cat, every word clipped and just short of snarled. Happy swallowed, large eyes fixed on the dragon as he nodded.
"Good. Take these two there," the dragon prince growled, already moving, "I'll try to find Ultear and Lisanna"
He paused a second before he disappeared behind the corner, red eyes fixing on the three Fairy Tail members and his eyes seemed to say something but his mouth reminded closed and he disappeared, breaking out into a sprint without any warning or preparation.
Gray swallowed, the heavy silence that settled over them left his ears ringing. He glanced at Gajeel, biting his lower lip. The iron dragon slayer was staring at his shaking hands, tears streaking down his ashen face. For a brief moment, Gray considered empty platitudes but, in the end, he didn't say anything. There was nothing anyone could say that would fix this.
"Let's go," the ice mage said instead, turning to look at Happy. When no one moved Gray sighed and turned to the cat. "Happy," the cat responded to his name, his head snapping towards the ice user. "Gajeel's leg is broken so if you could…?"
Happy blinked, turning to look at Gajeel who was shaking his head that was dropped in his hands, fingers gripping his hair. "For fucks sake," the iron dragon slayer gasped, slamming his head into the ground, "Fucking demons!"
Natsu always prided himself on being able to keep his cool. On being able to keep his thoughts and actions logical even in those rare moments where his emotions reached a boiling point.
What he witnessed at that moment, however, made him lose any sense of calm. He didn't reach a boiling point. He went beyond that. A red mist settled over his mind and tinged his entire surroundings in too bright colors and too dark shadows. And all his terrifying, furious focus settled on Mard Geer.
Mard Geer who stood above Ultear that barely looked like herself. He felt sick and angry and perfectly ready to break every bone in the demon's body and then feed him his organs. What they did to Ultear… The demonized time mage was bleeding from dozen cuts and her body was a discolored mess of bruises and gashes and burns. But she was still awake and her eyes, a solid purple, looking almost like an insect's, stared straight at him with a look of sudden elation and hope just as Mard Geer placed his heel on her chest and something in her snapped, making her scream.
The demon must've noticed that Ultear's attention was not on him anymore and he looked up, eyes widening almost comically as the red eyes of the dragon prince suddenly appeared not even ten inches away from his face. Natsu waisted no second, slamming his fist coated in red and black magic into the demon's jaw. The jaw shattered upon impact and the demon released a surprised shout, completely and utterly unprepared for the strength behind the punch.
Lifted clean off of his feet, his movement limited, he was vulnerable to the dragon prince who jumped after him, slamming with both feet into the demon's stomach and driving them both straight through the floor and into a large chamber underneath.
Natsu's knees bent as he absorbed the impact with the floor below, keeping his balance atop the self-proclaimed demon king and his hands were already lit with chaos energy.
"Chaos Dragon King's Destruction Fist!"
He slammed his fist straight into the demon's wide-eyed face, the chaos energy exploding around them both and shooting into the air. The black and red of the magic seemingly bubbled, suspended in the air before it exploded, turning the stone around them to dust.
The dust and light of the spell blinded everyone and the sound of the explosion deafened him enough that when a fist moved to slam into the side of his face, Natsu didn't even have time to react. The strength behind the punch sent him flying off of the demon underneath and he spun through the air, head over heels before he hit the ground, managing to roll onto his feet with barely enough time to move out of the way of a vine that erupted from the wall and embedded into the ground. He twisted, magic flaring around him and bleeding from black to red before it exploded around him, turning the vines that moved around him to ash. Mard Geer was already upon him, eyes wide with anger as he drew his fist into the dragon's jaw. The dragon skidded back but didn't lose his footing, red and black still pulsing around him and Mard Geer hissed as he jumped back, rubbing his knuckles with a scowl as he glanced at the bones that were peeking through the scorched skin.
"I was not aware your magic generated so much heat," the demon spoke, looking at the dragon who in response raised his hand and pointed it at the demon. Mard Geer's eyes widened and he jumped aside as a pillar of a red and black shot past him.
"Neither was I," Natsu muttered, spitting out the blood that came from biting his tongue when Mard Geer's fist connected with his jaw. He didn't pause in his stride and as the Mard Geer landed from his dodge the dragon was already there, driving his elbow into the demon's stomach. "Chaos Dragon's Chaotic Elbow!"
Mard Geer coughed, black blood splattering from his mouth and his feet left the ground, red and black magic driving deep into his stomach.
He landed in a crunch, wiping the blood off of his chin with the back of his hand. "You are strong, Souleater. But you are still nothing in the face of an Etherious. In the face of my true form," he stood up, eyes still wide with a look bordering on insane, "Bow before the Underworld King Mard Geer Tartaros!"
His Curse exploded around him, wrapping its dark tendrils around his form.
"Zeref"
"Acnologia"
"I won't even ask what you want," the dragon king snarled, jerking his head in the general direction of the golden orb still floating above the ruined tower of the Castle. "You are a fool for even thinking I will allow you to activate the Key"
Zeref smiled simply, cocking his head to the side. "Don't you think you could allow me to touch it? Just one small touch?"
Acnologia's eyes narrowed. "Over my dead body"
Zeref clicked with his tongue, shifting the weight of his body to one foot, "So dramatic"
In a blink of an eye, the Black Wizard disappeared, moving at the speed no normal being could follow. Acnologia was far from normal and his tail struck out, colliding with Zeref who grabbed it and flipped over it at the last second, pushing away when magic exploded down its length. Acnologia snarled again, twisting in sync with the Black Wizard and he opened his jaw, "Chaos Dragon's ROAR"
Zeref disappeared, flickering out of the view in a black flash. Acnologia cursed, disappearing as well and reappearing inches away from the golden orb, claws just barely dragging across Zeref's back in time to push the wizard away from the Key, his fingers inches from touching it. Acnologia growled at him, magic sparking down the length of his claws. Zeref grimaced as he was sent flying away but the Black Wizard barely even crossed a few feet before he once again flickered out of view and disappeared through the Void. Acnologia growled again, blue eyes flickering around the frozen sky before his nose caught the faint trace of ozone that erupted from an opening of the void. He ripped the hole in the sky, flying through the Void and meeting the black wizard on the other side just in time to push him away from the hellish contraption again. Zeref made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat, red eyes staring at the dragon king dryly and Acnologia almost flinched. It was easy to forget that Natsu and Zeref were brothers with how little they looked alike. But those eyes… Those eyes, now red on Zeref as well, were identical and it was unnerving.
"You are only delaying the inevitable," Zeref informed him, sounding almost apologetic. "The age of humans and dragons is over. The age of demons -"
Acnologia didn't let him finish, never being the one to listen to the monologues that seemed to be a character trait of all things evil (and he will forever deny that he tended to do them as well, let alone acknowledge that he might do it still). He pushed through the air again, claws wrapped in chaos energy and Zeref disappeared again, flickering away.
"Go back to your hole and stay there. You are not getting what you want and neither is Ankhseram"
Acnologia blinked, looking around, listening but Zeref seemed to disappear.
He didn't know how loud the battle was until the sound returned and hit him like a tsunami. He faltered in the sky, wings missing a beat as everything returned at once and made his ears ring.
Barely a second of distraction, barely slower than usual. Just barely, but enough.
The whole world seemed to lurch sideways for one terrifying moment, the very sky shaking as the moon turned blood red and then disappeared completely, in its place a giant black hole and a clear view into a place Acnologia hoped to never see again.
Blue eyes darted from the hole and towards the Blade of Ankhseram. The golden orb was gone and Zeref stood at the edge of the ruined tower where it had once floated, a golden sword-shaped almost like a key grasped tightly in his hand. The Black Wizard gave the dragon king a small smile that held no happiness, closed his black eyes, and disappeared in a flicker of black light.
Acnologia swallowed, first turning to look at the battle in the sky that came to a sudden halt and then towards the hole that seemed to only grow larger and towards the demons that from this distance looked more like ants that dropped from the hole like rain.
Natsu did not find himself in a situation where he had trouble defeating someone often. He was having trouble now as he moved to dodge another carefully angled strike at his abdomen. He was fast and his form did not leave many if any openings. But Mard Geer, in all his Etherious glory, was faster. Just barely, but enough.
He hissed as the clawed fingers met their mark despite his best efforts and dug into his muscles a good inch before he managed to blast the demon off with a pulse of red and black energy. Mard Geer sneered at him, standing once again good six feet away from him and positioned carefully in front of the place where Natsu's book innocently rested.
"I told you that you stand no chance against the might of the Etherious," the demon spoke, tone mocking, "You have no hope of defeating me, and even if by some miracle you do manage that END will come. I can feel my master is close!"
Part of Natsu really appreciated the irony. The larger part of him was just annoyed that this demon apparently really liked to talk. And he was still angry enough to find little amusement from anything that did not stem from a headless corpse of Mard Geer.
"For someone who claims to know everything, you are as dense as a brick. I am sure Silver mentioned that I'm not… just a human… or just a dragon," a corner of his lips lifted into a hideous smile. "I'm not just anything"
He was not sure in what moment it became so seamless, so painless. It was a new development that brought a good mood that wore off quickly in the face of everything that happened today. But he could do it perfectly now. Just a step towards Mard Geer and wings sprouted from his back, horns curving around his head and their weight was familiar and comforting and if he paid that feeling any thought he might've shuddered. The dragon prince eyed the demon, red eyes staring at him with a frightening focus that was two parts predator and one part human.
He moved again, bare, clawed feet making barely any noise as rushed at the self-proclaimed king. Natsu bared his teeth in a mockery of a grin at Mard Geer's startled face and twisted on the balls of his feet, claws on hands dragging Chaos like a whip. The demon stumbled back, managing to dodge the attack but he was not prepared, not ready for the tail and its razor-sharp edge that caught the edge of his hip and dragged up to his shoulder, spraying the dragon in black blood. Mard Geer hissed thrusting two fingers at the dragon that was already moving again. White light and flickering black erupted from his fingers and Natsu twisted like a snake out of the way, whole body boneless and graceful, movements just a little bit too sharp and too inhuman. The dragon prince ran forward, feet once again barely making a sound against the stone floor.
There was something odd about his head. His thoughts felt as if they were dragging through the mud in one moment and then moving faster than he could grasp them. He wasn't sure he minded that much, however as Mard Geer's next spell connected and he brushed it off as if it didn't even happen, bringing his glowing fist into the demon's face.
Mard Geer stared, once again shocked just enough to be one second too slow, as Natsu ran straight through his spell, missing a good portion of his skin and a part of the muscle that was healing in front of his eyes and Natsu's fist slammed straight into his plated nose, blood sprouting and bone breaking.
Natsu's hands grabbed his arms and pinned them to his body, legs wrapping around him along with the tail and wings before he could truly react. Just barely, but enough. Mard Geer twisted in the grip, calling his Curse as quickly as he could. The dragon didn't waste a moment, opening his jaw wide enough that he must've dislocated it and Mard Geer got a good view at the sharp teeth and at the red glow that lit up the back of his throat.
And then they both released the spell.
The pain brought the dragon prince back from whatever edge of insanity he indulged as he was sent flying back, the explosion of red and white and black blooming between the two and tearing them away from each other. He slammed into the ground hard, wincing at the biting air against bare muscles and bones and at the stench of his blood that filled the air. He sighed, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself to his feet, shaking his head to clear any of the remaining cobwebs.
"I'm an idiot," he decided, glancing towards where Mard Geer was sent flying. The demon looked as bad as he felt and Natsu was fairly certain he was dead.
How… disappointing.
He walked slowly towards the Etherious, fully intent on tearing off his head just to be safe. He could feel the way his skin knitted together; a rough patchwork that made his already scarred skin look even worse. But by the time he reached the still Etherious he was no longer bleeding and only a dull ache and bone-deep tiredness that came from a day of fighting reminded.
Mard Geer twitched, purple eyes blinking open and quickly focusing on the dragon prince just as shifted back into his human form. The demon stared at him for a long moment, staring at the blood that covered the dragon prince from head to toe that had no apparent source. He opened his mouth, words dying in his throat as hot blood trickled down his chin.
"Don't look at me like that," Natsu told him dryly. "I have no intention of wasting our time by asking asinine questions. I'm going to kill you and you should be glad I am more concerned about finding my family," and he wondered if that included Fairy Tail as a whole for a brief second before he decided that, yes, it did. He looked at the purple eyes that still seemed far too smug for his liking. "Y-you a-are too l-late"
Natsu stared at him for a silent moment before he gave the demon a smile of his own and he could see the way the demon shifted. "You failed, Mard Geer Tartaros. You will never see Zeref. You will never see your god. Die with the knowledge that you were deemed unworthy by Etherious Natsu Dragneel"
Mard Geer's eyes widened, a flicker of shock and disbelief and he rasped, "Impossi… ble"
Natsu cocked his head to the side, smile widening as he wrapped his finger around the demon's throat.
"Y- you wi… will… lose"
"Chaos Dragon's Grip Strike"
The demon's death brought him little satisfaction, not for some noble reason or for some 'revenge isn't an answer' but for the simple fact that it was too fast. Too painless.
But it was a gory death. And that will have to be enough, Natsu decided as he turned on his heel away from the headless corpse.
He needed to –
The world lurched in its place and the sky flashed red.
And then the light disappeared and the Hell opened.
"Sometimes I wonder…"
"About what exactly, dear Hades?"
"Is he stupid or just mad, Morrigan, I wonder if he is stupid or mad."
Morrigan paused, fingers motionless over a raven she was stroking and the bird blinked its three red eyes at her before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. The goddess smirked and turned her bird-like eyes towards the blue-haired god. "And he can't be both?"
"You are surprisingly calm considering what Ankhseram is doing," Berstuk noted, cleaning his nails.
"Same could be said for you," Minerva spoke with a note of disdain in her voice, pausing in her pacing to glare at the gods sitting on the plush velvet chairs as if there was not another Great War brewing.
"Ankhseram alone cannot start a Great War, Minerva," Hades told her.
"Shame, really," came a muttered reply from Anubis, the jackal-faced god was sprawled across a pile of pillows. "But he is right. Ankhseram, whatever happens, will either have his fun or the Haven bastards are going to send him back here with his tail between his legs. No one wants another War and it will not happen. Sure, few mortals died and a few more will but as long as we stay here no one will so much as blink"
"And you can't pretend like we didn't know he was doing this, he's been preparing for this for the last 400 years," Satan added.
Minerva rolled her eyes as she sat down, another chair appearing underneath her at a wave of her hand, "Well, true as that may be… I did not expect that he would succeed"
"I don't think anyone did, at least not so soon, 'tis true," Morrigan said, "But humans can be surprising"
"Speaking of humans," Hades smirked, bringing his index and middle finger together for a brief moment and twisting them to the side. A well-known face appeared in front of them and the Morrigan rolled her eyes, eying the other demon god. "You can't be serious," a smirk appeared on Hades' face, "You are serious! Acnologia will murder him, obviously. If not him than his cursed brat"
"Our cursed brat," Anubis cackled, propping himself up into a sitting position, "I take it we're taking bets?"
"Obviously"
Minerva sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She spoke after a moment, "You're all acting like brats," and a second later she added, "Hundred souls on Acnologia"
White eyes in a shadowy face curved into a smile as the air in front of him bubbled and tore. The wind ruffled his clothing, the air from the other world mixing with the stale sulfuric smell of Castle Hell.
How long has it been since he breathed in this air?
A white line split his face, mouth moving into a dangerous grin. "Glorious"
The demon beside him glanced at him, red eyes wide with shock and awe, and Lilith nodded, "You did it, sire"
Ankhseram grinned. "Of course, I did. You didn't doubt me, did you, my dear Lilith?"
A small smile crossed her lips, a found look on her face as she looked at the ground below as the portal opened completely and the army behind them started pouring out of it.
"Never, sire"
End of chapter 93.
I have to say, I did not expect that classes will take quite so much of my time. So much for finishing this before New Year.
But hey, here's another chapter! I'm not quite happy with it but I started writing this as soon as I finished the last one and it took me two months to get even this. Hopefully, the next chapter will be better. It should be and if my calculations are correct and my planning skills aren't completely useless the chapter 100 should be the last chapter of the story which means that based on my update history could take somewhere between two months to a year.
Good job me. Very reliable. But hey, I haven't abandoned the story even after five years so that has to count for something.
And thank you all for your support, it really means a lot to hear that so many people like this story so much. I truly don't know how that happened but you have one giant 'THANK YOU', from little ol' me. (I mean, seriously, just, WOW!)
Anyhow, since I don't have anything else smart to say, I'll leave it at this.
Please review and thanks for reading :)