SailorStar9: We now continue with Chapter 125 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?
Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OCs.
Chapter 125: Tartarus Chapter: Final Duels
"Ulyo, that attack..." Lucy hurried over.
"I'm okay." Ulyo assured. "It's just... I never had to use the 'Heavens Subjugation' aspect of my abilities on such a large scale; the 'Heavens Subjugation' requires a lot of control to begin with. Just give me some time to recover."
"Ulyo-sama, your hair..." Juvia gasped.
"Oh this." Ulyo held out a lock of her fringe that had turned white. "Side effect of my training."
"Lucy, Juvia, move Ulyo away from here." Natsu instructed.
"This is gonna get ugly." Gajeel cracked his knuckles.
"Gajeel, don't drag your feet." Natsu warned as Lucy and Juvia took Ulyo out of harm's way.
"I don't like the look of this!" Lucy exclaimed, seeing Torafuzar and Tempester turn into their Etherious forms. "Gajeel, what is that?" she asked, seeing the Iron Dragon Slayer take on his 'Iron Shadow Dragon Form'.
"There they go again." Ulyo sighed, the two Dragon Slayers were arguing over whose hybrid Dragon forms were stronger.
"Both of you, come on!" Lucy scolded.
At her reminder, both Dragon Slayers attacked their opponents.
"Eh?" Lucy exclaimed in shock when the two rivals punches each other's cheeks.
"Idiots." Ulyo muttered.
"How did that happen?" Torafuzar was puzzled.
"Stop squabbling at a time like this." Lucy chided, both Dragon Slayers huffing at each other.
"And I thought Natsu and Gray's fights were bad enough." Ulyo shook her head.
"We will win." Torafuzar declared, cutting off the Dragon Slayers' argument. "I invite you to the Underworld's deep sea. Plunge the world into darkness!" he announced, unleashing the 'Tenchi Kaimei' curse on the Fairy Tail group, the sheer force of the black wave washing Natsu and Gajeel away.
What is the range of this Water Magic? Gajeel mused, submerged in the water.
At this rate, I'll run out of breath. Lucy realized. That's right, even in this water, Ulyo and Juvia should be fine. This is.. she blinked when a water sphere started forming in front of her.
"This isn't normal water." Ulyo pointed out, her 'World of Water' water bubble covering the three females. "Even by floating in it is zapping our energy; I'll try to filter out the poison in the water."
"Salamander, take the women and find an exit outta this water!" Gajeel barked. At least the women are alright. He turned to the bubble that encased the three girls after seeing Natsu had fainted in the water.
"It seems that he drank the dark water of darkness." Torafuzar noted. "This water is poisonous. It's fatal in five minutes. Although, in the first place, humans can't even hold their breath for five minutes. This is no exit here." he dodged Gajeel's punch, the Iron Dragon Slayer having sealed off his mouth with bar stripes. "Deep Impact!" his attacks sent Gajeel smashing into the ground.
"Sword of the Iron Dragon!" Gajeel countered, moving behind Torafuzar using the shadows. Bastard... is tough. He admitted, knocked out of his hybrid form after receiving a series of Torafuzar's 'Deep Impact attacks. Just as he was losing consciousness, Levy swam to him, transferring her air to him via a kiss. Levy! He recognized the now unconscious Script Mage. What's she doing here? "Outta the way!" back in his 'Iron Shadow Dragon Mode', he slammed a fist on Torafuzar's neck before the demon could attack Levy.
"Solid Script: Air!" Levy formed an air bubble with her magic.
"Take care of Salamander and the others." Gajeel told her. "You saved me, Levy." he noted, heading back towards his opponent. It was not long before he took out Torafuzar with his 'Steel Dragon Sword' and nullified the carbon particles with a wave of magic after the water receded. "Crap..." he cursed, going down on one knee. "Still one left."
"You beat Torafuzar, but now you're out of magic?" Tempester asked behind Gajeel. "Then, your life ends here, human." he raised his claw, but was forced to dodge a lightning bolt from the sky. "I remember." he noted, seeing Laxus in front of him. "I encountered you then. But you inhaled my anti-magic particles."
"Again, I'm..." Laxus started, looking around to see the gradually waking mages on the ground.
"But it's fine." Tempester shrugged. "I'll just eliminate the obstacle in front of me.
"Again, I'm..." Laxus muttered, slamming a lightning fist at the charging flaming Tempester. Canceling out Tempester' whirlwinds with his thunder, he charged in and hammered Tempester with a lightning punch, sending the demon to the ground.
"You..." Tempester realized after Laxus countered his 'Boulder' and 'Cyclone' Curses. "Are you really human?"
"Laxus' body is still full of anti-magic particles." Ulyo supplied. "If I'm not wrong, even your internal organs are starting to fall apart, Laxus. You're definitely of Master's blood." she grinned. "Cleansing Barrier." she moved in to cast the filtering bubble over Laxus who had knelt on one knee in exhaustion, after punching Tempester into a wall.
"Too bad." Tempester scoffed. "Surely, no other human could fight like that with their body pumped full of anti-magic particles. However, I'm sure you've just about hit your limit. You're out of your league, human. I am one of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartarus, the immortal Tempester. I'm not going to lose to the same opponent twice."
"That's my line." Laxus retorted. "Ulyo, release the filter barrier. You'll need your full strength for the final fight. "
"Understood." Ulyo nodded.
"I"m gonna crush you with these two hands." Laxus swore, his magic aura was still brimming.
"Your struggling is pointless." Tempester warned, jumping back to dodge Laxus' punch.
"Raging Bolt!" Laxus called down a large thunderball straight at Tempester.
"Is that the best you can do?" the unfazed Tempester questioned. "Rumble." he encased himself in a tornado and charged at Laxus. "Boom." he sent a stone spike from the ground at Laxus when he got close enough. "How long can that body hold out when it's filed with anti-magic particles? Putting it to the test amuses me, human. Whoosh." he summoned several hurricanes at Laxus.
"Roar of the Lightning Dragon!" Laxus let loose his attack.
"Boom!" Tempester sent a fireball in through the smoke.
"You're really doing a number on me." Laxus admitted.
"Spin." Tempester countered Laxus' lightning punch with a tornado around his arms.
"Laxus should be fine, I hope." Ulyo remarked.
"What do you mean?" Gajeel looked at the healer.
"I planted a filtration spell on his body, in the form of a magic circle." Ulyo replied. "As he fights, the spell continues filtrating the anti-magic particles from his body. I've already done the same with others." she nodded towards the four unconscious mages on the floor.
"Demon, my ass." Laxus dodged the punch and slammed a lightning kick on Tempester who used his arms to block. "You're the one who's scared." he taunted, regardless of the fact that Tempester had caused him to cough out blood when the demon punched him in the stomach. "Jaw of the Lightning Dragon!"
"Spin." Tempester dodged the lightning strike and sent Laxus flying back to a boulder with his tornado kick. "Smash." he then used a nearby rock and smashed it into Laxus. "Give up, human." he advised, Laxus having freed himself from the rubble. "Surely, you can't move anymore. It's over for you."
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Roaring Thunder!" Laxus powered up once more, slamming a thunder-powered punch at Tempester.
"Rattle!" Tempester rained a shower of rocks at Laxus. "This time for sure, it's over." he walked over to the panting Laxus. "I'm ready to give it a fitting end. Whoosh." he drilled a tornado fist on Laxus' body. "Let go." he glared, when Laxus grabbed his fist.
"You're right." Laxus admitted. "I can't move anymore. But..." he charged up a lightning fist. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Dragon!" he hammered Tempester with an uppercut and causing the demon to cough out blood that fell on his coat. "Gajeel." he tossed his bloodied coat over. "Take it... my coat. Take it over there. Deliver it to the old lady. His blood, I hear it can be used for an antidote."
"Could it be..." Ulyo gasped. "Laxus, was this your objective this whole time?"
"Dumb ass." Laxus scolded, Gajeel supporting him with an arm over his shoulder. "Didn't you hear me? I said to get going?"
"If I left you here, my conscience wouldn't let me hear the end of it." Gajeel retorted.
"Never mind, just go!" Laxus snapped. "Take the blood over now!"
"The day these fights go easy for us is the day I know we've broken reality." Ulyo joked mirthlessly when the trio heard Tempester get back to his feet.
"I am the immortal Tempester." Tempester declared. "As long as the Underworld King is with us, my body is constantly being supplied by a faint amount of curse power. The Hell's Core resurrection is an ability possessed not only by me, but by all Nine Demon Gates. Nevertheless, for some reason, only I was given the nickname 'the Immortal'. My body has always been stronger than the others'. On top of that, the Curse Power the Underworld King supplies me with increases my natural demon healing ability several times over. In order to destroy this immortal body, you'd better take me one in one attack that doesn't give me the chance to heal."
"No, you're already finished." Laxus corrected.
"I see." Ulyo smiled in realization when she saw lightning crackle on the puddles of water Torafuzar left behind. "So that's how it is."
"As you wish, I'll take you down with one strike." Laxus smirked. "Roar of the Lightning Dragon!" he unleashed his final attack. With the water puddles acting as conductors, the lightning streams merged into one with Tempester in its center.
"Well done, human." Tempester muttered. "I have no way to get up again. The Curse Power supplied by the Underworld King won't heal me in time. I'm going to die in a matter of seconds. And Hell's Core no longer exists. However, I must serve one last purpose. Come with me, along with these anti-magic particles," he let the anti-magic particles within his body loose. "Come with me to the land of the dead."
"Snow?" Gajeel wondered as snow started to fall and he turned to Ulyo who was beginning her 'Heavens Subjugation' tech. "Ice?" he blinked, seeing the ground freezing over. "Anti-magic particles?" he looked at the glittering dust falling on his hand. "In a space of a moment, you froze all those anti-magic particles?" he was stunned as Gray rested a hand on Ulyo's shoulder and stopping the 'Heavens Subjugation'.
"Don't tell me he fought in his condition." Gray looked down at Laxus. "These anti-magic particles are what made Laxus and the others sick. I froze all of them, but what about the blood?"
"I've got it right here." Gajeel showed him the bloodied coat.
"I see." Gray remarked. "Ulyo." he walked past the water mage. "Have you completed your training?"
"More or less." Ulyo replied.
"Come with me." Gray instructed. "We're going to crush Tartarus."
SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.