Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! Here comes the next chapter and one I am sure you will all enjoy. Remember to read, enjoy and review!
(Team Natsu)
"But Erza, there's something big happening on this island! We can't just leave!" Lucy exclaimed, trying to convince the scarlet knight. The group had retreated back to the hut to stay out of the villagers' ears. That way the Fairy Tail mages could discuss in private about the current predicament: both a demon being revived and Erza who was to bring them back to the guild. Lying on nearby mats were an unconscious Happy and Gray, the latter wrapped in bandages for his wounds.
"I don't care." Erza said, sticking firm to her decision. "This was an unapproved request according to Mira, an S-class one at that, which breaks serious guild rules. We are returning to the guild the moment Gray and Happy wakes up where you all shall be punished!" The Titania said fiercely, making Lucy squeal in fright.
"But…" Lucy tried to retort and frowned. She turned towards Natsu, who was staring out the window rather then at Erza. "Aren't you going to say something Natsu?" Lucy asked the Dragon Slayer.
"Huh?" Natsu asked as he turned to face the others. "Oh, I was just thinking if tipping the ruins would stop Moon Drip. Besides that, I an't leaving until we're done." Natsu said plainly, making the buxom scarlet glare at him.
"Sorry Natsu, but you're coming with us." Erza reminded him.
"Nah, don't feel like it." Natsu replied calmly, making Erza's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
"That wasn't a suggestion." She said, a demonic aura appearing around her, scaring Lucy again. Natsu however, remained composed.
"Still not going." Natsu said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Unless you got word from Gramps that we have to go then I'm staying put."
"I did get instructions to bring you back!" Erza retorted.
"No, you said you were told by Mira, and last I checked, she's not the Guild Master." Natsu replied. This earned a noise of surprise from the two buxom girls. "So technically, you're here without permission meaning you can't take us back. You should be that one that get's punished."
There was a moment of silence as the others took that in. Now that Erza put more thought into it, it did make sense. She had only heard from Mira about Natsu and the others taking an S-class request without approval, and the armored mage automatically assumed she was to go and bring the troublemakers back for punishment. She hadn't really stopped to hear what Makarov had to say. But that would mean she was being rebellious, and Erza Scarlet is never rebellious, she followed the rules strictly and perfectly. Natsu ignored it and simply walked out of the hut. Lucy made no move to stop him since she didn't want to be on the receiving end of Erza's wrath.
The silence was broken by a groan. Opening his eyes weakly, Gray slowly took in his surroundings. He tried to get up, but flinch in pain due to the still fresh wounds he received from his battle with Lyon. He still managed to speak though. "Ugh, w-what happened?" He asked no one in particular.
"Gray! Are you alright?" Lucy asked as she walked up to the ice mage.
"Lucy…" Gray mumbled as he was still getting his bearings together. Then he noticed a mop of scarlet hair nearby. "ERZA!" Gray screamed as fear and shocked overcoming the pain from the motion he made. "W-what are you doing here?"
"Glad to see you awake…Gray" Erza said. "I came here to bring you guys back to the guild." She then glared darkly at the ice mage. "You will be punished for breaking the rules upon our return." She said, causing the guy to shiver in fear and gulped.
"B-but Master said to go with them and help them complete the mission so they come back safely!" Gray yelled.
Erza's eyes widened in surprise. "The Master…said that?" She asked. When she got a nod from Gray, hundreds of thoughts began to run through the scarlet beauty's head. 'Mira said that they took an S-class request without approval, but Gray is saying that Master sent him to make sure that Natsu and Lucy complete the request safely.' Erza thought as horrible realization hit her. 'T-t-then that means I'm the one breaking the rules and disobeying the Master! This has never happened before! I've always upheld the rules, how could this have occurred?! How do I fix this?!' She thought frantically while clutching her head and sweating comically, much to the confusion of the others.
"Uh, Erza?" Lucy questioned softly. She and Gray flinched as Erza's head snapped back to them. There was a look of desperation and fear on her beautiful face as she spoke.
"Well, seeing how the, uh, situation is serious…and that the Master did you send you Gray, I decided that I will help you complete the request! Yeah! That's it! And with me here, this will be officially approved! I-er, we won't be labeled as rebels against the Master! That will work, yeah!" Erza said frantically, her eyes comically wide as she spoke.
Lucy and Gray both sweat dropped as they watched the fear Titania pacing frantically while speaking incoherently to herself. "Uh, what did I miss?" Gray asked Lucy.
"You, you don't want to know." Lucy said plainly as Happy began to stir.
(Top of the ruins with Lyon's group)
Lyon's group had successfully managed to regroup at ruined temple, though three of them looked like they've been better, especially Toby and Yuka. The former was holding a block of ice, courtesy of Lyon, against his cheek where Natsu hit him.
"That guy is strong…I completely underestimated him." Yuka muttered with a bandage wrapped around his head. "I've never seen my Wave magic deflected before or overpowered by brute force." And to see his magic absorbed by that sword greatly damaged Yuka's pride too.
"Ooon…" Toby moaned.
"He even managed to scare my sweet Angelica into submission, with just a glance." Sherry muttered, her head down. "Forgive me, Lyon my love, I have failed you."
"It doesn't matter, we're not stopping the ceremony." Lyon said as he stared at the debris. "Ice-Make: Ape!" And a large ape from ice appeared from the ground. began to move the debris off the hole in the ruins, allowing the moon to shine over the frozen demon again. "He has yet to face me, my ice will overpower his flames. Gray is already defeated and is too weak to fight me again. And the blonde girl cannot possible stand against me."
"I'm afraid it will not be that simple." A male voice said.
The four turned towards the source. It was man wearing a mask over his face. He sported a wide grin as he walked towards the four mages. Lyon remained an expressionless look while his comrades seemed a bit uncomfortable with the man near them.
"Zalty, where the hell have you been? And what are you talking about?" Lyon demanded from the newcomer.
The mask man, Zalty, kept his grin on. "I've been scouting the village on this island for any useful information. Turns out another Fairy Tail mage has come. And despite it being only one, it is none other then Titania, a formidable opponent." Zalty paused as he let the information sink in before continuing. "However, your comrades are right to be concerned about the pink haired man, Natsu, or Salamander as he is called. After all he already managed to slay a demon of Zeref not to long ago."
The others made noises of surprise while Lyon's eyes widened slightly. "He did?" The ice mage asked.
"Indeed. A dark guild had planned to use a demonic flute, Lullaby, to kill the Guild Masters. However things spiraled out of control and it turned into a large demon. Despite its powers, Natsu managed to kill it with a single strike of his sword. In fact, if you fail on killing Deliora, I'm pretty sure he could do it easily." Zalty said with a hint of humor at the end.
Lyon glared at the mask man. "I won't allow that. I will be the only one to defeat Deliora and surpass Ur. If this Natsu person gets in my way, my ice will freeze him and his flames instantly." Lyon said, his confidence bordering towards arrogance. Zalty just smirked at that.
"Well if you like, then I could lend a hand." Zalty said.
"You know magic?" Sherry asked, surprised by the revelation.
"Yes, Lost Magic to be exact." Zalty said as a floating crystal ball appeared in the palm of his hand.
"L-l-lost Magic?!" Toby exclaimed in shock.
"Creepy guy…" Lyon muttered
Suddenly the temple began to shake, nearly knocking them off their feet. Flames could be seen coming from below as the ruins continued to shake and tilt, moving the hole above Deliora to the side so that it wasn't directly above the demon. "W-what the hell?!" Yuka cried in alarm.
"EARTHQUAKE!" Toby shouted, running around wildly.
"No! That's not it!" Lyon yelled as he watched the flames rise up and down. "It's that fire bastard! He's trying to destroy the ruins!"
"Why would he do that?!" Toby asked.
"Hohohoho, he must've realized that if the ruins were titled, then the moonlight would not fully shine on Deliora. No moonlight means Moon Drip will not work." Zalty said with a laugh. "Despite his appearance, he's quite clever. Though that probably means the other mages are nearby."
"Like hell I'll let that happen!" Lyon clenched his teeth and tightened his fists. "Toby, stay here and continue the ritual while the hole is still on top of Deliora! Sherry, Yuka, we're going to deal with these Fairy Tail mages once and for all."
"UNDERSTOOD!" Toby replied as Yuka and Sherry got up to follow their leader.
"And me?" Zalty asked, hands behind his back.
"You'll remain here in case one of them gets past us. But if you try anything…" Lyon left the threat hanging as he and two of his followers left to confront the Fairy Tail mages. Meanwhile Toby got to work on resuming the ritual. Zalty just stood there, a sinister smile slowly forming on his face.
(With Natsu)
"Well, that should do it." Natsu said to himself as he stared at his work. He had been firing flames after flames on the ruins for several minutes in order to tilt them, blocking the Moon Drip from shining on Deliora. However the real problem was that Lyon and his followers were still around, making them a serious threat if they continued on trying to revive the demon.
Speaking of which…
"Ice-Make: Eagles!" A voice cried. Natsu looked up and saw a wave of ice-made eagles flying down towards him.
"Fire Dragon's Eruption!" Natsu yelled as he slammed his foot into the ground, followed by flames swirling around him from below. It then shot upwards around Natsu as if shooting out from a volcano. The pillar of fire struck the ice eagles head on, melting them instantly. The flames soon died down once the threat was gone.
Sniffing his nose, Natsu looked to his left to see Lyon, along with Sherry and Wave beside him. "Oh, I was wondering if you guys were still alive." Natsu said casually.
"I've had it with you fire breather!" Lyon declared as he raised his left hand. "I will not allow you or anyone else to get in my way of surpassing Ur! Ice-Make: Diamond Cage!"
Ice began to pour out of Lyon's palm and circle around Natsu. The Dragon Slayer watched with a bit of curiosity as diamond-shaped ice spheres began to form on his body. Lyon smirked. "This spell destroys the body of the person trapped inside, along with the ice itself. It's over for you!" He declared.
Natsu merely hummed as he looked at his current situation. Then he inhaled deeply through his nose, before breathing out a thick layer of steam. The hot steam melted the ice right away, freeing Natsu. Lyon and the others gasped in surprise. "Nope, not happening. Or did you forget that I can melt your ice?" Natsu asked rhetorically.
"Grrr!" Lyon growled as he glared at the Dragon Slayer. "Don't underestimate me! Ice-Make: Ape!" Another large ape of ice popped out of the ground behind Natsu. It raised one of its hands into the air before bringing it down, crushing the ground where Natsu stood. But a second later the ice ape's arm shattered, followed by the rest of it. Natsu landed a bit away from where he was originally was, an ethereal-blade in his right hand.
"You know for someone who claims to be able to kill a demon, you're not very powerful." Natsu commented, irritating Lyon even more.
"How dare you insult Lyon-sama!" Sherry shouted. "Doll Attack: Rock Doll!" The rocks around her began to gather before forming into a large rock giant, with Sherry standing on top of its head. "In the name of love, die!" Sherry declared as the rock giant launched a punch at Natsu. But once again, Natsu surprised them by stopping the large stone fist with just one hand. "W-w-what…?"
Natsu did not reply. Instead he spun around, tearing the rock giant out of the ground, and threw both it and Sherry into the air. Both came crashing into the ground with a loud bang, dust gathering up. When it cleared, it revealed a knocked out Sherry surrounded by scattered stone.
"Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!" Lyon said while Natsu had his back turn. A large ice dragon appeared and let out a roar, lunging at Natsu.
"Like some popsicle imitation can take on a real dragon's flames. Fire Dragon's Flamethrower!" Natsu said as he spun around, facing the ice-made dragon. He released a concentrated stream of flames from his mouth. The fire stream met Lyon's attack head on. The result was the flame easily melting the attack, with steam covering the area.
The steam was immediately cleared as Natsu released a brief wave of flames from his feet. The first thing he saw was Yuka pointing his right hand at him. "This is payback from before, Wave Rush!" He shouted. But his attack was stopped when the blue-haired man was knocked aside, courtesy of a kick from Gray.
"Gray?" Natsu said in surprise, not expecting the ice mage to get here so soon.
"Gray…" Lyon muttered with narrow eyes. He watched as Gray walked over towards Natsu's side, his eyes never leaving Lyon though.
"Where are Lucy, Erza and Happy?" Natsu asked Gray.
"We got ambushed by Lyon's spell casters coming here. I went on ahead while Erza and the others stayed behind." Gray replied, his eyes still locked on Lyon. "Natsu, leave Lyon to me."
Natsu frowned and thought for a moment before replying. "Hmmm, okay"
"Damn it Natsu! Just let-wait, what?" Gray asked, baffled by the normally stubborn Dragon Slayer's response.
"What? You have a beef with this guy right? Might as well deal with it now." Natsu replied to a still shocked Gray. "Anyway, Deliora and stopping the ritual is more important so I'll deal with that. You just better not do anything stupid."
"Er, right" Gray replied, coming out of his shock. He faced Lyon, a determined look on his face.
"Do you really think you can defeat me Gray?" Lyon asked arrogantly. "I've already defeated you once, I've always been stronger than you! There is no way you can beat me!"
"No, there is one way." Gray said softly. He then crossed his arms in front of him, taking up a pose familiar to Lyon.
"Ice Shell!?" Lyon exclaimed in shock. "Are you mad Gray? Do you want to die?!"
"No, you're the one who is mad Lyon!" Gray replied as his magic began to burst out like a blizzard. Natsu was pushed back a bit but kept a calm stance. Lyon fired his own magic in order to stop Gray, but it was pushed back.
"The fact that Ur died because of me will never change, I know that." Gray said seriously. "I have to take responsibility somehow." Lyon's eyes widened as he realized that his rival was serious. "This is the end Lyon! Ice-"
"You asshole!" Natsu shouted as he delivered a punch to Gray's face. Lyon was surprised to see the Dragon Slayer attack his own comrade. Gray placed a hand on his cheek and looked up at Natsu.
"Natsu…" Gray began but was cut off by said person.
"What? I just felt like punching you." Natsu replied. Gray blinked in surprise at that. "Besides, don't go and decide to kill yourself just because you want the coward's way out of facing things." Gray's eyes widened at that. Natsu's face looked more serious then the ice mage had ever seen before. The Dragon Slayer also had a distant look in his eyes, as if he was remembering something. "Don't run away Gray, if you keep doing that, then why the hell are you part of Fairy Tail?" Natsu asked as Gray's eyes widened even more. "We all have a past we wish to change or forget…but there is no way we can do that if we keep running from it! Fine, go and kill yourself, but know this, whenever you try that my fist will be ready to smack you out of it." Natsu ended with a determined look in his eyes.
Gray was now utterly speechless and looked down at the ground. It was a few seconds until he looked back up and smirked as Natsu offered his hand. He took the hand and Natsu helped him up. "Now…weren't you supposed to kick this guy's ass? Or should I do it?" Natsu asked.
Gray scoffed. "No way idiot, Lyon's mine."
"If you two are done with your little banter." Lyon cut in, catching their attention. "Destiny awaits me and I can no longer afford intrusions such as you two. Prepare you-"
Lyon's sentence was cut off as the temple began to shake. The three mages watched as the ruins began to revert as they originally were. "What the hell? Why aren't the runes titled anymore?" Natsu wondered.
"Damn it, now the moon will shine on Deliora…" Gray cursed.
"Hoho! Sorry to disturb you!" Zalty said as he appeared beside Lyon. "But the sun will set soon, so I had to move the ruins back to normal."
"Who the hell are you?" Gray demanded while Natsu frowned. Something about Zalty's scent was familiar but he couldn't figure out why.
"So it was you…Zalty" Lyon muttered as he stared at the mask man.
"Indeed, thanks to my magic!" Zalty said in a happy tone. "Now if you excuse me, I shall go continue the Moon Drip ritual." And with that the mask man took off.
"Bastard! How dare you ruin all my work!" Natsu shouted as he chased after Zalty into the temple.
"Oi, Natsu!" Gray yelled.
"Lyon is yours remember! Also if you try that stunt again, I'll punch you in the face!" Natsu shouted back as he left behind the two rivals to finish their fight.
(Cave, Where Deliora is Held)
Freedom was close, so close. The demon could feel the freedom that he longed for slowly approaching him. Soon he would be free of this accursed ice and be able let loose his rage upon all of civilization.
But Deliora also knew that with freedom came death. The ice used by that human mage had been slowly draining his life force for the past ten years. The demon would only have a few seconds of freedom before eventually going to the afterlife. The only way his life would be prolonged if he remained in the icy prison.
Or so he thought. Just hours ago, Deliora felt a familiar presence near his prison. It was weak, but all demons of Zeref could recognize the presence of Zeref's strongest creation, the first Etherious, E.N.D. Though it was weak, the presence of the great demon brought back Deliora's conscious. And thanks to that stroke of luck, the blue skinned demon could plan his revival. For now, Deliora could retake the life force and power he had lost these ten years from the ice that held him. And as if fortune was shining on Deliora, a group of fools were using a powerful spell to free him, allowing the demon to absorb that magical energy too. All of it was for a delusional dream of defeating him, the Demon of Destruction for recognition and fame.
Humans truly were foolish creatures.
But Deliora would not stop there. Once he was freed he would focus on the strongest presence on the island and take that person's power for himself. It had been 400 years since E.N.D had disappeared, and the position for strongest Etherious was ripe for the taking. For now Deliora will allow the humans to continue their foolish actions, all of it eventually leading to their demise.
(With Natsu)
"Wait damn you!" Natsu shouted as he continued to chase Zalty through the temple. The two had just entered the large cavern that the frozen Deliora was held. The light from outside continued to shine through the hole onto the demon.
"Hohoho!" Zalty laughed as he continued running. He then raised his hand upwards and the ceiling began to collapse on top of Natsu. But Natsu merely dodged the falling rubble before shooting flames from his feet, launching him forward until he landed in front of Zalty. The mask man came to a stop.
"Hoh, that was quite impressive, dodging that and cutting me off." Zalty commented.
"Take off that disguise." Natsu demanded.
"Disguise? What disguise?" Zalty asked, feigning ignorance.
"Quit playing dumb. I recognize your smell when you visited the guild. You're that woman from the council, Ultear right?" Natsu explained as he glared some more.
The mask man smirked as he took off his mask. Soon his body glow for a few seconds until it was replaced by the figure of Ultear, wearing her white kimono. A crystal ball appeared in her right hand. "My, my, very good Natsu-kun. I guess a transformation can't hide from a Dragon Slayer's nose." She said smiling.
"Enough of the jokes. What are you doing here?" Natsu questioned. This woman was way to relax right now despite the current circumstances for Natsu's comfort. Clearly Ultear was confident in her skills to have such a calm mood.
Ultear made a scolding noise while wagging her finger. "Sorry, but that's classified information Natsu-kun." She said teasingly, irking the Dragon Slayer. "However, I would be happy to tell you…if you tell me more about that sword on your back."
Natsu flinched when her eyes stared at Dyrnwyn. "Why would you want to know anything about this?" Natsu asked defensively.
"Well, I can already tell from the power it's emanating that it is a relic of the Dark Mage Zeref." Ultear said making Natsu widened his eyes. Not at the part where Dyrnwyn was a relic of Zeref, he already knew that, but really at the fact that Ultear had learned that herself. "Plus, I want to know how you can wield it? The only possible explanation I can think of is that you have a connection with Zeref."
"I have no connection with him." Natsu lied perfectly. "What I do know is that, whatever you're planning, I'm not going to let you win!"
Ultear smirked. "We'll see about that." She said as she shot her orb forward. Using her magic, Ultear fast forward the orb's 'time' to the future, thus increasing its speed as it soared towards Natsu.
Natsu however, did not look the least bit worried as the orb came at him. Instead he reared fist back and roared, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" And with a flame covered right fist, he punched the orb. For a moment, Natsu's fist and the orb were evenly matched, much to Ultear's surprise. Her surprise increased when Natsu managed to overpower her orb, shattering it into pieces. Ultear was so shocked that she had no time to react as Natsu reached her. Fist still covered in fire, Natsu struck her cheek, the blow sending her flying backwards, crashing into the wall.
"Ha! Is that all you can do?" Natsu questioned as he got into a fighting stance.
From the dust cloud caused by her crash, Ultear walked out, her clothes a bit dirty and a bruise on her cheek, but was perfectly fine. She did have a glare that would put Erza's to shame. "You bastard! I can't believe you would hit a woman!" Ultear exclaimed as she looked at Natsu, her orb reforming already.
Natsu shrugged. "Well it wasn't easy at first. But then I just imagined you as that old mask wearing monkey again." He smirked as a tick mark form on Ultear's head. She was about to make a retort when something cut her off.
"WAAAAAAAAH!" A loud and deep voice roared, making the cavern vibrate from the volume and the occupants to cover their ears. Natsu managed to look up and saw, to his surprise, Deliora's head and shoulders no longer covered in ice.
"Damn it! We were too late!" Natsu cursed.
"Deliora must've regained conscious a while ago. He's been absorbing the magic of the ice and that of the Moon Drip ritual to speed up the process of his freedom." The voice summarized inside Natsu's head.
Ultear chuckled as she slowly moved back from the gigantic demon. "After ten years, Deliora, the Demon of Destruction, is freed."
Eventually, Deliora's roar died down, moving his now freed head to take a look at his surroundings. His arms and legs were twitching as the ice around its body began to melt more. However what caught Deliora's attention were the two other occupants in the cavern. The demon spared Ultear a brief glance before shifting his gaze onto Natsu. For what seemed like an eternity, Deliora's eyes stayed locked onto Natsu's form, as well as Dyrnwyn. It was clear to Deliora of who this person before him was. And with that in mind, Deliora let out another loud roar as his body finally broke through the ice that had imprisoned him for so long.
"Natsu" The voice said to the Dragon Slayer. "You might want to move."
'Huh? What do you-shit!' Natsu exclaimed as a large fist came at him. Moving fast than anticipated, Deliora delivered an uppercut on Natsu, who only had enough time to raise his arms in front of his face to lessen the blow. Still, the Dragon Slayer was sent flying upwards through the roof of the cavern. Large chunks of rock fell down from the impact and as Deliora pursued after Natsu, leaving behind a stunned Ultear.
"The demon seems focus on Natsu…or is it that sword?" Ultear muttered to herself before deciding to get out of the temple. She had to find a good spot to watch Deliora in action, as well as Natsu too.
(Outside the Temple)
Lucy, Erza and Happy were running towards the temple as fast as they could. After hearing dealing with the monks, who were actually victims of Deliora, the Fairy Tail mages continued on towards the ruins.
When they arrived to the temple's entrance, they saw a fight going on. Staring at one another were Gray and Lyon. Both were battered a bruised but still standing and ready to unleash more of their magic. Around them were the unconscious forms of Sherry and Yuka.
"Gray!" Erza shouted, getting the ice mage's attention.
"Erza, Lucy, Happy!" Gray exclaimed before being cut off by a loud roar that shook the ground a little.
Gray's eyes widened at the sound, horrible memories resurfacing. "I-it can't be…" He muttered in fear.
"Hehehe, looks like Toby succeeded." Lyon said, painting but a smile on his face. Sherry and Yuka were also beginning to regain consciousness as well.
"Deliora has been freed?!" Erza exclaimed as she felt a tingle run up her spine as the roar continued.
"We're too late?" Lucy said in despair as Happy hid behind her leg. "Wait, where's Natsu?" The blonde asked.
At that moment the top of the ruins exploded, dust and debris flying everywhere. The mages below shielded themselves from the falling rubble. Suddenly Toby appeared, landing on the ground hard.
"Toby!" Yuka shouted in concern, rushing to his friend's side.
"Ooon!" Toby moaned in pain.
"Good work Toby!" Lyon praised the shirtless man. "Now where is Deliora?" He asked as he looked for the large demon through the smoke.
"Lyon-sama! Up there!" Sherry cried, pointing upwards with a finger.
Following her finger, all the mages looked up towards the top of the ruins. As the dust cleared, it revealed a freed Deliora, who had one foot still in the hole it made. One hand was clutching the ruins for support while the other was holding something, or rather someone.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried, horrified at seeing the Dragon Slayer at the mercy of the demon.
"It's going to kill him!" Gray declared.
"Gray, we're going to get Natsu!" Erza ordered as she equipped her Black Winged Armor on. Using the wings on the armor's back, the scarlet mage flew to the air towards the demon. Gray followed suit, using his ice magic to create stairs of ice to walk on.
"I can't just sit back and do nothing!" Lucy said as she grabbed one of her keys. "I've got to support them! Come on Happy!"
"Aye sir!" The blue cat exclaimed before activating his wings. He grabbed Lucy from behind and flew her up.
"No…it's impossible for you people…I'm the only one who can defeat Deliora!" Lyon shouted at them, trying to pursue. But he suddenly fell to one knee, his battle with Gray had taken a toll on Lyon then the ice mage would admit. He couldn't even resist when Sherry picked him up and guided Lyon away from the fight, followed by Toby and Yuka.
Back with Natsu, said person was trying to free himself from Deliora's grip. The demon was having none of that however, and began to slowly squeeze his grip on the Dragon Slayer's body. Natsu let out a gasp of pain while the demon growled in satisfaction; absolute power was literally in the palm of Deliora's hand.
"L-like hell, I'm going to let you win…" Natsu said as he tried to flex his muscle and loosen Deliora's grip. At first Natsu was only able to make a small opening, but as he kept trying, black veins began to appear on his arms. When those appeared, Natsu felt like he gained a super boost as he kept pushing out more and more. At the same time, the wounds he got from Deliora's punch were healing too, steam rising from where the wounds were. "Hmmm, looks like curse's regenerative prowess are beginning to show…" The voice commented.
However Natsu ignored it at the moment. Flames began to surround Natsu's hands as he continued to push Deliora's fingers apart. "With a flame on the right hand. And a flame on the left hand. When you combine the flames together…" He began chanting.
By then Natsu had finally freed himself from Deliora's grip. In midair Natsu put both his hands together, creating a large ball of fire. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Natsu yelled as he threw a large ball of fire right at Deliora. It made direct contact with Deliora's face, causing a large explosion to engulf it.
Deliora reeled back a little from the impact, losing his balance temporarily. That gave Natsu enough time to draw Dyrnwyn. Gripping the sword with both hands, Natsu shot flames from his feet, pushing him forward. Natsu brought the sword down, the blade glowing red, a delivered a large slash on Deliora's chest. The demon roared in pain as blood shot out from the large gash on his chest.
Natsu landed on what was left of the temple and was about to attack again when someone shouted "Ice Make: Ice Cannon!"
Behind Deliora, Gray was standing with a long-barrel cannon made out of ice, resting it on his shoulder. Then he fired a cannonball made out of ice straight at the demon's back. At the same time, Erza appeared above Deliora, quickly switching out of her Black Wing Armor to her Heaven Wheel Armor. Multiple swords appeared all around her, pointing towards Deliora.
"Dance, my blades! Circle Sword!" She cried as she launched her swords forward, spinning as they slashed and impaled the demon's skin. The two attacks caused Deliora to roar, but more than annoyance then pain. The attacks from Gray and Erza barely scratched his skin. The only wound that remained was the one caused by Natsu.
"Erza! Gray!" Natsu shouted as he watched his friends attack Deliora.
"This isn't time for your stupidity flame-brain! It's going to take all of us to defeat Deliora!" Gray exclaimed as he fired another ice cannonball.
"Speak for yourself! You guys aren't even putting a dent in it!" Natsu retorted. "At least I managed to hurt it!" He said, pointing with his sword towards the wound on Deliora's chest.
Gray finally took notice of said wound and was shocked to actually see it. 'Not even Ur could put a scratch on Deliora! How did Natsu-?'
"Gray, look out!" Erza's voice yelled from above.
Gray looked up and his eyes widened. Deliora, who had lost his grip from the attacks Natsu hit him with, had lost his balance. He brought his fist down near where Gray was standing, in an effort to stabilize himself. The ice mage managed to jump out of the way in time, but the shockwave created from the impact was strong enough to send Gray flying, crashing violently into the ground below.
"Gray!" Natsu shouted out in alarm.
Deliora finally managed to push himself back up. Using the momentum, Deliora raised his other hand above his head and brought it down on Erza. Said person was to alarm of Gray's crash landing too notice the giant hand until it was too late. "AAHH!" The Tiania screamed as she was sent crashing into a nearby pillar. Her armor was dented and broken, bruises covered her body and blood trickled out of her mouth. Somehow though, Erza managed to remain conscious, if barely.
"Erza!" Natsu roared, before sending a glare towards Deliora. Said demon had no really been paying attention to Gray and Erza. No, his only target was Natsu. With another roar, the gigantic demon lunged at Natsu, who just barely managed to dodge the giant-size body slam. The temple was starting to come down from Deliora's movements, and Natsu found himself free falling, with Deliora right above him.
'I haven't used this in battle yet since I invented it last year.' Natsu thought as magic began to pulse around him, taking on the form of flames. 'But I guess I can't be picky!' Natsu finished with flame-patterns covering his body.
"Blaze Drive" Natsu muttered as the markings finished covering him. Deliora had just made another grab for him, when the Dragon Slayer suddenly disappeared from view. What the demon didn't know, was that Natsu's speed had increased, allowing him to disappear and reappear right above Deliora. In fact, Blaze Drive increased all of Natsu's physical capabilities, strength, speed and endurance. Raising his arm, flames engulfed his hand. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He roared as he struck right on top of Deliora. The enhanced Iron Fist caused an explosion upon contact.
The demon roared in pain from both the flames and the impact to his head. The blow sent the demon falling down to the ground faster, Natsu right behind him. However Deliora managed to do a last moment turn, arms raised outwards, trying to hit Natsu. The Dragon Slayer managed to dodge the large hand, but wasn't fast enough as one of Deliora's fingers managed to smack Dyrnwyn out of Natsu's hand. The sword was sent flying somewhere to the side.
"Damn it!" Natsu swore as he watched the blade fly away.
"Don't worry about that. Dyrnwyn will return to you shortly, for now focus on Deliora!" The voice said.
Back with Deliora, the demon landed on the ground with a thud. Natsu did not waste time as he was still in the air above the demon. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu shouted as he released a blast of fire from his mouth. It hit Deliora right at the back, scorching the demon's back as it roared in pain.
Natsu landed on the ground safely in front of the downed Deliora. Blaze Drive still active, Natsu watched as the demon began to stand. But the moment Deliora put his hands on the ground to get up, the earth underneath the demon suddenly gave way. Deliora could only let out another roar of annoyance as he found himself stuck in a large hole.
"Huh?" Natsu said, confused as to why the ground beneath Deliora collapsed so easily. That was until he heard a familiar voice cheering in victory.
"Alright, it worked!" Lucy cheered as she watched from the sky above, Happy hanging onto her. Lucy had summoned her Celestial Spirit, Virgo, to dig underneath the earth to where Deliora might land. Thanks to the spirit's digging, Deliora was now trapped in a large pit-hole.
"Good work Lucy!" Natsu praised before turning his attention towards Deliora, who was still trying to get out of the hole. Reeling his arms back, Natsu summoned two balls of fire in each hand. "Fire Dragon's Wildfire!" Natsu shouted as he shot both arms forward. The two balls of fire came together before firing a barrage of miniature fireballs at Deliora. Each one struck the demon head on, bursting into small explosions. Deliora could only screech as explosions littered his body.
"I hope that at least keeps it down for a while." Lucy murmured as Happy brought her safely to the ground. Virgo suddenly popped out of the ground beside the Celestial Spirit Mage.
"Good work Virgo, thanks." Lucy thanked the Celestial Spirit.
"Your welcome princess. Is it time for punishment now?" The petite maid as with a blank expression.
Lucy sweat dropped. "Er no" She replied, baffled by Virgo's odd desires for punishment.
"Very well. Until next time princess." Virgo said with a bow before returning to the Celestial Spirit Realm.
Lucy was so distracted by her Spirit's oddity that she did not notice the moving giant figure of Deliora until the demon let out a low growl.
Time seemed to slow down for both Lucy, Natsu and Happy, as Deliora raised its head, covered in burn marks, and looked at Lucy and Happy. Opening his mouth, the demon began gathering magical energy, preparing to fire one of his magical beams at the Celestial Spirit Mage.
'No, no, no, no, NO!' Natsu cried as he made a mad dash towards Lucy. "LUCY!" Natsu cried as he activated his Fire Dragon's Claw. The flames from his feet, and the enhancement from his Blaze Drive, gave Natsu enough of a boost to shoot himself towards Lucy and Happy. At the same time Deliora fired his magical beam towards the stone shocked Lucy.
In just a split second before beam struck, Natsu managed to push Lucy and Happy out of the beam's path. Unfortunately doing so caused Natsu to take the hit instead,
As she landed on the ground butt first several feet away from where she once stood, with Happy landing face first beside her, Lucy's voice finally came back. "NATSU!" She cried in horror as she watched the Dragon Slayer being consumed by the beam. The beam continued running across the ground before finally reaching the water.
The beam eventually died down. As it did, it left behind a deep scar on the island. Once it was gone, Lucy got to her feet. She began looking around for signs of Natsu, alive and well, she prayed.
A groan soon caught Lucy's attention. Looking near the crater formed by Deliora's beam, was an alive Natsu. Though he was bruised and his vest gone, he was still okay, much to Lucy's relief.
"Na-!" Lucy was about to call his name, when a large blue fist shot downward, striking Natsu head on. Lucy could only watched as Deliora fully emerged from the hole, roaring wildly as the demon continued his assault on Natsu, delivering punch after punch on the Dragon Slayer's prone form.
"No…" Lucy muttered, horrified at seeing Deliora pulverize Natsu to the ground, but could not turn away either. "No, please stop…PLEASE STOP! NATSU!" Lucy's voice rose up several volumes, pleading with the demon to cease his assaults.
However Deliora paid the Celestial Spirit Mage no mind. In fact, all the demon was focused on was finishing off E.N.D and taking his powers for his own.
Tears began to flow down Lucy's cheeks like waterfalls as Deliora continued his assault. She tried to summon a spirit, but her battle with Sherry, the hooded monks, and having Virgo dig the pitfall had completely used up her magic. All she could do was cry and shout out a single word.
"NATSU!"
(Natsu's Mind)
'So dark'
'It's so dark'
'Why won't it end?'
'It's so dark and I'm so tired'
'I want it all just to end'
'…'
'-TSU!'
'Eh?'
'What was that?'
'NATSU!'
'A voice?'
'Calling my name?'
'It sounds familiar'
'NATSU!'
'Is…is that Lucy?'
'NATSU! PLEASE!'
'Why is she calling my name?'
'And…is she crying?'
'NATSU! PLEASE GET UP!'
'Why is she crying?'
'Why is she crying?'
'Why is she crying?'
'Why is she crying?'
'Why is she crying?'
'…'
'Why. Who…WHO MADE LUCY CRY?!'
(Real World)
"NATSU PLEASE!" Lucy kept yelling, even as her voice began to go hoarse. But the tears kept flowing constantly as Deliora's fist kept striking the spot where Natsu laid. Happy was beside her, crying as well at the sight of the demon mauling his best friend. The blue cat wanted to do something, anything to save Natsu, but he had used up all his magic. Near the temple, Erza and Gray, both conscious but badly injured, could only watched in horror as the Dragon Slayer's body was being struck by Deliora's giant fist.
But suddenly, just as Deliora was bringing down his right fist again, Natsu stood up from the ground abruptly. Both of his hands shot forward and stopped Deliora's fist automatically. The demon's eyes widened at this, and he was not the only one surprised. Gray, Erza, and Happy also watched with a mixture of relief and shock. Relief that Natsu was alive, but shock that Natsu managed to stop that large fist that was the size of his entire body, with just his hands. Lucy, whose crying at stopped, looked at Natsu with, wide brown eyes.
"I don't care…" Natsu whispered so that only Deliora could hear him.
"I don't care what I am. I don't care if there is some kind of connection between us or not. The only thing I do know" The air around him began to heat up. It got so hot that the rocks around Natsu began to melt. Steam was being emitted from his body, healing his wounds instantly. Natsu then raised his head and revealed his onyx eyes having changed into crimson red. The glare the Dragon Slayer was enough to make Deliora flinch. "Is that you will pay for making her cry!"
And with that Natsu gripped Deliora's hand and with a single spin, he threw the demon into the air. Anyone who could see this could only gape, eyes wide and jaws hanging, as Deliora, a demon the size of a of a small mountain, was sent flying into the air by a normal size person with ease. The demon sailed over the temple before crashing onto the ground back first, and hard.
With Natsu, Dyrnwyn had suddenly appeared from nowhere, back in his hand. But soon the sword and scabbard disappeared at the same time markings began to appear on Natsu's body. With his Blaze Drive still active, Natsu was soon covered in not only red flame markings, but now what looked like black flame-like tendrils that went from his face down to his feet. Several of the tendrils converted where his heart was located, forming a circle of black flames around it. Following that, Natsu's pink hair turned a darker shade and if you were to look closely, you could see a pair of small horns sticking out from his head. They were covered by his pink locks though.
Once the transformation ended, Natsu continued his assault. Bending his legs, Natsu launched himself towards the sky, kicking up dust behind him. Natsu flew over the temple and did a nose dive towards Deliora.
Said demon had already gotten back up. Seeing Natsu diving towards him, Deliora fired another magical beam towards the Dragon Slayer.
However, Natsu merely murmured, "Hellfire: Demon Arm" and a large red-orange colored right arm came out from the back of Natsu's right shoulder. Following Natsu's movements, the giant right hand met the beam head on.
Everyone, from the Fairy Tail Mages, to Lyon's group and the hidden Ultear, could only watch in pure shock and awe, as the giant flame-like hand began pushing Deliora's beam back. Finally the beam died down as the hand overpowered it, just as Natsu summoned another gigantic arm made from flames behind his left shoulder.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu cried as he struck Deliora in the chest head first. The impact, plus flames covering Natsu, made the demon's roar in pain he had never felt before. The demon even coughed up blood too.
But Natsu did not stop there. With both large hands, he grabbed Deliora by the shoulders. "If ice kept you imprison, then it has to be flame that destroys you!" Natsu roared as his giant flame hands through Deliora high into the air. The arms quickly receded back into Natsu's body.
"Hell Wings!" Natsu declared as this time, a pair of large dragon-like wings made from solid flames popped out of Natsu's back. The Dragon Slayer quickly took to the sky after Deliora.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art!" Natsu shouted as his fists were coated with large spheres of light. "Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!"
And as he finally reached Deliora, Natsu unleashed a devastating barrage of punches on the demon's body. Each blow created an explosion that slowly pushed Deliora higher and higher above the island.
Everyone on the island could now see the spectacle as Natsu continued delivering explosive punch after punch. Finally, Natsu reared his right arm back completely. "And this is from before!" Natsu roared as he released one more punch to Deliora's chest. The impact caused the demon's body to become completely consumed in powerful flames. While at the same time launching the giant demon higher into the sky. Finally, as if hitting something in the sky, Deliora's body exploded, splitting apart into numerous small piece of charred flesh falling downwards. A large chunk of burnt flesh fell into the water, much like the other smaller ones. Deliora, the Demon of Destruction, was dead.
And there you go! Next chapter we begin our entrance into the Phantom Lord Arc! Also Natsu will finally begin to learn about his past. Also what did you think of my little scene with Erza freaking out about breaking the rules? Please be sure to review!
Wacko12