Hi guys Azza here!
Ok so a few things before we get into this:
First off there won't be a Tale From The Tale Verse in this Chapter or the next because they are already both going to be long and obviously this took longer to put out than what I'm sure everyone would've liked so sorry for everyone who was looking forward to a new one but they'll return afterward.
Second, this is also my next attempt at having a large group fighting one massive foe. Longtime readers would know I've more or less avoided it since the last time I did it the whole thing wasn't exactly the best so I'd appreciate feedback on how you all thought it went.
Ok onto the reviews!
Dragonborn2704 – Thanks I appreciate the praise! And honestly I understand that not everyone wants to review every chapter and my intention wasn't to go, MORE REVIEWS NOW, but just more me letting everyone know that even if you do just say that I do genuinely feel thankful for that even if I don't mention it in the next chapter.
Zehner CJ – Yeah I had the general framework for how it was all going to end back then I just had no idea HOW I was going to do it. I also thought it fit pretty well with the humour of the Demons there since they were overall very silly.
Anyway on with the story!
I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.
FATAL BATTLE -The Outer God Sut-Typhon
/Natsu's POV/
"Ahnk …"
"We need to act immediately Natsu, Sut-Typhon will be unstoppable if he fully manifests!"
Natsu grit his teeth as the twisted and distorted form of Moria shambled forward, the countless tentacles sprouting from what was once his legs propelling him forward. Looking around he could sense the fear in everyone gathered there and knew instantly why.
"This pressure …"
"So, you can recognize it even now Mister Natsu?"
"Yeah, it's the same as Kiara when she fully revealed what she was," Natsu replied grimly with the other Servants present nodding in understanding.
"Y-you mind telling us what the hell is going on then," Sanji said through grit teeth as he fought off his impulse to flee. "Wh-why the hell can I barely keep myself t-together!?"
"Honestly I'm surprised any of you humans are even still here," Kupo replied with a narrowed eye. "Even us Servants have a hard time resisting stuff like this."
"What Caster means is that the thing Moria has become, Sut-Typhon, is exuding something not meant for comprehension," Liz continued quickly. "A power beyond existence itself!"
"The power of a Beast," Abigail finished softly as Sut-Typhon began cackling with glee.
"INDEED! From beyond the Gate Of Anti I have emerged and, using Gecko Moria as a vessel, I shall slowly corrupt this world into one more fitting of its true nature!"
Once again Sut-Typhon's Shadow rose up and exploded, again blinding the entire group momentarily. As the light cleared it was obvious the second one had reinforced the first however this one had added details to the space that weren't present before.
The entire area around them had been changed, the destroyed castle having been converted into a massive spire of writhing tentacles that appeared and disappeared constantly through keyholes. At its base was a massive cracked glass mirror with a screaming beast within it though it was clear that it was nothing more than a trapped denizen of it as it smashed against the glass to no avail.
"This most certainly is not good, not good at all."
"Wha-!"
"YOU!"
The advance of Sut-Typhon was suddenly halted as a man wearing a rather old-fashioned suit seemingly manifested right in front of him, a deep frown on his face. Without even paying the massive Beast any notice the man turned around and smiled.
Mysterious One
A Gentleman Who Travels Through Time And Space
Randolph Carter
"MISTER CARTER!"
"Hello there Abigail, so sorry it took me so long to reach you," Carter sighed as he began walking over toward her, the now teary-eyed girl tackling him for a hug. "I can tell you have been on another trying adventure."
"It is no use Randolph Carter for I have finally found my chance to enter proper existence once more," Sut-Typhon's voice screeched out across the space. "And this time there truly is no hope for any of you, this vessel's power far exceeds that of the girl!"
"Perhaps it does," Carter conceded as he gently pried Abigail off of him. "However just like last time there are enough players still left on the board that can spell the end of your little ploy at entering our plane of existence. There is still hope!"
"Hope," Sut-Typhon sneered as his neck extended downward at a disturbing angle, stretching all the way over to Carter so that the pair were now face to face. "Not even your precious 'hope' will save you THIS time, just look at how pathetic the line-up to oppose me is!"
"I wouldn't call all the forces assembled here pathetic, Beast, rather I would be concerned."
"Concerned!? You think just because the King Of Balance is here that victory is assured," Sut-Typhon spat angrily. "In such an infantile form he is nothing, just like the rest of the primitives before me!"
Carter didn't reply as he walked over toward Natsu and extended his hand.
"My apologies King Of Balance, had I been able to I would have arrived much sooner."
"No problem," Natsu replied cautiously as he shook the man's hand. "Sorry but who exactly are you?"
"Me? Oh I'm just a man who wanders aimlessly," Carter replied with a small smile. "However, after the events in Salem it was you who inspired me to take Abigail on as a student of sorts and teach her to better control her powers."
"But I screwed up …"
"No you didn't Abigail," Carter replied firmly as another wave of terror struck the assembled group, seemingly generated by the sneer of Sut-Typhon that towered above them. "The abilities possessed by Gecko Moria were a unique method of achieving such a catastrophic anomaly. You are entirely blameless."
"It was your Shadow that Moria took after all Abby so how could you have had a hand in all this?"
"Isn't it obvious," Sut-Typhon grinned as his fingers turned into tentacles and impaled themselves into the ground around the group. "The girl is, and forever shall be my Gate … my CATALYST!"
"That is quite enough out of you, Beast," Carter growled as the tentacles pushed the group closer together. "King Of Balance I implore you, use the forbidden power of Anti combined with the power of the Hybrid and put an end to Sut-Typhon!"
"I-I don't think I actually have the strength to do this alone," Natsu admitted bitterly. "Fighting Alucard used up all my power and even after having time to recuperate I'm not at a hundred percent."
"Then it is a good thing you have support then, right," Carter replied with a grin as he motioned to all the Servants plus his friends. "Do not count the living humans out either, King Of Balance, for Sut-Typhon is not unbeatable in the state he currently is in."
Natsu hummed to himself as he looked back over at the still morphing form of Sut-Typhon, a plan slowly forming in his mind. Looking back down he saw the smiles of everyone present, more surprisingly smiles from the rest of the crew, and couldn't help but shoot back one of his own.
"Well then … guess I can't argue against that logic, now can I?"
"You'd better believe that we're taking on this guy Natsu, no way we're just gonna let you try and go it alone," Luffy grinned as Natsu turned back toward Sut-Typhon.
"Alright then but I'll say this, you guys need to support the Servants and myself! Despite our numerical advantage Sut-Typhon is extraordinarily powerful and could easily kill any one of you!"
"It appears you are all blinded by ignorance and foolish bravado," Sut-Typhon said as Natsu slowly began floating up into the sky with Kupo following close behind. "It appears that none of you have yet to comprehend just how final my emergence truly is!"
From behind Sut-Typhon his Shadow expanded and exploded for a third time. This time however there was no bright flash of light, no attack or anything one would perceive as hostile. This was a move that did solidify just how powerful the Beast was as it bent and twisted the Pocket Dimension to its will.
The moment the Shadow burst it shot countless keyholes into the pitch-black sky, an extra-large one striking the artificial moon as the entire area's colouration started to constantly shift between Aqua Blue, Dark Purple and Pitch Black.
"I thought I recognized this power when he unleashed it on us several times before," Natsu muttered to Kupo.
"I guess Kiara must've warned you about it, huh?"
"Yeah," Natsu replied as tentacles shot out of the keyholes and into Sut-Typhon's back.
The Beast was now rooted firmly in place with the tentacles from his hands and feet stuck in the ground and the ones from around him planted firmly in his back. The massive tower of them seemed to all be facing upward now toward the moon and the only keyhole that had yet to release anything.
"Prepare yourselves mortals …"
The keyhole shimmered and seemed to sink into the moon, its surface becoming Pitch Black before three Aqua Blue lines emerged. The two higher ones became massive orb shapes and the third twisted into a massive sadistic smile, jagged teeth looking as if they were taking a bite out of the moon itself as an overwhelming sense of dread and hopelessness struck the entire group.
"Beast's Aura: Authority Of The Anti Elder God – Nega Nightmare!"
"So, this one is old enough to have Authority, that's rather concerning."
"All Beasts possess Authority though don't they," Kupo replied, cocking his head to the side in confusion only to fly backward in shock when Carter simply appeared next to them.
"Peons of the Beasts are unable to possess their own Authority however Sut-Typhon is most certainly no peon. He was once the God of Gates and Keys, corrupted and distorted by Anti into the nearly unrecognizable monster you see before you now. Using his power over Gate and Key he can bring about the ultimate nightmare upon mortal kind should he so desire."
"And what would that be?"
"That no matter how far you run, where you decide to hide … Sut-Typhon forever holds the key. Nowhere in all creation could be beyond his reach, his hideous and corrupted form but a thought away at all times."
"I was thinking his form had something to do with it, but what exactly IS he?"
"He once appeared fairly normal however once the Anti took hold, he eventually became an eldritch based monstrosity. The first time I was forced to stop him he unfortunately left an imprint on certain worlds and he goes by another name … Yog-Sothoth."
"And how did you stop him the first time, maybe that could work here?"
"I'm afraid circumstances are different this time around since Sut-Typhon or Yog-Sothoth, whichever you would prefer, is using a vessel as a medium. When I faced the Beast the first time he was still firmly trapped outside of existence and sought a way in. The second time however we were able to stop him despite his physical manifestation because he took the body of Abigail."
"So, we fight then?"
"Yes, though I shall try to come up with a suitable plan in the meantime. Though I am no real fighter myself my mind is most certainly powerful."
"Alright then, get to it Carter and the rest of us will try and keep Sut-Typhon at bay!"
"I wish you luck King Of Balance …"
As Carter vanished Kupo began summoning dozens of Magic Circles around Sut-Typhon.
"Guess we're really doing this," Natsu growled as he entered his Demiurge Form once more, despite the protests from his body. "Hope the others don't die from this …"
"At this point Natsu I think we should be more worried about ourselves," Kupo replied grimly as they began their attack.
As he moved to close the distance Natsu was suddenly struck from several different directions by tentacles. The attacks slapped him around several times before sending him flying down toward the ground where he had already blasted himself away, narrowly avoiding a piercing strike by another tentacle as he regained his bearings.
"Those Gates are going to be a real problem …"
"What's worse is he's utilizing Moria's powers on top of his own, creating Shadow variants of those tentacles of his so we're dealing with twice the amount of attacks that we would have had he been in an ordinary vessel."
Skidding to a stop he spun around to parry one of the attacks but a lance sliced through it causing a loud screeching sound to echo through the gate the attack had emerged from. Spinning her lance several times Liz landed next to Natsu as the remainder of the tentacle was sliced apart.
"I really hope you have some kind of plan for this!"
"Asking a bit much of me there Liz," Natsu replied quickly as the pair both sliced apart a set of Shadow tentacles before taking off toward the base of Sut-Typhon's form.
"What's Caster doing!?"
"Suppression Magic, same thing he was doing earlier to Oars!"
"Doesn't look like it's working too well," Liz shouted as she leapt over a sweeping tentacle, spinning her lance to slice part of it open before launching herself further forward.
"He's not suppressing the tentacle-based attacks Liz, just look at the top of Sut-Typhon!"
Looking upward she immediately noticed the glow in the Beast's eyes and realized that it was trying to launch some other kind of attack but was frozen. Looking over to Kupo she could see the Moogle was sweating heavily, no doubt using a considerable amount of power just to suppress the head of the Beast.
"If we can stagger it then that should cancel out whatever attack Sut-Typhon is trying to use, Liz! Go to Abby and try and knock out its left leg as I go for the right!"
"You DO have a plan!"
"I really wish I did," Natsu laughed weakly as Liz began to veer off toward Abigail who was fending off dozens of tentacles by herself.
As he was about to charge toward Sut-Typhon's right leg he noticed the rest of his friends were also fending off attacks however it was obvious that Sut-Typhon didn't deem them worthy of his time, sending but a fraction of what the rest of them had to deal with.
Nevertheless, he charged over toward them, skidding to a stop in front of Sanji who had just burnt one of the regular tentacles with his Diable Jambe.
"Alright guys I'm slowly forming a plan, where's Franky and Usopp!?"
"Oi I'm here Natsu," Franky shouted as he opened fire on one of the tentacles near him. "What do you need!?"
"I need you and Usopp back at the ship, you know why," Natsu said as Franky's eyes widened.
"Of course …"
"You'll need Usopp because it isn't calibrated properly yet and, well no offense but he's just a better shot than you."
"Hey I'm not gonna argue with that," Franky grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "I'll take Nami with me too, can't put that many of those things into place as quick as you'll probably need me to so she can help."
"What am I helping with now!?"
"A viable means of fighting back," Natsu replied quickly as Crash Magic surged through his body, spinning around and punching a larger tentacle and shattering it into countless cubes. "Now GO!"
The two ran off as Natsu tried to pick out Usopp throughout the dominating presence of Nightmare, finding the Sniper with Chopper nearby. Vanishing from place he reappeared next to the pair just in time to push him out of the way of being impaled.
"Don't let your guard down!"
"S-sorry! I'm just not used to all this!"
"If it makes you feel any better this is my first fight with a proper Beast too so we're in the same boat," Natsu laughed before quickly turning serious. "I'm sending you back to the ship to help Franky get 'THAT' ready."
"Y-you think it'll work against this thing?"
"Only if it has someone competent aiming it," Natsu replied, snapping his fingers and opening a portal next to him. "Chopper I'm taking you with me back to Luffy and the others!"
"Ok," Chopper panted in response, clearly fatigued after all the fighting he'd been doing. "Are any of them hurt?"
"Not hurt enough that they can't fight but you know as well as I do that in this mess that could change at any moment," Natsu replied with the reindeer nodding in agreement. "Alright Usopp we'll get going, good luck!"
"R-right and-and I won't let you or the others down this time!"
"I know you won't," he replied seriously as the Sniper left through the portal. "Alright Chopper let's go!"
Placing a hand on the reindeer the pair warped back over to Luffy, Zoro and Sanji who were again fighting off dozens of tentacles. His eyes immediately began darting over toward the other side of Sut-Typhon, seeing Abigail and Liz fighting their way closer to the left leg, prompting him to spring into action.
"Alright guys do what you can until everything is set back on the Sunny! The Servants and I are gonna do everything we can to keep Sut-Typhon at bay but if it looks like we're losing don't come blindly charging in or you'll just be killed!"
"You really expect us to just listen to that," Sanji snapped in response. "Like we'd leave any of our friends or allies to that monster!"
"Charge in recklessly and you'll just die needlessly!"
"I get it," Luffy sighed whilst shaking his head. "I hate it but … we're just not strong enough yet to help."
"You will be one day, all three of you I promise will become much stronger in time but if you all charge in recklessly here that time will never come. One day, when the time finally comes to repay the favour, just be there for us and we'll call it even, ok?"
"…"
Natsu took the silence of the trio as an affirmative and vanished, appearing much closer to the right leg. Upon his appearance however he was shocked to see Robin fending off a large horde of the tentacles, dozens of them being shredded apart by the necrotic hands with countless razor-sharp teeth protruding from them.
"ROBIN!"
Kicking off from his current position he had her in his arms in moments, right as a Shadow spike shot up from the earth where she had stood mere moments ago. Her eyes widened considerably as she realized who was carrying her however before she could say anything Natsu was struck in the side by several tentacles, sending the pair both flying further away from the leg.
Clutching Robin as tight as he could Natsu took the full brunt of the impact, ripping up the earth before headbutting the ground and bouncing back to his feet. Again, Robin wanted to speak, however the pair were quickly surrounded by dozens of tentacles both real and Shadow, forcing Natsu to surround them in a Crash Barrier in order to avoid being impaled.
"Natsu," Robin panted now that she finally had a moment to breathe. "These things can detect me even when I don't want to be found! I wanted to try and help take out that leg but they caught onto me before I could-!"
"Not only are you still adjusting to your powers Robin but your opponent is someone who far exceeds whatever would ultimately be your peak to them. Sut-Typhon is not someone who you can take on by yourself in any way, shape or form!"
"I-!"
"I'm not mad at you Robin I'm just letting you know," Natsu said through grit teeth as more attacks smashed against his Crash Barrier. "Damn this …"
"Are you … alright?"
"Honestly Robin I'm trying to figure out a way to beat this thing and I'm flat out of ideas!"
"Aside from throwing around continent level attacks until we die that is," Ahnk chimed in with a grim chuckle prompting Natsu to shake his head.
"But surely there is something we can do!?"
"I'm hoping to stall Sut-Typhon until Carter can come up with something better though it's tougher than it looks."
As the last barrage of tentacles smashed against his barrier Natsu finally lowered it and sighed. Looking over at Abigail and Liz again he noticed they were almost there and shook his head.
"We need to knock down the other leg Robin, do you think you could make a version of that cutting attack that can wrap around those coiled tentacles that'll both hold them in place and weaken it?"
"I can, but I'll need a moment," Robin replied as she extended her arms outward. "I think this might actually do the trick. I never would have tried this before but I feel like I have so much strength to spare now so perhaps this could very well work."
Natsu watched as dozens of black petals burst forth from the ground as two giant necrotic arms emerged, the hands covered in razor sharp teeth which came down on both sides of the tentacles like a clap. Sut-Typhon made a roaring sound as blood began to flow from the wound, his leg shaking violently, trying to throw off Robin's attack.
"Flower Flower: Necrozio Fleur – Gigantesco Clap!"
"Perfect," Natsu grinned as he straightened both his fingers and entered a low crouch. "Now then …"
Shooting off toward the now immobilized leg Natsu began spinning around in mid-air, his body no longer visible as a bright light enveloped his form.
"Hybrid's Aura: Divine Dragon Monarch's Dual Divine Piercing Claw!"
With one swing Natsu blew away half of the leg causing Sut-Typhon to openly roar in pain however Natsu wasn't done. Using the momentum he'd built up he spun around and with a grin fired the attack in his other hand as an aerial slash attack.
"Hybrid's Aura: Divine Dragon Monarch's Lightray Fang!"
His attack hit the mark and severed the leg, the massive form of Sut-Typhon wobbling as it tried to maintain itself on the one remaining leg however it was obvious that wasn't going to last much longer as both Abigail and Liz ruthlessly hacked away at the flesh.
After several moments the Servant duo succeeded as Sut-Typhon began to fall, Kupo immediately releasing his hold over the Beast's upper half as it fired off a massive blast of energy from its eyes into the sky.
"About damn time," Kupo panted as he landed next to Natsu. "Do you guys have any idea how hard it was to hold that bastard in place!?"
"Sorry Mister Caster we tried our best," Abigail replied prompting the Moogle to look away from the pout in a poor attempt to remain as stoic as possible.
"Y-yeah well … you guys did it so that's all that matters-!"
"You think you have succeeded just by knocking me down?"
Everyone looked over at Sut-Typhon who was already rising into a sitting position, more tentacles rooting him into the ground from his now severed legs as the entire group entered a defensive stance.
"Your attacks have failed. As we speak I have already begun regeneration of my lost limbs and my power continues to rise, there is not a scrap of hope to be gained from this small action!"
"I wouldn't exactly say that, you've been brought down closer to our level now which means soon we'll be engaging you properly."
"Such ignorant words befitting the King Of Balance," Sut-Typhon sneered in response as hundreds of Gates appeared around him. "You believe that being on my level means you gain some sort of advantage? Fool, it is in fact the opposite of the fact!"
All the gates opened at the same time as Sut-Typhon began firing out a barrage of dark attacks. Natsu hastily put up his Crash Barrier once more as Sut-Typhon began to laugh.
"You dared to dream of a time you could truly defeat me, King Of Balance!? In our last encounter you proclaimed you were capable of such yet you forgot one important fact!"
A much larger gate appeared right in front of Sut-Typhon's face, opening to already reveal a dark purple light that continued to expand in size.
"If you dared to dream of such a reality … then I shall turn it into your GREATEST NIGHTMARE!"
From the door a massive blast of pure energy was fired at the group. Natsu poured all of his power into his Crash Barrier with Abby placing both hands onto his back in order to lend him her own power. Kupo's pom pom began to glow as seals etched themselves into the barrier however even despite all the extra reinforcement Natsu was still forced to his knees as cracks began to emerge in its surface.
"N-no …"
"Perhaps in one future you did indeed possess the strength to defy me however this is not that timeline! In this time I reign supreme!"
"Don't you dare count us out just yet!"
Despite the sounds of explosions all around him Natsu still heard Liz's cry of defiance, his eyes widening slightly as she stepped out in front of him and stabbed her lance into the ground.
"L-Liz … what are you doing!?"
"I won't let this Beast slander you like this Natsu, I won't," Liz shouted defiantly as her entire form began to glow. "You might not be the Natsu I first met but even now I can still see the same kind and wonderful man who helped forge a means of protecting mortal kind and I won't allow that to end here!"
As her form turned into golden light it began to grow in size before shattering as a much different, and more mature looking woman stood before them. This woman had long flowing silver hair and wore a regal red dress with a shining gold trim. In her right hand was a much more advanced version of the spear Elizabeth had held however it was when the woman turned around that Natsu realized what had occurred.
"H-how …"
"Let's just say that my dear Uncle taught me a few things and leave it at that."
The Unholy Blood Countess
Paradoxical Successor To The Dracula Line
Elizabeth Bathory Alter (Alter Ego)
"Liz …"
"I do so love it when you call me that," Elizabeth sighed as her eyes flashed Blood Red. "However, I'm afraid it appears that we may not have a chance to truly speak in this rather unique and exciting world."
"So you got so angry that you somehow blew past your Spirit Origin and became something entirely new," Sut-Typhon spat angrily as his barrage increased in intensity. "You will still fade to dust along with all the rest!"
"It appears that despite being a Beast you still know little," Elizabeth sighed. "It was in fact all the ambient power present here that allowed me to reach this new and rather interesting form. All the power combined with what scraps remained of Uncle Alucard's on Natsu allowed me to become the Elizabeth Bathory you see before you now!"
"But that Servant Class of yours … I've never heard of it before," Natsu muttered as he felt power begin to rise within Elizabeth.
"It is as the class name implies," Elizabeth replied with a fanged smile. "I am an Alter Ego of the childish Elizabeth Bathory you all knew however I am also not like the bloodthirsty Carmilla who is tied to my legend. Perhaps it would be more precise to say that I am Elizabeth Bathory if she had been allowed to grow up under the care of my Uncle."
It was then that she sunk into the ground, melting into the Shadow and reappeared outside his Crash Barrier.
"Liz, what the hell are you doing!?"
"I will not allow this Beast to slander your name nor will I allow it to run rampant any longer," Elizabeth replied firmly as her lance began to float around her now Aura coated form. "I may only have just been given this form however if sacrificing it in order to aid in your victory is necessary then I shall gladly do so!"
"Foolish girl! I shall rend your very essence into Anti!"
"Natsu," Elizabeth called out getting the attention of everyone present focused back onto her. "I shall hold back his barrage of attacks, you all focus on beating the Beast until he is forced to cease it!"
"Liz-!"
"I shall be fine Natsu," Elizabeth replied with a smile before turning around to face Sut-Typhon's oncoming barrage. "I am after all a relative of the great Count Dracula himself."
As she finished those words a massive castle began to rise out of the ground with hundreds of glowing lights coming from every possible opening. Elizabeth vanished and appeared atop the tallest tower and pointed her lance toward Sut-Typhon.
"Prepare yourself Beast for the power of my ancestral line! Elder Devil's Aura: Noble Phantasm Release – Castelul Indramabil!"
The moment the Noble Phantasm name left her lips the pressure from Sut-Typhon's attacks vanished entirely as Elizabeth's summoned castle began firing out an equally as fierce barrage of attacks to cancel out those summoned forth by the Beast.
Looking to Kupo, Abigail and Robin, they all nodded as one. Releasing his barrier, the group took off toward Sut-Typhon who by now was fully aware of their approach.
"You think THIS is enough to stop me," the Beast roared as he summoned several more gates that began firing upon them only for Kupo to summon Magic Circles to halt their attacks.
"Keep going!"
Looking back over his shoulder he could see Elizabeth standing tall though faint traces of blood escaped the corners of her lips. Gritting his teeth he increased his speed, leaving both Robin and Abigail in the dust as he felt his rage begin to build.
"I'm not gonna let Liz sacrifice herself for me like this, I won't!"
Blitzing past several more attacks Natsu arrived at the base of the Beast and quickly began to scale its form, dodging countless Shadow and regular tentacles that had sprung up to block his path.
"You think you can make a difference as you are Dragneel," Sut-Typhon taunted as Natsu leapt onto the Beast's right arm. "You don't even know the truth of what you really are!"
As he continued to charge he eventually found himself surrounded by hundreds of tentacles and skidded to a stop. He'd made it to the shoulder of the Beast and saw that both the right and central eye were looking right at him however he felt another presence begin to manifest before him.
"You honestly think an attack of your level will make any real difference? Do you not yet understand what I truly am?"
Natsu stared at the miniature form of Sut-Typhon that had grown out of his own shoulder to speak with him, his eyes making no attempt to mask his anger as he took a step forward.
"I know that against a Beast my power might mean nothing … but it would be against everything I am to simply abandon everything and run away when there was even the slightest chance I could make a difference!"
"The power of the miniscule ant alone is just that, miniscule. You however are the equivalent of a trillion ants by comparison however," Sut-Typhon said as a full body finally emerged from the shoulder with dozens of tentacles protruding from its shuddering form. "That being the case however what is a trillion ants to the might of the sun?"
"I bet you think you're so intimidating with that analogy, don't you?"
"Is it not accurate?"
"It is, or would be were you fully manifested," Natsu pointed out as the small body began to glare at him. "You might be a Beast however you are also a mortal named Gecko Moria and that, that is your ultimate weakness!"
"Weakness? You believe Moria's form will give you an advantage?"
"I don't simply believe it," Natsu grinned as he shifted both his arms into blades coated in Divine power. "I KNOW that it is the case!"
Sut-Typhon instantly split his arms into dozens of tentacles and began blocking slashes from all around him however it was clear that the small form wasn't strong enough to hold up. Slash after slash cut off more and more tentacles and although Sut-Typhon could indeed generate more it wasn't at a pace where the Beast could keep up and still focus on his main body.
"You think we'll give up just because you decide to invade this place," Natsu shouted as he sliced the small body in half from the waist, punching its chest with a right hand coated in Divine Aura. "You aren't the first Beast of Anti to invade our world Sut-Typhon, I'll defeat you like I did the last!"
The punch on the small body sent it flying up toward the main form's face followed up by a large beam of bright light. Sut-Typhon hissed as part of his face began to seemingly writhe and shudder, attempting to avoid the bright and Divine power before being struck directly.
"You might be the Anti God of Gate and Key but you are also Gecko Moria, wielder of the Shadow Shadow Fruit!"
"WH-WHAT IS THIS PAIN," Sut-Typhon roared as the light seemed to set his very flesh ablaze. "HOW CAN YOUR ATTACKS REACH ME!?"
"Like I just said," Natsu replied as he appeared several metres in front of Sut-Typhon's face with a fully charged attack between his hands. "It is the mortal body you inhabit that will be your undoing! Hybrid's Aura: Divine Monarch's Lightpulsar Cannon!"
Unleashing the attack from his hands by performing a forward thrusting motion with his hands the ball of light formed into a massive beam that enveloped Sut-Typhon's entire head. The tentacles all around the area began to shake violently, ceasing their attacks on the others as Sut-Typhon's body began to convulse violently.
"You know this won't be anywhere close enough to beat him, right?"
"Obviously, Achnologia would've been a joke to me back then if it were," Natsu snorted in response as he vanished and appeared back on the ground near the rest of the now reassembled group.
"Whoa, what kind of crazy attack was THAT," Luffy asked in awe as he pointed to Sut-Typhon's now ablaze head, white flames seemingly melting away the nearby tentacles.
"A condensed blast of my raw power infused with Divinity. By focusing my power to a single focal point I can use it to strike at my opponents, be it through my fists which is how I strike at Logia or like you just saw then."
"A pure energy wave, right," Sanji asked prompting Natsu to nod. "I'm guessing you can't just spam that though?"
"No, it takes up a decent amount of power since I'm firing raw power from my own reserves."
"And how much of it did you need to do that," Zoro asked curiously as Carter appeared before the group.
"Far more than what would be advisable from here on out."
"I'm guessing you've seen me do that before?"
"Once."
"Well, you aren't wrong. I could probably fire another three or four of those given the current state of my reserves before I exhaust myself so I'll be saving them for critical moments."
"Honestly, even in your youth you always were reckless," Elizabeth sighed as she floated down toward the group. "But at least you've made it easier for my Noble Phantasm to bombard Sut-Typhon. Even as we speak you can no doubt tell I'm making headway, no?"
Looking back toward Sut-Typhon's form he could see the blasts of energy were indeed leaving visible damage on the massive form. It appeared that Sut-Typhon was focusing solely on removing the Divine power from him which in turn left him open to Elizabeth's constant barrage, however he also knew it wouldn't last.
"We need to capitalize on this, like right now."
"I agree, Sut-Typhon in any vulnerable state is a rarity so we must use all we have to try and drive him back into the Antiverse as soon as possible," Carter agreed before turning toward Abigail. "Do you feel anything Abigail, any kind of emotion from Sut-Typhon at all?"
"The Gates are shut Mister Carter but …"
"But?"
"I have the Keys," Abigail said softly prompting Carter's eyes to narrow slightly.
"Is that so …"
"Carter?"
"Just thinking," Carter replied with a wave of his hand. "I might have the beginnings of a real chance on my mind however it is still far too soon to say for certain. For the present however we must try and find a way to at the very least subdue Sut-Typhon-."
"Oh my, it seems as if all of you have gone and made things far worse than even I could have predicted. Just seeing the sight of what Gecko Moria has become is enough to make me shiver … though I cannot actually truly 'feel' the cold though, Yo-hohohohohoho!"
"Was wondering when you planned on showing up," Natsu sighed as Brook walked out from behind some of the collapsed ruins nearby. "Decided to help us at our darkest hour?"
"Actually, I came instead to both repay a favour to Zoro and also to lend aid to you all free of charge."
"I told you that you didn't owe me Brook," Zoro sighed. "Getting to face Ryuma was enough."
"Perhaps, but you were the one who saved my Shadow therefore I am honour bound to repay your kindness and given the current situation I think I might be of some assistance."
"You have an idea on how to deal with this," Natsu asked curiously as the skeleton tapped his cane on the ground several times before nodding.
"I couldn't help but overhear what you said earlier to the Beast regarding its weakness," Brook said as he looked over toward him. "Was that correct?"
"It is, its how my attack was able to have such an effect on him in the first place."
"Then by all logic does that not also mean that this Sut-Typhon that inhabits the body of Gecko Moria would also possess all the other weaknesses inherent of a Devil Fruit user?"
"…"
"I can see you understand what I mean already," Brook smiled toothily as he turned around and drew the sword from within his cane. "If we wish to subdue the Beast then we must drive it back … toward the SEA!"
"That … just might work," Carter said slowly as a look of genuine surprise came over his features. "It is true that until Sut-Typhon fully manifests his form must endure all the conditions of his host, both positive and negative! The weakness that all Devil Fruit users have with the sea has become a temporary achilleas heel for Sut-Typhon!"
"Then we all know what needs to be done then," Natsu said firmly, cracking his knuckles with Luffy doing the same moments after. "If we all throw everything we have at him we should be able to drive him back."
"But wait a second Mister Natsu, Sut-Typhon his chained himself in place using the tower made from his own form!"
Looking back over at Sut-Typhon's form he could see what Abigail meant. The tentacles that had attached themselves into Sut-Typhon's back were still firmly entrenched. Unlike the ones that were burnt away these ones seemed entirely unaffected by the Divine flames scorching the rest of the Beast.
"A very good observation young Miss however I do believe that I may be of assistance here," Brook replied prompting everyone to cock their heads to the side in complete confusion.
"No offense Brook but you couldn't even beat Ryuma so how can you make a difference against this thing?"
"Have you forgotten what Ryuma said shortly before I departed," Brook asked as Zoro thought back to the moment before his battle with the samurai.
Better to use your own power toward something beneficial rather than continue to smack yourself up against the rock face, praying for it to shift.
"Wait …"
"Ryuma had access to some of my power Zoro however he was nothing more than a cheap copy, a hollow shell and thus could not access my powers for his own," Brook said as he took several steps forward, eyes beginning to glow Crimson Red. "Perhaps it is time that I put these decades of training to use!"
"I knew it, you did have Aura all along," Natsu said only for Brook to look at him in confusion.
"Aura? Is that what this is? Honestly, before you used it I had no idea it wasn't simply related to my own Devil Fruit. Either way that doesn't matter now," Brook replied quickly as he pointed his sword toward Sut-Typhon. "Together the two of us should be able to pry the tentacles out of that Beast!"
"Do you guys think you can handle that, keeping this guy distracted long enough for us," Natsu asked as Luffy gave him a thumbs up.
"You and Brook don't have anything to worry about, just look at our line up!"
"As optimistic as ever," Natsu grinned as both he and Brook turned to face Sut-Typhon. "You ready?"
Brook nodded and the pair vanished, spurring the rest of the group to attack Sut-Typhon's exposed front.
"All right you lot I know you lot have the guts but here is a little boost from me," Kupo shouted as he placed Enchantment Magic onto everyone else present. "Make the most of it because I can't do it again!"
"You got it," Luffy grinned as he found himself dashing forward with the speed of Gear Second in his base form. "Yeah this'll definitely work!"
"Try not to get in my way you shitty cook!"
"How about you stay out of my way, slippery moss!"
As Sanji spun around on the spot and ignited his leg with flames Zoro placed his third blade into his mouth once again, the pair now charging Sut-Typhon's exposed stomach.
"I'm gonna hit him first!"
"He's mine!"
"Shut up both of you," Luffy snapped as he blitzed past them. "He's mine!"
"How about we just do this together!?"
"First decent idea you've ever had moss, I'm proud of you-!"
"Shut the hell up and get ready," Zoro growled as Luffy began pushing the blood down into his legs mid sprint.
"Three Sword Style Gum Gum Diable Mouton Jet Six Hundred Calibre Phoenix Cannon!"
All three launched themselves at the exposed section of Sut-Typhon's and unleashed a combined attack that instantly had the Beast lurch forward, a horrific screeching sound accompanying it at Sut-Typhon's free hand began swiping all around him whilst the other one tried to steady himself.
"FOOLISH MORTAL ANTS," Sut-Typhon roared as several Gates opened up in front of his body and began sucking in the Divine fire until there was nothing left. "PREPARE FOR JUDGEMENT!"
"Ah shit," Sanji growled as all three found themselves retreating from several large tentacles that erupted from the now sizeable hole they'd blown into the Beast. "Just what the hell is this thing!?"
"Something gross, no doubt about it," Zoro replied through grit teeth. "Oi Caster, how much time do we have left before the boost you gave us wears off!?"
"About fifteen minutes," Kupo replied as he flew down next to the pair. "And like I said I can't just reapply it because I don't exactly have a Master to draw from and, not to be rude, but you guys aren't exactly candidates what with the way you all are."
"Figures," Sanji sighed. "So, our fatigue levels affect the Servant too, in a way."
"Yep," Kupo replied as Sut-Typhon moved to stand up on his now reformed legs.
"PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR THE HORROR TO COME MORTALS FOR THERE SHALL BE NO DEATH FOR YOU, ONLY ETERNAL NIGHTMARE WITHIN MY GATES!"
"Guess we really pissed him off."
"Wanna do it again," Luffy grinned as the four moved to attack once again.
/Meanwhile On The Sunny – Several Minutes Earlier/
"THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN A BEAST JUST SHOWED UP!?"
"It's just like I said Mordred," Usopp replied shakily to the furious Knight. "Gecko Moria took Abigail's Shadow and that thing that apparently possessed her once took her over too!"
"DAMN IT!"
Slamming her clenched fist down on the nearby railing she raised her other one, the one that was broken by Fran, and grit her teeth.
"Why now of all times did something like this have to happen …"
"I mean to be fair Mordred I doubt even Natsu could have predicted Moria would turn into … that," Nami added as she fiddled with several lacrima, attempting to fit a dozen of them into a circular chamber.
"I'm his Servant, I should be on the front lines fighting that Beast with him but instead I'm stuck here with my hand completely fucked!"
"So, what exactly are you planning on doing about that then," a voice from behind the group asked that had Mordred freezing in place. "What happened to the glimpse of a future King I saw earlier; did she shatter along with the bones in that hand?"
"Y-you …"
Standing on the railing of the ship was Anderson, his coat flapping to the right as he looked down upon the small group with his usual toothy grin. Mordred was shocked that he not only survived but had sustained zero battle damage from their previous encounter but couldn't even bring herself to immediately challenge the man knowing full well that she'd lose due to her hand.
"At least the fire still burns within those emeralds of yours, girl," Anderson sighed as he jumped down onto the deck, the entire group entering defensive stances. "No need to look so horrified, my contract has been severed making me a free man of the Lord once more."
"Severed? How?"
"Funny you should ask that actually but it's a story for another time," Anderson replied whilst slowly moving toward her. "To be brutally honest I didn't want to fight you but as you know a Servant's orders are ironclad. As a means of apology I've decided I'm going to help you lot kill the unholy Beast Moria has allowed to enter the Lord's garden."
"Y-you'll help us!?"
"Of course, but first I need to repay you for such a good fight earlier," Anderson smiled as he held out his hand. "Your damaged one, place it within my own."
At first she was tempted to slap his hand away, determined to rage at him for leading to her weakened state. Anderson seemed to sense this and with surprising speed managed to grab a hold of her hand before she could react.
"Honestly, feistiness shouldn't be mistaken for stubbornness girl!"
Tch-!"
"As powerful as Dragneel and the Demon Seilah are they'll need all the help they can get to drive the Beast back. In order to claim victory, they'll need the two of us on the front lines girl, understood?"
"I obviously already knew that," Mordred snapped as a faint golden light began to envelop her hand. "Wait … this is-!?"
As the faint light enveloped her hand, she felt Clarent itself flare to life as a secondary blue light appeared around the golden one. At first the pain in her hand was numbed before fading entirely as it seemingly returned back to its original state before Fran had broken it, though there were still scars from where bits of bone had pierced through her skin.
"If that sword of yours was willing to speed things up then you're close," Anderson muttered before releasing her. "Do not lose sight of all you have learned and accomplished up until this point."
"I know," Mordred replied softly as she clenched her fist, grinning at the restoration of her hand.
"That was a one-time deal so don't go letting your guard down a second time."
"I understand," Mordred grinned before turning back to the rest of the group. "All right you guys I'm gonna go join the battle with Archer, you guys keep getting ready because we'll need that firepower backing us up pretty soon!"
"You know you can count on us Mordred," Franky replied with a grin as his right hand tapped a command console that had appeared next to the helm. "We're all in this together!"
Grinning at the cyborg's response she turned around to find Anderson holding out his hand again and raised an eyebrow.
"I'll take us straight there."
"You can take more than one?"
"Of course I can," Anderson scoffed as Mordred took Archer's hand and the pair vanished in a swirl of pages. "Would be a shit ability if I couldn't."
/Back On The Battlefield/
Natsu grit his teeth as he narrowly blocked several swift tentacles strikes whilst trying to navigate Sut-Typhon's massive form. Releasing a stream of flame many of the tentacles were turned to ash however more would simply take their place leading to an endless cycle.
"We're almost there, you doing alright Brook!?"
"I must say your power certainly dwarfs my own Natsu," Brook laughed as he consistently vanished and reappeared, dozens of tentacles being turned into glorified sushi in the process. "But a few tentacles aren't enough to stop me!"
"Well I hope you can handle the next stage because things are about to get even more annoying it seems."
Pointing up toward the point they were trying to reach both Natsu and Brook noticed more Gates manifesting themselves as hundreds of Shadow bats flooded out, each one possessing corrupted God's Aura.
"Yo-hohohoho! Oh my, to think that a Beast such as this would still rely on one of Moria's techniques!"
"There sure are a lot of them," Natsu replied with a sigh as his entire body began to glow a Pure White colour. "But I think they won't be too powerful so I'll get rid of them all right here!"
Unleashing more Divine Magic the bats flickered and vanished, unable to sustain themselves in the presence of overwhelming light. Brook simply laughed and continued his sprint up along Sut-Typhon's form, slashing away at any tentacles that tried to impede his progress.
"Do you foolish Aura users believe you stand a chance," Sut-Typhon's voice boomed as more Gates opened up next to the Beast's face. "You will all falter before my power!"
The gates burst open and unleashed more tentacles however these ones were far more powerful than the ones protruding from Moria's possessed form. Brook managed to slice through one before being forced to block a strike from another and being blown back down toward Natsu's position.
"Those ones are tough!"
"I think those ones are made from Sut-Typhon's real body," Natsu replied grimly as the tentacles formed a protective barrier around Sut-Typhon's neck and head. "I wouldn't be surprised if the ones coming from that tower keeping him pinned in place are the same too."
"You're right Mister Natsu, Sut-Typhon's real tentacles must be called forth from the Gates," Abigail said quickly, landing next to the pair. "This means that the tower behind Sut-Typhon was created by a larger gate and that is most definitely bad."
"How bad are we talking?"
"Using that to channel more of his power through bad," Abby replied as the trio looked past the Beast and over at the tower.
"All the more reason to destroy it."
"Yo-hohohoho! You say that like it is an easy task Natsu!"
"Since when is anything easy Brook," Natsu laughed in response before the three were forced to split up by a barrage of tentacle attacks. "Keep fighting toward the tower, don't bother with the head!"
"You don't have to tell me twice," Brook replied before taking off at a full sprint toward the top of Moria's shoulder once again.
Mister Natsu, I'm going to keep defending Miss Elizabeth," Abigail called out as Natsu turned back to see Elizabeth still standing tall atop her Noble Phantasm.
"How the hell is she able to maintain that for so long as a Servant?"
"More than likely she's giving this everything she's got," Ahnkseram replied sadly. "This is after all a situation that could lead to the destruction of not just this world but many others if Sut-Typhon manages to fully manifest himself."
"We need to reach that tower and sever those tentacles keeping Sut-Typhon in place," Natsu growled as he began channelling more power.
Behind him a large puff of smoke appeared as Ahnkseram emerged from him, looking slightly surprised before quickly nodding in understanding at Natsu's logic. The cost to Natsu's reserves keeping him manifested were high however in this particular case having the both of them attacking would no doubt speed up the process of reaching their goal.
"Take the sword and cover my back Ahnk!"
"I'm on it," Ahnk replied as he leant over and drew the War Titan's Sword, entering an offensive stance as the blade increased its length by a good metre making it abnormally long. "All right then Beast, show me what you can do!"
As Natsu carved through all the tentacles from the front Ahnkseram fired dozens of extremely long aerial slash attacks that ripped through not just the tentacles directly behind them but also those as far as down on the ground. The slashes upon impact would also explode into pure domes of Aura, no doubt another means of buying time as Sut-Typhon began to fully focus his attention onto the pair.
"Another one!? No, wait a moment it couldn't be YOU!?"
"That's right fish face, remember me," Ahnkseram grinned as he sent one attack flying up toward Sut-Typhon's face only for it to be taken by a veritable wall of tentacles. "Bet you never thought I'd still be alive and kicking after all this time did you!?"
"The first cursed abomination Ahnkseram," Sut-Typhon roared as his left hand began to move. "How you managed to survive the persecution of the Archons as well as the Gods of Creation and Destruction I may never know however I can assure you that your existence ends HERE!"
"Oi Natsu, you'll have to take this one," Ahnk called out over his shoulder prompting Natsu to spin around and face the now oncoming fist the size of a small mountain.
"What the hell did you do to this guy to piss him off!?"
"I existed."
"Oh, well don't worry about it then," Natsu replied as his placed his left hand over his right arm. "Because I'm about to ruin this guy's day even more!"
"Don't even try to resist Dragneel," Sut-Typhon roared as his fist edged closer and closer right as Natsu's body became coated in a Pitch Black Aura."
"Hybrid's Aura: Hybrid Glitter!"
Sut-Typhon's entire fist was suddenly surrounded by a Pitch Black ring that continued to shrink in size. Once the ring shrunk in on itself it set off a massive explosion in the form of a pillar of Hybrid's Aura.
Due to the speed the fist had been travelling the attack was centred on Sut-Typhon's wrist by the time it fully charged and as a result it severed the hand completely. Sut-Typhon roared in pain as the mountain sized fist fell to the ground setting off a small earthquake as both Natsu and Ahnkseram quickly continued their way onto the tower.
"No … you will NOT SURVIVE!"
Suddenly both Natsu and Ahnkseram felt a brutal strike send them flying back into the ground. Shaking off the shock he looked up to see Sut-Typhon's eyes glowing before firing out another blast of corrupted God's Aura.
"AHNK!"
"Right," the First Hybrid shouted as he appeared in front of Natsu and swung his blade, slicing the blast in half causing it to veer off to either side of them.
Two large explosions went off however neither had the time to ponder it as they were forced to fly quickly into the sky in order to avoid Sut-Typhon's other clenched fist.
"No matter how much you slice me apart, blast me, strike me with Aura or banish me … I shall return more powerful than before!"
Natsu grit his teeth as he felt Sut-Typhon begin charging even more power into his eyes than before forcing Natsu to begin charging an attack of his own.
"Careful Natsu, my manifestation has already drained a considerable amount of power," Ahnk warned as he sliced apart more Shadow bats. "If you use this it could very well drain you entirely!"
"Does it look like I have a choice Ahnk," Natsu snapped in response as he gestured to the dozens of fights happening all around Sut-Typhon's towering form. "He's fighting all of us yet we're making minimal progress!"
"…"
"Victory was never even a possibility for you Dragneel," Sut-Typhon laughed as the glow increased in intensity, signifying that this attack would be far more powerful than the last. "The will of a Beast is not to be defied!"
"Don't underestimate us, Beast," Natsu roared as his own attack began to expand in between his hands. "We won't rest until you're banished back into the Antiverse!"
"Go on and attack, show me the final embarrassment of an attack by the King Of Balance before I strike him down for good!"
"Hybrid's Aura: Divine Monarch's Lightpulsar Cannon!"
"Beast's Aura: Anti Gate God's Shimmersight!"
Both Natsu and Sut-Typhon fired their respective attacks which clashed almost instantly due to the speed they had been launched at. The two attacks quickly formed a massive sphere of swirling power that continued to expand, Natsu gritting his teeth as he felt the massive drain on his reserves.
"Ahnk … dismiss yourself!"
"R-right!"
"Freeing up a small portion of his power it almost instantly vanished into his attack as Sut-Typhon's own attack began pushing him back.
"Do you see now King Of Balance, you are not yet ready for this level of power," Sut-Typhon cackled with glee as his attack closed in on Natsu's faltering form.
"Sh-shit … this can't be all I've got! M-maybe I'll have to-!"
"Elder Devil's Aura: Void Cannon!"
Natsu's eyes widened as he felt the pressure of the attack lessen considerably and looked over to his right. Seilah, now sporting a set of Demonic looking wings and a third eye glowing the same colour as that of Darkness was firing an attack of incredible power alongside his own.
"Seilah!"
"We can do this Master," Seilah cried though it sounded like it was being spoken twice, another hint that Darkness was also speaking to him at the same time. "We cannot allow this Beast to win!"
"Seilah …"
"She's right, letting this bastard win would only ruin all our hard work up until this point!"
"M-Mordred!?"
To his shock Mordred had appeared and was standing atop a floating page of all things. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth however he could only grin as she summoned Clarent to her side, the familiar hue of God's Aura flaring to life around her.
"So, you really can use it now …"
"All thanks to you, Master," Mordred replied softly before looking over at Sut-Typhon and hardening her gaze once more. "God's Aura: Noble Phantasm Release – Clarent!"
"Hybrid's Aura: Trinity Raid – Clarent Voidpulsar Cannon!"
All three grinned as their attacks fused into one creating a rare feat of power fusion, a Trinity Raid. To the shock of Sut-Typhon the power behind the combination attack was now pushing back his own attack.
"NO! THIS CANNOT BE, YOU WERE ON THE VERGE OF DEFEAT!"
"THIS IS IT FOR YOU, BEAST," Natsu roared as the attack struck Sut-Typhon setting off a blinding explosion.
The light blinded everyone for several moments before revealing that the majority of Sut-Typhon's body had been completely destroyed. Natsu laughed as he felt the last sliver of his power faded before being caught by Seilah.
"Oh Master, always so reckless!"
"Yeah well …"
"At least we got here in time though, eh?"
"True."
"A truly marvellous display of power I must say," Carter said, having appeared next to the trio. "However, Sut-Typhon is far from defeated."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"WHAT!?"
"Observe for yourselves," Carter said as he pointed down toward Sut-Typhon's form.
Looking down they could see Brook slicing apart the tentacles around the tower alongside Luffy, Zoro and Sanji. Elizabeth likewise had shifted her barrage onto the tower however Abigail was simply standing before the remains of Sut-Typhon as if waiting.
"Look," Natsu said weakly as he pointed toward the remains of Sut-Typhon's torso. "He's regenerating!"
"And he will continue to regenerate unless something drastic is done," Carter sighed as he again pointed though this time up at the artificial moon which was seemingly laughing at them. "He believes that although he lost the clash he's all but won the battle. Natsu, the strongest fight here, has used up the last of his strength and is all but out of the fight meaning it is only a matter of time before his ultimate victory."
"Then what should we do?"
"The only thing we can do," Carter sighed. "Try to-!"
"Hold out as best you can? Really?"
Everyone, Carter included, found themselves shocked as Sut-Typhon seemingly 'popped' back into existence before them. It was as if he'd never been blown up to begin with as the entire group felt a sense of dread strike them full force.
"Did you all truly think it would be so easy to defeat a Beast?"
"Perhaps not," Natsu replied weakly though he did have a grin on his face causing Sut-Typhon to snarl in his general direction. "But it appears that what we did do most certainly accomplished something!"
It was then that the others noticed the large Aqua Blue crack that stretched down the left side of Sut-Typhon's face, like a tear in the fabric of his very being. The crack seemed more like a ravine due to the sheer size of Sut-Typhon and the amount of Anti leaking from it was most certainly not a good sign.
Nevertheless, Natsu couldn't help but grin knowing that they had indeed inflicted a major wound onto the Beast which meant one thing.
They had a shot at winning.
"So Natsu …"
"What?"
"Something happened when that explosion went off and I'm not a hundred percent sure how to feel about it."
"What happened? My core didn't crack again did it?"
"N-no, your core is a stable as ever. Actually, its probably the strongest its ever been right now!"
"Then what's-?"
A rather cute sounding yawn cut him off mid thought as a strange feeling settled over him. It was a familiar sound and yet it also sounded rather … off.
"Ahnk …"
"I think you should come and see for yourself."
Doing as Ahnk instructed he leapt into his mindscape and to his shock the massive black mountain that was Aava was gone. Looking around frantically he froze on Ahnkseram's location, more specifically the second humanoid figure at his feet.
"What …"
"I know."
"Ngh," the figure groaned as it slowly opened its Aqua Blue eyes. "Huh …?"
The figure sat up, not even noticing her entirely nude form as she looked around his mindscape before locking onto Natsu.
"Dad-wait a minute …"
"A-Aava," Natsu finally blurted out as the girl rose to her feet with shaky legs.
"Wh-what happened to me," Aava asked shakily as she inspected her human shaped body. "Why do I look like you!?"
"Perhaps this is something that happens with age," Ahnk theorized as he pointed toward Aava's form again. "Look at how old she is physically Natsu."
"She looks like a teenager," Natsu said slowly as the gears began turning in his head. "Oh …"
"Oh? What does 'oh' mean Dad," Aava asked now seemingly upset. "Where are my scales and why am I naked!?"
"Right, clothes," Natsu said quickly as he summoned clothes onto her. "And as for what 'oh' means, well …"
"You've been asleep for some time Aava however your body has only continued to age and grow," Ahnk continued seeing as Natsu was still in a state of shock. "It seems to me that you've just gone through the equivalent of Dragon puberty and since you are a reincarnation of Achnologia you must regain his human form around then."
Looking at Aava closely it was clearly obvious that she was almost like a younger, gender bent version of Achnologia. Dark skin with the same blue hair and even slight similarities in facial structure.
Natsu ceased his observations of certain other regions in favour of confronting the problem at hand. Why had this occurred right now of all times?
"Hey Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"As much as I want to talk about this, I can sense something exceedingly powerful outside so who are we fighting?"
"Oh yeah, a Beast named Sut-Typhon-."
Aava's eyes widened as a memory of Achnologia's was forced to the forefront. Images of a massive tentacle wielding creature and a feeling of hatred and rage.
"A-Achnologia has seen it before, back when he was in the Antiverse!"
"He has!?"
"He hates Sut-Typhon so much that it makes me feel … really mad!"
"Aava," Natsu sighed as he walked up to her, momentarily taking in the fact that was didn't even come half way up his chest yet. "I know you just woke up after our last battle but I need your power to stop Sut-Typhon. Will you help me?"
"Of course I will, dumb Dad! I don't want to see you die!"
Natsu laughed with a mixture of embarrassment at being reprimanded and trying not to gush over the adorable teen pouting before him. It was like a feral version of Wendy with larger … no he wouldn't drift to those thoughts. No way would he risk the chance of Wendy finding out he'd even considered them.
"Thanks Aava, and we'll sort out what's happened to you after this is all over."
"Thanks Dad," Aava replied with a grin prompting him to exit his mindscape only to find he was now laying down on the ground whilst everyone else engaged Sut-Typhon.
"Must've thought I lost consciousness …"
"I had a feeling you were simply within your mindscape," Carter said from beside him, not surprising Natsu in the slightest. "Therefore, I asked the others to let me bring you away from the battle until your business was concluded."
"Thanks Carter," Natsu groaned as he sat up. "Unfortunately, we still don't have a solid plan to take out Sut-Typhon yet even though I've got more power to draw from."
"Actually," Carter replied with a small smile. "I have devised a way to cripple Sut-Typhon."
"Really!?"
"Think about his Authority, Nega Nightmare. It is an ability that allows Sut-Typhon to demoralize and strike fear into regular existence however as you know when in proper existence, those of Anti must play by the rules of it."
"So …"
"We use Nega Nightmare to our own advantage."
"And what, scare Sut-Typhon to death?"
"Not scare Sut-Typhon," Carter replied shaking his head. "We scare his vessel."
"Huh?"
"The reason why Sut-Typhon failed last time wasn't because we were the more powerful side, no, it was because we used Abigail herself against him. If we can draw Moria back out from where Sut-Typhon has suppressed him it will weaken Sut-Typhon's power considerably."
"Meaning we'll have an actual shot at winning," Natsu finished as a grin began to worm its way across his face. "So how do we figure out Moria's biggest fear?"
"As chance would have it, the man's fear is well documented," a new voice said as Natsu looked over to a rather intimidating man who flashed a toothy grin his way.
"You're … a Servant?"
"Archer, Alexander Anderson," the man replied with a mock bow. "Been waiting for you to wake up so we can cast this Beast back into the depths for a good while now!"
"Didn't Mordred beat you?"
"She did, but I decided there was more I could do here and certain circumstances lead to me being able to remain behind."
"He has the Guts skill."
"I'll gut you if you keep flapping that trap of yours Carter," Anderson snapped before shifting his attention back to Natsu. "Anyway, the one fear of Gecko Moria is …"
/Several Minutes Later/
"Is this all you pathetic ants can do," Sut-Typhon asked in disappointment even as a massive blast from Seilah smashed into the side of his face. "I think it is high time I ended things."
"This isn't good," Mordred growled as she landed next to Fran who looked rather tired. "Good to see you haven't kicked the bucket in all this yet!"
"Uh!"
"Yeah I know, those tentacles are real pieces of work to deal with."
"I wish I could give us all buffs but I've already boosted you all as much as I can," Kupo sighed as his Magic Circles deflected several more tentacles. "If only my buddy were here …"
"We aren't going to give up though," Seilah said as she charged another attack and fired it toward Sut-Typhon who blocked it with ease. "We just need to hold out until Carter comes up with a plan or even if one of us manages to find a crucial weakness!"
"Weakness? I am a Beast Of Anti! I have no weaknesses, foolish Demon," Sut-Typhon laughed only for a massive such of Anti to flood the area.
A surge that wasn't originating from him.
"This Anti … where is it coming from!?"
Sut-Typhon's answer came quickly as Natsu appeared in the centre of the assembled group once more, back in his Demiurge form much to the relief of the entire group.
"So again you rise for another beating Dragneel, foolish King Of Balance!?"
"Not this time Beast," Natsu replied confidently. "This time things aren't going to go your way!"
"Your words ring hollow King Of Balance, you have nothing left to try against me!"
"Ah, but you see there is but one single hope left for us," Natsu grinned as scales slowly began to emerge through his skin. "A single hope that led to the downfall of the vessel you now inhabit!"
Sut-Typhon watched in shock as Natsu entered his full Dragon form, eyes focused on all the Aqua Blue sections of his body as something seemed to snap within his mind. Natsu smirked at the reaction, watching the various shifts in Sut-Typhon's face as one eye began to lose its opacity and return to its normal colour.
"D-D-D-DRAGON," Sut-Typhon screeched as one arm forcibly ripped out the remaining tentacles that pinned him to the ground, allowing him to jump away. "Not again, I REFUSE TO LOSE TO YOU AGAIN!"
"It's all over," Natsu's voice boomed as he began to play his part. "I'll end it all right at the height of your power just like last time, Moria!"
His words seemed to affect the massive entity as both Sut-Typhon and Moria struggled to direct the body. Eventually however it seemed that Moria's fear won and he retreated even further back, summoning a swarm of Shadow bats around himself.
"With this power I won't lose, not again, KAIDO!"
'Bingo,' Natsu hummed with glee as he prepared to face down the Beast before him, an attack already charging within his maw.
Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!