Hi guys Azza here!
So … this chapter took ages to do. Its been through multiple rewrites and you'll all understand why once you finish it but I'll just say that this one is important.
Also I'm sick so that's nice haha!
Anyway, just a little thing before the reviews I'm going to start adding translations to any non English attacks at the bottom of the chapters so long as they aren't in a language I want to keep hidden for the moment.
Anyway, onto the reviews!
Dragonborn2704 – Vortigern is kind of a Natsu fight but more of a team raid boss kind of Servant which you'll see in this chapter.
As for your suggestion of Grand Berserker, its very tough to decide who should be classified as a GRAND Class simply because they literally have to be the best of their class.
There are some Grands that the Fate Verse has already got decided such as Grand Assassin, Grand Archer, Grand Lancer and Grand Caster however I personally have already got decided who my idea for Grand Avenger, Grand Rider, Grand Ruler, Grand Saber and Grand Foreigner will be and all of those are confirmed to be appearing in this Volume.
I definitely will consider your suggestion but the thing is Doomguy still has intelligence when he's fighting and a Grand Berserker would likely need to be completely and totally 'Berserk' to work but honestly that was a pretty solid suggestion.
Susano'o Chaos – What you are saying is 100% correct. Eventually, Natsu will be able to go beyond simply using the Elements and will be able to shrug them off. To give you a little teaser of what I have planned later, Natsu will actually be able to utilize abilities such as the Kaioken for example since as I've already established, all powers in my story draw their source from the same place and with Natsu being able to push beyond simply using his own kind of power he'll be able to utilize other powers.
That being said, he'll obviously stick to his set of skills for the most part so he won't be running around firing off Kamehamehas or going Bankai or anything like that but he can incorporate some things into his kit.
As for the shrugging off thing, it'll be like how Achnologia was where he can take massive damage but he can still be harmed like how the Celestial Spirit King was still able to harm him.
As for G-Man (Very nice cover btw haha) he, along with all the others, are actually Primordial Level. Now as I've said earlier, the Council all feared Achnologia because of his ability to devour so had he been able to get the ability to leave the Fairy Tail Verse and consume them he'd have to absorb enough to reach Primordial level which is doable but the other Primordials would've stepped in and stopped him before he got that far.
So it is possible for Achnologia to be Primordial level but he'd have to have the setup to get there.
Hopefully my answers helped! I'm trying not to spoil stuff since some of that stuff is end of this Volume material.
JGreen039 – So to answer your question without spoiling too much technically Natsu already uses bastardized forms of the Second and Fifth True Magics as he is now in the story with the Second being Zelretch's Kaleidoscope or officially the ability of Operation Of Parallel Worlds and the Fifth being Time Travel though none truly know its full domain.
To answer your question though, Natsu will possess knowledge on the Five True Magics, he'll learn a bastardized form of the First from the one who originally wielded it and he will know how to use the Second and Fifth well enough to help build Chaldea which I can't really speak about much only that he along with Zelretch play key roles in the ability of Chaldea to Rayshift.
Just keep this in mind though, there's very good reasons for me stating throughout the story that Natsu and Zelretch are working together alongside other notable figures like Arcueid, Altrouge and Aoko.
Also keep in mind that I'm altering what the ROOT refers to since in my story it isn't simply the source of MAGIC but ALL things for all series. From Ki, Chakra, Reishi, Magic, Nen all of that comes from the ROOT or as Natsu has said the SOURCE.
I know its kind of a vague answer but I'd spoil too much if I just flat out told you everything now but just know that he will have complete mastery over one of them which sits in the latter half of the Five that the Mages Association doesn't even know what it is …
Guest – Yeah I'm not planning on revealing what the One Piece is in the story, though it will quite literally be in play during the final arc no one will actually see what it is. I won't even attempt to try and take a stab at what it is because I simply won't do it justice haha!
Even still, it will play a pivotal role in the last arc.
Ok onto the story!
I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.
FATAL BATTLE – Vortigern The Destroyer
/Marineford Bay/
"Lancelot, Gawain," Artoria snapped as the trio shot toward Vortigern. "Give this fight everything you have!"
"Not even the legendary Arthur with her most favoured peons will be enough," Vortigern growled in response as he held his right hand outward, the black substance forming a dual weapon with a sword at one end and a staff at the other.
The trio reached Vortigern's position at the gap in the rampart wall quickly and moved to slash at him. Vortigern easily leapt out of the way and spun his weapon around to swiftly block several follow up strikes from Gawain and Artoria before grabbing a hold of Lancelot's blade with his free hand.
"What-!?"
"Did you all forget how it went last time," Vortigern sneered as he dragged Lancelot closer toward him. "I spit on your Divine gifts, curse them all!"
"Lancelot," Gawain roared, charging forward and moving to fire off a powerful aerial slash attack. "Release him Vortigern!"
"Fool."
Throwing Lancelot in the way of Gawain's attack, the Knight Of The Lake was barely able to flip in midair and use his own blade to block the attack, being sent flying into the side of one of the walls instantly.
"LANCELOT!"
"Gawain," Artoria cried out as the Knight Of The Sun looked back to Vortigern who was now spinning his half sword, half staff around so fast that it began firing out a combination of aerial slash attacks and powerful dark magic.
"Let us see if you can survive this, Black Rondo!"
Gawain moved into action and began blocking and redirecting the attacks Vortigern sent his way, not realizing that he'd fallen right into Vortigern's trap. For each attack Gawain came into contact with, a small sliver of the black substance exhuded by Vortigern was left attached to him.
"He who was said to shine as bright as the sun … was so very very dim," Vortigern scoffed as he extended his free hand. "Emperor Midnight!"
"NO-!"
Gawain realized mere seconds too late as the black substance expanded outward rapidly before twisting around and piercing through his armor. Artoria watched in horror as one of her strongest knights dropped to his knees, the black substance tearing through him as if he were a mere common squire.
"Damn it," Gawain coughed as blood poured from his eyes, nose and mouth. "Damn you Vortigern!"
"You always were a slow one, Gawain," the Vile King replied neutrally as the black substance seemed to detach itself from Gawain, leaving sizeable holes in his form as it crawled across the ground toward Vortigern's position. "Last time, you tried to utilize the power of Excalibur Galatine despite my multitude of warnings that doing so would drain you with zero reward for such a foolish venture. Even so, you continued to try and burn me away, just as you had done to so many of Arthur's greatest foes."
The black substance stopped just before Vortigorn before clumping up into a ball and shooting upward to rest just above the tip of Vortigern's sword half of his weapon. Spinning it gently, he brought the blade up to his armoured face and examined it with a glowing eye.
"Tell me, what should I think of such failures who let Britain fall to chaos after the death of their beloved King? Who are you to stand before the rightful ruler of my beloved Britannia and declare that destroyer of fantasy King!?"
"Arthur is the rightful King," Gawain said through grit teeth as he slowly rose back to his feet with the aid of his sword. "Though the King hid her gender from the populace, we followed her all the same knowing full well that there wouldn't be a better soul to guide us to a better dawn!"
"The dream might have been shattered in the end," Lancelot added as he emerged from the rubble he'd been flung into. "But the blame doesn't rest with the King, but with we who failed to live by her example!"
"So, you admit it Sir Lancelot," Vortigern laughed in his hollow tone as he arched his neck to look over at the Knight. "You who turned your own King into a cuckold, an embarrassment upon the world stage!?"
"What I did, I did at the behest of my heart. True, Lady Guinevere was indeed the Queen and I a lowly Knight … I would have gladly submitted myself to death if the King had ordained it-!"
"But the King again proved why she was the one best fitted to rule," Gawain cut in as Lancelot seemed to struggle to finish his speech. "Her love for us, for all her beloved subjects, overrode any notion of anger toward Lancelot for what he had done. Perhaps many would see this as a sign of weakness, but it was in fact a sign of strength far greater than any of us ordinary men!"
"Fools," Vortigern scoffed as his entire form began to radiate dark energy. "You praise a King who cannot even discipline their Knights!? You truly all were lost the moment you dared raise your sword for that bastard child!"
Vortigern started to roar as he raised his blade upward and stabbed the floating ball of the black substance, slicing it in half as a blackish purple light escaped from its inner confines.
"I will not relent until the very concept of Arthur is eradicated! To allow such a failure to exist scars the very name of our homeland," Vortigern roared as the black substance seemed to shoot out across not the immediate area, but what one would conceive as far off space instead. "Elder Devil's Aura: The Veil Of Darkness – Black Blood Universale!"
"This isn't good," Lancelot growled as the very sky itself went pitch black, shrouding the entire island into a world of darkness, only the fires from the carnage of the battle keeping the two sides from losing sight of one another.
"This is just like back then," Gawain added darkly as he looked over to Artoria who simply stared at Vortigern with a blank expression. "My King … what should we do?"
"You know what we must do, Sir Gawain," Artoria replied calmly as she locked eyes with Vortigern himself. "It is quite obvious to me now that I have no choice …"
"My King," Gawain gasped as Lancelot openly gaped in shock. "Are you sure-!?"
Instead of responding, Artoria simply held Excalibur out in front of her with both hands in a basic stance. Slowly, she slid her right leg backward as she began to raise the blade above her head.
"I call upon you all, my beloved Knights Of The Round Table … I ask of you, grant me the strength to slay one of our most vile and detested foes once more," Artoria cried as Excalibur's edge began to glow a bright golden colour. "Our foe is my own Uncle, the Vile King Of The Mors, Vortigern Pendragon, the great Destroyer-!"
"She's really doing it," Gawain said in disbelief before shaking his head and looking back toward Vortigern with a frown. "Lancelot, we must buy the King time!"
"No need to worry about that, you guys aren't alone in this!"
Gawain's head snapped toward Mordred who had arrived on the scene looking the most serious he'd ever seen her, behind her was her Master Natsu who likewise was clearly no longer looking like he was messing around.
"Sorry for taking so long, it took me a bit to find Mordred in this mess," Natsu said as he looked over toward Vortigern. "So, that's him then?"
"Yes, Vortigern Pendragon. A fiend so vile he can negate the very concept of 'Light' through sheer will alone."
Vortigern chose that moment to interrupt, the sound of his armoured footsteps bringing their attention back toward him. The King wasn't like any Devil Natsu had faced before as his Aura seemed to just be an infinite well that used its own font to sustain itself.
"So, you've brought the King Of Balance to face me," Vortigern asked as he twirled his weapon in what looked like an experimental manner. "And the little bastard that ruined our dynasty too?"
"So, you're the King Of Darkness," Natsu replied as he placed a hand on Mordred's armoured shoulder. "I can see that your title suits you well. The sheer amount of 'Dark' you radiate is on par with my older Brother or Ahnkseram at the bare minimum."
"Indeed, and it will be put to good use claiming the reward for the Realis Holy Grail War," Vortigern replied as everyone got into defensive stances. "My chance at saving those forced to the Reverse Side will not slip away …"
"Here he comes," Gawain snapped as the entire group vanished from where they were previously standing, a massive pillar of darkness erupting from the ground as Vortigern started sprinting toward Artoria.
"I must destroy Arthur … I MUST!"
"Not a chance," Gawain snapped as he appeared on Vortigern's left, prompting the much taller and heavily armoured man to pull a sudden stop and spin around with the centre of his weapon striking his knee to split into two separate ones.
Blocking Gawain's horizontal slash with his sword, Vortigern used his staff to project a powerful dark barrier that stopped Lancelot from piercing his other side with a stab attack. Just as he was about to release some more of the black substance to attack them with, Mordred appeared right in front of him with Clarent already mid thrust.
"That won't be enough," Vortigern growled as the stab attack struck his helmet, a resounding clang echoing across the nearly pitch-black void and sending Vortigern skidding backward. "Is that the best a mere bastard can do!?"
Lancelot reached Vortigern first, jumping over a sword strike and moving to slash at Vortigern's side only for the King to use the black substance to form a shield of chitin-like origin. His blade bounced off, staggering him, which allowed Vortigern to kick him away and turn to face Mordred and Gawain who were both charging him.
"You remember the drill Mordred!?"
"On it! One … TWO-!"
"THREE!"
Gawain moved first and brought Excalibur Galatine downward for a powerful vertical slash attack which was easily blocked by Vortigern's own blade. Mordred then moved in with Clarent and parried several shots of dark magic using the flat of it before twirling the blade in her fingers and bringing Clarent in for a horizontal slash attack whilst also performing a shoulder charge.
As Mordred moved in, Gawain readjusted his footing and, whilst applying pressure to the clash with Vortigern, spun around to the left and moved to perform a similar shoulder charge to Mordred with Vortigern barely raising a chitinous barrier in time.
The King was sent skidding backward a considerable distance as the duo charged forward, blades extended out to their left and right respectively. Reaching the still skidding King, both swung their blades horizontally and slashed Vortigern across the torso as the Vile King suffered what looked like the first bit of battle damage.
"All right!"
"You've gotten much better, Mordred!"
"I wouldn't be celebrating just yet," Lancelot said through grit teeth as he motioned toward the spot the duo had managed to slice open.
"Crap …"
From Vortigern's torso wound, a fountain of the black substance began to leak out which quickly moved to cover most of the area. The black substance washed over everything however it wasn't until it reached the dead World Government troops, Pirates and Eden forces that they truly understood what he was doing.
"Damn it!"
"The bastard," Mordred hissed as the black substance washed over corpses, causing their skin to melt away and skeletal monstrosities to rise in their place. "He's performing Necromancy!"
"Just like the last time," Gawain snarled as he gripped his blade tighter. "Have you no shame, defiling the dead!?"
"This power is merely a tool to meet my own ends," Vortigern replied calmly as the black substance leaking from his body ceased and the wounds seemingly closed themselves up. "Besides, it isn't like your precious King Of Balance isn't capable of the exact same thing."
"That isn't even remotely the same and you know it," Mordred snapped in response, prompting Vortigern to shrug.
"Different name, same power. Either way, you'll all be dying here and returning to the Throne one way or another!"
Raising his staff high into the air, it began to glow a bright purple colour as the pitch-black sky shifted to match it, blinding many who had been unable to see at all. Vortigern began to make a low rumbling sound as his Blood Red eyes started to glow menacingly, heralding his next attack.
"Elder Devil's Aura: The Veil Of Night – Tranquil Nightshade!"
From the now Deep Purple sky, similar coloured lightning began to rain down upon the battle scarred Marineford which sent the already panicked combatants running for cover. Unfortunately, since the Allied side was already trying to scramble to get past where Vortigern currently stood, it made their options next to nil.
"This cannot stand any longer, our friends are counting on us to push past this bastard," Lancelot cried out over the crackle of lightning. "We need to take him down quickly!"
"Easier said than done," Gawain replied grimly as he motioned toward the rapidly rising army of the dead created by Vortigern. "Any casualties suffered will go straight into the enemy's pocket now, thanks to him."
"That doesn't matter," Mordred replied firmly as she gripped Clarent tighter. "We're Knights Of The Round and we've got a job to do! Since when were the two of you so eager to just give up when the going got tough!?"
"Its not that we're giving up Mordred," Gawain sighed as he grit his teeth. "You weren't even there when we had to fight Vortigern, you don't know what it took to defeat him!"
"It doesn't matter!"
"The hell it doesn't-!"
"Screw you," Mordred hissed as she turned her back on Gawain and looked over toward Vortigern who was finishing up his spell. "I'll take this bastard on by myself if I have to!"
"Don't be foolish Mordred, we just need to buy the King enough time to deploy Excalibur!"
"And what about all the lives that will be lost during that time!? Did you forget what Akainu did like twenty minutes ago Gawain or were you asleep the whole battle!?"
"…"
"Whitebeard and his allies are counting on us to clear the way so they can get into the Execution Plaza, we can't stop until Vortigern is out of the damn picture!"
Mordred didn't even bother waiting for a response from Gawain and simply charged toward Vortigern with her entire demeanour becoming as cold and focused as Artoria's would've in the same situation. Vortigern saw Mordred coming his way alone and prepared his blade in a defensive stance.
"You would face me alone, Mordred Pendragon!?"
"I'm not alone," Mordred laughed as she cleared considerable distance in a matter of seconds. "You wanna know why-?"
Vortigern suddenly found himself being sent flying forward, a sharp pain in his back as he arched his neck mid-air to see what had struck him.
"She's not alone … because I'M always there for her," Natsu shouted as he chased after the King he'd just sent flying through the air.
"Foolish!"
As Mordred moved to stab Vortigern in the head, he performed a jump in mid-air with Natsu's face appearing mere inches before the tip of her sword. As if moving on autopilot, Natsu dropped to his knees and slid under the attack with Mordred performing a barrel roll over his now skidding form.
Spinning around on his knees, Natsu struck the space above Vortigern with the absolute maximum Gravity he could use that wouldn't cause the planet trouble, smashing the King down into the ground right as Mordred reached the apex of her barrel roll.
"The truth is," Mordred grinned as a raging fire suddenly flared up all over the surface of her blade.
"Mordred and I," Natsu continued as the two both spun around, meeting up right next to each other as fire began to escape his mouth.
"Are one," the pair both roared as they both fired off their separate attacks.
"God's Aura: Clarent – Novus Pendragon!"
"Hybrid's Aura: Fire Dragon Monarch's Roar!"
The two highly destructive attacks surged toward Vortigern, shaking the entire island as they slowly began to mix together into one attack that was ten times the size of what they had been separately.
"Hybrid's Aura: Unison Raid – Clarent Infernal Diviner!"
Vortigern smashed his two weapons back into one and slammed the sword half into the ground, a massive black shield flaring to life right as the attack struck its mark. The Vile King was engulfed in the attack in mere moments with the last anyone had seen of him being the man skidding backward in his defensive position.
The two ceased their attack and promptly sighed, looking at each other with slight grins on their faces. It had been quite some time since they'd combined attacks and it felt rather good. The two shared a quick fist bump before looking over at the stunned Gawain and understanding Lancelot.
"See what I mean," Mordred huffed as she rose to her full height and slung Clarent over her shoulder. "Just gotta take some damn initiative!"
The end result of their attack finally made itself known as it slammed into Marine HQ, setting off a blinding explosion that shook Marineford to its core. Mordred's grin seemed to only grow as Gawain shook his head.
"That won't be enough to defeat the likes of Vortigern you know …"
"Of course it won't," Mordred scoffed in reply. "But it pushed him back from blocking the one way into the Execution Plaza, didn't it!?"
"I think the real issue we've got now is where those reinforcements the King requested earlier are," Lancelot cut in, swiftly changing the topic as the battles around them seemed to flare up once again.
"Oh, you guys didn't notice?"
"Notice what Natsu?"
"This spatial distortion Vortigern did has cut us off from the outside world, I can't even warp out of here."
"WHAT!?"
"You couldn't tell," Natsu asked once again as all three Knights looked at him in varying degrees of shock.
"You just decided to tell us this NOW," Gawain snapped as he grabbed a hold of Natsu's shirt and shook him as hard as he could. "DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW SERIOUS THIS IS!?"
"I would like to think so since I did used to command armies back in the day," Natsu replied, completely unfazed that he was being shaken around like a ragdoll.
"The only way to dispel this is if either Vortigern willingly does it, which I highly doubt, or we kill him," Lancelot said as he pried Gawain off of Natsu. "I'm going to hope that you guys did all that impressive work in an attempt to take Vortigern out quickly and restore access to the outside …"
"Sure man, whatever you want to think," Natsu laughed as the entire area began to shake. "Speaking of, seems that the big guy is getting back up!"
/Elsewhere In Marineford/
"D-did all that really just happen," Ritsuka asked shakily as they followed Sir Tristan's lead.
"It appears so Senpai," Mash sighed as she blocked several gunshots with her shield. "It appears that Vortigern is still very much active, despite being struck by an attack that powerful …"
"Vortigern is sadly not a foe that can be defeated through such simple means," Tristan sighed as he took out several soldiers. "In truth, he was probably the strongest foe the King ever fought since not even the likes of Morgan could have hoped to cancel out the power of Excalibur."
"But how can he actually do it through sheer force of will though," Mash asked in reply as they pushed forward along with the rest of the allied forces. "Even if he truly hated the concept of Arthurian Britain, it shouldn't be enough to stop the power of the fabled Sword Of Promised Victory? Excalibur is said to be the last and greatest wish of life itself with only the legendary sword Gram being equal to it in power so how can one being possibly negate its power!?"
"There are theories," Tristan began as they were forced to take cover beneath Mash's shield from a torrent of powerful lightning strikes. "Theories that suggest whatever Vortigern encountered in Sherwood during his exile under the time of Uther didn't just grant him his weapons and allow him to strengthen his spells …"
"You think somehow Vortigern was physically changed in there, don't you," Ritsuka concluded with a frown as he fired several shots into a crowd of enemy troops.
"Precisely. Though Excalibur is indeed one of the strongest blades in all existence, something beyond it could potentially be able to match or even counter it."
"Beyond …?"
"Existence …?"
"Yes," Tristan nodded as they ceased hiding beneath the shield and continued making their way forward. "I will say this Master, Mash … I very much doubt we have the means to defeat Vortigern even with the King Of Conquerors, King Of Knights, King Of Flame and King Of Balance as he currently is. The sheer rage and hatred of Vortigern is enough to consume the all things and it would take a miracle like what the King pulled off last time for us to be able to win …"
"A miracle?"
"What happened last time?"
Tristan was about to speak but felt a drastic spike in Godlike energy and opted to simply shake his head in response instead. Tapping the two teens on the shoulders, he motioned for them to look over where the battle against Vortigern was taking place.
"Watch, this should be all the answer you two will require to deduce just how dire this situation has become."
The two teens looked at one another before nodding and turning their attention toward the location of the battle, wondering just what Tristan meant by them gaining answers.
/Marineford Bay – Battle Against Vortigern/
"Useless," Vortigern snarled as he held back the blades of both Gawain and Lancelot with his own whilst fending off Mordred with his staff. "Holy relics stand no chance!"
"Pushing back against the two Knights at his front, they were sent skidding away as he spun around and tried to cleave Mordred in half.
Mordred dashed out of the way and readjusted her stance before charging right into Vortigern who stumbled backward slightly before taking a swing at her head. Lancelot appeared at her side and blocked the strike with his sword as Gawain spear tackled the massive man, pushing him back across the boundary of the gap in the wall once more.
"Keep pushing him back," Mordred cried as she ignited her sword once more. "Gawain, CLEAR!"
"RIGHT!"
Gawain launched himself out of the way as Mordred started firing off powerful fiery aerial slash attacks one after another with Lancelot joining in with several slash attacks of his own. Gawain meanwhile was nearby, beginning to gather energy within his own blade when he felt the sudden spike in Godlike energy.
"You two, do you feel that!?"
"Father's ready!"
"And not a minute too soon," Lancelot panted as he fired one last aerial slash attack before vanishing just in time to avoid an aerial slash attack from Vortigern laced with dark energy.
"Fools! It matters not how many times you damage me, how much teamwork you try to use nor does the destructive capability matter! I am the vengeance of Britannia; the bringer of the end and I will NOT BE HELD BACK BY THE LIGHT!"
Vortigern started charging toward the trio who quickly retreated back toward the other side of the gap in the wall. The Vile King was about to start flinging out attacks again however this time he found himself facing Natsu directly who appeared right in front of him and moved to strike him.
"You are a fool to face me alone, King Of Balance! You will be obliterated along with the rest of the filth!"
"I don't think so Vortigern, you'll be less than dust before this day is out! Hybrid's Aura: Black Arts – Ilobaid Mulucangis!"
"The Black Arts," Vortigern gasped as he found himself rendered completely immobile, the symbol of the Devil Sect appearing at his feet as Natsu gripped his outstretched arm tightly, his teeth barred as he held back the full might of the powerful Servant.
"Artoria … DO IT!"
Vortigern's gaze went from Natsu to Artoria, who now held Excalibur high above her head, the wind blowing as if there were a powerful storm afoot and the entire island beginning to shake in the wake of the sheer power she possessed.
"I will stop you here, Uncle Vortigern! We may be family, but you were always an enemy of our beloved Kingdom and you will be put down once more!"
"Heh."
"Seal designation accepted," Artoria said barely above a whisper before looking up toward Vortigern. "This is a battle to save the world, so lend me your power … Elder God's Aura: Noble Phantasm Release – EXCALIBUR!"
Bringing the now massive golden light down like a hammer, Artoria fired a monstrous blast of pure Divine energy right at Vortigern's position. At the very last second, Natsu released his hold on Vortigern and warped out of the way leaving the Servant to take the full front of the blast.
The sheer size of the attack was so big it had split Marineford apart from the point of deployment, tearing a giant chasm into the earth and blowing away another section of the Sea Stone reinforced walls, continuing all the way through the World Government ranks and blowing away the right side of Marine Headquarters and the town surrounding it.
The attack continued on to go out to sea where it easily parted it, revealing the chasm it was leaving behind before vanishing off into the distance where it finally exploded. A pillar of bright golden light shot up into the sky from the point of impact where thousands of golden rings seemed to form, circling around the pillar before the light began to finally dissipate.
The World Government forces not of high rank were in a state of complete panic at the sheer level of power Artoria had just displayed. The attack put out was easily on par with that of the Four Emperors and the level of destruction reminded them all that this was truly a war they were not certain they could win from the start.
Back at the site of the initial attack, the allied forces knew full well what Artoria was capable of when they had planned the attack. This is specifically why Whitebeard and his allies, as well as Eden and its forces, had held back when Artoria moved to face Vortigern. Whatever got in the way of her Noble Phantasm in a nearly unbound state wasn't going to survive.
Or so they thought …
Both sides of the war were completely stunned to see Vortigern marching toward Artoria, not a single shred of damage on him despite the fact he'd literally been at the centre of the attack. The Knights Of The Round were likewise stunned, having hoped that the attack would have done something to the Vile King.
"Once more, the fools of Arthurian Britain prove themselves utterly incompetent," Vortigern sneered as he stopped several feet before Artoria who simply held Excalibur at her side. "I know you have not forgotten our last battle Artoria … I know you have not forgotten what I did that last time either!"
"Even so, you still need to be stopped," Artoria hissed as she assumed an offensive stance so quickly that none of the lower ranked troops from either side saw her move. "I won't allow you to destroy this world OR ours!"
"Then just try to stop me," Vortigern laughed as he charged Artoria with speeds far outstripping what he'd been fighting at before. Artoria's blade moved and blocked Vortigern's initial downward slash and sent her skidding backward where she expertly spun her blade to meet several swift blows from the Vile King.
Spinning around to the right with her blade twirling between her fingers, Artoria went on the offensive and started striking at Vortigern in an attempt to parry him. Unlike most of the others, she knew full well that there was a means of defeating Vortigern and it lay with stripping him of his armaments.
"It won't work Artoria, not this time," Vortigern seemingly responded to her thoughts as he swiftly merged the two weapons into one and started spinning his weapon to better fend off her attacks. "You truly thought I'd fall for that a second time!?"
"No."
Performing a swift yet brutal upper slash, a powerful golden aerial slash attack was released which forced Vortigern to assume a defensive stance as it crashed into his guard. The Vile King skidded backward as powerful wind started to circle her blade as the King Of Knights continued her offensive.
"That trick," Vortigern hissed as he finally pushed through the aerial slash attack and clashed with Artoria, the powerful wind slashing as his armor yet doing minimal damage. "Once again, you underestimate me!"
"It doesn't matter if I underestimate you or not," Artoria growled in response as the two started hammering at each other with their blades, the sound of clashing steel ringing out across the mostly silent battlefield as both sides seemingly watched the abnormal battle unfold. "What matters is putting an end to you at the end of all this!"
"I think you'll find," Vortigern said through grit teeth as he clashed with an aimed strike to his left shoulder. "That I'm the one who'll survive this!"
After blocking the strike to his left, Vortigern spun to the right and moved to strike Artoria's head with Excalibur being moved to block in turn. This was exactly what Vortigern wanted however as he reached out and grabbed the blade with an armoured hand.
"No-!"
"This is MY victory," Vortigern roared as he yanked Artoria forward and delivered a brutal armoured head butt that knocked the King Of Knights flat on her back.
Vortigern tossed Excalibur off behind him and stalked toward the downed Artoria, pressing an armoured boot to her gut and applying significant pressure that had the King gasping in pain.
"There will be no miracles to save you this time Artoria, no aid from the sacred lance! You die here, by MY hand, just as you should have done back in Londinium!"
Vortigern raised the bladed half of his weapon and moved to stab Artoria in the chest however he swiftly spun around and clashed with Mordred who was now dual wielding swords.
"What-!?"
Vortigern was forced to back away from Artoria as he fended off Mordred's barrage. Her face was calm yet there was clearly fire in her eyes as she wielded the two blades expertly.
"M-Mordred," Artoria gasped, her eyes widening as she noticed what the other blade Mordred held actually was. "What …"
"You fool," Vortigern growled as he blocked a double downward slash from Mordred before pushing her off, the Servant flipping mid-air and landing gracefully with Clarent held out in front of her and Excalibur in a reverse grip. "Is this some sort of joke?"
"A joke," Mordred replied questioningly before adjusting her grip on Excalibur.
"You think that a pathetic bastard like you can wield that blade," Vortigern laughed mockingly, the first true shred of emotion he'd shown the entire battle. "Now I'm convinced that I must hasten to wipe the lot of you out!"
"Don't underestimate me just because Excalibur didn't choose me," Mordred snapped in response, glancing a look at Artoria's shocked face. "As long as Clarent wants me, that's enough proof to say that I'm worthy to stand against you!"
"Is that so," Vortigern replied as the entire area started to shake once again. "Then let us see what the supposedly 'reformed' Mordred Pendragon is ultimately worth then, shall we!?"
"Yeah, let's see," was Mordred's response as Clarent became surrounded in a raging inferno and Excalibur became surrounded in raging winds. "As long as I can use even half the power of Excalibur that my Father can, with Clarent at its full power by my side you stand no chance Vortigern!"
"You'll die by those words, bastard," Vortigern snarled as he leapt high into the air. "Elder Devil's Aura: The Veil Of Storms – Black May Rain!"
Spinning his weapon so fast that most lost sight of it, Vortigern fired thousands of arrow shaped projectiles all targeted directly at Mordred who simply shifted her footing ever so slightly.
"Mordred," Artoria growled as she clutched her stomach. "Stop this, you cannot win against someone like him!"
"Even if I can't," Mordred began as she looked over toward her Father who recoiled in shock at the complete look of calm over the Knight's face. "What kind of ruler would be able to stand before their subjects if they backed down from threats to their domain?"
"Mordred …"
Looking back up at Vortigern's attack, Mordred leapt backward and began deflecting the projectiles as Vortigern fell toward her. Landing with a powerful thud, the Vile King charged right at her, forcing Mordred to divert her attention between the barrage of attacks being sent her way from above and Vortigern himself.
"You were never meant to be a King, you have even less right than Artoria!"
"Yeah well, seems like our entire bloodline inherited that curse now didn't it," Mordred shot back as she parried an attack from Vortigern before delivering a swift stab to his gut with Excalibur.
"Curse you-!"
Yanking the blade free, she leapt away from Vortigern and performed a spin mid-air that fired out several gold and silver aerial slash attacks toward Vortigern's position. The Vile King growled as slammed the staff end of his weapon into the ground as a powerful shield appeared that absorbed the attack.
The shield promptly shattered once the last of the attacks struck it and the shards were fired in Mordred's direction. Having fended off the last of the aerial projectiles, Mordred had no difficulty fending off the remnants of Vortigern's shattered shield.
Landing back on the ground, Mordred vanished and reappeared right in front of Vortigern who stopped bothering to even block and just started trying to slash or punch Mordred with his body simply absorbing the blows and regenerating if any real damage happened to be done.
"Tsk-!"
"Like I said earlier, it is useless to fight against me with Light!"
"Light, Dark … I don't really think that's what the issue is with you," Mordred replied sharply as she kicked Vortigern's knee, leaving him in a staggered and kneeling state. "There's something else about your power, isn't there!?"
Moving to stab him in the head, Vortigern split his weapons and held the head of his staff out in front of the tips of the swords with Mordred now visibly struggling to push any further forward.
"Perhaps there is," was the tame reply as the Vile King rose to his feet. "But that won't matter to you any longer!"
Everything seemed to slow down as she watched Vortigern's blade move backward into a thrust position. Pulling her own blades back, Vortigern retracted his staff and combined it with the end of his blade once again as his power suddenly began to skyrocket.
Using Excalibur, Mordred performed a downward slash attack that knocked Vortigern's blade away as Clarent began to glow with an ominous silvery light.
"This is it," Mordred shouted as she looked behind Vortigern and toward Artoria who's eyes kept moving between Mordred herself and the silvery light emanating from Clarent. "God's Aura: Noble Phantasm Release – CLARENT!"
Performing a thrust attack, Mordred fired her Noble Phantasm right into Vortigern's face, releasing a blast of light similar to what Artoria had done only a quarter of the size and nowhere near as strong.
But the important detail to note was the colouration of Mordred's Noble Phantasm.
As Artoria's Excalibur fired golden beams of light, Mordred's had traditionally always been red in colouration. This was a sign of the corruption of the blade from back when Mordred forced her will upon it, forced it to fight for her rather than be chosen as its bearer.
The silvery light generated from the blade now was a sign that not even Artoria could ignore however. This was a sign that Mordred was indeed worthy of Clarent. Worthy of being called a potential King.
As Artoria's mind processed this fact, her eyes drifted down toward Vortigern's weapon hand which was now moving. She didn't notice that she had even started moving toward the pair, only that she lost feeling in her legs and was now skidding on her knees to a stop mere inches away, her mouth agape.
The silvery light died out with everyone on both sides watching with baited breath to see if Mordred had defeated Vortigern. What they all saw however was something none of them could have predicted.
"MORDRED!"
All eyes shifted toward Natsu who was currently clutching his hand, blood pouring from his Command Seals and a look of complete horror in his eyes.
Eyes quickly shifted back to the Saber Class Servant in question only for everyone to see a sword protruding from the top of Mordred's head.
"Fool," Vortigern muttered as Mordred's hands released both Excalibur and Clarent, the two weapons hitting the ground and landing atop one another in an X shape. "You actually thought you could defeat me?"
Vortigern's blade had been thrust through Mordred's throat with it piercing through the top of her skull. Her body shook several times as tears of blood escaped her almost lifeless eyes. There was a faint gurgling sound as she looked over at Natsu who looked almost completely defeated and with the last of her strength … she spoke.
"I … I'm … s-sorry … my … l-l-lo-!"
Mordred's body exploded into particles of golden light, her Spirit Origin collapsing entirely as she seemingly returned to the Throne Of Heroes. From where her chest had once been, the Greater Grail she'd been entrusted with appeared and fell on top of the flat of Clarent, the rim of the grail striking the edge of the blade and taking a small chip out of it in the process.
"Mordred," Artoria muttered as she felt something stir within her. "Mordred …"
The other Knights Of The Round were frozen in place, barely even registering the still approaching horde of undead summoned by Vortigern earlier that were closing in as they all eyed the former position of Mordred in shock.
"It can't be …"
"Sir Mordred really …"
Many eyes shifted back toward Natsu who, for the first time, looked so utterly defeated and broken that he simply stared off into space with a hollow, blank look. He did not cry; he didn't even flinch as some of the undead stabbed and shot him over and over. He simply stood there, unflinchingly, unblinking, as his mind and heart struggled to process what he'd just witnessed until …
Clarent started to shake in its place on the ground before suddenly shooting off and entering Natsu's outstretched hand. The same blank gaze remained as his lifeless eyes locked onto Vortigern who met it unflinchingly.
"Vortigern …"
The Vile King didn't respond, curious as to what exactly would result from this new development as both sides watched him cautiously. Many knew of his legendary temper and his tendency to go way too far if pushed however this was a place he'd only been pushed once before.
The murder of one he loved.
"You've really gone and done it now, haven't you," he muttered as he looked at his blank expression on the surface of Clarent. "Now you've really really done it …"
"This is not good …"
"Iskandar," Artoria gasped as the King Of Conquerors appeared at her side. "I-I understand that the loss of Mordred is a great blow, but-!"
"Look at him, Artoria," Iskandar said softly with not a hint of his usual, cheerfully boisterous self to be seen. "See how the veins of his neck bulge, how the whites of his eyes become filled with red. Look at his skin Artoria …"
Examining Natsu closely, she could see that Natsu's head was now bopping back and forth in a rocking motion as his entire body seemed to shake. Spit escaped his mouth as he grit his teeth, his eyes becoming manic and unfocused as he seemed to almost enter a seizure like state.
"What is happening to him!?"
"He's trying to hold himself back from doing something stupid."
"What!?"
"Remember that he can wield Anti, Artoria. He was warned not to misuse his power where it could result in disrupting the Balance again, yet he also has his Draconic instincts telling him that Vortigern must suffer for taking Mordred away from him. It was obvious how fond they were of one another; his Draconic side likely considers her 'his' and Vortigern has taken her from him."
Looking back at Natsu, he looked less like a man and more like a ravenous beast as he stood on the spot frothing at the mouth, panting heavily as steam rose from his skin. It was clear that it was taking everything he had from just unleashing everything he could upon Vortigern in that very moment and she couldn't help but respect his strength of will in that moment.
"Vorti-gern," Natsu ground out as his breathing finally started to slow down and the frothing at the mouth seemed to cease. "I-I'm going to … kill you."
Taking a step forward, the entirety of Marineford shook, putting everyone on guard as all the smaller battles going on around them ceased.
"Is that so?"
"You took her from me," he continued in a calmer tone, wiping his mouth before taking a deep breath and sighing.
Taking another step, he vanished and appeared right in front of Vortigern with the two being almost the exact same height. Natsu's Demonic side had emerged once again with his horns once again on display however this time a wiry Demonic tail was present that swished back and forth with a mind of its own.
The two stared one another down before vanishing and clashing, cracking the ground at the centre of their attacks with the battle resuming mere moments afterward.
Artoria took this as her cue to quickly scoop up her own blade as well as the Greater Grail. Looking back to Iskandar, his eyes were glued to Natsu's fight which prompted her to look at it as well.
As a result of this, none of them noticed the spot on the Greater Grail that had been chipped away. Nor did they notice the faint sliver of golden light that sparkled before fizzling out …
Ok … See why I said the latter half of this chapter was important! That being said however the next chapter I don't think will take long to come out. It may not even be 5k words in length however it is meant to be a bridge chapter to what is coming.
For real, hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!