Hi everyone, thanks for your patience. I just got back from vacation and now that I'm all rested, I'm ready to get back to work. Now, last we left off, nearly everyone in Fairy Tail has made contact with most of the Eight Kin of Purgatory, and Hades has defeated Makarov in single-combat, but not without dropping the bomb of Sparda being a founder of Fairy Tail, and the original candidate of the guild's first master. (Just to clarify, Sparda was NEVER Fairy Tail's master, he was just a candidate, but chose to pass that duty onto Mavis instead). Now the war gets underway as the members of Fairy Tail begin possibly the most dangerous fights of their lives.
The Flame God and The Holy Devil
Hades stood on the beach of Tenrou Island, facing the landed airship that also served as the guildhall of Grimoire Heart, beside the flag that bore his guild's insignia on it.
"I wasn't expecting to reunite with my old friend, Makarov." Hades spoke his thoughts aloud. "While it's unfortunate, if we want to be victorious, we have no choice but to annihilate the Fairy Tail guild. For once they're out of the way, we can pursue our true objective for our lord and savior, Mundus: the awakening of the Black Wizard Zeref."
He glanced upwards at the sky as he thought about his successor whom he had just recently defeated. "Makarov, you've done an excellent job of leading the guild for forty-eight years, even taken in Spada's youngest son and his former apprentice under your wing. However, I'm afraid your time is up old friend. Your reign as Fairy Tail's master ends today. History, is coming to a close, not just for Fairy Tail, but for Sparda's legacy. If his son does not join our cause, then he will join his father in the afterlife."
Zeref continued to wonder, though it seemed aimless, he was actually doing his best to avoid the conflicts that were erupting all over this island. Ordinarily, he'd follow his friend's wishes and try to stop this meaningless bloodshed, but with the cursed state he was in, he'd do more harm than good. All he could do at this point was try and avoid getting swept up in the battle, as well as pray for the safety of Natsu, and Sparda's son.
Meanwhile, at the island's ruins, Caprico landed in front of the group consisting of Trish, Gray, Loke, Lucy, and Cana.
"I hope you fools are prepared to do battle with me." Caprico told the group.
"A goat?" Lucy questioned upon seeing this foe's unusual appearance.
"What's up with this guy? He a goat-demon or something?" Gray questioned.
"No, he's no demon." Trish replied. "But he's definitely not human, that's for sure."
"Of course, he's not human, he's a goat." Cana said as though it were obvious.
"Stay back Lucy, I'll protect you." Loke told the blonde as he had a very serious expression upon his face.
An ominous dark aura fell around the humanoid goat. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am one of the Eight Kin, Caprico."
"The Eight what now? What the heck does that mean?" Lucy questioned.
"I've heard of them. They're supposedly a group of eight deadly wizards from Grimoire Heart." Trish explained. "Even demons are scared of them."
"And Grimoire Heart's got seven more wizards who are just as strong as this guy?" Cana questioned as she drew her magic cards.
"Caprico…" Loke's eyes narrowed as he knew he recognized him.
Dante leapt at Job with Rebellion and swung his blade at him, but the stoic-priest vanished in a flash of light and re-appeared behind Dante, however Dante was quick to act as he flashed Ebony and Ivory and shot multiple demonic-energy bullets at his enemy; but Job raised his right hand to project a shield made out of yellow light with a red outline around it. However, Lady appeared behind Job and tried to fire a rocket at him, only for Job to disappear again and have the rocket blast its way towards Dante who instinctively sliced it in half with Rebellion as both halves flew past him and exploded at the trees behind him.
Job re-appeared, standing on a fallen tree. "I must commend your team-work, you two clearly have been working together for a long time."
"Hey, you said you were a Devil Slayer, the hell does that mean?" Dante questioned. "You fancy Devil Hunter?"
"No, a Devil Hunter is simply a profession, while a Devil Slayer possess a unique type of magic." Job began to explain. "Your guild has three Dragon Slayers, correct? You could say my magic works on the same principle as theirs. A Dragon Slayer utilizes a magical element made specifically to slay a dragon, hence the name. While Devil Slayer Magic utilizes an element created specifically to slay those of demonic nature. While you are a half-breed Dante, demonic blood courses through your veins, as such, my magic is not to be taken lightly." Job opened his hand to reveal a sphere of yellow light with a red aura around it.
"I don't think he's making this stuff up." Lady commented. "Your shoulder's still bleeding, and he's giving off a vibe that's really getting me on edge."
Dante held his shoulder as the wound still hasn't healed, he could still feel a slight burning sensation still there. "Yeah well, it's gonna take a lot more than that to beat me!"
Job clapped his hands together and when he opened them, a bow made entirely out of the same light-magic formed in his hands as three yellow and red light arrows appeared. "Holy Devil Arrows of Judgement!"
Dante and Lady both jumped backwards as Job let loose the light-arrows, and all three seemed to be gunning straight for Dante. As he flew back, he was quick to beat them back with his sword. But Job suddenly appeared behind Dante in a flash of light.
"Holy Devil Sacred Blade!" A sword made out of the same type of light-magic appeared in his hand as he slashed at Dante, but he was quick to flash Rebellion from behind to block the attack. However, Job created a second light-sword in his hand and engaged Dante in a sword-duel. However, Dante was entirely on the defensive as Job moved at a speed that seemed impossible for any normal human.
Dante leapt backwards, but Job suddenly teleported in front of him to clash their blades again. They locked swords as Dante glared at Job who maintained a straightforward face. Lady suddenly appeared as she thrusted her bladed-rocket-launcher at Job, but he batted it away with his light sword before teleporting away and re-appearing at the side.
"Holy Devil Rage!" Job shot an enormous blast of yellow and red light magic at the pair; blasting back both Dante and Lady, sending them crashing through multiple trees. Though Lady was really hurt, covered in bruises, it paled in comparison to the burns that covered Dante's body as he struggled to pick himself up.
'That attack… it felt like Natsu's Roar…' Dante grimaced as he was already on his feet, albeit shakily. 'Guess their magics really are alike'.
Dante saw Job approaching him slowly with an air of confidence and the stoic gaze glancing on the Son of Sparda as he tried to go on the offensive. "Quicksilver!"
"Holy Devil Starburst!" Multiple rays of yellow and right light shot out from Job's body as Dante was pierced by one single ray and sent skidding across the ground, much to the shock of Lady as she was still down.
'Did he just… counter Dante's Quicksilver!?'
"Your Quicksilver style…" Job began as he approached Dante, as he held the bleeding hole in his chest. "..To the untrained eye, it appears to grant you enhanced speed, but that is not really the case. Truth be told, your Quicksilver allows you to warp time, or more specifically, halt time or slow it down within a certain vicinity; giving the illusion that you are moving at incredible speeds."
Dante glared. "Wow… got it one…" He stuttered as he was shakily back on his feet.
"Being a Devil Slayer is more than just wielding magic to slay demons." Job explained. "Just as Dragon Slayers have enhanced senses such as smell and hearing, my magic allows me to become more attuned to different types of demonic energy and identify them, of course this is also based on my own personal experiences. You've acquired your Quicksilver style from a demon called Geryon, correct? Surely you didn't believe the time-steed was the only one of its kind, did you? I've slain others myself, as such, I'm quite familiar with that type of magic."
'Okay then… then let's try actual speed.' Dante thought as he quipped his newer Devil Arm. "Beowulf!" Changing into his gauntlets and grieves, Dante shot at incredible speed at Job, only for him to teleport out of the way of Dante's punch. Job re-appeared quite a distance to shoot another light-ray at Dante, but he was quick to dodge the attack with the speed provided by Beowulf's grieves before zooming at Job who disappeared again just as Dante punched the ground and created a crater with the punch from his gauntlet.
This process repeated for quite some time as Dante chased after Job who teleported out of the way at the last second from Dante's strike, Lady tried to pick herself up as she saw the landscape around her being destroyed; either by a ray of Holy Devil Slayer magic from Job, or a punch or kick from Dante's Beowulf strikes.
'The hell am I doing…? Why am I just standing around when Dante's fighting for his life?!' She questioned as she was back up on her knees. 'If I had magic… maybe… no! Don't think like that!' Lady shook her head with anger-filled expression, though it was more to herself than anything. 'So, what if I don't have magic… I gotta get up on my damn feet and help him!' She was able to stand back fully on her two feet.
Job reappeared on the ground in a flash of light, but it seems Dante had caught onto his timing and appeared in less than a second right in front of Job with a punch at the ready. "Gotcha!" He slammed his fist right at Job, but he was prepared. "Holy Devil Blessed Shield!" A shield made out of yellow and red light suddenly appeared and made contact with Dante's right gauntlet, but he wasn't about to let up as he laid several more punches and kicks at rapid succession, causing the light shield to crack until it finally shattered, but when it did, Job had vanished, only to reappear behind Dante with a light-sword in his hands, right before he impaled Dante in the back.
Dante yelled in agony as he hacked up some blood, he could feel the light-sword burning away at his insides as it remained in his body. "You are powerful indeed Dante, however strength is meaningless in the grand scheme of our holy mission. Not even you will stand in our way."
Despite the pain however, Dante smirked in Job's direction. "Don't count on it… padre… Doppelganger!" Suddenly, three copies of Dante appeared around them and quickly grabbed onto Job, while Dante turned his body around, despite the light-sword still impaled in his chest and grabbed onto Job as well.
"Lady! Now!" Dante and his clones all shouted at once as Lady unloaded on her bazooka, blasting four rockets at them, causing a large explosion that rocked the whole area. Dante himself was sent skidding back, the light-sword vanishing from his body, as his clones were destroyed, and Job was sent flying upward into the air.
'He let himself be stabbed on purpose… an attempt to catch me off guard and allow his ally to strike me… impressive strategy.' Job thought.
'I'm not even gonna give him a chance to recover!' Dante thought as he still used Beowulf's grieves to leap high into the air and meet Job before he quipped a separate Devil Arm. "Agni! Rudra!" Using both his fire and wind swords, Dante slashed and hacked at Job's body in rapid secession, sending out backlashes of wind and flame with every strike before he raised both blades and brought them together to create a flaming-vortex around them and slamming it onto Job, creating an explosion that sent him crashing onto the ground, but Dante wasn't finished. "Cerberus!" While still airborne, Dante pulled out his three-pronged-ice-nunchuck and spun it so rapidly it seemed like a cyan circle was blasting out ice-crystals like a gatling gun that froze up the entire area around Job with even more ice-crystals forming on-top; if he wasn't frozen, he'd be buried underneath all the ice. "Nevan!" Using the last of his Devil Arms, Dante took out his electric-scythe and charged it with as much demonic electricity as he could, flashing bright purple as Dante fell down and slashed at the ice that had trapped Job underneath; creating an even larger explosion that flashed purple lighting around the entire area, well-past the tree-line.
Lady covered her eyes from the blinding light and did her best to not be blown away by the shockwave. When she opened her eyes, she looked in surprise to see Dante falling on his knees, practically out of breath, using Nevan to keep himself from falling flat on the ground. She quickly ran to him.
"Dante, you okay…?"
"I'll live…" Dante muttered. "Couldn't drag it… out with him… had to finish it."
Lady looked at him with concern. 'He used a whole lot of his energy with that combo of his, not to mention his injuries aren't healing.'
"You know, you could have just used your Devil Trigger." Lady told him.
"Yeah… problem is, he's not the only one." Dante said as Lady helped him stand on his feet. "Apparently… there are seven more of these notjobs… and if they're as strong as him, then we're in serious trouble, not to mention their boss."
"A logical train of thought."
Both Lady's and even Dante's pupils shrunk as they looked towards the smoke clearing to see Job, still standing and in one piece. His hood and sleeves, as well as his red-shoulder-sash were torn, but he appeared perfectly fine. He held his head high as his mouth was hung open, streams of light became visible and entered his mouth, in a very familiar method that Dante and Lady both knew all too well.
"Is he… eating… light?" Lady stuttered.
"Like how Natsu… eats fire…" Not even Dante could see something like this coming.
Job had just finished his 'meal' and maintained his stoic expression as he looked towards Dante and Lady, if they weren't so shocked, they would have noticed a series of black markings on Job's exposed right arm. They appeared to be in the form of straight horizontal lines, with a series of upside-down crosses in-between them.
"As I've told you before, Devil Slayer Magic is very similar to Dragon Slayer Magic." Job began to explain. "You've noticed how your Dragon Slayer companions consume their own elements to replenish their own magic; Natsu Dragneel consumes fire, Gajeel Redfox devours iron, and Wendy Marvell consumes air. My Holy Devil Slayer Magic is a form of light-based magic, as such, I need only consume light to replenish my magic and restore myself. And seeing as we are in the middle of the day, light exists all around us, giving me a near-unlimited supply of light to consume."
"You have got to be freaking kidding me…" Lady looked more than a little nervous, as even Dante was starting to sweat.
'Grimoire Heart… the Eight Kin of Purgatory… please tell me they're not all like this…" Dante hopped.
Natsu roared as he lashed out both his flaming fists at Zancrow, who mirrored his action with his own fists coated in black flames. Natsu threw out a series of punches and kicks, but Zancrow either blocked or dodged each attack before driving a black-flaming fist right into Natsu's face and sending him into the air.
"You left yourself wide open, dumbass!" Zancrow gloated.
"So did you! Take Over: Animal Soul: Bull!" Transforming into her she-bull take over, she charged in horns-first at Zancrow, but he caught her by the horns and slid a bit on the ground before planting his feet and actually lifted Lisanna by her horns and slammed her into the ground before lifting her back up and kicking her in the face to send her rolling back.
However, she stood back up as Natsu landed right next to her. "Come on, don't tell me that's all you got!" Zancrow taunted. "I was expecting more power from a dragon hunter, like you. You're not gonna let your little girlfriend hog all the glory, are ya?"
"Just you wait." Natsu smirked. "Now that my body's all warmed up, I'm ready to fight!"
"I might not be a Dragon Slayer, but that doesn't mean I can't fight either! Picking a fight with us was a big mistake!" Lisanna glared at Zancrow.
"Be careful you two." Wendy said, as she and the Exceed trio hung back, in their current condition there wasn't much they can do to help.
"They'll be just fine." Happy said confidently. "When Natsu's all fired up, the enemy doesn't stand a chance. Plus, Lisanna's backing him up, so they can't loose!"
"But Natsu's attacks haven't had any affect." Carla voiced with worry. "Who is that fiend?"
"He just referred to himself as a God Slayer, but I'm not sure if that's really his power or he's just trying to talk tough." Panther-Lily said.
"You two brats got guts; I'll grant you that." Zancrow said with a maddened grin on his face. "But I'm one of Grimoire Heart's elite! Zancrow the Flame God Slayer!"
"Yeah? Well I'm Natsu the Fire Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail!" Natsu shot back.
Zancrow laughed. "I know who you are, Dragon Breath. You're famous in the Baram Alliance because of all the destruction you leave in your wake."
"Saywhat?!" Natsu comically exclaimed.
"The Baram Alliance? Care to explain?" Panther-Lily asked Carla and Happy as he wasn't familiar with that term.
"Aye sir, they're bad guys who banded together to wreak havoc." Happy explained.
"Yes; Grimoire Heart, the Oracion Seis, and Tartaros joined together to create a coalition of dark guilds." Carla explained as well.
"Our coalition of light guilds was able to beat the Oracion Seis, but I don't know about beating Grimoire Heart." Wendy said. "I mean… they're the strongest member of the Baram Alliance. We don't stand a chance."
"You annihilated Lullaby…" Zancrow began to list the trouble Natsu caused to the aforementioned Dragon Slayer. "You stopped us from bringing back Deliora, and then you and your friends really screwed things up our plans when you wiped out the R-System and Nirvana. You took down Jellal, as well as Master Zero, you and Sparda's kid even destroyed Temen-ni-gru."
"Sparda's kid…? You mean Dante?" Natsu questioned.
"Was Devil Hand part of the Baram Alliance to?" Lisanna questioned as well.
"Nah, those guys operated on their own." Zancrow answered. "All the good it did them since Vergil's guild didn't last very long."
"So, you know about Vergil to." Lisanna's eyes narrowed.
"Kinda hard to overlook an offspring of the Dark Knight." Zancrow replied. "Speaking of which, I know your pal Dante's on this island to. Any idea where he is? Out of all you little weaklings, he might be the only one who can actually give me a challenge!"
"Well I hate to disappoint ya freak, but we're gonna beat you before you even get a shot at Dante! Don't go and underestimate us!" Natsu warned.
"Oh please, you're just a lowly dragon hunter." Zancrow brushed off. "And your little girlfriend here has only got Take Over magic, nothing too special."
"Oh, I'll show you special! She-Cat!" She transformed into her she-cat take over and leapt at Zancrow with her claws, despite her quick speed however, he was able to avoid each and every slash.
"Ooh, you're one feisty kitty aren't ya?" Zancrow teased as he avoided another slash and delivered a punch to Lisanna's gut before grabbing her by the hair and lifting her face up. "Tell me sweetie, how'd you feel like being a part of my little harem. You'd make quite a good concubine." He licked his chops, to Lisanna's disgust.
Natsu suddenly appeared to deliver a flaming-punch to Zancrow's face, forcing him to let go of Lisanna as he shot the supposed God Slayer a death glare. "Touch her again freak, and I'll burn you to ash!"
"Thanks, Natsu." Lisanna picked herself back up.
Zancrow wiped his mouth a bit. "Don't get cocky just because you landed one solid punch in, Dragon Hunter."
"You know what's cocky, calling yourself a God Slayer!" Natsu cracked his knuckles as he and Lisanna leapt to double-team as they lashed out flaming fists and cat-claws at Zancrow respectively, but he dodged and parried each attack with his fists of black fire. "What the hell does that even mean?! You expect us to believe a god trained you!?"
Natsu and Zancrow delivered kicks, their feet coated in their respective flames, which seemed to counter each other. This appeared to leave Zancrow vulnerable as Lisanna leapt at him with a roundhouse of her clawed-feet, but he blocked it with black-flames coating his right arm before delivering a punch to knock her back towards Natsu.
"You could say that, I wasn't trained directly by a god." Zancrow explained. "Master Hades was the one to teach me this awesome Lost Magic!"
'Lost Magic?' Lisanna thought in confusion.
"But he learned all those juicy secrets from a real god." Zancrow sneered with an evil smile. "But not just any god… the one true god! The one where all magic came from! The Demon Emperor Mundus!"
Both Natsu and Lisanna looked in shock, borderline fear. "Mundus…?" Natsu questioned.
"Did… did he just say… Mundus…?" Wendy's face was filled with fear as well, just as Happy's and Carla's.
"He's… he's got to be bluffing about that… right…?" Happy practically shivered.
"Who's Mundus?" Panther-Lily asked.
"The Demon Emperor who rules over all other devils." Carla explained, though she was just about as shocked as everyone else. "However, he was imprisoned two thousand years ago by Dante's father, Sparda, as well as the Dragons and has since remained trapped in the Underworld."
"Not for long." Zancrow chuckled. "Zeref's on this island to you know. And guess what? He's Mundus' chosen one!" If the six members of Fairy Tail weren't shocked before, they were now. "Mundus has chosen us to find his herald and re-awaken his true power; and once Zeref is back and running, we'll free Mundus from his prison and bathe this world in fire and blood!"
"That ain't gonna happen!" Natsu exclaimed as fire surged around his entire body. "Even if you indirectly learned your fancy tricks from that jerk Mundus, I learned everything I know from an actual dragon! The same one that locked up Mundus in the first place!"
Zancrow looked somewhat skeptical. "You really think I give a crap? Dragons are just flying lizards." He picked up a random gecko off the ground. "Wanna ask this guy if he's got any magic?"
That seemed to piss off Natsu in a comic fashion. "Hey man! Igneel's not a freaking lizard!"
"Yeah, you tell him!" Wendy exclaimed in agreement. "Grandeeney's not a big lizard either, and she helped Sparda and Igneel beat Mundus to!"
"Don't encourage him, Wendy!" Carla told her.
"I'd shut up and sit pretty, if I were you." Zancrow warned Wendy as black flames formed around his body. "I got my hands full with Pinky and the Take-Over tramp, but as soon as I'm through with them, you're up next." He laughed, which only seemed to scare Wendy as well as Happy, though Lily and Carla stood defiantly at the maniacal God Slayer.
"He's not messing around…" Happy shivered in comic fright.
"I won't let you lay a finger on this child!" Carla warned.
"Hey you! Don't go get distracted!" Natsu lashed out a Fire Dragon Talon attack towards Zancrow's head, but he blocked the attack with his fists coated in black flame before he threw Natsu off him.
"Take Over: Dragon Soul!" Lisanna's body was engulfed in flames briefly before she adorned her Dragon Take Over and lashed a punch out at Zancrow, actually catching him by surprise and landing a punch to his face, followed by a cartwheel kick to his jaw to send him flying. "Go, Natsu!"
"I'm on it!" Using flames from his feet to propel him straight into the air, he lashed out a series of flaming fists at Zancrow who regained his senses to block and parry the attacks with his own fists coated in black flame once more.
'I know I'm supposed to use Dragon Soul only when I need it, but this guy's power is anything but normal, so I can't afford to hold back right now.' Lisanna thought as she saw Zancrow punch Natsu back right as he landed, giving Lisanna a chance to fly right at Zancrow with flames coating her own fists, but like with Natsu, Zancrow seemed to parry each strike with his own fists of black fire, until he actually caught both her fists with both his hands.
"A Dragon Take Over, huh? Gotta admit, I didn't see that coming." Zancrow mused. "But like I said, dragons are just big lizards, all you did was give yourself an extra set of wings and scales." Zancrow's body was engulfed in black flames, which he exploded outward to blast Lisanna back. Though she stabilized herself in the air with her wings, she could see several burns on her scales and skin, causing her to feel more than a bit nervous.
"You guys better get clear!" Natsu warned his friends as his body was engulfed in flames, but Zancrow only appeared more excited than anything else.
"Bringing out the big guns, huh?" Zancrow mused as Lisanna flew in to grab Wendy and the three Exceeds and get some distance.
Natsu concentrated as much of his fire into his hands. "The Flames of my Right Hand, The Flames of my Left… Put em Together and you get…"
Zancrow mirrored Natsu's actions with black fire on both of his own hands. "I ask you to scorch all from the Far West to the Far East… oh breath of god…"
"…Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"
"…Flame God Kagutsuchi!"
Natsu sent out a massive sphere of his orange flames, as Zancrow did almost the same technique with black fire. The flames collided with each other and pushed against each other as Lisanna set Wendy, Happy, Carla, and Lily down at a safe distance where they watched the struggle between opposing fires.
"What incredible power!" Lily observed in awe.
"And such tremendous heat!" Carla exclaimed as they could feel the intense heat just from this distance alone.
"The powers of a dragon and a god are colliding!" Wendy exclaimed as well.
Natsu roared as he tried to put in as much of his magic as he could, but Zancrow didn't appear to be even breaking a sweat as he just chuckled. Lisanna could see that Natsu was on the losing end of this struggle.
"You guys, stay here!" Lisanna told Wendy and the Exceeds as he flew in towards Natsu. "Hang on Natsu, I got your back! Inferno Blast!" She shot flames from her mouth to add into Natsu's fire and press back against Zancrow's own black flames. This seemed to even things out a bit, as Zancrow was now having difficulty himself, his smile having faded.
"Lisanna's adding her own fire to Natsu's attack! I'd say she's even doubled it!" Happy exclaimed as they continued to observe.
"But will it be enough?" Lily asked.
"I certainly hope so." Carla prayed.
Natsu and Lisanna both poured in as much of their own strength and fire as they could muster, pressing back against Zancrow's colliding black flames. However, all this did was make the homicidal God Slayer angry.
"You little dragon brats…" Zancrow growled. "…You're really pissing me off!" He put even more power into his attack before the sphere of black fire quickly grew and exploded; blasting back both Natsu and Lisanna, while also burning them further with his so-called divine flames; much to their friends' shock.
"Natsu! Lisanna!" Wendy exclaimed in shock.
"No way…" Carla couldn't believe it.
"He overpowered both of them!" Happy was just about as horrified as everyone else.
Zancrow flashed a glare and mad grin at Wendy and the Exceed trio. "Enough with the play-by-play. Get lost, runts!" He waved his hand to send a surge of black flame to engulf all four of them, causing them to scream in pain, much to the shock of Natsu and Lisanna. Zancrow laughed as he saw all four of them hit the ground hard. "That puny little brat was a Dragon Hunter to, right? Oh well, that'll teach her not to mess with me!"
"Wendy… are you alright…?" Carla weakly asked the young Sky Dragon Slayer who was barely conscious herself.
Lily tried to pick himself up, but he had lost virtually all his strength. 'To think this barbarian could easily outclass a Dragon Slayer who's as strong as Gajeel. I've never seen anything like it. Is this… really the power of the Demon Emperor, Mundus?'
Suddenly, Lisanna, still in her Dragon-Take Over, appeared behind Zancrow and grabbed him, wrapping one arm around his neck, and using one hand to pin both his hands behind his back. "What the… the hell are you doing?!" Zancrow questioned.
"Hit him Natsu! Don't worry about me!" Lisanna exclaimed as Natsu was already back on his feet.
No time to argue, Natsu had to hit Zancrow with everything he got while Lisanna had him pinned. "Fire Dragon Roar!" He unleashed one of the most powerful breath attacks he could muster. However, Zancrow didn't even bother to struggle in Lisanna's grip, rather he actually seemed eager to be hit.
"Nice try, you two." Zancrow stated with a grin.
'He's not even trying to resist?' Lisanna thought in confusion as the attack was just about to hit.
"Don't you idiots know it was the divine who granted humans the knowledge of fire?" Zancrow continued. "It wasn't created by mankind or dragons… it was the gods!" The attack hit with explosive results.
"I got him!" Natsu knew Lisanna was probably hurt to, but he knew she could take it. However, Natsu's own pupils shrunk as he saw something that made even Lisanna look in absolute terror as she let go of her enemy.
"No way…" Lisanna stuttered.
Zancrow as actually consuming Natsu's flames, in the same fashion that Natsu would consume fire himself.
"Are you kidding… ?! No way!" Natsu couldn't believe it, and neither could Lisanna as she was rendered almost speechless just as Zancrow finished his meal with a burp.
"He has no manors." Carla said, despite being just as terrified as everyone else.
"He ate all of Natsu's flames…! Did you see that Carla?"
"What's the matter, bitch? Dragon got your tongue?" Zancrow flashed a look and a grin at the Take-Over user who fell to her behind in shock. He then turned back to Natsu. "That was some nice fire you got there. Nothing I like more than the flavor of violent, never-ending flames. Even though you may have enough power to slay a dragon… you could never slay a god! Prepare to witness the power of Grimoire Heart's magic! Flame God Bellow!"
Zancrow unleashed his own breath attack, which was near identical to Natsu's Fire Dragon Roar, but only with his black divine flames. This attack wasn't just a straight-shot attack, he sent it outward in the form of a massive explosion that engulfed Natsu, Lisanna, Wendy, Happy, Carla, and Panther-Lily and sent all six of them flying off the cliff.
"Natsu! No!" Happy screamed as he saw Natsu fall! "NAAATTTSSUUUUUU!"
Lisanna stabilized her wings briefly as she was able to catch Wendy, Happy, Carla, and Lily and fly herself to a ledge that was half-way down below the cliff they were just on. From even their spot, they could hear Zancrow's maddened laugh.
Lisanna had lost her Take-Over and turned back to normal as all five of them sat in pain and fatigue on the small ledge.
"Lisanna…?" Happy looked at her to see her whole body was shaking and even fear lingered in her eyes.
'He ate Natsu's fire… and Natsu can't even eat his own flames…?' Lisanna thought. 'Not even my Dragon Soul could beat him… is… is the rest… of Grimoire Heart… really this strong?'
Lisanna's attention however was caught as she and the Exceed trio looked in surprise to see Wendy standing up and inhaling a large quantity of air, but she wasn't just inhaling it, she was consuming it like any other Dragon Slayer would for their own element.
"Wendy…? What are you doing?" Carla asked just as the young girl finished her own meal and stood back up. She then turned around to face her friends.
"Alright listen up, Lisanna I need your help, can you still use your Dragon Take Over?" Wendy asked.
Lisanna was mildly surprised but was still able to answer. "Give me… about five minutes to recover and I should be back on my feet…"
"Good." Wendy nodded. "Once you've recovered enough, we find Natsu and you give him some of your fire to help him recharge and then we get back up there…"
"Wendy, you are not suggesting fighting that lunatic, are you?!" Carla exclaimed.
"That's crazy! He's got some crazy black fire that not even Natsu can eat!" Happy exclaimed as well.
Despite the protests, Lily noticed the calm and collected look in Wendy's eyes. "Do you have some sort of plan?"
"Yes, I do." Wendy confirmed, much to everyone else's surprise. "I have an idea as to how we might beat him. We might not be able to fight him head-on, but if we keep him off-balance, we might have a chance."
"What do you mean, 'off-balance'?" Lisanna asked.
Meanwhile, back at the ruins; Lucy, Loke, Gray, and Cana were all exhausted as they didn't appear to land even a scratch on Caprico.
"I don't understand…. What's going on…?" Lucy stuttered as she appeared out of breath.
"How come we haven't been able to land a single hit on this goat-freak?!" Cana questioned.
Trish's body surged with lightning as she leapt at Caprico at lightning-fast speed and swung the Sparda-sword at him, but Caprico limboed underneath the strike, but Trish was still able to land on her feet. She noticed how most of her friends were already tired, but she wasn't as exhausted yet, and it wasn't just because of fatigue.
"Come on Loke!" Gray exclaimed as he leapt at the enemy wizard.
"Right!" Both Loke and Gray came in from separate directions with kicks, but Caprico blocked their attacks with his arms before delivering a spinning roundhouse to knock them both back. Caprico then leapt into the air to avoid a blast of lightning from Trish's palm as she continued to observe him as he landed on the roof of a stone house.
'Something's really off with this guy. Everyone else is looking drained, but I'm still fine. Is it his magic?' Trish thought.
"This guy's strong." Gray stated. "He's able to fend off all five of us! Who is he?!"
"I've had enough!" Cana exclaimed. "I'm not about to waste all my time getting worked up over a stupid goat!" She threw two magic cards at Caprico, but Trish noticed a flash in his eyes underneath his sunglasses as the magic lightning from the cards surged around him but didn't even land a single hit.
'Their magic attacks are diverted around him…' Trish pulled out both her Luce and Umbre guns and shot more electric bullets, channeled with her own demonic power. But just like with her previous attacks, Caprico leapt to avoid it as he landed on the ground. 'But he actually dodges my attacks.'
"I can't explain it, but I've got this feeling." Gray said to all his friends as they saw the dark aura surrounding Caprico. "I just know that none of our attacks are gonna hit him. I keep fighting 'what's the use of fighting him, if we can't win?'"
"It's his magic." Trish stated. "I'm not sure how, but his magic seems to affect humans in some way. All your magic attacks are diverted around him, but he's actually making an effort to dodge my own attacks."
Lucy's eyes widened slightly. 'That's right! Our attacks might not hit him, but since Trish is a demon, her attacks should actually make contact. That's why he's avoiding them."
"Very perceptive." Caprico said to Trish. "Even though you bare the resemblance of a human, I can easily tell that you're of demonic origin, as such my magic can't affect you. However, don't think that means you have an advantage over me."
'Caprico…' Loke thought. 'There's no doubt about it, it's definitely him. This could be bad, especially for Lucy.'
Fairy Tail basecamp
Modeus held both his blades as he and Mira faced Azuma, all the while Levy remained in the same tent where the unconscious Gajeel was recovering.
"Hmm, well, after facing cats and children, I'm glad that I finally have a chance to face a worthy opponent." Azuma commented, more so directly to Modeus.
"Cats and children…?" Modeus' eyes widened in shock. "Wendy! What have you done?!" He questioned as he tightened his blades.
"You don't need to worry; I didn't kill them. It would be a waste of time for me to kill such weaklings anyway." Azuma commented. "But enough of that, I am here to face a worthy adversary, and it seems fate has brought me face-to-face with the very demon who was trained directly under the Dark Knight himself."
Azuma extended his hand and created a series of sparks around Modeus and Mira, before a large explosion encompassed the area, though Modeus and Mira were able to avoid the worst of it as Levy did her best to keep Gajeel safe by using solid-script magic to create a shield to protect them from the blast.
'This power… he's on a whole different level than those other two guys…' Levy thought as dread swept through her body.
'So, I'm his target.' Modeus thought as he glanced towards Mira. 'Mira should be able to handle herself, though I'm more concerned with Levy and Gajeel right now. If I keep him busy, then Mira can protect them.'
"Tell me, what purpose does Grimoire Heart have on this island? Why are you here?" Modeus questioned Azuma as he stepped out of the dust-cloud.
"I don't really see how our mission is of any importance to you." Azuma answered. "We came to this island because Master Hades believes Zeref to be on this island."
"Zeref!?" Mira exclaimed out of shock, as even Modeus and Levy were more than surprised.
"The Legendary… Black Wizard… is here on Tenrou Island…?" To say Levy was terrified would be an understatement.
"We didn't expect to run into Fairy Tail, our encounter is nothing more than a stroke of luck." Azuma continued. "But to be honest, I'm not remotely interested in Zeref or Master Hades' vision My only desire, is to face strong opponents. And now here I stand facing the Demon of the Moon, Modeus. You have quite the reputation among your own demon kin." An eager smile formed on Azuma's face as an ominous green and yellow aura formed around him. "Now then, Apprentice of Sparda… shall we begin?"
Modeus held both his blades as a white demonic aura formed around his own body as well. "Be careful what you wish for, you may just regret it."
Meanwhile; Natsu had more-or-less recovered from Zancrow's attack, and the fall to the hard ground. Though he was still covered in burns and scratches, he was back on his feet and walking again.
"Ah man…" He muttered to himself as he felt the burn marks on his arms and body. "That guy's hard core. It's been a long time since fire's actually felt hot to me. Wait… where the heck am I?!" However, Natsu stopped as he picked up a familiar scent, but there was something else with it. "I smell blood…"
Natsu followed the trail with his nose past a few more trees before he came to a small clearing, where he stopped and saw something that his face go pale: it was Makarov, lying in a puddle of his own blood on the ground.
"Gramps… No way!" Natsu didn't hesitate to run toward him. "Are you okay?!" He tried to run towards the downed Makarov, but tripped a bit before he picked himself up right as Makarov's eyes opened slightly.
"Natsu… it's you…"
"What in the world happened to ya?!" Natsu tried to pick up the old guildmaster and saw the large bleeding hole on his back, fortunately, Natsu knew of a way to stop the bleeding. "Hang on Gramps, this is gonna hurt like hell." Natsu lit his right palm on fire and put on Makarov's wound, causing the old man to grimace slightly as Natsu used his own fire to cauterize the wound. After a few seconds, the wound had closed. "That should stop the bleeding, but we gotta get you to Wendy."
"Natsu…" Makarov muttered
"How'd you get so beat up anyway? Can you tell me who did this to ya?" Natsu questioned.
"Natsu… Listen…" Makarov continued to mutter painfully. "The chances of us… defeating Grimoire Heart… are next to nothing…"
The young Dragon Slayer's face was filled with shock, to hear Makarov sound so desperate like this was almost unbelievable.
"You must be out of your mind, right now!" Natsu exclaimed. "The Gramps I know would never say something like that!"
"You're injured… my boy…" Makarov noticed the burns and cuts on Natsu's body. "Who did that to you…?"
"This is nothing compared to what I'm gonna do to him!" Natsu stated as he clenched his fists. "That murderous bastard is gonna pay for what he did!"
"I beg you… Natsu…" Makarov told him. "Gather all the others… and leave while you can…"
Natsu slammed his fist onto the ground. "Would you quit talking like that? We're not through with the S-Class trial… As Fairy Tail's master you're supposed to support us. We never ran from anyone before, not Phantom Lord, not the Oracion Seis, Vergil, Arkham, or anyone else!"
"While that's true… there are times when… the best thing to do… is retreat…" Makarov weakly said, much to Natsu's surprise.
"Master…"
However, before their conversation could continue, a torrent of black flame landed with flashy results a few feet away from them. The dust cloud cleared quickly to reveal Zancrow, who was more than ready to continue their fight.
"Well, well, well, it looks like Master Hades did a number on ya, eh Makarov?" Zancrow laughed at the state Makarov was currently in, which only made Natsu angrier.
"He's the one who did this?!" Natsu growled.
"Let it go, my boy…" Makarov grunted. "Remember what I just told you…"
"I doubt this guy's gonna give me a chance to run even if I wanted to." Natsu said as he stood up to try and face Zancrow, but his entire body began to shake as sweat poured down his face. Makarov looked at the boy with concern.
'Natsu… he's trembling…in fear'
"You having a hard time, Dragon Hunter?" Zancrow mocked. "Looks like you're freaking out, cause, there's sweat dripping out from every pore."
Natsu said nothing as it was fear that was sweeping through his body, he was facing an adversary that could not only consume his own flames but produced a fire that even he couldn't eat. This unfair advantage reminded him too much about Vergil, one of the very few opponents he actually feared and could never truly defeat on his own. However, as he let the fear sweep through his being, Gildarts' words replayed in his head.
"It's perfectly fine to feel fear, Natsu. Without fear, we can't hope to know our own weaknesses. You need to know them in order to become a stronger and gentler person. The strongest type of people aren't those who have no fear, but rather those who accept their fear so they can overcome it."
"This feeling… This is fear…" Natsu muttered as he continued to shake.
"Natsu…" Makarov muttered as this was the first time that he'd ever hear Natsu openly admit that he was afraid, and it was quite unsettling.
Zancrow laughed. "Yep! You got it! I can't say I blame ya, it's gotta be terrifying for a runt like you to face my ultimate power! If I were you, I'd stand there trembling in fear to."
'You've done enough… get out of here…' Makarov thought as he was too weak to even say those words to Natsu.
However, flames erupted around Natsu's body. "This is fear I'm feeling… but it's not just fear." Zancrow looked mildly confused as Natsu's teeth clenched. "It's rage. I ain't trembling cause of you, It's for everyone else! You said there were more of you Kin-freaks out there, and if there anything like you…" Natsu's mind instantly flashed back to when he felt Lisanna was going to die in his arms after defeating Cragnar. "…The only thing I'm afraid of, is losing my family at the hands of you and all your buddies!" The flames around Natsu only grew stronger. "But that ain't happening! I won't let you bastards get away with this! I'll tear through every single one of the Kin of Purgatory, and then I'll take out Master Hades with my own bare hands!"
Zancrow's maddened smile faded. "Call me crazy… but I thought I heard you just say you were gonna take on all Eight Kin of Purgatory and Master Hades. How the hell can you do that if you can't even beat me all alone?"
Before Natsu could even offer a reply, Lisanna suddenly appeared behind Zancrow in her Dragon Take Over and dealt a powerful punch to his right jaw, catching the God Slayer off-guard as he skidded toward the side.
"Lisanna?" Natsu was quite surprised as well, just as Makarov was.
"You didn't forget about me, did you?!" Lisanna glared at Zancrow.
"Heh, so the little Take-Over bitch want's seconds, huh? Fine by me!" However, Zancrow didn't appear to notice Wendy suddenly appearing behind him as well.
"Sky Dragon Roar!" Wendy's breath-attack was a direct hit, blasting Zancrow from behind and sending him crashing through a large tree.
'Wendy's here to?' Makarov thought in surprise.
"Hey, where'd you guys come from?" Natsu asked as both Wendy and Lisanna were at his sides.
"Wendy was able to pick up your scent, as well as Master Makarov's." Lisanna answered.
"Don't worry, we got your back Natsu." Wendy said.
"You guys just focus on helping Gramps, I can handle this guy!" Natsu said stubbornly.
"No, we're gonna fight with you Natsu!" Lisanna insisted, being just as stubborn. "If we work together, we got a better chance of beating him."
"Don't worry, we have a plan. I know the three of us can beat him right here and now." Wendy also said.
Natsu was somewhat surprised, but it turned into a grin. "Alright, guess it be unfair of me to hog all the action for myself. Come on, let's do this!"
Zancrow stood back up as black flames formed all around body. "You brats think you can take down our entire guild? That you can take out Master Hades?! There ain't no way in hell that's ever gonna happen if you can't even beat me!"
Waves of yellow and red light shot across the ground as Dante and Lady did their best to avoid them. However, Job's primary target was Dante as he teleported behind Dante and wielded a blade of the same light magic to slice at Dante's back, cutting him. However, Dante was able to turn back around and slash Rebellion at Job who blocked the attack with his own light-blade. Dante pressed forward as Job teleported backwards towards a pile of fallen trees, standing at the trunk of the tree on top where Dante met him and lunged forward, swing Rebellion.
"Holy Devil Rage!" Job sent a beam of light from his mouth at Dante, which he tried to block with the flat of Rebellion, but the blast was too powerful and soon overpowered Dante, blasting him back and sending him crashing through multiple trees.
Dante pulled himself back up with a heavy groan as he drew Ebony and Ivory and opened fire just as Job appeared in front of him, only for Job to create another light-shield to block the attack while also teleporting behind Dante and blasting more beams of light from his hands, piercing through Dante's shoulders and causing him to howl in pain.
However, Job heard an incoming rocket heading his way and teleported out of the path of the rocket that exploded on the tree, courtesy of Lady. She looked to Dante with worry as he continued to bleed.
'He's taken too many hits… and he's not healing. We have to finish this guy now.'
Suddenly, Job appeared directly behind Lady. "You continue to interfere in my mission." She gave a small gasp as she quickly brought her rocket-launcher to block the light-sword he swung at her. "Interference in our crusade cannot be tolerated. The punishment for such an offense, is death." He produced a second light-sword in his hand and sliced upward, completely slicing the bazooka in half, much to Lady's horror as her pupils shrunk. This proved to be a fatal mistake as Job produced a small sphere of yellow and red light in the palm of his hand and placed it against Lady's stomach.
"Holy Devil Sacred Star!"
The small sphere exploded in a bright blast of yellow and red light that blasted in all directions, with several bits of light piercing through Lady's body, causing her to scream as she fell to the ground, and the remains of her rocket launcher scattered in front of her. The only thing that landed close was the blade that was attached at the end, the one that had the name Kalina Ann inscribed on it. It was the name of her mother. Lady's eyes shook as tears were almost ready to fall.
Job stood above Lady and was ready to strike against her again, but quickly threw another light-shield in front of him to block the sudden sword-thrust from Dante as he gave a hateful death-glare at the Holy Devil Slayer. Job teleported away briefly, causing Dante to stumble as Job re-appeared on a small hillside, standing above Dante.
"You surprise me, Dante." Job began. "My magic enables me to kill any demons after five or six direct hits at the most, with only the select few requiring a dozen. But you've sustained twice as much, and despite the intense pain you are no doubt feeling, as well as your own demonic energy that you've expended combined with your fatigue, you still continue to stand. Impressive."
"I don't die so easily." Dante glared.
"True. You've faced many a powerful foe, including your brother, and even if you hadn't won, you still manage to find a way to survive." Job complemented. "However, how far can your survivability and determination take you? You've never faced an opponent like me who's ability was made to kill your kind. And as I've said before, you are fatigue and your injuries haven't healed yet. How long can you last?" Job's speech was cut off by a gunshot from Dante's Ebony pistol that hit his right shoulder.
"I hate it when someone talks more than I do." Dante tried to put in a bit of his typical humor, if only to diffuse the fatigue that he knew he had, or the nervousness he was feeling. Job was full of himself, but he wasn't wrong. Dante's injuries haven't even begun to heal, and every direct hit from this Devil Slayer Magic felt like a burning sensation at his insides, even a bit was draining away at his power.
Job felt the blood on his shoulder where Dante shot him. He paid it little mind as he simply opened his mouth and inhaled a small quantity of light from the area around him, allowing him to heal his minor injury.
"Why do you insist on fighting me? You know you can't win. Is it simply stubbornness or arrogance?" Job asked.
"It's got nothing to do with either of those." Dante said in a serious tone of voice. "I'm a part of something, something I won't give up and something I refuse to abandon! So, I ain't gonna keel over and die leave them!"
"You speak of Fairy Tail." Job noted. "You view the guild as your family, don't you? Well then, I wonder just how far you will go to protect them." Job aimed a surge of Holy Devil magic from the palm of his hand at Dante, but quickly adjusted the aim directly towards the downed Lady, much to Dante's shock.
Job blasted the beam of light straight at Lady, who couldn't even give an alarmed gasp in response. However, before the beam actually made contact, Dante suddenly appeared in front of Lady as he extended his arms out to take the full brunt of the attack, the beam pierced through Dante's chest, causing him to hack up a ton of blood, but Job wasn't done yet. Suddenly, a cross made of yellow light with a glowing red outline around it, shot out of the ground and pulled Dante into it, as if he was being crucified.
"Holy Devil Retribution!"
With a clap of Job's hands, the cross had multiple nails of light piercing out from it, all across Dante's body before it finally exploded. The explosion shook up the entire area, clearing away virtually all the trees, where Lady could only watch in horror as Dante's blood-covered body fell to the ground.
"DANTE!"
Lady laid there in absolute disbelief. The only one who could possibly do this kind of damage was Vergil, and even then, Dante was capable of inflicting the same kind of damage back. But now they face an opponent whose magic is not only toxic to Dante, but he could even replenish himself from just absorbing light alone. Job looked down at Dante with a stoic face, but a killer-intent vibrant in his own eyes.
"Hmm, he lives. Impressive." Job complemented. "But unacceptable. He spurned our Master's offer, and bears the blood of our worst enemy. Now, it is time for him to face his end." Job extended his hand which surged with the same Holy Devil Slayer magic. "Goodbye Dante, Son of Sparda. May your death bring about the Grand Magic World."
Before Job could even deliver the strike however, Lady reached into a pack in her belt and threw out a small device right toward Job. The second he glanced at it, it exploded in a bright flash of light: it was a flash grenade. Using this, Lady pulled herself back up with what strength she had, grabbed the unconscious Dante, and ran as fast as she could.
The light in the area quickly began to dim as the flash itself from the device was being devoured and inhaled into Job's mouth. He finished the consumption and saw that both of his adversaries had vanished.
"They escaped. No matter, there is nowhere they can hide. The death of Dante is all but certain, as he will rest with the entirety of his guild. And from the ashes of Fairy Tail; the Grand Magic World shall rise."
Lady had carried the unconscious and bleeding Dante over her back as she tried to run as fast as she could, but Dante was more than heavy as she was having a hard time, but she didn't let that stop her. She also carried the blade that was attached to her now destroyed rocket launcher. She carried it close as it felt like her mother was still with her, and she needed that now more than ever.
'He's alive… but he's in really bad shape.' Lady thought. 'I gotta get back to camp, or find Wendy, or someone that can heal him… the Eight Kin of Purgatory… these guys are definitely bad news… I just hope the others are having better luck than we are.'
Zancrow's black flames grew all around his body as he continued to face Natsu, Wendy, and Lisanna, who was still in her Dragon Take Over. "What are you waiting for you little brats?! Come to papa!" He shot a torrent of black flames right at the trio, but Wendy was ready.
"Arms! Armor! Vernier!" Three Sky Dragon Magic circles appeared under herself, as well as Natsu and Lisanna as their bodies were encompassed in a cyan, orange, and vibrant pink glow respectively. With the speed provided by support magic, the three were swiftly able to dodge out of Zancrow's attack before Wendy was the first to zoom in front of him and land an attack.
"Sky Dragon Claw!" She quickly landed a foot in his face, enhanced with the strength of support magic, added to Wendy's own Sky Dragon Slayer magic, and Zancrow was knocked back.
"Natsu, don't use your fire! Just keep pounding him with physical attacks! Hit and run!" Lisanna told him as they both shot right at their enemy.
"Got ya!" Natsu understood as they both zoomed in front of Zancrow right as he recovered and they each delivered a solid punch to his face. The added strength from Wendy's Arms spell, added with Natsu's own physical strength as well as the strength provided by Lisanna's Dragon Soul was enough to send Zancrow flying and skidding hard across the ground on his back before landing hard against a tree.
Makarov, still injured, watched them in amazement. 'Their using Wendy's support magic to increase their speed, strength, and defense and using hit and run attacks to avoid being attacked themselves?' A proud smile formed on his face. 'Those creative little numbskulls.'
Zancrow growled. "Support magic, huh? Gonna take a lot more than some cheap tricks to beat me! Flame God Bellow!" Zancrow launched his own breath attack of black fire directly at Wendy, the one who cast the spells, but she was more than prepared.
"Sky Dragon Roar!" Wendy's breath attack met Zancrow's but rather than be locked in a clash, Wendy's roar was almost double in strength thanks to the support magic, and the wind from her attack actually blew away Zancrow's black flames, much to his surprise as he was struck by the rest of Wendy's Roar which sent him crashing into another large tree.
"What… what the hell…?!" Zancrow questioned. "Did that brat just blow out my flames?!"
"You might be a Flame God Slayer, but I'm a Sky Dragon Slayer!" Wendy stated. "You can't eat my element, can you?! And no matter how strong fire is, wind and air will always blow it away, not even your so-called divine flames can alter simple physics!"
Zancrow gnashed his teeth. "Cheeky little brat!" He tried to throw a plum of black flames at her, but this left him wide open for Natsu to come in and land a slug across Zancrow's face.
"Don't get distracted, freak!" Natsu stated as his enhanced physical strength was enough to send Zancrow flying through the air, where Lisanna met him to unleash a slug across his face, another in his gut, followed by a vertical axe-kick to the back of his head to send him crashing hard onto the ground, creating a small crater on impact.
'Wendy's strategy is working almost perfectly!' Lisanna thought in surprise. 'We're too fast for him to hit, and our own strength is doubled with her support magic. And even if he does hit us, were still protected enough to receive only a small bit of damage.' She smiled. 'Guess all her training with Modeus is paying off.'
Zancrow however was far from done was he was already back on his feet. "Now I'm annoyed!" He generated a series of black flames on both his hands, which he sent out in the form of multiple waves; but Natsu, Lisanna, and Wendy were quick and agile enough to avoid getting hit as Wendy had moved in close enough to attack.
"Sky Dragon Wing Attack!" Wendy waved her arms to create two large whirlwinds, which she sent hurtling at Zancrow, nailing him and sending him flying to the air, where Lisanna met him again to deliver a strike with both her fists clenched together, sending him crashing to the ground once more. Before Zancrow even had a chance to get back up, Natsu was already on him with more punches across his body before delivering a roundhouse to his face.
Now it was Natsu's turn to smirk. "So much for all that God-talk! What good is your fancy magic if it can't even touch us?!"
In direct response, Zancrow began to twirl two spheres of black flames in his hands. "My flames do more than just burn stuff." He brought them together and mold the flames and give them a physical shape. "Flame God Scythe!" Zancrow had created a massive scythe made entirely out of black flames in his hands, much to the surprise of the three Fairy Tail members he was facing.
"Did he just make a scythe out of fire?!" Lisanna exclaimed as even Natsu was surprised.
"Don't let your guard down!" Wendy brought them back in the moment as they used their enhanced speed to jump high and out of the way of a slash from Zancrow's massive scythe, which actually sliced up the massive trees around them at their trunks, causing Zancrow to laugh maniacally once more.
Natsu, Wendy, and Lisanna leapt from the severed tree-trunks while they were still airborne as Natsu thought of something. "I got an idea! When I say 'now' come at me with everything you two got!"
"You got it Natsu." Wendy said as she and Lisanna both nodded as they both leapt away.
Natsu used his own strength, his fist coated in fire, plus the strength-enhancement from Wendy to punch a severed log and send it crashing on top of Zancrow. Less than a second later, the log exploded and Zancrow launched himself, landing a good solid hit into Natsu's stomach. Though he was protected by Wendy's Armor spell, it still hurt quite a bit.
"Got ya!" Zancrow gloated.
Natsu smirked back in response. "Other way around, freak!" Suddenly he grabbed onto Zancrow's arm and pulled him into a lock, while still airborne.
"Wha… what are you doing?!"
"NOW!" Natsu shouted.
Lisanna came flying from the right in her Dragon Soul, while Wendy gave herself a boost with a Sky Dragon Roar as they both landed a solid attack into Zancrow's chest. Wendy landed a kick just as Lisanna delivered a punch; this caused Zancrow to spit up blood. And with him vulnerable Natsu delivered the last attack with a flaming-heat-butt right to the back of Zancrow's head and send him crashing to the ground again.
Natsu landed on his feet, with Lisanna and Wendy at his sides, all three of them still glowing with Wendy's support magic.
"We got this! Now let's finish him! Wendy, Lisanna, you with me?!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Both girls shouted at the same time as all three shot at Zancrow with the intent of finishing him off. However, Zancrow wasn't done.
"I've had enough!" He shouted as a massive torrent of black flames surrounded his body. "Flame God Kagutsuchi!" Zancrow unleashed another torrent of black flames all around the area, but unlike the last one he used on Natsu, this was even stronger, indicating he was holding back before. This attack was all consuming, and too fast for Natsu, Lisanna, or Wendy to avoid as they took the full brunt of it, and even with the Armor support spell around all three of them, the black flames burnt away at the spells until the support magic wore off completely. Natsu crashed hard on the ground as Wendy and Lisanna both slammed hard against a tree.
"You underestimated me!" Zancrow stated. "I told you my divine flames were way out of your league, they can burn through anything, even your puny little support magic!" He faced the downed Natsu directly as Zancrow generated more black flames around his hands, which he clapped together, the flames taking the shape of a large mouth, complete with glowing red eyes. "Flame God Supper!" He expanded the flames and clapped Natsu in-between them, trapping Natsu in a sphere of black fire.
"You should quit now, cause once my blaze has got ya, there's no getting out!" Zancrow taunted. "Now you just stay put, I'll deal with you in a bit." He then turned around to see Lisanna and Wendy were barley recovering, but Zancrow had already launched a wave of black flame, which hit the tree above the, causing it to explode as the rubble fell on top of both girls.
"No! Lisanna! Wendy!" Natsu exclaimed as the still-injured Makarov looked in shock.
Both girls were still alive, but were almost completely buried, their bodies pinned under rubble of broken and heavy wood up to their upper chests with their arms trapped.
"Wendy… are you alright…?" Lisanna struggled as her Dragon Take Over wore off.
'My… my plan didn't work…. His magic burnt through my support spells…!' Wendy thought as fear began to sweep through her. 'I… I didn't think of a back-up plan… or…'
Zancrow had suddenly appeared over them, standing on the pile as he loomed with a sickening grin on his face.
"I'll give you points for creativity with that fancy support magic you got, but creativeness can only get you so far when compared to real power." Zancrow taunted as he loomed closer to them, looking at Lisanna first. "You're name's Lisanna right? As in, Mirajane's little sister? I see her all the time in Sorcerer Weekly, and I gotta say, you're about as hot as she is." He cupped her chin as she glared and tried to pull herself away before Zancrow turned to Wendy. "And you're Wendy the Sky-Maiden. Tell me, do you know what a maiden means? Officially, it means someone who's not married, but I like to think of it as someone who hasn't lost their virginity. Maybe I can help fix that."
Wendy had a terrified look on her face as she had a good idea what he meant by that.
"No! Don't you even touch her, you monster!" Lisanna tried to get out of the rubble and stop him, but Zancrow shoved his hand over her mouth.
"Oh, don't worry, I've got plenty for you too, Take-Over bitch." Zancrow snickered.
"Get your hands… off of them!" Natsu struggled in his prison as the black flames were continuing to burn him. "I won't let you touch them!" He desperately tried to escape, but it seemed futile.
"I hope you're watching little Dragon Hunter." Zancrow taunted. "Cause I'm about to rape your little girlfriends in ways you can't even imagine, right in front of you!" He covered both Lisanna's and Wendy's mouths to keep them from screaming as he looked at them with a maddening grin, and the two of them honestly looked more terrified than they had ever been in their life. "I'm going to defile both of you so violently, you'll be screaming and begging me to kill you! And once I'm done, I'll grant you your wish, as painfully as possible!"
Suddenly, Zancrow grunted in pain as he felt an intense pressure squeezing around his lower body. He, as well as Natsu, Lisanna, and Wendy looked in surprise to see the gravely injured Makarov stretching his right hand, which grew to extreme size, grabbing onto Zancrow and squeezing him.
"Gramps!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Master!" Wendy and Lisanna exclaimed at the same time.
"How dare you…" Makarov shot a death-glare right at Zancrow. "What kind of heartless monster would attempt to violate my children right in front of me?! Stop or I'll crush you like an insect! And when I'm done, there won't be any trace of you!"
Makarov had already begun to squeeze Zancrow tightly, but he wasn't finished yet. "How can you be sure you have enough strength left, old man?" Zancrow taunted as he generated more black flames around not just his body, but the Makarov's hand as well. "Aw come on, you better let go of me soon, otherwise the only thing that's gonna vanish without a trace is your arm." Makarov could feel the intense heat from the black flames already burning away at his hands, in a matter of seconds, it would become a first degree burn with no signs of slowing down, but Makarov wasn't done yet as he squeezed even further.
"Are you crazy?! Let go! You really wanna loose that arm?!" Zancrow questioned.
"If that's what it takes… so be it…" Makarov stuttered.
"Gramps let go of him!" Natsu warned him as he, and his friends were already getting scared.
"Master those flames will burn you away completely! Please just let go!" Wendy warned him as Lisanna tried desperately to pull herself out of the rubble, despite the pain and fatigue she was feeling.
"I pity you… young man." Makarov spoke to Zancrow. "I won't let go! I won't forgive anyone who harms my children! So, burn my entire body if you want! I won't stop until they're safe!"
Natsu, Lisanna, and Wendy were surprised by their master's resolve. They knew how protective he was of them, but he was willing to sacrifice his entire life for them!?
"Master…" Wendy was on the verge of crying, as was even Lisanna, she looked directly and desperately at Natsu who looked at her as well. It was up to him now, his family; his sister, his father-figure, and even the one he loved, all of them needed him to do the impossible. He clenched his fists as he wasn't about to lose any of them! Not today!
Natsu tried to generate as much of his own fire as possible and expel it out of his body. Zancrow's maddened grin hadn't faded as he watched Natsu's supposedly futile struggles.
"Is it going to be the Dragon Hunter, Makarov, or me? Which one of us will kick the bucket first?" The insane God Slayer mused. "But just know that if I'm the one who survives this, I'm gonna enjoy every second of rapping those two little girls to death!"
Natsu roared as he expelled nearly every drop of his own reserve flames as the black flames continue to burn his body. It was more excoriating than anything he felt before, causing him to scream before he expelled the last of his flames completely.
"Natsu's magic power… it's gone…" Makarov thought.
"Is… is he…" Wendy thought the worst as tears were already forming in her eyes. "No… it can't be! Natsu! Big Brother, you can't be gone!"
"Natsu…" Lisanna muttered almost desperately. "Please… get back up… I need you… don't you dare die on us! NATSU!"
Zancrow laughed. "Well, it looks like Pinky's the first to go!"
However, Natsu wasn't gone. All four of them heard a gulp from Natsu's throat, much to their surprise. Followed by another gulp, and another as Natsu's mouth opened and he began to actually devour the black flames that kept him imprisoned. Within a matter of seconds, Natsu was completely out as he ate all the divine flames.
"Did he… did Natsu…" Wendy couldn't believe it. "Just eat Zancrow's fire?!"
"No! Impossible! A Dragon Hunter shouldn't be able to eat my flames!" Zancrow exclaimed in disbelief as Natsu finished his meal.
"Natsu… how did you…" Lisanna couldn't find the words, on one hand, she was glad he was alive, but on the other, she was confused as Natsu couldn't eat the flames before.
However, Makarov had a good idea how he did it. 'Amazing! By using ever last drop of his own magic power, he became a vessel, capable of consuming inedible fire!'
Natsu wiped his mouth. "Man, that tasted even worse than demon fire. But I guess my gamble paid off."
'A gamble?' Lisanna thought. 'He emptied his own magical reserves, giving his body no choice but to consume those divine flames...!' A smile formed on Lisanna's face. 'I should have known he'd try something so reckless, that's just so like you Natsu.'
Wendy's face had contorted one of determination as she began to follow Natsu's lead and consume the air around her. A small whirlwind formed over her open mouth as she try to regain as much strength as she could. Lisanna even used the last of her own strength to transform into her Dragon Soul once more. In an explosion mixed of Sky Dragon Magic and fire, the rubble around the two girls exploded as they were set free. Lisanna was in her Dragon Soul form once more, with a torrent of flames surrounding her, while Wendy herself was surrounded by a whirlwind of Sky Magic.
"You're gonna want to let go of him, Gramps." Natsu said as his right fist was coated in normal fire, while his left fist was coated in black flames. "We'll take it from here." Natsu shot at Zancrow, right as Makarov let go of him. Natsu slugged a punch across Zancrow's face and sent him flying into the air. "WENDY! LISANNA! HIT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU GOT!"
No time to question it, the two girls prepared to unleash every last drop of magic they had to give Natsu the edge he needed to finish their enemy off for good.
"Sky Dragon Roar!"
"Inferno Blast!"
Launching similar breath attacks of wind and fire, they actually combined together in the form of a flaming vortex, which appeared to surround Natsu while he was airborne with Zancrow. But Natsu spun with the vortex, generating a mixture of his own orange flames and the black flames, and adding it to the vortex's power in the form of a Unison Raid.
Makarov looked in astonishment. 'No way… that's a Unison Raid!'
"No! This can't be! No!" Zancrow shouted as Natsu was right on him ready to unleash the attack that Zancrow couldn't block or avoid. "I CAN'T LOSE TO FAIRY TAIL!"
"GUESS WHAT!? YOU JUST DID!" Natsu shouted. "FIRE SKY DRAGON GOD BRILLAINT FLAME!" Natsu threw his arms out to unleash the massive vortex of wind, fire and divine flame right at Zancrow, which soon exploded and sent the psychopathic God Slayer flying well to the other side of the island, and he wouldn't be getting back up for a long time.
Makarov was nothing short of amazed. 'They beat him… I can't believe it. They've grown so much… Natsu, Lisanna, Wendy… you're all amazing wizards."
However, Natsu fell on his knees and was about to collapse out of exhaustion, fortunately, he was caught by Lisanna and Wendy as they both ran to him and pulled him into a warm and relieved embrace.
"Big Brother! You were amazing!" Wendy was on the verge of crying tears of joy.
"Natsu… you're such an idiot! But you're the best and strongest idiot I've ever known!" Lisanna almost cried as well, having turned back to normal.
Despite being weak, as he had exhausted all his magic, Natsu was able to wrap his arms around both of them. "Let's… keep fighting… You hear me, Gramps?" He got Makarov's attention as well as that of Lisanna and Wendy "I learned something from Gildarts… sometimes you gotta know your limits and fall back… but now… now is not one of those times.." Natsu stuttered. "These people made an enemy out of Fairy Tail… We gotta show em that nobody can do that…! Not without a fight… Right?"
Lisanna and Wendy exchanged emotional smiles as they nodded and embraced Natsu even more as he collapsed in their arms. "Right." Wendy said.
"Yeah… let's keep fighting…" Lisanna said as well.
Makarov could only smile as he gave a small nod as well. 'Very well, my boy. Keep fighting. I know you can beat them. Fairy Tail… doesn't back down. No matter what.'
Done.
So, how'd you like that chapter? I obviously changed some things, but I left the overall plot and storyboard the same. So, good news; Natsu, Wendy, and Lisanna together were able to defeat Zancrow and send him flying. That's one Kin of Purgatory defeated, seven more to go.
Bad news, Dante lost against Job, and was barely able to escape thanks to Lady's help. Yeah, Job is that powerful, not to mention his magic made him a bad match-up for Dante. We don't see a whole lot of Devil Slayer magic in the series, not until the Tarators arc, and even then, it's not explored very much as we don't really see it being used against actual devils, other than Gray and Natsu's fight against Mard Geer. I won't go into details and give spoilers but allow me to explain a few things about it that I decided to add to the concept of Devil Slayer magic. In order for it to do some damage, the magic itself has to be rather toxic to demons; and against demons that are capable of healing and regenerating, like Dante or Vergil, it halts that healing and even burns away at their insides. It's made specifically to kill demons, so of course it can bypass their regeneration abilities. But that doesn't mean Dante can't heal at all. If he has enough time, his own wounds will slowly begin to heal on their own. I hope that makes sense to all of you.
If you have any questions or comments, PM me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can, but I can't answer any questions that might involve me revealing spoilers.
Speaking of which, don't expect Natsu's own demonic nature as E.N.D. to show up anytime soon, you'll see bits and pieces, but it's not going to be fully addressed for a while. Not until at least after the Grand Magic Games.
Now then, how will Fairy Tail push back against Grimoire Heart? One of the Eight Kin of Purgatory was defeated, but there's still seven more and each one has his or her own unique Lost Magic with one of them having a magic that not even Dante can counter. Things are about to get intense as the fights continue, see next time with the next update to Fairy May Cry.