Okay, chapter 6 of Devil Tail. Still going strong, and focusing on it more than my other stories. To be honest, I didn't think when I started this story that it was going to get so popular so fast. However, I honestly doubt it would ever compare to Ultimate Fairy which is a masterpiece made by an excellent author.
However, if it does half as good as Ultimate Fairy, I would consider that an achievement. But Devil May Cry has been getting a bit more popular, especially with the teaser for DMC 5, so if it does well, that's great.
In any case, on to the story.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, not a thing.
Devil Tail
Chapter 6: Galuna Island Part 3
*Mindscape*
"Kyrie get to safety, now!"
Sparks flew, Nero's sword clashing with another in a brutal contest of who was the greater swordsman.
"NERO!"
"Go now! Find someplace safe with the others and-"
A distinct crunch was heard and Nero's left arm was enveloped in agony. The attack knocked him to the ground as his head smashed into the stone. He was alive, but the fight took a terrible turn.
"Kyrie?" gasped Nero as he sat up, "Kyrie?! KYRIEEEEEEE!"
Nero sat up suddenly, waking from a nightmare. His breathing was quick and sharp gasps as he looked around, trying to remember how he got in a cave. As the memories of what happened and where he was sunk in, the Demon Hunter let out a groan and rubbed his eyes.
Another nightmare.
But they hadn't come around for weeks, and that confused him. Why did they suddenly come back?
'Lyra's song, maybe that had something to do with it,' thought Nero as he scratched the back of his head, 'Not the first time I've dealt with that dream...I'll get through it again, hopefully.'
Suddenly, any tiredness he had or concern for his nightmares quickly dissipated as the cavern began to shake.
"The hell?" stated the demon hunter instantly on his feet and began looking around.
"Is it night yet?" Natsu said, jumping up as well; however, he seemed more concerned with actually doing something than the possibility of being buried alive.
Instead of falling rocks, a violent magic circle appeared on the cavern's ceiling and a purple light flowed downward, covering the frozen form of Deliora.
"It's a beam of light!" Lucy shouted, wide-eyed.
"Shining down from the ceiling," Natsu concluded, equally shocked.
Devil Bringer began pulsing powerfully, almost responding to the glow. Nero narrowed his eyes as he looked down at his demonic appendage. The glove he wore was nearly torn to shreds thanks to its treatment when he slowed himself and Lucy down when they fell into the cave. Seeing no point in wearing it, he tore the glove off but kept his sleeve rolled down.
"This must be the cursed moonlight," stated Nero as his left hand went to Red Queen and gripped the handle. He revved the Exceed System in case a fight was to come.
"What's going on?" Happy fretted. "I'm getting scared here, guys."
"It's shining on Deliora!" Gray exclaimed.
"I don't think that's a coincidence," Natsu stated.
"Let's go!" Gray ordered, waving them towards the exit, "We need to find out where the light's coming from."
"Aye," Happy agreed.
The team ran to the temple and went up a flight of stairs, where they found another magic circle feeding more moonlight onto the floor, which was right above Deliora.
"Why would someone cast a magic circle inside this old temple?" Gray asked, confused.
"Not sure," replied Nero as he looked around the area, "but we better get to the roof. We might find some answers there."
The team headed up another flight of stairs, which exited on top of the temple. Once there, they found a circle of people, their features concealed by robes and masks. The robed people didn't notice the group as they were focused on chanting some strange words to bring the purple moonlight into a column, which was then being sent via magic circles to bathe the frozen demon below the temple.
The whole set up, the demon, the robes, the chanting, it all reminded Nero of Fortuna sermons. Seeing these people worship a demon... it made him sick. While Sparda had done something no other demon had done and betrayed his master and brethren for the sake of humanity, this demon was nothing like Sparda, from what he's heard from Gray. Plus, Devil Bringer was pulsing even more than when it was in the cave. Something was definitely here, and Devil Bringer recognized it as a powerful demon presence.
The only thing that the wizards and demon hunter couldn't figure out was what they were doing, and why they were doing it.
"The moon…," Gray said.
"It looks like those robed freaks are chanting some weird spell to collect the moonlight," Natsu deduced.
"And shine it on Deliora," Lucy concluded.
"That's all well and good, but doesn't exactly tell us why they're doing it," interjected Nero sharply as listing what they saw cleared a few things, but didn't give them an immediate answer as to how they were going to do this.
"It's an ancient spell, used to collect Moon Drip," Lyra explained. For some reason, she had not returned to the Spirit World.
"What are you still doing here?" Lucy whispered crossly.
"I see," Lyra said, ignoring Lucy, "so that's what they're trying to do."
"Care to share with the group?" asked Nero, folding his arms, "or are we gonna have to figure it out on our own?"
"They're using the Moon Drip to melt the ice surrounding that demon underground, so they can resurrect it," Lyra answered.
"Well, shit," deadpanned Nero as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"What?" Natsu gaped.
"They can't!" Gray countered, baring his teeth, "The ice in an Iced Shell can't be melted!"
"I hate to say it, but that's not entirely true." Lyre explained, "While the Iced Shell is strong, it can be melted by the Moon Drip; focused moon-energy can break any spell."
"Oh no," Happy said frightfully.
"Those idiots!" Gray growled, "They've never witnessed the power of Deliora!"
"It's possible that what happened to the islanders is actually just a byproduct of this spell." Lyra continued, "They might not have been targeted intentionally."
"Either way," stated Nero as he grabbed Red Queen's handle and revved it, "it's time to put an end to this. More than a few people have died because of that thing."
"Yeah!" Natsu said, starting to rise, "Let's make 'em pay!"
"Wait," Lucy whispered, dragging both boys back down, "Someone's coming this way."
True to her words, a man approached the circle of chanters. No one could really tell what he looked like thanks to the demonic helmet he was wearing. He was also outfitted with a white cloak going over a blue outfit, coupled with armored leggings. Behind him were Yuka, Toby, and Sherry, but they kept a respectful distance.
Nero narrowed his eyes in disdain; whoever that was, he or she reminded him of a Sanctus. He leaned over to the group of wizards, "I'll eat Red Queen if that guy isn't the 'Cold Emperor' we so fondly heard of."
"Sucker's bet," Happy whispered, "no takers here."
"What a waste," Yuka said, "I lost so much sleep, and all for nothing. We searched all day for the intruders, but never found a trace of them."
"Maybe there wasn't any!" Toby yelled.
"I'm afraid I have some sad news, Cold Emperor," Sherry said to the masked man, "We thought we had intruders earlier today, but couldn't find them. We cannot speak of love in this kind of situation."
"Guess I won't be getting an extra dose of iron," smirked Nero as he kept his attention on the gathering.
"Shh!" Lucy shushed him.
"Intruders?" the Cold Emperor said in a flat voice.
Natsu and Nero both noticed Gray go ridged when they heard the Cold Emperor's voice. Nero gave Gray a questioning look: did he know something about this guy?
"Has Deliora been awakened?" The Cold Emperor questioned.
"It should be either tonight or tomorrow," Sherry answered.
"Which one, girl?!" Toby asked impatiently.
For a moment, the Cold Emperor was silent.
"The time has almost come," he finally said, "If you see those intruders again, kill them. I don't want anyone getting in my way."
"It must have been the villagers," Sherry summarized, "They're the only other people on this island."
"Then destroy the village!" the Cold Emperor commanded.
"Yes, sir!" all three said as one, bowing before their master.
Nero gritted his teeth as anger flooded his system. Were these people, seriously considering eliminating an entire village of people?! Innocent men, women, and children on the off chance, someone saw that demon?!
"What?" Natsu snapped angrily.
"B-but…," Lucy looked very worried, "but the villagers have nothing to do with this!"
"Yeah, we have to stop them," The pink-haired wizard asserted.
The Cold Emperor smirked. "It's a shame there has to be bloodshed."
Gray continued to stare at the demonic-masked villain in shock. "That voice…" he murmured, "no…it can't be…"
"Screw this..." stated Nero as he stood on top of the boulder, everyone turning to see him draw Blue Rose and aim it right into the air. A powerful gunshot cracked across the area and through the night air, shattering the chanting and drawing the attention of everyone.
"You looking for an intruder," taunted Nero as he held out both his hands, "I'll save you the trouble of heading down to the village."
"I'm with him," stated Natsu as he joined Nero on top of the boulder he was previously hiding behind. Natsu's cheeks swelled up far larger than any normal humans before he looked up and exhaled a powerful torrent of fire into the air. "IT'S NOT THE VILLAGERS! WE'RE THE INTRUDERS YOU'RE AFTER!"
"Gotta agree with my loud-mouthed friend," Nero agreed as he aimed Blue Rose at the Cold Emperor, "The people down in the village, they didn't do shit to you. But we're the ones you're after."
"Geez…," Lucy groaned, standing up, "guess there's no turning back now, huh?"
"Aye," Happy agreed.
"Ooh, I want to help out too," Lyra requested nicely, standing behind Lucy, "Want me to sing?"
"No," a vein throbbed on Lucy's head, "I want you to go back." She deadpanned.
"Ahh…you're no fun…," Lyra said, holding her cheeks. In a puff of pink smoke, she vanished and returned to the Spirit World.
As the villains eyed their now-revealed enemies, Sherry spotted Natsu's guild mark.
"I know that mark," she said to her comrades, "they're from Fairy Tail!"
"Don't associate me with them," cut in Nero as he gestured to the wizards, "They're with Fairy Tail, I'm only here to get in on the action."
"Then who are you?" Toby demanded.
"Just a Demon Hunter looking to make ends meet and probably derail your little convention for that demon downstairs," stated the demon hunter, his smirk never leaving his face as he kept Blue Rose aimed at those gathered. However, he took great pleasure in the expressions of a few like Yuka, Toby, and Sherry who looked shocked to hear that he was a demon hunter.
"Interesting," commented Yuka, "those villagers must've gone to the magical guilds for help. However, I'm surprised they could even afford a demon slayer. They are notoriously rare to come across."
"Similar to how it's rare to come across someone with the brain power to come up with the name 'Cold Emperor'," retorted Nero, "how long did it take you to come up with that name? Five minutes?"
"Don't worry about them," The Cold Emperor replied calmly, "Go eradicate the village."
"What!?" Lucy gasped.
"But why?" Natsu asked, equally surprised.
"Anyone who stands in my way either deliberately or not is my enemy." The masked villain stated, clenching his right fist for emphasis.
"Say WHAT?!" Natsu shouted, appalled by the order. Did he seriously just order these guys to go kill the villagers?! They didn't even pose a threat to him, but he was going to kill them just because they got in his way?!
"Kinda defeats the point of being an emperor," snarked Nero, "Can't really be a ruler if all your subjects are dead. But, just gives us more of a reason to put you down."
Deciding to do this up close and personal, Nero holstered Blue Rose and drew out Red Queen. With no more words, Nero leaped down from the rock and charged right towards the gathered chanters, Cold Emperor, and his lackeys. An enraged scream coming from him as he charged. Natsu joined him and ran alongside the demon hunter while Gray leaped into the air.
"Stop this crazy ceremony right now!" Gray cried. As he landed, he slammed his hands into the ground and created a shockwave of ice that forced the Emperor's lackeys to jump out of the way.
The Emperor, however, summoned an icy-blue magical circle in his right hand. When he landed, he slammed his right palm against the stone ground, creating a wave of his own that was equally as powerful as Gray's. The two ice-walls met head-on and canceled each other out before shattering into tiny fragments.
"He's an ice wizard too?!" Happy shouted, shocked.
Gray stepped back as glared daggers at the masked villains, "Lyon," he growled dangerously.
Natsu and Lucy both gasped while Nero stopped where he was for a second. So he did know who this was. Or at the very least, suspected.
"Lyon?" parroted Lucy, not exactly certain who this was.
"Mind filling us in, Gray?" asked Nero, a little annoyed.
"Lyon," Gray continued; his voice hoarse with frustration and anger, "how could you? Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"
"Oh, Gray," the Cold Emperor, now identified as Lyon, said nonchalantly, "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
Lucy and Happy both gasped, surprised that Gray and Lyon actually knew each other.
"Why would you revive Deliora!?" Gray demanded.
"To think that you were one of the wizards called to this island to help those poor villagers," Lyon said, ignoring Gray's question, "Did you come knowing that you would find me? Or is this just mere coincidence? Not that it makes any difference to me."
"An acquaintance of yours, Cold Emperor?" Yuka asked.
"Do as you were ordered," Lyon replied, though Nero noted that he didn't answer the question either, "I'll handle the intruders on my own."
"Yes, sir!" all three shouted, before dashing off in different directions.
"Hey, come back here!" Natsu yelled, running around Lyon.
"No! Natsu, don't get near him!" Gray had a panicked look in his eye again.
Lyon didn't even glance at Natsu. He merely held out his hand, and a sphere of spiked ice engulfed the Dragon Slayer's torso, upper arms, and thighs.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried out.
"Happy, get Lucy out of here!" Gray yelled.
"Aye!" the blue cat sprouted his wings and grabbed Lucy by the back of her shirt, lifting her into the air, despite her protests.
Gray held out his arms and fired a wave of ice at Lyon. The masked wizard simply held out his right arm and created a domed shield, which blocked Gray's attack.
"Happy!" shouted Nero, not even glancing back, "Get Lucy out of here and get to the village. They need to know what's going on and get ready. We'll deal with the Lich King wannabe and his thugs, and if we can't better be ready for the worst-case scenario."
"Aye!" Happy shouted, and then flew off toward the village.
"Be careful!" Lucy yelled before they disappeared in the distance.
"Should be telling this guy that," muttered Nero as he focused directly on Lyon, "Been looking for something to punch, preferably, something with an overinflated ego."
Without any more words, Nero charged right towards the Cold Emperor. Lyon hadn't been taking any one of them seriously, even Nero as he held out his hand and shot another blast of ice at him, similar to how he froze Natsu. However, Nero was able to dodge the blast, but not completely as his right arm was frozen in ice.
"Even if you are a demon slayer," stated Lyon, his tone still devoid of any emotion, "nothing can get out of my ice."
However, to both Lyon's and Gray's shock, they saw cracks forming in the ice. Nero merely smirked as he flexed his arm. More cracks began spider-webbing through the ice until extended his arm completely, the ice shattering like glass. Devil Bringer pulsed slightly as the shards of ice rained off his arm. Nero uncurled his fingers, on digit at a time before looking back at Lyon.
"You were saying?" taunted Nero before he dashed right towards Natsu who was still trapped in ice.
Lyon couldn't stop him before the demon hunter reaches the Dragon Slayer and smashed his elbow into the ice at the center of Natsu's chest. Cracks spread across the ice, allowing the dragon slayer to break through by his own strength.
"Hmm…" Lyon hummed, intrigued by how Nero so easily broke through his ice, "interesting."
"If you thought that was interesting," stated Nero as he planted the tip of Red Queen into the ground and revved the Exceed System, "then you'll love this."
You distracted me long enough for the girl and the cat to escape. Chivalrous, but ultimately pointless," Lyon remarked, "There's no way those two could stop my minions."
"You refer to them as minions?" asked Nero, giving Lyon a deadpanned expression, "If you weren't human, I'd definitely label you as a Devil."
"Don't underestimate the power of Fairy Tail!" Natsu shouted, "Come on, we'll take you on!"
"Not us, Natsu," Gray retorted, not looking away from Lyon, "just me! You and Nero, go after the other three."
"Oh, come on!" growled Natsu, but a strong grip caught his shoulder. Looking back, he saw Nero holding his shoulder.
"People's lives are on the line, Natsu. And we're wasting time," stated Nero, "the longer we wait here, the more likely someone's gonna lose their life. And you can't forget me going alone because you'll get frozen again." With that said, he began to leave, not before stopping beside Gray and glancing over his shoulder, "Think you can handle this guy?"
Gray nodded, "At the very least, I can fight him to a draw."
"Better than nothing," conceeded Nero, "better make it quick. Chances are, we're gonna need as much help as possible."
With all said and done, he and Natsu sprinted into the forest, but just before entering, the salmon-haired wizard stopped where he was, "Just don't die," requested Natsu in a serious tone before sprinting again to catch up with Nero.
Gray remembered saying the same thing to Natsu during the Lullaby incident a week prior. He had thought that the Dragon Slayer hadn't heard him, but it was possible that he was wrong. He shouldn't be too surprised though since Dragon Slayers do have keen senses.
Lyon chuckled humorlessly, "You think you can fight me to a draw 'at the very least'? That's not just reckless; it's also arrogant, Gray."
"I don't understand why you're trying to pull this superior act with me, Lyon. You're not!" Gray exclaimed angrily, "We're not Ur's students anymore!"
"I'm well aware that we're not Ur's students," Lyon replied, removing his mask to reveal the face of a young man with spiky white hair, "After all, our beloved teacher is no longer among the living."
"Her final act was sealing that monster away," stated Gray, appalled by his former friend's turn, "Are you really so callous that you would destroy our master's legacy?"
"Don't delude yourself," Lyon countered, "we both know that you're the one that killed Ur."
Gray's eyes went wide and his mouth twisted into a snarl. What happened wasn't his fault, but that didn't make the words that were said any less hurtful.
"But you don't seem to have any guilt over that," Lyon continued, "how cruel."
Galuna Island Coastline
Off the coast of Galuna Island, another danger was floating towards the shore. A massive ship, bearing the flag of pirates, was closing fast. However, the pirates weren't the ones who were dangerous; in fact, most of them were strewn about the deck, unconscious, severely beaten by the person who had hijacked their ship.
The captain of the ship, the only pirate still on his feet, and only because he was being forced to steer, glanced at the hijacker out of the corner of the one eye not covered in an eye patch.
"Why do you want to go to Galuna Island?" he asked nervously, "I mean, it's scary!"
"Just shut up and steer," the hijacker said in a commanding voice, as several of the pirates began to wake up.
"If you drop us off somewhere, you can have the boat!" the captain pleaded, "Please, I'm begging yah! I've heard that the island is cursed, and that anyone who sets foot on its soil gets turned into a demon!"
"I will take that chance," the hijacker responded.
"B-but why do you have to go there!?" the captain asked, panic in his voice.
The hijacker stepped out of the shadows, revealing herself to be a beautiful young woman with long scarlet hair and outfitted in armor; the mark of Fairy Tail was printed on the left side of her breastplate, while a yellow, asymmetrical cross was placed over that.
"When rules are broken," said Erza Scarlet, known as Titania, Queen of the Fairies, "the guilty must be punished. That is all I can tell you."
Despite being thoroughly crushed by her, the pirate crew found themselves warming up to the wizard; it didn't hurt that she was beautiful and they, being pirates, saw that as a bonus.
"We'll help you catch those guys," declared one pirate, despite not knowing who it was that they were chasing. Even the captain was inspired by Erza's courage in the face of the terror that was Galuna Island.
"All right, ya scallywags," he shouted, "get yer anchors outta yer pants and raise all sails; we're headed ta Galuna Island!"
As the pirates got to work, Erza reflected on why she'd needed to go to cursed island…
*Flashback*
It wasn't unusual for the wizards of Fairy Tail to be anxious about something, though it was usually Natsu or Gray who was responsible; but as Erza entered the guild hall, she noticed neither wizard was present.
"Mirajane," she said evenly, "what has happened?"
"Oh, Erza, it's terrible!" Mirajane said from her usual place from behind the bar, "Natsu took on one of the S-Class quests!"
"By himself!?" Erza asked, but kept her face neutral.
"No, he took Lucy and Happy with him," Mira replied, "and Nero also."
That was even more surprising to Erza. Lucy didn't seem the type to break the rules like that, and from what she'd heard, Nero didn't technically count as a wizard since he didn't view himself as one, even though he was a demon hunter with incredible feats and unique weapons. But something didn't make sense to her: why had they done it?
"And there's more," Mirajane continued, "the Master sent Gray after them yesterday, but he should have been back by now. He might be hurt!"
"Or, knowing Gray, he went along with them," Erza said to herself, but Mirajane still heard it.
"Oh no! Please, Erza, you have to bring them back, especially Nero; he's never been on a normal wizard job, let alone an S-Class one!" begged Mira.
"Erza, I'm glad you've arrived," Makarov said as he descended from the second floor of the guild hall, "I need you to fetch Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Gray and Nero from Galuna Island as soon as you can. They're out of their league."
"Understood, Master," Erza complied. "I'll head to Hargeon immediately."
Erza turned on her heel and walked out of the building, but not before hearing Makarov's comment to Mirajane.
"Though, if this information is correct, then Nero might not see a point in coming back at all..."
*End flashback*
While Erza had no idea what the Master meant by that, and while she didn't know what to do with Nero since he wasn't a member of Fairy Tail, she did know that the other members of her team had broken important rules of the guild. If they were in danger, she would rescue them and allow them to recover before they were punished; if they were fine, then their punishment would come all the sooner.
From the Master's tone, however, whatever information awaited Nero would probably be punishment enough…
Galuna Island, Moon Temple
Back at the temple, the group of chanters had been watching the faceoff between Gray and Lyon; the latter remained calm and collected while the former was starting to tremble in anger.
"Enough of the games, Gray," Lyon said, "We both know that you're the one who murdered Ur, so just admit it."
When Gray didn't answer, Lyon's face finally showed emotion, his eyes going wide with near-mania.
"I'm surprised you have the gall to even speak her name!" Lyon held out his hand, and a spiked mace made of ice slammed into Gray, sending him flying back.
Gray struggled to his feet, "Lyon…"
"What's wrong?" Lyon asked mockingly. "Don't tell me the guilt is finally getting to you. I'm warning you, don't try to interfere; whether you like it or not, I am resurrecting Deliora."
"I won't let you!" Gray snarled.
Lyon stared at the onyx-haired teen for a tense moment before he tossed his demonic helmet to the ground.
"It's just like old times," Lyon smirked as ice gathered around his hand, "but I've grown much stronger since then," An icy-blue magical circle appeared in front of his hand, "Ice Make: Eagle!"
A flock of icy eagles soared out of the magical circle and headed straight for Gray, who put his fist on top of his palm and slammed his joined hands into the ground.
"Ice Make: Shield!"
First looks, one would assume the icy flock of eagles would collide with the shield, but it was not so. Instead of crashing against the fan-shaped shield, the eagles flew over and around it, colliding into Gray, waves of pain flooding his body.
"While your specialty is making inanimate objects, Static Ice Make Magic," Lyon said, "mine is creating living creatures, Active Ice Make Magic. Did you forget that my ice has the ability to move?"
Instead of answering, Gray jumped in the air and gathered his magic once again. He wasn't about to lose now, "Ice Make: Hammer!"
A giant sledgehammer flew down at Lyon, who only pointed up with two fingers, "Ice Make: Ape!"
A large gorilla made of ice appeared and blocked the hammer, both ice structures shattering on impact. While Gray cursed in frustration, Lyon only mocked his old friend.
"How pathetic," Lyon taunted, "You still use two hands when casting your Ice-Make spells."
"Yeah, because that's what Ur taught us," Gray disputed, "Single-handed spellcasting is incomplete and unbalanced!"
"Well, I'm the exception to that rule," Lyon boasted, "I surpassed Ur's skill a long time ago."
That statement really got under Gray's skin, "Shut your mouth!" he snarled dangerously. How dare he think himself above their master! Ur gave up everything for them!
"Regardless," Lyon continued, "ever since we were children, you've never been able to land a single hit on me."
Gray brought his hands together again, "I'm a lot stronger now than I used to be!" He slammed his hands against the ground again, "Ice Make: Geyser!"
A spiked column of ice erupted from the ground, engulfing Lyon, who didn't even flinch. At first, Gray thought that he had won, but then the ice cracked and shattered, revealing an unscathed Lyon.
"Nothing has changed," Lyon bragged as he continued to belittle Gray, "I was always the superior student, and I'm still stronger than you. I was able to master single-handed Ice-Make Magic, while you still rely on two hands. It's just like the old days; we may have chosen different paths, but we're frozen in time. Our rankings as wizards never changed."
Lyon raised his hand, "Ice Make: Ice Dragon!"
A giant ice dragon emerged from the ground that sent Gray flying into the air, and then slamming him back to earth rather painfully.
"That's why I'm restoring Deliora…to prove that I am more than Ur's star pupil," He didn't even glance at Gray's fallen form as he began to reminisce, "Even as a child, I only had one dream: to surpass Ur's abilities as a wizard. But you ruined it for me, Gray. After she died, I thought my lifelong dream of surpassing her had been dashed. But then I realized that there was still a way; if I can defeat Deliora, a demon so strong that not even Ur could vanquish it, then I will have exceeded her in power. My dream will finally become a reality!"
Clutching at his side, Gray stumbled to his feet, "Listen to me; that thing destroyed everything we ever cared about, and you want to bring it back just to prove how strong you are?! That's insane!"
Lyon's eye twitched.
"Please," Gray begged hoarsely, "you can't do this!"
Finally, Lyon's composure snapped as he sent dozens of smaller Ice Dragons at Gray from all angles, further injuring him.
"'Please, you can't do this'?" he echoed, "Really, is that the best you can do?" Even as Gray fell once again, Lyon continued, glaring in fury at his rival, "Funny, that's the same thing we said to you that fateful day. Surely you remember? It's because you challenged Deliora that Ur lost her life! I can't even stand you speaking her name in my presence; begone!"
With one final Ice Dragon, Lyon sent Gray careening up into the air. The battered Fairy Tail wizard let out an anguished cry as he fell to the ground. With a swish of his cloak, Lyon turned and walked away, not even bothering to look at his unconscious formal rival.
Elsewhere on Galuna Island
Suddenly, Natsu stopped running through the jungle, an odd chill ran down his spine. It wasn't like he got cold all of a sudden, but the kind of chill you get when you know something is wrong. Without any indication as to why, or at least from what a normal person could tell, he looked back at the temple. It was him stopping and looking back did Nero notice that the Dragon Slayer had stopped.
"Hey! What are you doing?" demanded Nero, "Why'd you stop?"
"I don't know," Natsu answered, "I just have this bad feeling about Gray. I think… I need to go back for him."
Nero had heard that kind of tone before. It was the same tone he used when he fought Dante for the second time during the Savior incident. Dante had come to reclaim his brother's sword, Yamato from him, but he needed it, to save Kyrie. He never planned on keeping it, but Dante saw something in him, and let him keep it. Guess it's time he did something similar.
"Then what are you standing around here for?" asked Nero, getting Natsu to look back at the Demon Hunter, "get back there."
"Are you sure?" Natsu asked uncertainly.
"If there's one thing my uncle taught me: it's trust your gut," replied Nero, "and if your's is telling you to get back to that temple, then you should. I'll handle Lyon's cronies, just back up Gray."
Natsu grinned and gave Nero a thumbs-up, "Thanks, man."
"Don't thank me," retorted Nero as he pointed at the temple, "just get your ass back to that headache."
Natsu dashed off back to the temple. With him gone, directed his attention back to the forest, where he took off in a powerful dash. He was running at a speed 27 times that of the average human from his world. In simpler terms, he was running just slower than the speed of sound. Perks of being a demon.
"Won't be too hard to catch up," said Nero to himself.
Weaving through the forest, the demon hunter was a literal blur. One goal in mind: take down Lyon's thugs before they reached the village. If he couldn't, well, in all honesty, he might bend Dante's 'we don't kill humans' rule this time.
Moon temple, Galuna Island
At top of the temple, Gray was in so much pain that he could barely even blink. In his pain-ridden state, he saw the shadow of his teacher.
'Get up, Gray,' she said, before the image resolved into Natsu, "I said, get up!"
"N-Natsu…" Gray whispered.
"Man, you got the snot kicked out of you, huh?" Natsu shook his head. "And you said you could fight him to a draw…"
"W-what are you… doing here?"
"I had a bad feeling, so I came back for yah," Natsu answered, and then started to haul Gray to his feet, "Come on; let's get you back to the village."
Gray shook off his hand, "I can walk, Natsu. Where's Lyon?"
"Dunno," Natsu told him, "After I found you, he and those chanting freaks had vanished."
Gray took a step forward, but it was all he managed before he began to fall again. He was stopped when Natsu caught him by the back of his shirt. Without speaking, Natsu hefted the ice wizard over his shoulder and began walking towards the village.
After a minute, Natsu spoke up, "Now, hang on. I'm sorry if this hurts, but I've gotta start running if we're gonna catch up to Ben and help him stop those guys."
Natsu took off at a brisk jog; it aggravated Gray's injuries, but he endured the pain. During that time, Gray remembered back when Ur had warned him against challenging Deliora, and how he had tried to convince Natsu from going to Galuna Island; both situations were fairly similar.
"Hey," he said.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry," Gray said, "I'm sorry for not believing in you and the others. I should have known better." Tears slid down his face, showing how ashamed he was for his lack of faith in his friends. Natsu stopped and looked at him.
"Quit feeling sorry for yourself because you lost a fight!" Natsu shouted, "You're a member of Fairy Tail, and we don't give up when times are tough. So put it behind you and keep moving forward!"
It was then that Gray realized that he had broken one of the guild's cardinal rules; not that he had taken an S-Class quest, but that he had been caught up in the past, instead of heading towards the future. Even as Natsu began running again, causing pain to flare across his battered body, Gray swore to never break that rule again.
With Nero
The demon hunter was catching up, he was sure of this. All he needed to do was keep heading towards the village. However, what bothered him the most was that as he made his way towards the village, he didn't spot Lyon's goons once. A part of him thought that they may have made it to the village already. If that was the case, he'd make them wish they never crossed him.
However, it seemed Sherry, Toby, and Yuka would be spared from a painful-er beating because at the gate of the village, he spotted Lucy, Happy, a few transformed villagers, and...a maid with pink hair and shackles around her wrists.
"Hey!" shouted Nero as he slowed down significantly to the human equivalent of a full-on sprint. Fast to some people, but a light jog to the human demon hybrid, "Everything fine here?"
"Nero?!" cried out Lucy in confusion, spotting the silver white hair first. It was an unusual color and stood out a lot against the dark forest. However, she noticed the direction where Nero was headed, "Nero wait! Don't come any closer! STOP!"
"What?" asked Nero as he slowed down, however as he came to a stop, he did so on top of a pile of leaves, which immediately gave way. This caused him to fall into a large hole, however, it did little to stop him as he righted himself quickly and Air Hike out of the hole. This caused him to leap out and land in a crouch just before Lucy and a few villagers, shocking a few since they hadn't expected him to get out so fast.
"Some greeting...," grunted Nero as he rolled his shoulder.
"Wow," commented one of the villagers, astounded by what just happened, "that trap actually worked?"
"For the most part, yeah," another villager said with a dumbfounded expression as he turned to Lucy, "sorry we doubted you."
"Any reason that hole's there?" asked Nero, cocking an eyebrow, before noticing the pink-haired maid and jabbed a thumb at her, "And who's the maid?"
"Um, in order," Lucy said, embarrassed, "I was trying to make a trap for Lyon's guys, and this is Virgo, one of my Zodiac Spirits. She used her power to dig the hole."
"Hello, sir," Virgo said, bowing politely.
"Right, and don't call me sir," requested Nero, before looking back at the hole, noting that it was at least ten to fifteen feet deep, "Nice hole. You're gonna have to show me how you did that sometimes."
Before Virgo could respond, Natsu's voice rang out.
"Hey guys!" he jogged into the village with Gray on his shoulders, "Hey, what's with the hole?"
"What happened to him?" asked Nero, wondering what happened.
"He got beat up pretty bad," Natsu replied.
"Lucy made a hole to trap Lyon's lackeys." Happy explained, answering Natsu's second question.
"That's dumb," Natsu remarked, handing Gray off to some of the villagers, who began applying first aid.
"Aye," Happy agreed.
"H-hey!" one of the villagers began pointing at the sky, "Look over there!"
Everyone looked in the direction the man was pointing and, to their shock, saw the giant rat flying in the air, using its tail as a propeller and holding a giant bucket. Yuka, Toby, and Sherry could be seen on the rat's back.
"Just when you think you've seen it all," muttered Nero, at this point, he basically gave up trying to figure out how half the things that happen here even does.
"What?!" Lucy raged, "Now my pitfall trap is totally pointless!"
"A rat can fly and you're getting upset that your hole won't work?" demanded Nero, giving an incredulous look to the busty blonde.
"What's it got in the bucket?" Natsu asked, deciding to ignore what Nero just asked. However, what got everyone's attention was the answer to his question when a glob of slime, about the size of a fist flew out of the bucket, heading right towards Lucy. The girl just stared at it.
"Jelly?" she wondered aloud, even as it closed in on her.
"Look out!" Natsu shouted, tackling her out of the way. Instead of hitting her, the jelly hit a plant that had been at her feet. When it made contact, both the plant and a few inches of earth beneath it sizzled and dissolved into nothingness.
"Jelly that's acid," stated Nero, watching as the acid and ground vanished, "and here I thought they were being nice."
"I knew it smelled deadly," Natsu growled, helping Lucy to her feet.
"T-that rat has a whole bucket of that stuff!" a villager cried, "It's gonna drop it on the village!"
Above them, the rat Angelica threw the bucket over the village, releasing a wave of jelly large enough to cover the village and everyone in it.
"How do we stop that!?" Lucy screamed.
"I need everyone to get to the center of the village!" Natsu yelled as he started to run, "Let's go, Happy!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy flew in behind the Dragon Slayer and picked him up, flying straight at the jelly.
Knowing that Natsu might need some help, Nero sprinted off at them, before jumping into the air. Upon landing, he was just below the two.
"Natsu!" he yelled, "Whatever it is you're doing, better do it quick!"
"Got it!" Natsu responded, then gathered fire around his hands, then put them together to create a massive ball of fire, "Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"
With a mighty heave, Natsu hurled fireball right at the center of the jelly, causing an explosion that scattered the goo, leaving a safe area around the center of the village. However, Nero narrowed his eyes, it didn't look like it was enough. And it wasn't likely that the pyro could do it again fast enough. Grabbing the handle of Red Queen, Nero drew the sword and let the tip hit the ground.
With a firm grip, he angled the blade at a forty-five-degree arc, before spinning around, dragging the curved tip through the dirt. With a mighty swing, Nero sent a massive gust right up into the air. The resulting gust sent the acidic jelly further away.
As the wind blew the jelly further away, one of the villagers noticed that Chief Moka wasn't with them; instead, he was kneeling at his son's grave, his arms wrapped around the headstone, and there was a jelly blob headed straight for him.
"Chief, run!" the villager cried.
"No!" the old man yelled stubbornly, "I won't leave Bobo's grave!"
All the villagers cried out in fear and grief as the jelly covered their leader. As the mist created by the acid dispersed, however, a figure strode out, carrying the shaken chief.
"Do you wish to punish him for not obeying you, Princess?"
"Virgo!" Lucy cried with a smile, glad that she hadn't sent the spirit back to the Spirit World.
In the wake of the acid attack, a giant donut-shaped hole was created; nearly the entire village had been dissolved away in the ring. Thankfully, all of the villagers were safe in the unaffected area in the center.
As Nero regrouped with Natsu and Happy, who landed back on the ground just as the demon hunter sheathed his sword, they were suddenly surrounded by villagers who wanted to express their thanks and gratitude for saving their lives, even if most of the village had been destroyed. Virgo was also thanked for saving their leader's life until she disappeared back into the Spirit World. The only one who didn't speak to them was Moka, who stared at where he'd been only moments before.
"Bobo's grave is still standing," he whispered, relieved that the resting place of his son was undisturbed.
That changed, however, when Yuka's foot kicked the headstone over, causing the wizards and demon hunter to all glare angrily at the man.
"The Cold Emperor has commanded us to eradicate the village and its people," Sherry said coldly as she, Yuka and Toby approached, Angelica right behind them, "We were trying to show mercy by making your deaths quick and painless. But since that didn't work, we'll have to resort to bloodshed."
"You gotta jacked up notion of painlessness, buddy," retorted Nero angrily as he drew Red Queen, planting the tip firmly in the ground, "and it's beginning to piss me off."
Lyon's lackeys ignored him.
"Three wizards, a few dozen villagers," Yuka commented arrogantly, "This shouldn't take more than, oh, fifteen minutes."
"I think I've had it with these losers. Pretty sure you'd agree," inquired Nero as he glanced at the wizards over his shoulder.
"Yeah!" Natsu said.
"These creeps are going down." Lucy stated; her tone serious.
"Aye!" Happy shouted.
Gray slowly opened his eyes as he was starting to come to. The village chief, Moka, tightened his grip on his staff as he glared daggers at the three wizards who dared to desecrate his son's grave.
"How dare they," he snarled venomously, "such disrespect! THEY KICKED OVER BOBO'S GRAVE!" Several villagers quickly grabbed the raging Moka before he could attack Yuka, Sherry, and Toby.
"Calm down, chief," One villager said.
"We have to get outta here!" Another warned.
"Yeah," a third added, "we don't wanna get caught in the middle of a magic battle."
"HURRY UP AND GET HIM TO SAFETY!" a villager commanded. They quickly responded as they dragged a resisting Moka away from the inevitable battle.
Meanwhile, Gray had actually found the strength to return to his feet, albeit shakily. "Lemme, help you…," he murmured painfully.
All four of them: Nero, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy looked back at the ice wizard, wanting to be certain they heard him correctly. The former eyeing him over his shoulder with a neutral expression. Guy couldn't even stand, let alone fight, and Nero wasn't the only one thinking that.
"Not gonna happen." Natsu rebuked. "We don't need your help."
Gray panted as he said, "Natsu… don't do this to me-," Whatever the raven-haired wizard was going to say next was interrupted as Natsu punched him in the gut.
"Just lie down and get some rest," ordered Natsu.
Gray grabbed onto Natsu's scarf, but then went limp as he reentered unconsciousness; Natsu caught him to keep him from falling to the ground.
"One way of getting someone to rest," quipped Nero as he rested Red Queen on his shoulder. Devil Bringer pulsed in anticipation. Also, it seemed that Natsu could recognize the time to be serious and the time to relax.
"But why?" Lucy asked softly, not fully understanding why Natsu would punch Gray like that.
"Because it's the right thing to do right now," answered Nero, causing Lucy to look at him, "Gray's getting some tough love and Natsu knows he's more of a liability the way he is right now. So, the only way to stop him was to make him."
Lucy looked at the pink-haired wizard with a thoughtful expression. "That means…deep down they really do care." She whispered.
A villager came up and heaved Gray over his shoulder carefully and followed the rest of the villagers to safety. The remaining wizards and Demon Hunter directed their attention back to the trio of Lyon's goons.
"I'll take on the mutt," ordered Nero, "Natsu, eyebrows is all yours. Lucy, ratatouille shouldn't be much of a problem for you."
Lucy, Natsu, and Happy all nodded, agreeing to the division. However, Toby, Yuka, and Sherry were all very offended.
"I'm not a mutt!" Toby yelled.
"Eyebrows?" Yuka repeated, his hand going to his forehead.
"R-rat-girl!? Oh, you are so dead!" Sherry screeched but was able to regain her composure before continuing, "We won't stop until everyone in this village is dead. Right, Angelica?"
The rat hissed maliciously, and then spun her tail, taking off right after Sherry hopped onto her back.
"I'm not going to let you get away with this!" Lucy yelled, leaping at the rat and grabbing one of its claws. Then, she realized what she had just done, "Oh no! I got too excited and jumped on!"
"I should be surprised, but I'm not," groaned Nero, as he facepalmed.
"Yep, she's stupid," Happy commented.
"Or insane!" Natsu added.
Lucy, deciding to make the best of the situation, was doing what she could to stop Sherry and her rat; of course, the only thing she could do was punch ineffectually at the claw she held onto. When that didn't work, she tried tickling the rat's foot; to everyone's shock, not only was Angelica ticklish, but she was so much so that she lost control and crashed in the distance!
"Wow," Yuka commented, "she's going to be ticked."
"I don't have any ticks!" Toby yelled.
"I wasn't talking to you," Yuka replied, exasperated.
"She'll be fine," assured Nero, but if he was honest, a small part of him was concerned about Lucy.
"I'll go check on her," Happy replied, sprouting his wings and flying off.
"Hey, Nero," spoke up Natsu, getting the attention of the demon hunter, "After we're done with these guys, do you mind if you could go after him?"
"Was thinking about going after Lucy to make sure she isn't in over her head," answered Nero, "and besides, this'll be quick."
With now indicator, Nero suddenly launched Spectral Bringer right at Toby from Devil Bringer. The ethereal hand grabbed the thug's face in a powerful grip. As he tried prying the fingers off, Nero pulled himself in for a dropkick that sent Toby skidding across the ground while the demon hunter stood on his chest, riding him like a skateboard. As this happened, Natsu hopped over Yuka's head and shot a breath of fire at him. Yuka only barely blocked it with a blue barrier.
"A wizard that breathes fire?" Yuka asked, "Don't tell me that you're the Salamander of Fairy Tail I've heard so much about?"
Natsu didn't reply, but he took a quick glance out of the corner of his eye to see Nero leap off Toby's chest and flip back. As he was in the air, the demon hunter drew Blue Rose with Devil Bringer since his left still held onto Red Queen and fired. Toby was shot in the stomach by two Thorns as Nero landed back on the ground.
Looking back, Nero was surprised to see Toby get right back to his feet, "I'm good!"
"You know," Yuka said, drawing Natsu's attention back to him, "we used to be in a famous guild ourselves, so neither of you should blow us off. In fact, the famous Iron Rock Jura is from the same guild; surely, you've heard of Lamia Scale?"
"Even if I did, I don't really care," Nero answered with hostility, "but I do care when people just kill innocent people for no reason."
Natsu didn't even give a snarky reply, instead, shooting another blast of fire at Yuka's face, which was blocked by another barrier.
"Hey, cut it out!" Yuka shouted, "Listen when I'm talking to you!"
"Why?" Natsu asked, "You think I care what guild you're from, or who the other members are? We came here to help these people and you're the ones who put them in danger in the first place! That makes you Fairy Tail's enemy, and that gives me more than enough reason to fight you."
"Gotta agree with flame-brain," stated Nero as he holstered Blue Rose, "I might not be in a guild, and I don't normally follow the rules, but I know when what someone is doing is wrong. And trust me, what you're doing just makes you as bad as the demons I hunt."
"Toby," Yuka said calmly, "take out the Devil-Slayer wizard. I'll handle the Salamander."
Toby growled at Nero before leaping at the demon hunter. However, he was taken by surprise when he caught Toby's fist in Devil Bringer's open palm.
"Not a smart trick," taunted Nero as he rested Red Queen casually on his left shoulder, "you know any others? Like maybe play dead?"
"I'm not a do-aaahhh!" cried out Toby as he was suddenly yanked to the side by Nero and swung into the air. The demon hybrid then smashed him into the ground, cracking it, before he was yanked up again and smashed into the ground once more. Still holding onto his fist, Nero smashed him into the ground again, leaving another impression in the earth.
Forcing Toby back to his feet, Nero performed a High Roller, Red Queen slicing through the dirt as the blade glowed blue thanks to Devil Bringer for Nero to avoid bisecting him lengthways. The edge of the sword collided with Toby's chin, sending him flying back where he landed in a heap.
"And for the record," added Nero as he shook the dust off from his hand, "I ain't a wizard."
Toby hopped back to his feet and lunged at Nero, intending to grab him in a headlock, but Nero countered by bringing up Devil Bringer and Spectral Bringer, catching Toby in a Buster which Nero performed by smashing him into the ground. However, when Spectral Bringer vanished, Toby lunged at Nero again, this time, successfully getting Nero in a headlock with his left arm around his neck and started punching him in the side of the head with his right. Due to Nero's demonic heritage, all Toby accomplished was bruising his own fist.
The dog-like man jumped off and growled.
"You know," he said, "your friend over there is lucky. Yuka is tough, but I'm even stronger!" his fingernails then turned green and extended several inches, "These are my Mega-Jellyfish Paralyzing Claws! You'll never guess what they do!"
"They'll paralyze you," stated Nero sardonically whilst rolling his eyes. It was so obvious it was painful.
Toby's jaw dropped in shock.
"How did you know that?" he gasped, "Hey…you got ESP or something?"
"Wouldn't need it anyway," retorted Nero as he rested Red Queen on his shoulder, "Besides, you're just retarded."
"No one talks to me like that!" Toby yelled, swiping at Nero, who blocked the claws with Red Queen and shoved Toby away with Devil Bringer, "With one swipe from my claws, you'll be frozen, just waiting to die!"
"Let's test that," requested Nero as he held his ground, even as Toby attempted to slice him with his claws. Instead of moving out of the way, the Demon Hunter raised Devil Bringer casually to meet the claws. Due to the nature of Devil Bringer, the only thing capable of piercing its flash was Yamato, and since the sword was safely in his possession, nothing could slice into his arm; to that end, when Toby's claws collided with the demonic appendage, they shattered on impact.
"OW!" Toby cradled his wounded hand, and then glared at the demon hunter, "I'm gonna kill you for that!"
"It's you're own fault, moron," countered Nero as he caught one of the claws in the air with his hand, "you're welcome to try again."
"Oh, I will!" declared Toby as he charged once more at Nero. The thug swung his undamaged claws at the demon hunter who ducked under the slash, including the three other slashes that followed. After the third swipe, Nero suddenly lashed out with Devil Bringer and sliced at Toby's forehead.
"What was that?" taunted Toby, hardly injured by the attack.
"Just the right kind of cut above the eyes," answered Nero, before holding up a broken claw from Toby, causing his eyes to widen before falling back, paralyzed, "the kind that paralyzes."
With his opponent out of commission, Nero discarded the broken claw and turned to glance at the fight between Natsu and Yuka. This one was still going on, the Dragon Slayer kept shooting blast of fire, but each attack was blocked by the same blue barrier.
"It's useless," Yuka commented, then pointed two of his fingers like a gun, "Wave!"
A blue blast of energy shot forth, narrowly missing Natsu, who shot out more fire, which was easily stopped.
"The energy that I use disrupts all types of magic," Yuka explained smugly, "which means that none of your spells will work against me!"
"So that's why my fire couldn't break down his barrier," Natsu said, understanding.
"I specialize in Anti-Wizard Magic," Yuka continued, "something I was known quite well for in Lamia Scale. For you see, all wizards are helpless before me; even you!" he held out his hand again.
"Wave!"
Natsu dodged another blast, the charged forward, his fists wreathed in fire, but his punch was stopped yet again by Yuka's barrier; his flames instantly extinguished.
"Using the same move isn't gonna change anything," commented Nero, however, he wasn't about to get in a fight between Natsu and this guy, seeing as how the Dragon Slayer had his pride to uphold.
"It doesn't matter what he can do, I'm not going to let him off the hook that easily!" Natsu declared.
With that, he punched his forearm clean through the barrier, inches away from Yuka's face.
'Look's as though it only stops his arm whenever he's using magic,' thought Nero, before a grim thought entered his mind, 'But I don't think doing that was the greatest idea.'
As if giving the demon hunter his confirmation, Natsu started to scream in pain; his arm, still inside the barrier, was rippling like it was an image distorted by water.
"You put your bare arm inside of a vortex of magical energy… not smart," Yuka commented impassively.
Instead of answering, Natsu smashed forward, shoving his head and part of his torso into the barrier.
"Your magic is no match for my brute strength!" he yelled, clearly in pain, but forcing past it. He's going to beat him, one way, or another.
Nero was ready to jump in, however, he was impressed and slightly concerned for the Dragon Slayer. Impressed by his tenacity, but also concerned he bit off more than he can chew.
"It doesn't matter," Yuka said, though his composure was clearly broken, "Your flames are useless inside the vortex!"
"But I can still use them outside," Natsu grinned roguishly "and that gives me a great idea!"
A jet of fire shot out of his elbow, acting as a booster to force his fist towards Yuka's face.
"Fire Dragon Flame Elbow!"
The force of the punch was enough to send a stunned Yuka flying. When he hit the ground, he didn't get up again. Natsu wiped his hands and then noticed that Nero had finished his own fight long before he did.
"Nice job, Nero," complimented the slayer, "How'd you beat dog-boy?"
"Used his own claw against him to paralyze the punk," replied Nero, nonchalantly as he sheathed Red Queen.
Natsu laughed, "Ha! That's hilarious; I wish I'd seen that!"
"You weren't too shabby on your part," replied Nero however, he gave him a serious look, "but I know for a fact that you made the flame elbow move right on the spot. Because frankly, I doubt you knew a move like that beforehand."
Natsu looked away. "Well, it worked, didn't it? Besides, those guys were a joke, anyway."
"Can't argue that," agreed Nero, "pretty sure I can promise you that one of us could've handled them just fine on our own."
Natsu then walked over to Bobo's headstone and placed it back up in its rightful place, "Here we go," Then he kneeled by it, "We're gonna find a way to change your people back to normal, Bobo. I know we will. And I promise you…we will avenge your death."
"That's a promise," added Nero, nodding in agreement.
"Hey, Nero?" asked Natsu as he stood up to turn back to the hunter, "weren't we going to go after Happy and Lucy?"
"Forgot about them for a minute," answered Nero as he sheepishly scratched his nose.
"Okay, you go after them," Natsu said, "I've got an idea about what to do with that frozen demon."
"Why do I get the feeling that your plan involves punching it?" asked Nero, narrowing his eyes, not entirely believing the Dragon Slayer had a plan that ranged beyond punching the daylights out of an object. So far, that detail was quite prevailent from what he's seen from Natsu.
"I have an actual plan, alright!" Natsu yelled indignantly, "Now go help Happy and Lucy!"
"Whatever you say, pyro," replied Nero as he turned and began to run in the direction he saw Angelica fall, "Don't make me have to come back and save your ass."
"You won't!" answered Natsu as he watched the demon hunter sprint into the forest. With Nero gone, he then looked around the area, "Now, which way was the temple, again?"
Nero sprinted through the forest, making sure his sleeve still concealed Devil Bringer after blocking a slash from dog boy. Thankfully, there were only small cuts in the fabric of his coat, easily fixed by sewing. However, his glove would certainly need to be replaced and he was too comfortable with telling everyone in the guild he was part demon.
Another thing that bothered him was that Devil Bringer hadn't stopped pulsing. In fact, whenever he was close to the temple, it pulsed even more, which lead Nero to begin thinking: was Deliora from the Demon World? If so, how did it get here?
Any more questions were halted when the demon hunter arrived at his destination, finding that the giant rat had pulled itself out of the crater if made when it crashed; thankfully, it had left large tracks for him to follow. He eventually made his way to the beach, where he found Angelica unconscious, lying next to Sherry, who was also out cold.
Nero narrowed his eyes, "Lucy's good, but she isn't the best," commented Nero as he looked around the area, analyzing the battlefield. He only knew Lucy for a day, but so far, he hasn't seen anything from her to suggest that she was this powerful. Dog boy and eyebrows hardly lasted against him and Natsu, they weren't pushovers meaning neither was Sherry.
"Nero!" cried Happy, catching the aforementioned hunter's attention, "Run for your life!"
Nero was about to ask when he heard the faintest sound behind him. Acting on instinct, he spun around and drew Blue Rose and aimed it at whoever was behind him. However, he tensed slightly when he found a sword pointed at his throat. Following the blade to the armored hand that held it and finally the owener of the arm.
"Sneaking up on a demon hunter's a good way to get yourself shot, Erza," greeted Nero cooly, despite the sword at his throat, then again, he had a gun to her head.
The Fairy Queen only gave Nero a hard stare, which caused him to chuckle.
"Why the look?"
To be Continued.