Chapter 97:
When he was a child, Acnologia had thrown him into a cave and closed the entrance behind him. A demon had been inside, laughably weak in retrospect but dangerous beyond reason to his child-self. He had barely started using magic at that point, only some sparks and whisps twisting between thin fingers. And he remembered the terror, the fear and anger at the situation, and the need to impress Acnologia that had been a living thing in him. And that need was what eventually led him outside a weak later, the demon in the cave dead. Acnologia had waited on the other end, a look on his face that betrayed nothing and the annoyance in his tone as he told him he was too slow and that he was ready to leave him in that cave had it taken him any more time.
Natsu wondered why he suddenly remembered that as he stood side by side with Acnologia, the two so close he could feel the heat radiating off of the king's skin. Ankhseram looked livid, white eyes glowing in the black emptiness of his face and if he had nostrils Natsu thought they would be flaring. The god wordlessly raised his hand to the sky and the two dragons stared as a spear of black energy shot from his hand and then burst above them like water hitting a rock, swirling down around them like thick tar. A dome of black swirling curse spread around them seamlessly, closing the three into what could very well be their own little world, the sudden silence that followed made Natsu realize how loud the world around them had been and he shivered at the wrongness of the dark dome around them.
Ankhseram stared at the two, white eyes wide and still glowing and Natsu knew that they were trapped. Trapped with an angry, vengeful god. He didn't need to check the void to know it wouldn't answer. Acnologia didn't bother either, simply cursing under his breath, never taking his eyes off of Ankhseram.
"I am done playing games"
"About fucking time," Acnologia answered and suddenly Ankhseram stood in front of the king, hand already moving down to strike him across his jaw. Acnologia's eyes widened and the king leaned back, avoiding the punch by less than an inch and Ankhseram snarled, twisting mid-punch with agility and speed that should be impossible, raising his heel towards Acnologia's chest. With no time to move away, Acnologia braced for the impact, clenching his teeth. White fingers gripped his forearm and pulled him away from the kick and Natsu was standing between the two suddenly, fingers splayed towards Ankhseram, and an explosion of crimson spread between them.
Ankhseram flinched back as the crimson touched him before he cut through the air with his hand, a crescent of black following the movement, and Natsu found himself on the floor in the next beat, Acnologia pressing his head down as the crescent flew overhead and hit the ground behind them, cutting deep through the debris they stood on.
The two were already moving to their feet when Acnologia lost the ground under his feet, Ankhseram's fingers wrapped around his head and the god continued in the circular motion of his attack, slamming down the dragon king into the rocky ground below. Acnologia, stunned momentarily, his vision swimming reacted more on instinct than anything else as he kicked with his legs, black and blue magic splaying around him and Ankhseram pushed back with a final slam of the king's head and in the next beat, Natsu stood in Ankhseram's spot, crimson energy flying at the god from the dragon prince's mouth.
"Fuck," Acnologia muttered even as he pushed himself to his feet, a hand on his head and a handprint burned into the side of his face. He was moving before he even looked at the blood on his fingers as he lowered the hand from his head. Natsu's roar dodged, the god was suddenly in the air, still for a breath before black tendrils of curse arched from his back, embedding into the ground a foot deep and the two dragons were forced to move, nearly faster than they were able to avoid them and by the time the barrage stopped Ankhseram was already there, standing a foot away from Acnologia and fingers forced together into a sharp point as he speared straight through dragon's shoulder, missing his heart only thanks to Acnologia's quick reflexes.
Natsu's eyes widened, the attack from before had forced them apart and he rushed forward, a wordless cry on his lips and he snarled, baring his teeth as his teeth grew into fangs and the skin on his hands and feet turned into scales. Acnologia grabbed a hold on the arm lodged in his shoulder with one hand, the other quickly gripping the fabric on Ankhseram's chest and magic exploded from both parts, sending the god skidding backward with a barely audible gasp of shock.
"You okay?" Natsu asked, reaching the two in a second even though it felt like an hour and he was moving already, pushing the god further back with a blast of crimson energy. Acnologia grunted in response, opening his mouth a beat later, a roar flying out of his mouth, twice as tall as he was.
Ankhseram planted his feet into the ground, a hand brought forward and the roar split in front of him like a wave on a cliff, and the next blast of crimson was split apart by another black crescent that nearly cut the dragon king in half.
The two dragons jumped back, trying to put some distance between them. Natsu took a deep breath, nearly panting and he cursed.
Laxus was certain he had a concussion. That, however, he concluded did not explain the dragon he saw speeding towards them. He glanced at Gray who sat next to him, the ice mage occupied with staring at Gajeel and Metalicana as their shouting and arguing reached a new decibel. Laxus looked back at the dragon in the sky, now considerably closer before he turned to Gray again and spoke, "Gray, look up"
Gray blinked, giving him a confused look but tilted his head up, half-lidden eyes widening in shock and he stood up, drawing the attention of the two arguing members of their group. Metalicana's head immediately turned to follow his line of sight and Gajeel did the same a moment later.
A grin stretched Metalicana's lips and a chuckle escaped his throat. "Grandeeney"
"Grandeeney?" Gray muttered in confusion, the name familiar and he saw both Gajeel and Laxus reach the same conclusion as he moments later just as the white dragon landed next to them. Wendy's mother.
"Metalicana," Grandeeney greeted warmly, eyes immediately moving over the injured mages. Her eyes settled on Arthur and her expression immediately darkened. "I think that the reunion and introduction will have to wait"
Wendy and Erza jumped from Grandeeney's back at that moment and Gray felt a new wave of relief crash against him, nearly buckling his feet. He did sit down a moment later as Wendy rushed over to them with a worried expression, her hands already glowing a pale green. She knelt down next to Laxus, who stared at her in confusion.
"Wendy, you shouldn't be using your magic, you -"
"Grandeeney healed me, I feel a lot better now," she assured the lightning mage, smiling weakly and Laxus begrudgingly relaxed, turning to look away from his own knitting skin and at Arthur's too still form and Grandeeney's worried expression as the dragon claw rested on the teen's forehead, pale green light shining from the tip.
Gray watched the exchange in silence, wondering if this is a sign that the worst has passed. He doubted it. A large portion of the guild was still missing. Gods know how many were actually still alive. They should -
"Are you alright?" Erza's sharp voice made him jump, too occupied by his own thoughts to hear her approach. He looked up at her, quickly taking in her appearance before he saw a disfigured shape in the corner of his eyes and his head snapped to the side, magic flaring to his hands. The four-armed demon looked back at him in shock and quickly raised all four arms in a peaceful gesture, "Whoa, Gray! It's me!"
Every eye immediately turned to the demon and the familiar voice. Gray blinked in shock, staring for a solid second when Gajeel spoke "U-Ultear?"
The time mage sighed heavily, one pair of hands on her hips and the other crossed over her chest, "Yes"
"Tartaros did that to her," Erza supplied, voice laced with fury.
"Is it… that's…," Gray bit the inside of his cheek not finishing that sentence and Ultear looked at him for a moment longer, not sure how to respond to an unfinished question before she turned to look at who Grandeeney was healing and her eyes widened in horror.
"Arthur," she whispered, barely audible before she rushed towards him, kneeling down. Her hands hovered over him uncertainly, the pale green light from Grandeeney's healing magic still wrapped around him. The group fell silent, staring at the two gathered around Arthur as Ultear's purple eyes filled with tears. "Don't you dare die, not you too," she whispered barely audible.
Grandeeney sighed after a moment and lifted her claw away from Arthur. Ultear blinked at the sudden lack of light and turned to stare at Grandeeney then back at Arthur. "I did what I could," Grandeeney explained, her face still pinched in worry and Ultear's head snapped back to Arthur, shaking fingers pressed against his throat, trying to find a pulse. "He's alive," Grandeeney said immediately and quickly added, "But he lost a lot of blood. I can heal a lot but… if we were safe I'd say there's nothing to worry about but-"
"But we're far from safe," Ultear supplied grimly, rubbing her hand over her eyes and then removing a few loose strands off of Arthur's forehead. "My daughter died today. I'm not losing my son"
Grandeeney and Metalicana nodded in grim affirmation and the two dragons clenched their jaw. "You humans should rest. Not a fly will get to you now that we are here," Metalicana informed them, and Gajeel snorted, "Confident much?"
Metalicana answered with a glare and rolled his eyes. "You fix what you can, I'll keep watch"
Grandeeney, already in the process of healing Gajeel looked at Metalicana with a raised eyebrow, "Watch your tone, Metalicana"
The iron dragon managed to look sheepish for a brief moment but quickly sobered, eyes moving to Gajeel who was sitting on the ground, watching his broken leg slowly be pieced together, "You do you. I'll make sure we're safe"
A sudden gust of wind went straight over them, strong enough to make the two dragons who were not in the hole completely blink and crane their necks and they looked up to the source, eyes widening and the mages tried to look over the edge unsuccessfully. "What's going on?" Gajeel demanded, trying to stand up only for Grandeeney to push him back down. Gray jumped up and over the edge, a burst of magic propelling him high enough and he blinked, eyes and mouth wide open.
"What is that?"
"What is what?!" Laxus yelled out, and Wendy stared up in worry, watching as Gray stared at something unseen.
Gray paused, trying to find the right words, "A… A black dome of some sort…"
"Ankhseram," Grandeeney hissed through gritted teeth.
A black dome of swirling black energy, sparking and twisting like a wildfire stood in the distance, probably large enough to hold in a dragon two times the size of Acnologia.
Laxus and Ultear cursed, Wendy bit her lower lip, and Gray and Gajeel swallowed. "Natsu"
There was no doubt about it really. An almost literal eye of the storm. "He's gonna be fine," Gajeel said after a moment, far more confidently than he felt.
"Yeah, he's gonna be fine," Gray agreed, eyes still fixed on the black dome separated by a virtual river of demons. It looked like an apocalypse. "He's Natsu"
"He's going to win this and it's all going to be fine," Wendy told them, moving away from Laxus and jumping up to heal Gray. She stopped short at the sight of the dome, before forcing her eyes away and focusing on Gray. "It's Natsu we're talking about. And Acnologia is with him probably"
Carla was not sure where she was nor how long has she been flying. Not long enough to clear the remains of Plutogrim, that much she knew. She had managed to find a half-collapsed room, a corridor really, and placed unconscious Mira by the wall as carefully as she could, standing in front of her as if she could actually protect her. The white cat would've snorted if she wasn't terrified that producing a sound would attract any number of demons prowling about. She was useless. Worse than useless. A downright hindrance. Dead-weight. What did she ever do that helped? She saw glimpses of the future and all she did with the knowledge was get Natsu killed.
She would've probably wallowed in self-pity for a good long while yet if Mira's breath didn't hitch in her throat behind her and that was all the warning Carla got before a far too loud shriek left her.
Carla stood frozen in horror for a moment, praying to whatever gods weren't willing to kill them today that the shriek has been lost in all the noise outside. Mira's eyes were wide, face pale, and shaking hands hovered half-raised as if she didn't know which part of her hurt more and needed attention first. Blue eyes frantically searched around in the near darkness of their corner of hell and Carla still hadn't managed to move by the time they landed on her.
"Carla," Mira sounded terrified, her voice barely a whisper, hoarse as if that scream tore away what was left of her ability to speak. Carla nodded, finally managing to shake off the shock and she scrambled to go closer to the lying mage, taking hesitantly one cold hand in her paws. "I'm here," the cat whispered, still half-expecting a demon to barge into their little sanctuary. "I… I know it's not much of a comfort," she tried a weak smile, some sort of a joke that fell painfully flat.
Mira swallowed, fingers gripping Carla's paw with surprising strength, "It hurts," her voice broke again, and Carla bit back her own tears as she saw water gathering in Mira's eyes.
"I- I know," Carla whispered, "J-just hang in there. It'll all be over soon and we'll be alright. You – you'll be alright"
Mira stayed silent, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes before she screwed them shut and Carla thought she might've passed out again but then the mage opened her eyes and looked at Carla, "It's even worse out there now, isn't it?"
Carla swallowed, looking at the ground for a moment before nodding, not meeting the terrified blue eyes that stared at her. Mira made a soft noise between a whine and acknowledgment in the back of her throat and her fingers around Carla's paw loosened from their painful grip.
She spoke again, even quieter than the last time and Carla was sure if she was any further away, she would've missed it. "I can't feel my legs"
"Oh, Mira," Carla whispered and felt her heart break. A sob escaped her and Carla felt a jolt of panic race through her again, eyes darting around and ears pricking up. "Shhh," she tried, both to comfort and to keep them safe here, she couldn't fly them out if they got into trouble again. Nothing moved near them for a moment, and she dared to hope that no one heard the sobbing.
They weren't so lucky.
The widening of Mira's eyes and the hitch in her breathing was all the warning Carla had before a tentacle wrapped around her and yanked her out of the collapsed corridor, a scream tearing from both her and Mira. A moment later two more tentacles moved into the corridor and pushed away the ceiling of it, revealing Mira who tried to push herself away with her hands, legs dragging behind her and Carla, dizzy from the wild shaking tried to find the enemy, pinpoint the origin of tentacles that seemed to be far too numerous. An eye twice as large as her stared back, blistered grayish-green skin around it crinkled in what was probably a smile. She screamed again, trying and failing to pry herself out of the grip, the skin on the tentacles so dry it flaked under her palms, falling off in pieces and the grip around her tightened, the eye turning back to Mira.
"Leave her alone!"
Whatever the demon was actually sentient enough to understand her she did not know. It made no acknowledgment of what she said, simply wrapping the flaking tentacle around the broken mage that screamed again and Carla knew that if they survive this that sound will be another one she heard today that will haunt her nightmares.
Searing heat and a wet squelch were unexpected and it took her a moment to realize it didn't come from the demon. Well, not willingly.
The tentacles around her loosened and she started falling, wings spreading before she hit the ground and turned in time to see the end of a flaming tornado that all but obliterated a good portion of the demon's head and what was left of it black and charred into charcoal. She blinked, dazed, and looked up to see Igneel looking at her, a grim expression on his face as he landed next to them, four other dragons flying above, and Carla wondered how she hadn't heard them, wings like thunder and roars loud enough to shake the earth.
"Are you alright?" Igneel asked, voice surprisingly gentle as he picked Mira from the ground, gently cradling her in one large paw.
The shock must've woken her up from the pain-induced daze, tear tracks on her dirty face devoid of new tears. Her voice was still strained, as she gripped Igneel's claw like the dragon might drop her. "No," she finally spoke through gritted teeth and Igneel nodded, obviously not surprised by the answer, the dragon then looked at Carla and the cat nodded at the unasked question, "Yea, I… I'm fine. Just… exhausted"
Igneel nodded and then sighed heavily, glanced at the burned husk and then around them at the demons scurrying into the corners and under rocks like cockroaches in a wide radius around the king. "Let's go," he offered his other paw to Carla and the cat thankfully sank against the claws and the dragon lifted off. The two Fairy Tail members close together in the air looked at each other for a brief moment before Mira looked at Igneel, the two tightly held against his wide chest, barely even seeing the world around them speeding by.
"We'll be alright," Carla repeated and this time she dared to believe it.
Kindra was ready to flood the whole area the moment they saw Plutogrim's carcass. Himmel stopped her with a quick shout. "We don't know how many mages are down there with the demons"
And sure, he had a point. That didn't change the fact she wanted to drown every last one of them. Igneel flew ahead of them, and Adalstienn and Demir behind. No one spoke much since they left the warzone on the island. Not that it surprised her, there was nothing to talk about and any conversation they might've started would've ended in 'Are they still alive?' and no one would have an answer for that. The screams and shrieks and the noise that grew as they came closer to what was left of Plutogrim made them all clench their teeth. And then they saw them, Grandeeney and Metalicana and further away, nearly far enough that they barely saw them Skiadrum and Weisslogia. And somehow that made Kindra's stomach flip both in relief and panic and all it did, in the end, was make her nauseous. If they were here then it probably meant that some of the mages were at least alive. On the other hand, it meant that situation was even direr than they first thought.
And the fact that they couldn't see Acnologia nor Natsu was particularly loud in the silence around them. Igneel suddenly tensed, head turning to the side and the other four followed his line of sight, quickly seeing what caught his attention even as the fire dragon already made his way down, fast like a bullet, and in a matter of seconds the demon was no more and the white-haired mage she recognized along with a flying cat she did not were safely tucked away in Igneel's claws.
Kindra looked around again, trying to see any sign of the mages of Fairy Tail or humans in general in the sea of demons, and once again had to squash down the urge to start blasting magic at everything that moved.
She didn't like humans. But those Fairy Tail mages grew on her. In a short time, she saw them at Grand Magic Games, and then after they brought their prince back.
"Split up," Igneel spoke when they reached the middle of the wreckage, "Search for survivors. And be careful not to add to the list of casualties"
There wasn't even a question if there were casualties. Not in a massacre like this.
The four dragons nodded but before they could leave Igneel spoke again, "Himmel!"
The sky dragon stopped, and the other three eyed them before a look from Igneel sent them on their way. "Miss Mirajane is hurt," Igneel said as a way of explanation, opening his claws to reveal a very pale Mira who blinked at the sudden light, looking even more dazed than before and once again on the verge of passing out. "Can you do something? Here -"
He held out his other hand that held Carla and gently placed them both in Himmel's waiting hands. "Take them both and get to the outskirts of this place, keep them safe there and try to contain the situation. Who knows how many demons already left"
Himmel opened his mouth to protest for a brief moment, looking anxious before his expression pinched and he nodded tightly. "Send everyone you find my way and bring those who can't make it on their own," the dragon said and the two split in a hurry.
Carla shivered in the new hold, suddenly aware of just how cold it is and how warm Igneel was. Himmel made a sympathetic hum in the back of his throat at that but didn't speak, quickly making his way down into the razed forest, landing in the deep gauge Plutogrim left when it landed, clearing the smaller demons that scuttled around like ants.
"This will have to do," he said, and Carla nodded, not even sure if he was talking to her or to himself. He glanced at her, watching her with sharp eyes and Carla looked away, unable to meet the sharp gaze but she still saw him nod and he turned to Mira, apparently satisfied with Carla's own condition before he sat to check the downed Mage.
He hissed in displeasure almost immediately when he got a better look at her and that did nothing to help elevate Carla's growing anxiety. Mira gave a dazed little laugh, obviously hearing him as well. "That good, huh?"
"I am surprised you are still alive," Himmel told her bluntly and Carla winced. The dragon sighed, "I'll do what I can"
He glanced at Carla who anxiously shuffled in her spot, talking to her for the first time, "Are you well enough to keep watch?"
And knowing of a dragon's senses she knew he asked her only to give her something to do. She wasn't going to acknowledge it and simply appreciated the small kindness. "Yes"
"Good. Do it"
She did.
Himmel still heard them before she did, lifting his gaze from Mira's tense form even as he kept his claws resting on her sternum, greenish magic strong and not even wavering as his attention shifted to the woods around them.
"Identify yourself," and the fact he didn't just blast a roar into the trees told Carla it was not demons. An assumption that proved correct when she saw Lyon Vastia step out of the woods, hands, and feet covered in scrapes, bruises and blood that told her the woods were full of demons. Sherria walked behind him, Ooba and Jura a few dozen feet to their right and several other members of Lamia Scale, scattered throughout the fringes of the woods, slowly making their way out and it took Carla a moment too long to realize that the sight of a dragon might not be as welcome to them as it was to Fairy Tail.
The fact they looked ready to fight Himmel made Carla nearly jump out of her own skin. "We are here to aid Fairy Tail, dragon. We-," Jura spoke but stopped as his eyes slid down to Mira, her glazed eyes staring back and the mage shifted, squaring his shoulders. "What have you done to her?!"
Himmel's nostrils flared and Carla stepped in before it could get any worse. "He's healing her!"
Jura blinked, turning to her, "Carla?"
"As the cat said, I am healing her. If you are here to help Fairy Tail then I have no further objection to your presence. Proceed with your business"
The mages didn't move at the clear dismissal and Himmel's pale blue eyes flickered with annoyance. Ooba spoke after another tense moment, "Lyon, Sherria!" the two looked at their guild master, "You stay here and help them how you can! The rest of you! Let us go! We have not come here to gawk"
The mages scattered quickly after that, Jura looking somewhat unsure to leave two members behind. Himmel could relate. Lyon blinked, somewhat lost before he glanced at Sherria who forced a smile on her face, weak as it was. "Can we do anything to help?"
"How good is your healing?"
Sherria blinked, her mouth slightly open before she spoke, "You're a sky dragon"
"And you're a god slayer," Himmel stated, his tone suggesting stating the obvious was not what he had in plan. "How good is your healing?" he repeated and Lyon answered for her, "She's great"
Himmel eyed the ice mage for a brief moment before nodding, seeming satisfied. "Heal who you can while I deal with the rest when more people arrive. Leave the serious cases to me"
"And me?" Lyon asked, swallowing.
"Stay out of our way"
Lyon's mouth snapped shut and he bit the inside of his cheek. Carla tugged his pants a moment later and his black eyes turned to look down at her. "You can stand guard with me," she offered weakly and if Lyon knew how useless that was next to a dragon, he didn't say anything, simply nodding as his eyes slid to the forest they just came out off.
Had it been anyone else here with him, Natsu was fairly certain he would be dead on the account of paying too much attention to their own well-being. As it was he was confident enough in Acnologia's abilities and his father in his that fighting Ankhseram was nearly bearable. It didn't hurt that even after all their time apart they were still capable of fighting together like a well-oiled machine. If one was too slow to dodge the other pulled him out of the way, if one made an opening the other took it.
It was slow work, nowhere near as easy as it seemed the last time they fought him and it proved the last time the god had just played with them. It was beyond frustrating. The fact they both fought for hours by now did not help.
One moment it looked like they were finally pushing him back, the next he would be even faster, even stronger. And Natsu wondered if he was still holding back. It was a dreadful thought.
"Do you really think you can win this?"
"I should be asking you the same thing," Acnologia spat. He and Natsu stood on one end of their tar-like prison, Ankhseram on the other and Natsu dared to breathe, the sudden lull letting them catch their breath.
"What hope do you have of defeating a god? Do you think that just because you defeated Havoc you have a chance? Is it because you sunk a continent? What gives you the confidence – the insolence to assume you can do anything to me," And Ankhseram, damn him, managed to look genuinely intrigued to hear the answer. Intrigued in a way a man might be when they put a rat in a maze and wait for him to find the cheese.
The answer Acnologia gave surprised the dragon prince.
The dragon king barked a laugh before he spoke, "I am well aware that the balance of power exists because the number of dragons exceeds the number of gods. That no dragon since The Original Three alone is able to kill a god."
The certainty with which Acnologia said that made Natsu wonder if that did happen.
"I also know that I killed Havoc only because he let me," and Natsu wondered why was Acnologia saying this, Ankhseram obviously knew that much even if the news were somewhat of a shock to him.
"The dumb bastard let me do it," Acnologia let out a short, derisive laugh, "And I know that the death of a continent is nothing compared to the massacres you committed when you were on this Plane the last time. But you are forgetting one thing"
"Oh?"
If the bastard had lips he would be smirking, Natsu knew.
"There is not just one dragon. There is not just one continent," Acnologia said, a grim smile on his lips, "You kill me, you kill Natsu, and what then? Kill his guild, kill the town, kill the country, enslave its people, capture them and treat them like animals, kill all dragons, destroy what little is left of us? Humans will never give up. It might take them a year, or ten, or hundred, but they will find a way to kill you because it's in human nature"
Ankhseram snorted, waving a hand through the air dismissively, "Killing?"
Acnologia's grin widened into something sharp and ugly, "Everything and everyone in their way. And you, Ankhseram will be in their way. It's in their nature to win. It's in their nature to succeed"
"You have a lot of faith in a bunch of ants. I will win"
Acnologia shrugged. "Maybe today. But if it really comes to that. Even if you manage to defeat all of us do you really think not every dragon will come here"
"Let them," the sneer came immediately. Unlike Ankhseram, Natsu realized what Acnologia was saying.
"You're talking about Gallifrey"
Ankhseram twitched and Natsu wondered if the god actually met the Time Dragon. Everyone he ever met only knew the stories. "He's dead"
Acnologia smiled, "I don't believe that and neither do you"
Ankhseram talked enough apparently because in the next second, he was standing in front of Acnologia and Natsu didn't even have time to blink in shock as the dragon king was sent flying through the air into the black wall of the dome, bouncing off of it like a rag doll, black tar sticking to him like smoke.
"ACNOLOGIA!"
And Ankhseram was in front of him. And he was even faster now. Fast enough that Natsu didn't even see him move. "You don't have the luxury of being distracted, boy"
A hand wrapped around his throat, burning immediately as he twisted him in the air and slammed him into the ground, cracks spreading around him from the impact. Natsu scrambled for a moment, hands clawing at the hand around his throat as the god raised his other hand, ready to no doubt drive it right through his skull. He gathered his magic, nearly desperate as he let it explode around him in a wild abandon and Ankhseram hissed, jumping back as if burned, red magic clinging to him like fire. Natsu climbed to his feet, magic still dancing around him as he glared at the god. He wanted to look at Acnologia, to make sure his father was actually still alive but he didn't dare turn his eyes away from the god. The sickeningly loud sound of bones cracking when the god's fist met Acnologia's chest still echoed in his head.
He launched himself at Ankhseram, pushing past exhaustion and pulling strength from share desperation and wings exploded behind him in a shower of blood, long tail with the blade edge curling behind him as he spun in the air and did his best to cut the god in half with it, red magic still covering every inch of his skin.
"What is this?!"
The fact he didn't know, the fact he genuinely looked disturbed by it made something dark twist in pleasure in Natsu.
If Natsu had to guess what this was... well, E.N.D came to mind. "Me," he said instead.
A look of disgust crossed Ankhseram's face and he was gone. Still too fast for Natsu to truly follow but he at least managed to see it coming, magic and curse amplifying his senses so much it was nearly painful. He blocked the kick, felt his bones crack and they both pushed back, smoke rising from Ankhseram's leg as he hissed and Natsu's arms throbbed painfully. As soon as Ankhseram landed Acnologia appeared behind him, a pillar of magic twice the size of the god appearing almost directly next to him, and the god was pushed back, unable to do much more than raise his hands.
Acnologia stumbled as soon as the roar left his mouth, blood dripping down his chin and Natsu looked at him in alarm, eyes moving from his pale face to the clear, unnatural concave the right side of his ribs made. Acnologia glanced at him, a smile working its way on his bloody lips and something that Natsu was pretty sure was pride appearing in his eyes, "Since when are you stronger than me?"
Natsu's own lips twitched, something warm and pleasant spreading in his chest despite the situation, and the two turned to look at Ankhseram as the god snarled at the two and shot himself at Acnologia. The dragon king moved to dodge, Natsu rushed forward, and Ankhseram reached the king.
It happened far too quickly and Natsu still felt like he was watching in slow motion as Ankhseram's hand tore through Acnologia's side. The momentum made the dragon king fly to the side, crumbling through the air like his strings were cut, a spray of blood following behind him.
An inhuman screech tore through Natsu's throat unbidden, echoing in the dome and shaking the ground as his magic exploded around him and he reached Ankhseram a moment later, hands wrapping around the black throat. He ignored the way his skin blistered and peeled at the touch, focusing completely on Ankhseram's own screech of pain that left the god as the red energy seemed to seep into the darkness of his skin.
End of chapter 97.
I was debating ending the chapter here or not. As you can see I decided to do it here because, well… it felt like a good place to end it. Cliffhanger~
And hopefully, with most of my exams and projects over for at least a few weeks, I might actually finish the next chapter (or even the story) soon. Thank you all who still read this. Means a lot to me.
A lot of people told me I nerfed Natsu. And I mean a lot. Now I will say that in certain parts of the story that is true. And while I sure could've done a better job at it I hoped I gave good enough reasons and at least to me they were important for character development and such. That being said Natsu is right now stronger than he ever was in the story and I do hope that people won't ignore the fact he is fighting an actual god. Of course, he will have trouble with this. He's not the strongest being in existence.
I felt like I had to say this.
Anyway, as I said before. Anyone still reading this; THANK YOU!
And as always, please review and thanks for reading :)