Flame Dragon

With Racer and Hoteye

Racer frowned, rubbing the back of his head as he glanced upwards at the trail of bright light surging through the air.

"They must have activated Nirvana."

"I see," Hoteye muttered. "You should go after them. Chase after Cobra. You will be able to catch him with your speed. I will find you later."

"Works for me," Racer muttered. The man sped off in a blur of motion. Hoteye nodded, continuing to walk only for his body to suddenly freeze. His hands slowly came to his head before he began to twitch, his hands shuddering.

"Money," he whispered. "Money, money, money, money, money!"

The man chanted the word, walking around in a circle with his hands over his eyes. He cried out as though he was struck, falling to his knees as he cries became ever more agonizing. Tears slowly began to leak from his eyes, the liquid dropping onto the ground before a small smile came over his face.

"Money...I have no need for such a thing."


With Hibiki

Hibiki frowned, seeing the pillar of light blast into the sky. The Blue Pegasus mage clenched his fist, annoyance filling his heart.

"But..."

The teen grit his teeth, already feeling the magic beginning to grab hold of him.

"Not...now," he whispered.

The teen dropped to his knees. It was too late. He was gone.

Slowly, Hibiki rose to his feet, a dark grin on his face. Slowly he stalked off into the forest, looking for mages.


With Natsu and Velveno

"The hell is that," Natsu cried out, looking up at the sky to see the giant pillar of magic and it's swirling tendrils. Velveno frowned.

"Nirvana."

"Nirvana," Natsu questioned, turning to face the drug lord. "That was the magic we were supposed to stop you guys from unsealing. What is it?"

"You guys," Velveno mocked. "First off, I'm not with those Oracion Seis bastards. I was with Raven Tail, but then Hoteye and Racer took us over, because Oracion Seis got taken over."

"Wait what, Oracion Seis got taken over?"

Velveno groaned, shaking his head. "Look I'm not wasting time explaining this all to you. I said I was gonna kill you, and that's what I came to do."

Natsu snarled, flames coating his body. "I'll just beat the information out of you then."

Velveno snarled, and the earth swarmed Natsu. The teen flipped onto his back and spun, flaming tendrils whipping around wildly to beat the liquidified earth back. Velveno grunted, clasping his hands together. With a roar of effort the earth swirled together before shooting down at Natsu in a spinning drill. The teen grunted, leaping away from the attack only for Velveno to appear in front of him in a burst of speed.

Natsu's eyes widened. The teen tried to raise a fist to block, but it was too late as Velveno's fist smashed into his face. Natsu skipped across the ground, forced back into his elemental storm of flame. The teen flipped, getting back to his feet to see Velveno sending a storm of earth towards him. Natsu grunted, bringing his hands together. A surge of flame from the area shot forth, smashing into the earth and stopped it dead in its tracks. The two battle for supremacy before the force of the two attacks sent both Velveno and Natsu's skidding backwards.

Velveno skipped to his feet, darkness magic swirling in front of him before he fired it at Natsu. The teen snorted, using his pyrokinesis to erect a wall of flames that stopped the attack dead. Still, the beam was powerful enough to split the wall, giving Velveno enough time to sprint inside of the field. The man smashed a knee into Natsu's stomach, bending him over. The man was gone before Natsu's flames could react, causing the teen to growl.

"This speed still makes no sense," Natsu hissed. "He isn't faster than Naruto. Hell he isn't in the same universe. So why can't I catch him!"

"You still grumbling to yourself over there about why I'm so fast," Velveno chuckled. "Give it up. You'll never be able to catch me."

The man sent two drills of earth towards Natsu. The teen snarled, flames exploding around his hands. He caught the drills with ease, unleashing two Fire Dragon's Grip Strike's to blow the attacks to dust. Velveno growled, sending another storm of the attacks at Natsu that was quickly negated by a Fire Dragon's Roar. Natsu's eyes narrowed as he saw Velveno was no longer in front of him. He heard the wood snap just a second before the punch impacted with his kidney. The teen choked, air leaving his body as he dropped to the ground. His vision swam, barely able to see Velveno standing in front of him, a smirk on his face.

"Grovelling on your knees before me. A place that suites you," Velveno stated. The man kicked Natsu in the face, sending him stumbling on his back as he failed to get his wind back. Velveno smirked, stalking over to the teen like a predator about to go in for the kill.

"I told you I would kill you."

Just before Velveno could attack a surge of flame shot into the air, swirling around Natsu. The S-class mage barely managed to avoid the conflagration, irritation on his face.

"Tch, I wasted time gloating. His fire moves quickly."

Natsu stood up, the teen glaring at Velveno.

"Asshole," he ground out. "I'm getting real sick and tired of your shit."

"You and me both."

The two charged one another, only for Velveno to suddenly disappear in a burst of speed. Natsu's eyes widened as his stomach blared with pain, but this time he was prepared. With a thought flames swarmed him, forcing Velveno backwards. Natsu snarled, sending the fire outwards in a wave only for Velveno to cause the ground to rise up and block the flames from reaching him. With a roar a beam of Darkness Magic speared forwards towards Natsu. The teen snarled, flames shrouding his body before he shot towards the beam.

The two collided and for a brief moment it looked like the attacks would stalemate. Then, in a gout of flame, Natsu shot forwards, powering through Velveno's magical attack to smash into the man's stomach. Velveno wheezed, spittle flying from his mouth as he skid across the ground. Natsu shot after him, jets of flame increasing his speed. The teen grabbed Velveno by the head, spinning as flame licked his hands. Velveno howled as the flames licked his skin. Natsu roared, swinging him towards the ground.

"Fire Dragon's Grip Strike!"

Flames exploded forth as the ground shook. Dirt, rock, and flame shot into the sky in a burst as Natsu unleashed his attack. As the smoke from the blast cleared Velveno lay there, injured but still conscious. Before Natsu had any time to react the ground swallowed the man, freeing him from the line of fire. Natsu grunted, rising to his full height as his eyes glanced over the area.

"Where are you hiding?"

The ground underneath Natsu suddenly liquified and the teen dropped into the earth; the only traces of the duo being the scars left on the battlefield.


With Elfman and Ichiya

Elfman weathered another blow of Kafuchi's snake-like attacks, the blow rattling through his bones. Kafuchi snarled in anger, but was forced to use the other snake to defend against Ichiya's punch. The blow tore through Kafuchi's snakes, yet the momentum had been killed before it reached him. The man took the blow, his snakes lurching back to life to attack Ichiya once more. Elfman spun, using his back to block the blow, a slight grunt the only proof that he even felt the attack.

This had been the pattern for a while now. Kafuchi would attack, Elfman would remain steadfast in front of the attack, and Ichiya would try and capitalize. Unfortunately, none of their attacks had been successful. Kafuchi's snakes were capable of stopping most of the momentum of the Ichiya's punches. The battle had stalemated. However, Kafuchi had no intention of it staying that way forever. The man sent another snake at Elfman, the teen snatching the snake from the air. Kafuchi grinned, launching his two other snakes at Elfman as well, ignoring Ichiya. The two snakes swirled together into one larger snake as they neared that smashed into Elfman, blowing him backwards.

"Elfman," Ichiya cried out, shock in his voice.

The S-class mage whirled, rushing forwards to punch at Kafuchi. The man leapt backwards, Ichiya's punch smashing into the ground and causing it to erupt. Dust and rubble soared through the air, forcing Kafuchi to swirl his snakes around his body to defend him. Rubble bounced off of the snakes as dust covered his vision. Suddenly a fist blurred through the smoke, ripping through his snakes and smashing into his chest. Blood shot from Kafuchi's mouth before he was blown backwards smashing into a tree. The former guild master slumped to the ground, pain blarring on his face. The dust cleared, revealing Ichiya walking towards the man, anger on his face.

"I shall not allow you to harm my fellow mages," Ichiya muttered.

"You don't have a choice," Kafuchi hissed, sending his snakes at Ichiya. The man grunted, grabbing two of the snakes before the third bit down on his chest. Ichiya grit his teeth as he was thrust backwards from the force, his blood trailing on the ground. The man released the two snakes in his hands, allowing them to bite down on his shoulders. He roared in pain as he smashed his hands together, smashing the snake biting down on his chest into paste. He then gripped the other two and turned, beginning to spin. Kafuchi grunted as he spun through the air, smashing into trees as Ichiya's speed increased.

With a roar Ichiya let the man go, Kafuchi smashing through trees and boulders alike before he finally came to a stop. Kafuchi grunted, rising to his feet quickly to see Ichiya sprinting towards him, a grim look on his face. Kafuchi smashed his hands together, his eyes glowing with power. Suddenly four snakes leapt from the spots on his body towards Ichiya. The snakes quickly bit down on a limb a piece, before they lifted Ichiya into the air. The man grunted, trying to rip his arms free only for the snakes bite to get worse.

"You cannot beat me," Kafuchi hissed.

"Maybe not alone no," Ichiya stated. "But men need not fight alone!"

Kafuchi's eyes widened before his head turned courtesy of Elfman's fist. The man was sent flying, his snakes letting go of Ichiya. The S-class mage dropped to the ground, nodding his thanks at Elfman. The Fairy Tail mage returned the favor, panting ragged breathes. Several of the scales on his Lizardman form were broken. Elfman slowly reverted back to his normal human form.

"I can't use that form for the rest of the fight," Elfman stated.

"That is fine."

Snakes shot forwards towards the two of them, courtesy of Kafuchi. Ichiya punched any snake that neared him, the attacks disappearing upon contact. Meanwhile Elfman's right arm changing shape, turning into an iron fist that Elfman used to swat the attacks away.

"Beast Arm: Iron Bull."

Kafuchi snarled at seeing his attack so easily stopped. His eyes glowed with a black magical aura as magic leaked off of his frame. The ground beneath him darkened as snakes began to rise from the ground.

"You imbeciles," Kafuchi hissed. "You dare challenge me!"

Countless amounts of snakes shot forwards, too many for either to defend against. The two were swallowed up. The snakes surged upwards, lifting both light mages into the air before Kafuchi brought them down, smashing them into the ground. Ichiya groaned, trying to use the strength of his Power Perfurme to break free of the attack only for it to fail. A snake snarled, clamping down on his shoulder. He roared as he was flung into the air before the horde of snakes merged into one massive one that snapped him up in his jaws.

"Ichiya!"

"I didn't forget about you."

Elfman's eyes widened as the snake split into its many parts once more, Ichiya's body dropping unceremoniously onto the ground in the process. Elfman tried to defend against the swarm, but without his Lizardman form he couldn't defend against the blows adequately. Bite after bite they wore him down. For every snake he defended against another snapped down on his limb, slowing him down even further.

'I can't win like this.'

Another bite.

'I need something more!'

Another bite.

'But that...I refuse to bargain with Alpha!'

Elfman had no more time to think as the snakes smashed him into the ground, biting into his body. Kafuchi laughed, walking forwards towards the Fairy Tail mage.

"You're just some A-class shit stain from that pathetic guild. Once I kill you maybe I'll go around killing any other fairies I see around here? Go to the guild and kill them all in front of your old fart of a guild master!"

"Not on my watch."

Kafuchi and his horde of snakes were blown away by the power of the blow sent at him. The man skipped across the ground like a stone, his skin tearing. The man stood as soon as he was able, his horde of snakes completely gone. His head snapped up, eyes filled with bloody murder. Ichiya stood before him, his body covered in bruises and blood. The man was back in his Power Perfume form, only this time orange energy crackled around him.

"You are truly a powerful opponent, but it is time for me to defeat you. I cannot have you killing Fairy Tail mages."

"That form again," Kafuchi stated, his eyes bleeding to black once more. "What the hell do you think that's gonna do? I already beat it!"

"Ah, not exactly," Ichiya stated. "You defeated the Power Perfume form of this only. Now I have added the Fleet-Foot Perfume: Zero Distance Inhalation!"

"The what?"

"You shall see soon enough," Ichiya stated, crouching down into a sprint runner position. "I will not allow Elfman Strauss to die! I swear this on my pride as a man!"

"Oh shut up," Kafuchi stated. "I don't care about you, I don't care about that boy, and I certainly don't care about your pride! I just want you to die!"

The snakes shot forwards in a horde once more but it didn't matter. Ichiya moved, leaving only arcs of orange energy as he sped through the horde. The only way to tell where he was was the snakes bodies being blown into pieces, but it didn't matter. It happened to quickly. The man smashed his fist into Kafuchi's stomach, forcing the S-class mage to spit up blood. Kafuchi stumbled backwards only for Ichiya to step in once more, arcs of energy crackling off of his body.

"Smiling..."

Ichiya's arm came around, arcs of energy coming off of it before he smashed it into Kafuchi's face. The man turned as he was punched into the earth before the energy detonated.

"...Smash!"

The world erupted.


With Gajeel and Jose

Gajeel ducked underneath the wave of weaponry trying to use it as cover to approach the guild master. Ivan was not one to be underestimated however, easily realizing Gajeel's objective.

"Hiding from my attacks? I think not."

The clones of the man rushed forwards, their blades carving up to the ground as they approached. Gajeel grit his teeth, his arms transforming into two forms of Iron Dragon's Club that he launched forwards at the clones. They blocked the attack with a cross guard before blowing it backwards. Gajeel's arms returned to normal the attack a failure, but he had created a big enough distraction for him to escape from his current position. The teen rose to his full height as a clone rushed him. The bladed arm swung forwards, Gajeel ducking underneath the swipe and smashing into it with a punch. The clone stumbled backwards, swinging at his head to behead him in the process. Gajeel grabbed the arm of the clone right before the blade started, stopping the blow. With a grunt he kicked it in its chest, sending it rolling backwards.

He had no time to capitalize as the wave of weaponry approached him once more. This time he didn't try and run from the attack, magic building in his chest as it approached. The teen unleashed an Iron Dragon's Roar that stopped the wave dead, the two opposing forces battling for supremacy. However, it wasn't long until the bladed weapons began to cut through the storm of shrapnel and energy. Gajeel's eyes widened and he leapt away, watching in horror as the wave of weaponry detonated on the ground where he once stood.

'It can pierce through my breath attack while I'm in my base state! Shit!'

So focused on the surprising outcome of the clash of spells, Gajeel was unprepared for the second clone to leap at him and slash him with his blade. Gajeel howled as he was cut, an explosion of Darkness Magic sending him flying to the ground. The teen rolled with the impact to mitigate the impact, but the damage had been done. His side was bleeding heavily. The cut had been deep.

Gajeel rose, hand on his side as he saw the clone descending towards him from the sky.

"Fuck off," he muttered. He raised his arm, a grayish-green magic circle appearing before his fingertips. "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!"

Spikes of iron shot forwards towards the clone forcing it to block. It was able to stop the first three spikes, deflecting them towards the ground where they buried themselves deep, only to slowly be overwhelmed. The spikes tore through it's body until it was nothing but torn pieces of paper floating down in the wind. Gajeel didn't gloat, turning to tend to his injury. It was his enhanced hearing that warned him of the approaching footsteps. He turned, seeing the other clone approaching him in tandem with the weapon storm.

The teen snarled, aiming his attack at them.

"I'll handle you too."

The spikes shot forwards towards the clone. This one was much better at deflecting them, sending any spikes away from it. Gajeel grit his teeth, trying to pierce through it. If he could pass the clone he'd be able to reach the storm of shikigami that was behind it as well. He just needed to blow it apart. Yet no matter how many spikes he sent towards it, it deflected them all. Gajeel grit his teeth, stopping the attack to leap forwards. The clone swiped out with it's blades only for Gajeel to catch them with his arms. He winced, the pain from his wound stopping him from fully halting the attack. The blades of the clone would have dug deep into his shoulders if not for him quickly activating his Iron Dragon's Scales to mitigate the damage as best as possible. While the weapons still cut through the scales, further proof of his armors ineffectiveness, the combination of their defenses and his physical strength was enough to stop them from cutting deep into his shoulders.

The teen grinned as he saw the storm of weaponry reach the two.

"Iron Dragon's Roar."

The storm was aimed at the ground, resulting in a giant explosion that sent dirt flying through the air. As the smoke of the explosion cleared Gajeel was on the ground, bleeding as his scales trickled off of his body. However, the wave of shikigami weaponry and the other clone were nowhere to be found. Ivan smirked at the sight.

"And there the mighty Gajeel Redfox lay. Defeated."

"Defeated," Gajeel choked out, slowly rising to his feet. The teen grinned, blood dripping from his injuries onto the ground. He had new ones as well. His lip was split making moving his mouth a chore, and blood trailed from his forehead into his eye. He glared upwards at Ivan, the blood filling his eye giving him a crazed look. One that was only matched by the determination that filled his eyes.

"Do I look defeated to you!"

Ivan clenched his fists, anger filling him. "You are nothing but an A-class Fairy Tail mage. You're nothing! I am so far above your level I may as well be on a different planet. Now die you insect!"

Ivan roared in outrage, the trees behind him being converted into shikigami. Gajeel frowned.

'This isn't the ideal situation, but I don't really have much of a choice if I plan on winning. I need to do this.'

Ivan sent the countless wave of shikigami at Gajeel. The teen crouched as they approached, green magical energy swirling around him.

"Iron Drive."

The wave of shikigami touched Gajeel and detonated. Smoke filled the air and rubble flew as the ground shook underneath the power of the attack. Ivan stared, eyes filled with glee. There was no way the Iron Dragonslayer could have survived that attack. His previous armor hadn't held up against the might of his attacks when he had charged them with Darkness Magic. Against a torrent like this, in addition to the magic he put into it, he was confident that the teen was dead.

Then what was that form in the darkness?

A hulking mass of a creature stood in the smoke, an ominous red glow staring out from it. A green hue of energy swirled around it like a violent storm. In a bellow the smoke was thrown away like a rag, the creatures voice sounding like metal grating against metal. Gajeel lowered his head, his wild hair flowering behind him covered in iron.

"What," Ivan whispered, genuine worry in his voice. "This power...how are you this powerful!"

A deep, grating chuckle bellowed outwards, Gajeel's shaking shoulders the only que that he was laughing.

"Because I'm the defensive expert," Gajeel spat, regurgitating the insult. "Now are you ready to fight?"


With Lyon, Sherry, Mirajane, and Jura

The group paused as they looked over the giant canyon into the former guild hub below.

"So this is it?"

Jura nodded, pointing to the rubble of the of Oracion Seis' former hideout. "Yeah that was where they had us holed up. They used Wendy to revive a mage there, by the name of Jellal."

"Jellal," Mirajane repeated. "That name is the same as the one Naruto fought at the Tower of Heaven."

"Tower of Heaven," Lyon questioned. "What's that?"

"A Resurrection System. I don't know the details but it required massive magical power to run. It's goal was to sacrifice someone to bring another back to life."

"That's barbaric!" Jura exclaimed.

Lyon frowned, clenching his fists. "I...I don't agree with the cost but I understand. The desire to see someone you care about back among the living. It can be intoxicating."

Jura looked at his guildmate like he had grown a second head, but Lyon didn't meet his eyes. The teen wasn't interested in debating morality. Certainly not in this situation.

"Anyways, this Jellal guy was there?"

"Yeah, he ran it. He was a childhood friend of Erza's, and also served on the Magic Council."

"What!"

"A Dark Mage like that was on the Magic Council!"

Mirajane raised her hands, quieting the other light mages down. "Look I don't know all the details. All I know was that he tried sacrificing Erza and Naruto beat him."

"He defeated him for love," Sherry said smiling. "Naruto truly is a great man."

"But if he's here that's dangerous. He was an S-class mage. Wizard Saint level," Mirajane commented.

"Just when we thought this situation couldn't possibly get any worse," Jura commented. "I assume he was Siegrain on the Magic Council? He looked just like him."

"I don't know what he looked like, but considering he wasn't there when the Magic Council was assaulted..."

"I see," Jura muttered. "I will try and locate this Jellal and defeat him. If he truly is as powerful as you say we cannot afford to waste any time combating him. Lyon and Sherry, you both should look around for survivors. We have been split up far to thinly thanks to the sheer number of enemies in the area. Fight together, fight smart, and regroup. Mirajane you are a S-class mage correct?"

"Yes."

"Good. Come with me. I may need your assistance."

The group nodded splitting off. Jura and Mirajane raced towards the two largest energy signatures they could find in the forest. Sherry and Lyon rushed towards where they felt some of the weakest.


With Azuma and Midnight

Azuma grinned gesturing to the surrounding area.

"You should know that our last fight I was at a disadvantage. It wasn't the ideal situation for me to be fighting in. But this? This is the perfect situation for me to be fighting in." The grin that split that dark skinned man's face was psychotic. "Hopefully you'll provide more fun for me huh!"

Midnight frowned before his eyes tensed. The slight warning was all Azuma needed to react. A wall of roots shot up from the ground, forming a thick barricade in front of him. The man still shot back, his eyes narrowing in on the roots. The blades of air cut through them and into the ground before they halted. Azuma smirked, glancing up at Midnight who sent a blast of Darkness Magic at him.

Azuma raised a hand, letting loose a Bleve that easily countered the wave of magic power.

"I do have to ask, how did your wings regrow? I thought I had destroyed those completely the last time we fought."

"You overestimate the amount of damage you could do to me," Midnight muttered. The winged creature sent another beam of Darkness Magic at Azuma only for a wall of roots to rise from the ground to block the attack. Midnight grunted, sending waves of air blades to shred the defense to pieces only to not find Azuma behind it. He glanced behind him just in time to see a storm of fruit approaching him that he shredded with his distorted air. Azuma smirked as he saw his attack fail.

"You know you're quite overconfident for someone who lost our last fight."

"Like I could lose to a weakling like you."

"Oh come now, you can't tell me you're not having fun!"

"The only fun I'll get from this battle is breaking you and watching you beg for your life."

The two sent wave after wave of attack at each other. Darkness Magic met explosion, blade of air met wall of roots, the two were locked in a standstill. Neither were willing to reach deeper into their bag of tricks until the balance was tilted their way. And yet both knew that the balance would stay the same as long as neither opened up their arsenal.

Azuma was the one who broke first.

The man clapped his hands together as leaves were pulled off of the trees they were attached to and swirled around him. In a roar he sent them flying towards Midnight, magic enhancing their cutting ability.

"Ramus Sica!"

Midnight frowned at the organic attacks, distorting the air around him so that the attack swirled around him.

"You've tried this tactic on me before. It doesn't work."

"I seem to remember defeating you using this tactic," Azuma muttered, snapping his fingers. The leaves exploded, covering Midnight in smoke. The teen rolled his eyes. He couldn't be hurt by a mere explosion. It was by nature inorganic, which meant he could distort it. Azuma knew better.

Azuma knew better.

Midnight blew the smoke away in an instant to see a giant fist made of tree roots surging towards him. His eyes widened at the attack, quickly trying to form an air blade to bifurcate the attack. He was too slow however, the attack smashing through the half-made attack and into his body. Midnight flipped through the air from the force but was stopped cold as he felt his wings get grabbed. The teen glanced behind him to see Azuma standing on his back, a savage grin on his face.

"You really should have checked if the fist was hollow."

The man roared and kicked downwards, forcing the two down towards the ground.

"Cause I'm not letting you go!"

Midnight collided with the ground as Azuma pulled, attempting to rip his wings out of his body. Midnight howled in pain, desperately scrambling to grab Azuma but the man was too far away. Midnight snarled, smashing his fist onto the ground. Blades of air formed before they fired at Azuma, attempting to split him in two. The man leapt away from the attack but he hadn't given up the assault. The man smashed his hands onto the ground as roots erupted from the ground. The organic weapon wrapped around Midnight, tightly binding him. Azuma frowned at the result.

"I was honestly expecting this to be a bit more difficult. I know this is the ideal situation for me, but are you truly this weak when I'm not limited by the environment? This is no fun."

"Yes I'm sure it's not," Midnight muttered. "Good thing this is quite good for me."

Azuma blinked puzzled, before he cried out in pain. The man dropped to the ground, blood leaking from his chest.

"What," he coughed out, realizing there was no a hole in his chest. Blood soaked through his clothes, and his vision swam. Suddenly the Midnight in front of him disappeared, another walking directly in front of him in perfect health.

"You know you would think you would be more careful when fighting someone who can distort and reflect anything inorganic," Midnight muttered. The ground tilted, and suddenly the world looked like it was being flipped and split in two to Azuma. The vertigo hit him and he vomitted, only for the bile to float into the air.

"What?"

"I can reflect anything inorganic," Midnight stated. "That includes light. And as long as I can distort the light what you see is entirely at my whim."

Azuma's eyes widened as he realized the cause of the vertigo and the sudden disappearing act. "You're creating illusions by distorting the light that hits my eyes."

"Yes," Midnight stated walking around him in a circle. "Your entire sense of perception is mind to manipulate on a whim."

Azuma grinned, trying to stand on his feet only to fall back to the ground as the sense of vertigo hit him once more. "You should be careful about what you tell people," Azuma stated. "Now that I know my world isn't actually going to shit I can fight this off."

Midnight chuckled, sitting down directly in front of Azuma. Or was it just another illusion?

"Feel free to believe that. That sense of vertigo in your body can't be overwhelmed quite as easily as simply willing it."

Azuma grit his teeth, trying to reach out and grab Midnight only for his hand to go through the teen's body. A laugh echoed in his ears.

"You seriously think I was that stupid?"

"You don't wanna know the answer to that," Azuma muttered. Midnight snorted, standing to his feet.

"You said that you were at your most powerful here. That's good. That means when I win, and I will win, you'll have nothing left. No cheap tricks. No if only's, just the realization of your own failure. And that's when you'll break. And then, only then, will I kill you."

Midnight stared down into Azuma's eyes.

"You said you were at your full power here. But what you never considered is that in our first fight I was holding back against you."


With Gray, Juvia, and Levy

Juvia threw the Thunder God Kunai on the ground, anxiously awaiting Naruto's appearance. In a flash of yellow the blonde stood before them, staring at them. His eyes narrowed as he noticed Levy's injuries. Instantly he reached out, looking at the unconscious girls injuries.

"This is bad," Naruto muttered.

"It's not just this," Gray muttered, tilting his head towards the corpse of Eve. Naruto frowned, clenching his fists before he nodded.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you all to deal with this threat alone."

"This isn't your fault. He was an S-class mage, not someone to be underestimated like you said."

"That doesn't change the fact that not all of you were prepared," Naruto ground out. "Even in my childlike body I should have been have been able to do something. I apologize."

"This is not time to be debating whose fault this is," Juvia interjected. "We need to help her and get Eve somewhere where he can rest."

"Gray, freeze the injury on Levy for now."

The teen nodded, placing a hand on the girl's destroyed eye. The wound froze solid. By the time Gray glanced upwards from his work Eve was on Naruto's back.

"Grab hold of me."

The duo of Fairy Tail mages did that and then in a flash they were in the air. Shock filled their bodies as they felt gravity take hold of them only for their eyes to widen as they noticed they weren't falling.

"Sorry, didn't know we'd be in the air. You're safe. I won't let you fall."

The two glanced around them, surprised to see them in the air surrounded by air tornados courtesy of the Uzumaki.

"Naruto-san!"

Naruto turned, smiling as the looked at Wendy. "Wendy, I'm afraid I don't know why you're flying right now. But regardless our friend here needs help. I know you're a support mage but do you know any healing magic?"

"Y-yes," the girl managed to stammer out. Carla and Happy gently led them to the ground, letting the girl lay loose on the ground. Naruto similarly landed, placing Levy in front of them.

"I'm leaving her health in your hands," Naruto whispered. "As for Eve...he...just do what you can for him."

Wendy froze as she saw the dead body. Gray frowned, walking up to the girl and placing a firm hand on her shoulders as she shuddered at the sight. Gently, Juvia approached her and turned her head to meet the former Phantom Lord mage's eyes.

"Breathe Wendy. Focus on what's alive. Focus on what you can do."

Wendy nodded shakily, still clearly not comfortable with the dead body. Naruto watched with a forlorn look on his face.

"How dare you bring a dead mage to a child!"

Naruto turned to look down at Carla, a frown on his face. "Would you rather I left him where he was to be forgotten?"

Carla clammed up.

"Naruto!" Happy called. "You have to go help Natsu and Gajeel! They got attacked by Raven Tail! They're holding off their mages to let Wendy escape."

"Raven Tail huh. Alright, I can go handle them in this state."

"Careful, Ivan is with them!"

"Ivan," Naruto whispered. "He might be a problem for me to defeat like this."

"What's the problem," Gray questioned.

"I'm a clone," Naruto muttered. "The real me is gathering natural energy to take on Animus, but made clones to assist you guys if needed. I can't take as much damage and I doubt I'll be able to defeat Ivan so quickly as for that to not matter."

"We can go assist them?"

"No. You both are exhausted from your past fight and there will be no more dead bodies on my hands. Besides, Wendy will need protecting as she heals Levy. Stay here. I'll see what I can do for Natsu and Gajeel."

"Wait there's more," Happy called. "Jellal, he's here!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, snapping to the cat. "What did you say?"

"Jellal," Happy muttered. "Jellal Fernandes. The very same one from the Tower of Heaven!"

"What's he doing here," Naruto hissed. Gray glanced at Happy, surprised to see the anger in Naruto's voice. He hadn't heard it ever before.

Happy glanced at Wendy, a bashful look on his face. However, before he could say anything Carla spoke up.

"Wendy healed him. He was in bad shape. Wendy healed him back to full health."

Naruto turned, his eyes scathing. Wendy folded sheepishly under the intense pressure of Naruto's gaze, tears building in her eyes.

"Why?"

His tone was harsh. He wanted to shout, to scream, at the young girl, but he held his tongue. He needed to know why.

"I'm sorry," Wendy muttered as she bit down her tears. "That man...he...he saved me when I was a child."

Naruto stared down at Wendy, the frown on his face deepening. Tension filled the air until eventually the blonde sighed, shaking his head.

"That man...has done many bad things Wendy. He tried to kill Erza. Tried to kill me. Heh, he tried to kill a lot of people. Enslaved others. He is not a man you should go around saving."

"No!"

Naruto blinked.

"The Jellal I know wouldn't do those things! He saved me when I needed it the most. I'm sorry...but I just can't believe he did those things to Erza-san. Or you." The Cait Shelter mage broke down into tears, but her hands still moved, glowing with a bright light as she attempted to heal Levy's wound. But the darkness over her head was clearly growing larger. The light of her hands was dimming. She was muttering to herself.

"I'm a fool, I healed Jellal and now they can access Nirvana. And he might have hurt Erza-san, and Naruto-san and..."

Naruto smiled, walking up to the girl. Carla tensed, rushing to stop the blonde only for him to gently place a hand on Wendy's head.

"Wendy."

The girl looked up at him, horror and fear in her eyes.

"You saved someone who saved your life. I can't fault you for that. And you shouldn't fault yourself either. If Jellal really did those things to you then he must have changed afterwards. You were holding on to who he used to be. One of your precious people."

"My precious people?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, smiling. "You were alone. And that pain...the pain of being alone is completely out of this world isn't it? He saved you from that. I know what that's like...to be saved by someone. You could never hurt that person or see them hurt, no matter what they did."

Wendy nodded, the tears trickling down her face stilling.

"Don't feel shame Wendy. If the Jellal you believe to be in there is there then I'll bring him out. I promise."

"T-thank you!"

Naruto smiled, ruffling the girl's hair.

"Now you heal Levy alright! I'm gonna go put a stop to this!"

"Yessir!"

Gray and Juvia watched Naruto blast into the air in a burst of golden light, shock on their faces.

"Is he always that good with people," Juvia whispered.

"Dunno."


With Natsu and Velveno

Natsu glanced around at the underground labyrinth he was in. Velveno had brought him down here to capitalize off of the Earth Magic he had at his disposal, of that he was sure. There was no other way around it. Down here he was at a severe disadvantage. The firecracker grit his teeth, his nose crinkling at the scent. He couldn't locate Velveno through smell. It reeked. Luckily, he didn't have to.

The ground beneath his feet churned, but before he was trapped within it fire exploded to life, lifting him into the air. The earth itself reared up to grab him only for the flames to spiral around him, the force pushing the earth backwards. Natsu grit his teeth, glancing around at where the man could be only for a beam of Darkness Magic to shoot through the shadows in the cavern. The beam blasted Natsu in his back, dropping him to the ground.

The earth instantly swarmed him, binding his legs and arms to restrain his movement. The Dragonslayer tried to free himself, but the liquid earth was too strong, snapping his arms back into place every time he fought against his restraints.

"Damn it!"

"Ah ah ah," Velveno stated, walking forwards. A knife was in the man's hand, dancing between his fingers. Natsu grit his teeth as the man stepped over him, a grin on his face.

"You caused me a lot of trouble you know that? But at the end of the day you lost. And now you die."

Velveno grinned, slowly bringing the knife to Natsu's throat, a grin on his face. "What was that you said? I couldn't hurt you?" Velveno grinned, drawing a slight amount of blood.

"Well who's hurting who now?"

Natsu glared at the man, trying to fight his bindings but found himself unable to. Velveno grinned, patting Natsu's face with his knife. The man raised the blade, ready to sink it into the Fairy Tail mages throat. Natsu watched the metal rise, frustration building in his chest. He couldn't die here! He had to help everyone defeat Oracion Seis! And he had to get Wendy back! He had to help the guild fight off Mito Uzumaki!

He had to find Igneel.

The Dragonslayer gripped his drive, anger burning inside of him. He still didn't have perfect control. But that was fine. No one was here. He didn't need control. He just needed power.

"Fire Drive!"

Velveno brought the weapon down only for an explosion of fire to shoot forth, sending him flying and melting away the earth binding Natsu. The Dragonslayer rose, a deep growl echoing in his chest before he roared to the earthen ceiling, flames surging over the underground labyrnth and giving it light. Velveno skid across the ground before he came to a stop, his head snapping up to lock onto Natsu.

What was that?

Sudenly he had him tame, defeated, and the next second there was an explosion of fire unlike anything he had ever seen before. The flames had melted his knife and all but mangled his arm. The burns were so bad he didn't even feel the appendage. There wasn't even pain. But that was the least of his problems. The hulking flame dragon before him began to stalk towards him, fire his very breath.

Velveno slowly stood, back against the wall and eyes wide. What was his way out of this? He couldn't defeat that much firepower in a straight fight. He could barely keep up with the boy before this transformation. His Darkness Magic would be useless, and his earth couldn't get close to him without melting. He could bring the very earth down on them, but that would kill them both. There was only one way out of this.

Speed.

Velveno roared in effort, letting the earth above him liquify to form a gap in the ceiling. An escape. The boy in front of him snarled, but didn't react merely standing still in the swirling flames. The drug lord didn't blink, didn't bother to wipe the sweat from his face, or swallow spit to help his parched throat. The tension was too thick. The slightest movement he made would lead to the boy going for him. He could stand here, in darkness forever and as long as he didn't move he would live.

But he couldn't afford to stand here forever. He had to reach her. Aceto. His magic built up inside of him before it began to influence the area. And then, without a second thought, he leapt towards the hole in the ground, praying he would be fast enough. The magic slowed everything near him. The boy had gained power, but there was no way he could reach him in time. The hole wasn't far off now. Just a few seconds away. He was free. He was free.

A hand stopped him.

Velveno turned his head, fear in his eyes as he saw the blazing dragon grabbing him, massive jets of flame shooting from behind its back. Those flames. They were stronger, their propulsion better. It made the dragon faster. Too fast. Fast enough to outspeed Racer's magic!

'No.'

Velveno felt the blow connect with him before he saw it. His mind went blank from the searirng pain, his magic snapping shut before he shot through the sky in an explosion of fire. The tower of flame speared high into the sky, setting anything near it ablaze. The conflagration seared, the dazzling white embers clashing harshly with the other pillar of magic floating throughout the sky.

A roar split the sky, a roar that Velveno did not hear. Nor did he see the ground erupt from beneath him to form a giant crater. All he saw was his lovely Aceto. His beautiful fiancee.

'Forgive me...Aceto. It looks like I'll never see you again.'

The man saw her image fade as he plummeted back to the earth, her image vanishing just as his body cracked against the ground. And then he lay still.


With Animus and Jellal

Animus watched with interest as the light of the magic pillar shifted from the steady black to white.

"Good."

"No," Jellal said. "This is a dangerous magic. I can't allow it to fall into anyone's hands."

"Yes well there's not much you can do about that really."

"That's where you're wrong," Jellal stated. "I released the seal to destroy this magic completely. The magic circle of self destruction has been set up. Nirvana will destroy itself shortly."

Animus stared at the man a small smile forming on his face. "Ah yes, a desperate ploy to save everyone here. I must ask why. After all, you're not known as a good person. With this magic you could stop me from killing all of the light mages here. Without it, well they have no chance of survival."

"Why," Jellal whispered. "I...I don't know. I don't remember anything. I only remember the name Erza."

"Erza. The Fairy Tail mage. I believe she is here."

"She's here?"

"Yes, but that doesn't address the problem. Why would that make you destroy Nirvana?"

"Like I said, this magic is dangerous. And you do not seem like a good person."

Animus snorted, strolling by Jellal with ease. Jellal watched him with intense eyes but didn't bother attacking. He had already seen how that would end up. He could only watch as Animus reached up towards the magic circle of self destruction.

"I have been around for many decades Jellal Fernandes. I have learned many spells and many magics."

The code on Nirvana glowed a bright blue before it shattered into fragments of light.

"Your magic circle of self destruction is mere childsplay to dispell."