" GRAUNDHORN ! "
Raining ice spears down, Esdeath hoped to stab his foes. However, bursts of fire struck all of the projectiles, annihilating them.
" Not bad. " Esdeath admitted, staring at Mine.
However, she then waved her sword, to counter Akame's. Then, she was almost forced to back down as her new opponent attacked unrestrained, while being aided by Gajeel and Lily.
Considering this disadvantage, anyone would have thought that Esdeath would soon be disembowelled. Yet she managed to keep a pace that was fast, precise and powerful, while she was able to keep pace against her three opponents. She even had the audacity to display an amused smile.
" Haha. " Giggles Esdeath. " That's it ! Keep going. "
Suddenly, hitting hard, Gajeel managed to strike his sword and spread Esdeath's arm to the side.
" That … ? " She wondered, as her abdomen was now exposed.
Seeing this opening, Akame and Lily didn't hesitate and aimed their swords at his abdomen. Still, a layer of ice covered Akame's stomach in time, blocking the swords with ease.
" What … ? "
Then directing a hand towards them, Esdeath created a block of ice, which trapped Gajeel's body inside. Seeing Lily and Akame move aside in time to the sides, Esdeath reached out both arms towards them, before creating icicles that charged at his two targets.
Distinguishing them in time, Akame leapt into the air to dodge them in extremis. However, less responsive, Lily had her arm pierced, and couldn't help but scream in pain.
" With you something else to offer me? " Wanted to know Esdeath, with a broad smile.
At that moment, attacking him from behind, Leone stuck out his claws and pretended to pounce on him. Nevertheless, deciding to intervene Dorothea moved in front of her and managed to grab her fist. Using significant physical force, she managed to stay put, as a smile appeared on her face.
" First lesson to train an animal. "
Lifting Leone towards the sky, she ends up pushing her down with all her strength against the ground.
" Lie down. "
Spitting blood then, Leone stayed at his feet, while Dorothea laughed.
" Is it fun? How does it feel to lose to a little girl? "
" Hey. " Esdeath exclaimed suddenly, without giving him the slightest glance. " Who asked you to intervene in my fight? Do that again and I promise I'll kill you. "
Astonished, the young girl gave him a hateful look. Nonetheless, she ended up pulling away from her somewhat, not wanting to be her next target. And hardly did she do so, when two people found themselves in front and behind Esdeath and attacked him from both sides.
" SKY DRAGON'S ROAR. " Wendy screamed, as Run created a tornado of wind with her wings.
Seeing the two currents of air, Esdeath only raised his hand, while whispering.
" ICE WALL. "
Immediately, two walls of ice rose up around her, protecting her from the two attacks. However, anticipating this, Wendy ran over to her.
" VERNIER. "
Increasing her speed, she leapt into the air, before aiming a fist at Esdeath.
" SKY DRAGON'S… "
Nonetheless, Esdeath then managed to grab hold of her fist, and immediately the mage's arm was covered in ice.
" What? "
Spinning around, Esdeath having fun banging Wendy against her ice walls, so hard they shattered. Then, she threw it brutally against the ground.
'' Well, what's wrong with you, Wendy? Is this all your power?
" Die. " A voice roared behind his back.
Having taken advantage of Dorothea's departure, Leone was able to get up and was now heading straight for Esdeath.
Seeing this, Wendy leaned against the ground, using her hands, before throwing her foot towards Esdeath's face.
" SKY DRAGON'S CLAW. "
Instantly covering himself in ice, Esdeath shielded himself from the two attacks. However, the power of the latter managed to break his armor, allowing to create an opening for Mine.
" I've got you. " She roared, shooting him.
Yet Esdeath only leaned back as much as possible. So the beam passed over her chest and face, as she smiled broadly, due to the combination of attacks.
" I love ! I'm having fun like a child. "
However, she immediately resumed her seriousness, when the beam disappeared. Indeed, taking advantage of her being entertained by the attack, Run had grabbed Akame, and carried him with him, into the air. Then, like a hawk, he had stalked towards Esdeath, while Akame had his saber pointed at her.
" GRAUDHORN ! "
" IRON DRAGON'S ROAR ! "
Hitting Esdeath's attack, a gray tornado destroys his ice spears, allowing the duo to continue on their way.
Immediately letting go of Akame, Run dropped her like a missile towards Esdeath. Certainly unable to dodge it, the Ice Woman created a new wall of ice in front of her for protection. Striking the latter, Akame's increased speed allowed his saber to stab him. Nevertheless, the too great thickness stopped her abruptly and she ended up stopping when her saber was going to pierce entirely the wall of ice on each side.
"Damn it, that was right . " Esdeath thought, as the tip of the blade was only inches from his face.
Pulling back, she thought.
"It will teach me to leave so many openings ! I am sorely lacking in training. "
Then, glancing to the side, she could see Gajeel's body, half stuck in its block of ice, as he struggled to free himself.
"Was he able to deliver himself ? Interesting! It is certain that it is not a weak one! And his power… he's similar to Wendy and Natsu! Would he be from Fairy Tail too ? "
Smiling at that moment, Esdeath now had a plan in mind.
"May the Empire and Honest go to hell ! I'm going to bring this man and Wendy back with me and force them to tell me where the base of Fairy Tail is! Oh yes, I will declare war on them myself. "
Seeing her as lost in thought, Gajell tried to break the ice further to free himself. Unfortunately, barely had time to punch him when he felt a strange blade pierce his back.
" That … ? " He wondered, turning around.
" Gajeel-sama. " Suzuka's voice chuckled, while her long fingernails were planted in her flesh. " It's not nice to ignore me! You only fight against Esdeath! I too want to be hit by your fists. "
" Shut up. " Gajeel roared, turning one of her arms into a sword, before rotating to strike her.
Not even trying to dodge, Suzuka felt the blade slash through her abdomen. However, instead of screaming, the pain spread through her like a wave of pleasure. So Gajeel could see her eyes turn to heart, as she licked her lips.
" Again ! I want more. "
Taking advantage of the fact that Gajeel's legs were still trapped in the block of ice, she gave him a powerful kick in the head, before following with a series of punches.
" I want to be hit harder! I want you to slaughter my body! I want you to torture me over and over again! Damn it, but you're gonna move, yeah? "
Taking the blows first, Gajeel reached out his arms and managed to grab Suzuka's, much to his dismay.
" You, you fall well. " Gajeel said, smiling, despite the many veins visible on his forehead.
Grabbing the top of Suzuka's head, he finally groaned, while lowering the demoness's head right onto what was left of the block of ice. Using Suzuka's head like a hammer, Gajeel pulverized the ice and managed to free himself.
Feeling, meanwhile, several wounds opened on her forehead, Suzuka spat blood, before falling to the ground, while moaning with happiness.
" Gajeel-samaaaaaaaaaa. "
" What a stupid woman. " The man roared, seeing her faint. " I don't even want to kill her. "
Meanwhile, countering Izou's sword once again, Wave managed to strike him in the stomach in order to push him away. Seeing him recoil, Wave did the same, and found himself back to back with Bols, who was directing Rubicante towards Dorothea.
Damn it, these guys don't want to give up!
" They are now only two. " Bols assured him. " If we win, we can say '' ciao Wild Hunt ''. "
" Hihi, you are completely wrong. " Dorothea retorted, smiling grimly. " One, because Cosmina is still alive! And two, because there is no chance that we will be beaten by critters like you. "
" Oh ? " Said Bulat, approaching them. " So even after the death of two of your comrades you still have hope? Is it because you have one last card to shove, or are you just keeping faith in Esdeath's strength? "
'' Since when ... am I supposed to be dead? " A voice roared, behind his back.
Turning around, Bulat couldn't help but be surprised when he saw Giry walking towards him. Certainly, he had a good part of his skeleton in pieces, significant damage to his internal organs and the simple fact of walking brought him serious pain. However, Bulat never believed to see him alive again.
" Can you still walk? So there, congradulations ! Sorry! At first I thought I was dealing with a pretentious guy! But, in the end, you might be an exceptional warrior. "
" Rot. " Giry roared, pointing his two false fingers at him. " Disappear. "
However, before he could even shoot, Wave had slammed his fist right in his face, pulverizing part of his teeth. Stepping back several meters, Giry gave him a hateful look, while Wave mumbled.
" I'm tired of all this. "
Throwing an angry look at the remaining members of the Wild Hunt then, he roared.
" I have had enough of all these murders! Of all those people in high places who just want to kill! Of all these so-called soldiers who think only of themselves. "
Warning, he began to assert:
" I will defeat you all! And then the Prime Minister will be next. "
" We are waiting to see that. " Giry assured him, pretending to charge him at the same time as Izou.
However, everyone suddenly stopped. As deafening as the howl of a dragon, a cry came out of Tatsumi's mouth, as the boy grabbed Incursio's handle. Yet, compared to usual, he seemed to have to use all his power and fight unimaginable pain in order to transform.
" Tatsumi? " Bulat wondered.
" Hahaha! What an imbecile. " Giggles Dorothea. " Didn't he notice the barbed wire that covered his gun? "
" The barbed wire? " Bols wondered.
" Yes ! Having thought about the risk that a potential situation like this could happen, we covered his teigu with enchanted barbed wire, of my own creation! This barbed wire has the gift of sealing the powers of a teigu and therefore eliminating any risk that someone could use it! On top of that, and this is the funniest part, is that these barbed wire are poisoned. "
" What ? " Wave frightened.
" Tatsumi, stop it now. " Bulat ordered him.
At that moment, Tatsumi pretended not to hear her, or else he couldn't hear her. In any case, the young boy continued to draw on his energy reserves and completely drained his energy, much to the delight of Wild Hunt.
Seeing him do it, Esdeath froze for a few moments. She too was aware of what was going on and knew full well that Tatsumi only had a few moments to live. Therefore, she wanted to at least attend his last moments, in order to honor his memory.
However, seeing Wendy not far from her, she was surprised to see her pull back. And to see his gaze, the girl seemed to be afraid of something.
" Hum? "
" What is that thing ? " Suddenly wanted to know Gajeel, while feeling as scared as Wendy.
" What's up ? " Lily asked him.
" His strength … . " Muttered the mage. " It is increasing phenomenally! And his aura has completely changed! It's not Tatsumi's anymore! It is that of a creature with terrifying powers. "
" What? " Dorothea wondered, then ceasing to snicker.
It was then that a transformation took place. Lighting up the entire arena, Tatsumi glistened fiercely as he screamed, as he felt as if his body was tearing apart. Yet ultimately Incursio eventually fused with him and covered him in armor.
Except the fact that Incursio was completely different. Usually it took on the appearance of armor that a knight worthy of the name could wear. However, this time around, she took on the appearance of a horrible monster, seemed to be thirsty for revenge.
" Hey, what does that mean? " Wanted to know Giry, turning to Dorothea. " I thought your thing was gonna kill him. "
" It was supposed to be. " The girl assured him, not understanding what was happening.
Seeing, meanwhile, Tatsumi stand still, Leone and Mine, were mine to come towards him.
"Are you okay, Tatsumi?"
" You're feeling good ? "
No answer reached their ears. Truth be told, Esdeath didn't even give him time to answer. Much like Gajeel and Wendy, she had ended up feeling the enormous energy that Tatsumi was releasing. She was grandiose.
" Tatsumi… " She cried, throwing her sword at him.
A punch. That was all Tatsumi needed to destroy Esdeath's sword, striking its blade.
Pulling back immediately, the young woman hissed in admiration, while Tatsumi looked at her hands. Closing them several times, he seemed to be able to control his movements, despite the fact that his whole body was in pain. However, he didn't care, all that mattered to him was knowing that his new transformation had made him much stronger than before.
Turning to Esdeath, he rushed straight for her, before pretending to hit her. Simply dodging her fist, jumping back, Esdeath repeated this movement several times while Tatsumi multiplied her attacks against her.
"Natsu… I know I'm far from being at your level ! Compared to you, I have known many more failures than victories! However, I always continue to follow you and take your example. "
" WEISSSCHABEL ! " Cried Esdeath.
Seeing the huge block of ice crashing at him, Tatsumi clenched her fist before using it to smash it to pieces.
"Yes, I have always trained in the hope of being like you ! What I wanted was to become a warrior like you. "
" ICE BRENDER ! "
This time, Tatsumi's entire body froze. And yet, in a matter of seconds, his raw strength alone was enough to break his prison and free him.
" Unbelievable. " Cheers Esdeath, while dodging his next attack. " Tatsumi, you are so amazing. "
"I don't care what that woman thinks! I don't want to be amazing in his eyes! All I want for me is to be strong enough to protect my friends! Yes, I want to allow Natsu to fight on his own, without him being afraid of whether his friends are okay or not. "
" GRAUNHORN. "
This time around, Tatsumi used her improved speed to dodge each of the projectiles, before clenching her fist and leaping towards Esdeath.
" I'm a member of Night Raid. " The boy roared, throwing his fist at her.
Just continuing to smile at her, Esdeath raised a hand in front of her, and created a wall of ice, which Tatsumi punched, at the risk of breaking her hand.
" You are so entertaining, Tatsumi. " Esdeath asserted. " However, know that it takes even more power if you want me to really take you seriously. "
However, her smile eventually faded, the instant her wall broke, while Tatsumi was now in front of her.
" That … ? "
" AHHHHHHH! " Tatsumi roared, hitting her right in the abdomen.
At that moment, everyone else in the arena froze to see this unfeasible action. Seeming to unfold in slow motion, it seemed to spend an eternity for Esdeath's feet to leave the ground, as his mouth slowly opened and his face betrayed some form of pain.
Then, his whole body finally disappears, to rush towards the bleachers. A huge noise was then heard the instant she crossed the wall of the stadium and she ended up getting stuck under a pile of rubble.
And even then, no one dared to say a word. Truth be told, everyone was stunned by what Tatsumi had just done.
" He has … ? " Wave started.
" Founded Esdeath? " Leone wondered.
"Damn, but how much has he improved?" Wanted to know Bulat.
" This child … " Thought Gajeel, regaining his composure. " What did he just do? For a moment, I thought I saw… a dragon in its place. "
Suddenly moaning in pain, Tatsumi finally let Incursio leave his body and fell to the ground, as fatigue had overwhelmed him.
Seeing this, Dorothea finally reacted before screaming.
" It must be killed! This damn kid is not normal. "
However, Izou quickly jumped to the side and was very quickly imitated by Giry and the little girl. Merging their attacks, Run, Mine, Wendy, Bols and Gajeel attacked them and their attacks hit a wall which exploded, knocking them aside.
" Not even in dreams. "
It was at this moment that a draft was felt, as a figure descended from the sky.
" Everybody. " Cried Najenda, on the back of a flying monster. " Come on, go up! Hurry up! "
She didn't have to repeat it twice for the rest of the group to climb up to her side. Gripping Tatsumi, Bulat threw him at the others, before being the last to join them.
" Come on, go. "
Screaming, the flying monster gained altitude, before beginning to move away from the arena. From then on, several people began to pray. Tatsumi had been saved, they had succeeded in defeating their enemies, and no one had died.
Clearly, they had almost achieved a miracle.
" We ... We did it? " Mine wondered. " We saved Tatsumi? "
" Who could have bet? " Wanted to know Bols, before looking at the boy in question. " But in fact, weren't the barbed wire he hit poisoned? "
" Hum? " Wendy wondered, as she was already treating the boy.
" No nothing ! I said nothing. "
" Hourra! " Then rejoices Leone." We won and in style. "
" No. " Najenda suddenly retorted, remaining serious. " We still have more people to collect if we want to celebrate. "
But what no one saw was Esdeath, pulling himself up out of the rubble only to lift his head to watch them go. At that moment, she began to freeze the air around her to create a huge chunk of ice to throw away.
However, staring at the crowd as they were leaving, while still feeling some pain where Tatsumi had hit her, she remained still.
Other than Natsu, no one had hurt him like this. And that impressed him. For her, the members of Fairy Tail were able to improve the people they rubbed shoulders with. Smiling at the thought, Esdeath suddenly ceased his attack, before finally turning around.
" I have to wait ! Yes ! The longer I wait, the more fun the final battle will be. "
Lying on a roof, Chelsea was still in her cat form as she waited at a specific meeting point. Finally stretching, she couldn't help but feel slightly anxious as no one came.
"What are these idiots doing?"
Finally, his ears perked up as quick footsteps could be heard. Arriving then, Seryu ran in his direction followed by Caruma.
"Hmm? " Chelsea wondered, having no idea who she was. " What has this psychopath been up to? "
" Chelsea! Oh hey ? You're here ? "
" Cry even louder, idiot. " Chelsea muttered, returning to her normal form.
Startling, Caruma turned to her, with a dagger in her hands. However, gripping her wrist, the assassin already had a needle brushing against her neck, as she advised him.
" If you want to stay alive, put this toy away! And then, who are you? "
" Don't worry. " Cried Seryu. " She is a friend . "
" A friend ? " Chelsea wondered, releasing the other girl. " No, but what are you thinking when you bring her here? We are in a delicate situation, I remind you! And then first, where is Natsu? "
" Exactly. " Caruma told me that several people were looking for him. " Members of the Fairy Tail army. "
" The what? What is this story? "
" We will explain to you on the way. " Caruma assured him, pretending to leave. "Just know that I have my little idea of where your friend might be. "
However, it was then that a voice cried out.
" Oh hey, are you there? "
" Natsu. " Chelsea recognized him, seeing the boy running towards them, with Happy by his side.
" God be praised. " Seryu asserted. " You are … "
Suddenly she fell silent, as a huge cloud of dust was seen behind Natsu. Then, finally, dozens of figures could be seen, as an entire battalion of soldiers followed the duo.
" That … ? "
" We get out. " The boy said, passing between the trio.
" What … ? " Caruma wondered, before his arm was gripped by Seryu, to make him run.
" Catch them. " Ordered a soldier, seeing the quartet fleeing. " The others are also part of Night Raid. "
" Natsu, what did you do? " Wanted to know Chelsea.
" Oh nothing ! A little trick. " Natsu assured him. " Just enough to boost the morale of people who want to fight alongside us. "
" What? "
" And how do we get rid of the soldiers? " Wanted to know Seryu. " Am I allowed to use Koro? "
" Good idea. " Chelsea said. " Make yourself useful for once. "
" Hey, are you upset? " Cried Natsu. " No question of killing other people! We don't even know if they're bad. "
'' Because you think we'll let them follow us to the lair? "
It was at this moment that a gray tornado hit the battalion to disperse the soldiers.
" That … ? "
" Decidedly, Salamander, you are really bad luck. " Gajeel's voice assured.
Flying in the air, a giant monster could be seen, with Night Raid on its back.
" Guys. " Natsu rejoices. " You came ? "
" Don't be too happy. " Najenda advised him. " As soon as you get in, expect a big beating. "
From then on, Wendy raised a hand in the air and created a draft that threw Natsu and Chelsea towards her. Seeing them float to join their friends, Caruma smiled when she recognized Wendy. Seeing her alive meant to her that Seryu had someone by her side who she would trust.
For her part, she was getting ready to rush straight towards an alley to scatter the few guards who remained and find a hiding place to take refuge for a while.
However, taking off in his turn, Seryu did not hesitate to grab hold of his collar, and took it with her.
" That … ? "
" No way I lose you again. " The former soldier assured him, before they landed on the giant beast.
Seeing the new face, Mine immediately wanted to know:
" Hey, Murder-girl! Who is this queue again? "
" Just someone to protect from these bullies. " Seryu simply assured him, while watching the group of soldiers, on the ground, raising their fists in the air.
" Hey, where is Lubbock? " Leone wanted to know, not seeing him among them.
At that moment, Natsu's face dropped as he asserted.
" I am sorry ! I couldn't… arrive on time. "
Immediately, the good humor of the original members of Night Raid vanished, as they realized that one of their own had finally died today.
" And shit ... " Najenda muttered, tightening her grip on the creature's reins. " This idiot… "
Gritting her teeth, she eventually lifted her head away, before asserting.
" We have nothing more to do here! Let's go! Take a good look around that no one is attacking us. "
Activating then, Wave moved to the left side and it was only in an instant that his gaze widened.
" What is that ? "
" Hum? " Bols wondered, turning to him. " A problem ? "
" The… The palace. " The boy stammered, pointing at the boy.
Looking up at the building, the masked man finally froze. In fact, everyone who followed him did the same, as their mouths opened wide, even for Run and Chelsea.
" Eh eh. " Suddenly said Natsu. " It was my little gift for the city. "
" That everyone is active. " Ordered a soldier, while he held a bucket of water in his hands. " Turn that off. "
" Who is responsible for this? "
" It can only be this man! This Natsu Dragnir. "
His gaze widened, Honest couldn't even find the strength to put the piece of meat he was holding in his mouth.
"No, but tell me I'm dreaming?"
The positive side was that the palace was still standing. The negative side was that after his encounter with the Fairy Tail army, that Natsu came back here on purpose and, taking advantage that no one could stop him, wrote using his fire magic a huge '' NIGHT RAID WILL WIN! while accompanying that with the symbol of Fairy Tail.
" Erase that from the facade, quickly. " Ordered a soldier.
" It's another Night Raid shot. "
" Uh, Prime Minister. " Suddenly called Makoto, while seeing the state of the facade. " Honestly, how should I react? "
In response, Honest cried out to a soldier.
" That we summon my son and Wild Hunt right away! I want them to stop that damn arsonist once and for all. "
"Impossible. " Retorted the soldier. " Wild Hunt is still near the arena where it seems to me that they have suffered losses! As for your son… his corpse has just been found! Last I checked, Natsu Dragnir has managed to get to kill him, before beating General Budo. "
" WHAT ? "
Arriving at that moment, on the roof of a house, Esdeath could see the spectacle from afar and couldn't help but chuckle.
" Natsu… so you're alive! What good news ! I can't wait to see you. "
Arriving, meanwhile, in front of the palace, while being helped by his men, Budo, still hurt, was at first surprised to see the front of the palace. However, after a few moments, he ended up smiling, before affirming.
" What a dirty kid. "
Then his gaze darkened as he stared at Honest.
"As soon as I am healed, I too will strike a great blow."
Still flying above the city, while staring at the palace, Night Raid could only be speechless in the face of Natsu's final movements. At least the message was clear. War was declared and everyone now knew that the final battle was fast approaching.
" He did it. " Bulat remarked. " This idiot has achieved the impossible. "
" I must admit that I am scared at the idea of the turn that events will take. " Lily confessed.
" Stupid girl. " Mine roared, towards Seryu. " Couldn't you have stopped her from doing this, Murder-girl? "
" Hey, I didn't know anything. " Said Seryu.
For his part, the culprit was ideal for Najenda. So, turning to the fire mage, Najenda roared.
" NAAAAATTTTTSSSSSUSUUU ! "
Yet his anger vanished at that moment. Showing him a big smile, Natsu was still. He seemed happy.
However, eventually leaving his mouth, a trickle of blood was seen. Then, suddenly, his body fell back, as he spat out the equivalent of a fountain of blood. The shard of metal had pierced the wall of his heart for good.
" NATSU. "