Titania and The Hunter
Chapter 61: Choque de poder
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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The countdown was approaching until Nirvana fired again. And once the Nirvit were disposed of and all the little brats of the light were killed, then they would finally be able to travel the world and do whatever they wanted.
When Klodoa had his chance, he was going to find the most selfish, vile, evil piece of filth human he could find in great condition and use Nirvana to turn him into a saint. And once his target was selfless and kind, Klodoa would ask them to offer their body to him so that he may inhabit a real human. And of course once they agreed and his consciousness entered a flesh and bone body of his own, he would start to have fun.
A splurge of sin and pleasure through a host of men and women who offered their bodies to him freely? Perhaps he could indulge in some of that same destructive tendency Brain repressed into Zero and just wreak havoc? The choices were vast and boundless once he achieved his dream of being human and had the whole world to control in the palm of his hand.
And all he had to do now was wait. He was poised to strike and ambush any dumb, injured fool that walked into the chamber and tried to destroy the Lacrima. If one of them limped in then he'd attack, knock them down, and laugh mockingly as their hope and strength faded into-
Klodoa saw a flash of metal in his field of vision for an instant. And in the next moment a sword pierced through the skull of the sentient staff and destroyed it.
Erza watched the broken pieces of the strange staff rain down by her feet as she tilted her head, "Hm, ugly-looking thing to have in a place like this." She stepped over the pieces of the staff and faced the Lacrima of Nirvana's fifth leg. It was a massive, powerful magical sphere imbedded into the center of the chamber and feeding magical power into the leg.
It looked mighty but Erza knew she could destroy it with a single strike if she had the right weapons. But it wasn't a matter of being able to destroy the vital Lacrima. It was a matter of destroying it at the crucial moment when it mattered most.
The timer Hibiki left in their heads ticked away with every second as the moment drew closer and closer. She was ready for the task on her end, but she couldn't make sure of everyone else while Hibiki's magic was so low. They were all exhausted and most of them were injured gravely from all the fighting. Who knows if anyone in their position would be able to keeping soldiering on if their bodies were as damaged as theirs.
And Zero. Natsu was facing him right now as she stood here. If she hurried, equipping her fastest armor and maneuvering over the city blocks and broken homes between them, she could reach the first leg and help her friend in his battle. The question was that if she did do that, would they finish in time for her to get back here and destroy the Lacrima?
No. She couldn't risk it. Not something this important.
The armored Mage summoned a sword to hand and stabbed it into the ground as she stood with her hands locked over the hilt. She trusted her friends. She trusted her comrades. She believed that they would complete their objectives, so she had to show the same resolve and complete hers.
And once this was done...she was going to take the longest, hottest bath in the whole damn world. And a nap too. Oh, she was looking forward to getting back home.
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"You?" Natsu repeated the words Jellal said to them over and over again as his felt his rage boil, "You want to help me?"
"What is it about today that turns all my prospective allies to failures and traitors?" Zero questioned aloud as he looked down and gently tapped his boot against the ground, "Is Nirvana having some unfortunate side-effect? Are the planets aligned making all of you a royal pain in my ass?"
"Yes, Natsu, you heard me." Jellal nodded, "I want to-"
A pink and gold blur flashed past Zero and punched Jellal across the cheek. The former Wizard Saint tumbled to the floor as Natsu towered over him and yanked him up with a grip around his collar, "What the hell are you thinking?! You think I'd take your help?! After everything you did to Erza and Naruto and your friends?!"
"I know," Jellal said through his bruised, swelling cheek as the Dragon Slayer's intensity started to turn into heat around him, "I know what I did can't be forgiven, but that's not what matters now."
"What do you mean it doesn't matter?! Of course it matters what happened to them!"
"Yes, but forgiveness isn't what's important!" Jellal exclaimed back at the Dragon Slayer, "I'm not trying to help so that you'll forgive me for what I did! That's not what matters! But if I can stop this tragedy from getting any worse than - LOOK OUT!"
Jellal grabbed Natsu's shoulder, pulling him down to the side as Zero's attack pierced through the air. It hit Jellal's shoulder and scored a deep gouge on his skin that the blue-haired man weathered. Jellal dropped down to his side and hissed in pain as Natsu sat up, looking down at his former enemy in surprise as the gouge in his shoulder seeped blood into his clothing.
"I know what it takes now. To find forgiveness and redemption. It's something Erza told me." Jellal whispered with a weak chuckle as Natsu looked down at him, "She said that I need to atone. To suffer. To make right what I made wrong. Hehe, somehow, it sounds almost easy when she says it."
"Erza said that to you?" Natsu questioned, "You...you really don't remember what happened?"
"I don't remember, but I've been told. I know what I've done is terrible and can't be forgiven. But that doesn't mean I can't try to make things better." Jellal held his hand out and summoned a glistening golden flame into his hands, the bright fire reflecting in the Dragon Slayer's eyes, "Natsu, my sins are too great and numerous for me to handle alone. Nirvana is another one that could snowball out of control if we don't stop it. So please...take this power...and help settle some of my evils."
...
Natsu grabbed the flame and crushed it in his hand. The golden illumination started to run over his arm and cover his entire body as it was drawn into his mouth. The Dragon Slayer greedily sucked it up and partook of his meal without hesitation as power started to well up inside him. Golden flames started leaking off his body as patches of skin started to harden and become scales.
"I said I would crush this guy and stop this fucking thing as a Mage of Fairy Tail, and in order to do that we'll do anything. Including accepting burdens and sins to get the job done. So you sit there and rest up, Jellal." Natsu stepped up to the edge and glared down at the smirking Zero, "I'll make sure your sacrifice isn't wasted."
Zero stared up at his foe, magical power rising and overwhelming as the boy achieved Dragon Force before his eyes. The Dark Mage snickered with glee, "Oh wonderful, some resistance to enjoy before the end."
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Gray limped through the hallway and cradled his side, pushing through the pain and exhaustion to make his way to the Lacrima he was tasked with destroying. His coughs were ragged and even felt a little wet, which he was sure could be attributed to the stinging pain from his ribs. That dumb pale-haired bastard really did a number on them and nothing would make Gray happier than to deliver some well deserved retribution on that creepy albino fuck...
But Natsu seemed to have taken the initiative and was going to teach the prick a lesson instead.
Gray came into the chamber and looked up at the giant spotless crystal that would be their target. He closed his eyes and focused on the timer in his mind. The Maker Mage looked over at the wall, wrestled with the idea of leaning back and taking a break until he needed to act, and then realized that if he relaxed even a little bit he might pass out from his injuries.
Instead, the half-naked Fairy Mage stood up tall and glared at the Lacrima as he whispered, "Hurry up and finish that guy off, flamebrain."
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Cobra had consumed the lethal poison of the mythical, extremely powerful basilisk. A single drop of it would be enough to poison any large animal or monster. The amount he drank could probably run through a town like the plague. It had supercharged his injured and beaten body and now he was swelling with power from his Dragon Force.
Which only made it even stranger that the beaten, poisoned blond beneath him was still able to fight back.
"Grrr." Naruto snarled through gritted teeth as he pushed back against the Dark Mage over him and squeezed down on the wrist in his grasp. Even as the poison spreading over his hand infected him more the longer he held it, Naruto just kept increasing the pressure on Cobra's wrist.
"HA!"
Cobra reacted by punching at Naruto's head. The Fairy Mage lurched forward, meeting the scaly knuckles of the Dragon Slayer's fist with his forehead. The impact between them carried out like a loud boom before the two were forced to separate. Cobra jumped back as Naruto flipped away and slid to a stop. The S-Class Fairy glared his foe down as a thin line of blood trickled down from his forehead.
Cobra looked down at his fist before cracking his knuckles, "You changed somehow."
"You're one to talk." Naruto seethed back as he wiped his face. Even as he tried to focus on the fight, he couldn't help but marvel at just how sharp his senses were and how suddenly reinvigorated he felt. The lightest of his injuries were no longer burdening him and he felt like he could keep fighting even though just minutes before he was struggling against the fatigue.
But this wasn't a new feeling. It was rare and still felt strange but Naruto had felt this swell of power a few times before. It was Kurama's chakra. His influence seeping through the bars and seals to invigorate him with a rush of power. He felt it many times when he was an adolescent. It was something he felt rush through him when he fought Jellal for the first time years ago. And in the most extreme case when it took over his body and mind during the conflict with Phantom Lord.
But he was in control now. Now that it was no longer sectioned off and it didn't have a grasp on his body with his arm, could he use this power in the worst-case scenario? He wasn't doing it consciously, so his body was obviously reacting to the extreme exhaustion, pain, and poison now traveling in his system.
It was a boost he had no control over and couldn't guarantee how long it would last. So...he had to make it worthwhile.
"HA!" Naruto launched forward, leaving an imprint of his foot in the stone as he disappeared in a dash. Cobra ducked aside, the whiskered blond sailing over him with a kick ready to take off his head. The blond quickly turned and skidded to a stop as he looked up.
Cobra was rushing towards him with a feral grin on his face and poison wafting off his hands. The two men met in the middle, parrying and blocking every strike the other had to make. Naruto roared with unstoppable anger as his jabs, hooks, and swinging elbows tried to crack Cobra's smile off his face. The burgundy-haired Dark Mage just grinned and swiped for Naruto's face to try and claw his eyes out.
Naruto kicked for Cobra's legs but the Pillar raised his foot and blocked the kick before it could hit. But with that move Naruto took a chance, lurching forward and tackling Cobra to the ground. He circled around the Dark Mage's back and wrapped his arms around his throat, tightening his grip as he tried to choke the Dragon Slayer unconscious.
Cobra gagged and hissed as the pressure on his throat was so tight he couldn't breathe anymore. But before he could start blacking out, Cobra reached up and grabbed the arm coiled around his neck. His talons dug into flesh, rending into the muscle and spreading a terrible discoloration over the skin. Naruto weathered the pain as long as he could but as a steam started to rise up with the dark purple blotches in his arms, he finally relented and pulled his arm back.
Cobra leapt off the ground and away from Naruto before he could recover. The blond hissed and cradled his arm tightly, feeling the gouges into his arm and the poison spreading out from each of them. The Fairy Mage snarled through his teeth with anger and slowly stood up as he glared Cobra down.
The Dark Mage watched Naruto stand back up with a look of confusion and utter bewilderment. His usual Poison should have been enough to start wearing down an opponent after a few hits, the poison spreading through their bodies and partially shutting down their system. In his Dragon Force form, his magic was several times stronger and so were the effects of his poisons. They should have left any normal person writhing in agony as their body shut down.
So how was this blond bastard still moving like normal?
Cobra narrowed his eyes and focused his Sound magic, ignoring the pulsating pain in his ear canals when he did so after the injuries he received earlier. When he did he could hear the sizzle from Naruto's body as something counteracted and fought back against the poison spreading in his bloodstream.
Cobra scoffed, "Oh, that's impressive. So your body has something of a natural counter to poisons while you're like this, huh?"
"It does?"
"You didn't - anyway," Cobra shook his head, "It's rather slow and careful, but your body's enzymes and natural defenses are fighting back against my Poison. It's steady but with enough time you might be able to neutralize everything. Or at least weaken the effects so they aren't life-threatening. So I guess the only choice I've got..."
Cobra rushed forward in a mad sprint and leapt up, sailing straight towards Naruto with his knee raised up to strike. The Fairy raised his guard as the dragon's knee slammed into his arms and sent a rush of air around them from the impact. Naruto hissed in pain as he felt the spot Cobra touch start to burn and ache. He looked up at the Dark Mage who smiled with delight...
"Is to see if your little poison counter has a limit by stress testing it, right?"
Naruto whipped his arms out and forced Cobra back through the air. The Dragon Slayer spun around to face him again and took a deep breath, "Poison Dragon's Roar!"
A massive cloud of poison gas shot out from his mouth and towards Naruto. The whiskered blond jumped back but the cloud was gaining quickly and threatened to envelop him entirely. So he quickly gathered Wind around his hands and started swiping at the air, blowing some of the poison away in its path.
Naruto's head whipped aside violently as Cobra rushed in and punched him across the cheek. The blond grunted in pain before snarling and twisting around to punch at Cobra. The Dark Mage ducked under Naruto's fist and buried his elbow into the Fairy Mage's sternum. As he doubled over, Cobra lurched back up and hit the blond with an uppercut that knocked his head back entirely.
As the blond Fairy fell to the ground, Cobra leapt on him to deal the finishing blow. But Naruto held up his hands and channeled a might burst of wind that knocked Cobra back through the air. The blond lifted himself up and jumped after him. Slamming into the Pillar's chest, Naruto turned them both in the air before they came back down towards the leg of Nirvana. Cobra tried to pry himself free-
As Naruto started to channel a massive vortex of wind at his feet.
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"Come on Lucy, we're almost there. I see the chamber where that thing is supposed to be."
"Y-Yeah," The Celestial Mage murmured as she walked along after Happy, one hand pressed against the wall to keep her steady as she took her time reaching her destination. Lucy slowly walked to the Lacrima, her vision momentarily blurring every few minutes as even the figure of Happy turned into a blue blob in her eyesight.
Happy looked back at her with worry as he noticed her pained, struggling expression in just trying to keep up with him. The blue cat turned back to her, "Lucy, are you okay?"
"I-I'll be fine. " Lucy whispered unconvincingly as she reached her hand out to the wall. It slipped against the smooth rock and she toppled to the ground in a pained heap, "Agh!"
"Lucy!" Happy cried out in fright as he ran back over to his gasping friend writhing in pain, "W-What's wrong?! It's your injuries, isn't it? They're worse than you said!"
"H-Happy!" Lucy exclaimed, trying to stop him from panicking but with the raising of her voice she started to cough in pain. The strenuous act caused her coughs to devolve into soft sobs as she tried to catch her breath. The bruised and beaten blonde Mage looked up at the blue cat with tears pricking her eyes, "C-Can you do any kind of attack? Do you still have any magic left?"
"B-Barely any." Happy whispered, "If I push with everything I got I think I could use up my magic to hit Mach speed, but as far as an attack goes-"
"Can you fly with me when you do it? If we hit it together," Lucy craned her head back to look up at the Lacrima, "Maybe we could break it."
Happy looked horrified, "Lucy, if we try to break it like that when you're in this state, you'd just be hurting yourself so badly you'd risk your life."
"Happy, I don't know what else to do." Lucy confessed in shame as she struggled to lift herself up. She only got up to her knees before she had to pause. The Fairy rookie lowered her head as tears started filling her eyes, "Dammit, l-I said I'd help and I have to! We all promised we'd break these Lacrimas together and I can't fail the others!"
"Lucy-"
"I don't want to be the burden!" She cried, "I don't want to be the reason we fail!"
"Then can I help?"
Lucy and Happy looked up at the voice over them and were greeted with...
Another Lucy. Clean and energetic and smiling and totally uninjured.
"AH! DOPPLEGANGER!" Happy screamed in horror, "Kill her not me!"
"Shut up Happy!" Lucy yelled before looking up at her sudden clone, "Is that...Gemini?"
"Yep!" The new Lucy popped into a cloud and reappeared as two tiny identical spirits the same size as Happy. They landed on the ground and happily waved their little stumpy hands, "If you want we can help you!"
"Huh?" Lucy let out unceremoniously, not understanding at all what she was hearing. She reached into her pocket and pulled out Gemini's golden key before looking at the spirit, "B-But we don't have a contract. And you're Angel's spirit too!"
"Yeah, and we were fighting earlier weren't we?" Happy added in confusion.
"You protected and saved our contract wielder despite you being enemies. And since you helped her, we thought we owed you for the assist." The twins disappeared into a pop of smoke before Lucy reappeared. The new Lucy knelt down and helped the original stand back up on her feet, "So would you like our help?"
Lucy looked at Gemini in shock and disbelief. And then suddenly she stepped in and hugged the Celestial Spirit as tightly as possible. Gemini looked at the side of Lucy's head in surprise before patting her back, "It's okay."
"Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome."
"This is cute." Happy whispered, "It's also kinda weird, but really sweet too."
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Natsu gathered flames into his palms and interlocked his hands together before thrusting out, "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"
Zero weaved his hands together and formed a makeshift barrier of Darkness that took the brunt of the massive fire attack. Flames burst up and spread over the chamber as Zero weathered the attack with a maniacal grin. The Oración Seis master tensed his arms and increased the strength of his magic, canceling the Dragon Slayer's attack and charging through the empty space towards the Fairy Mage. Zero quickly rushed in and punched Natsu across the face.
The older man gagged as the golden Dragon Slayer had buried his fist between Zero's ribs when he was close. The two men glared at each other before landing another set of punches on each other that knocked them back.
Zero slid to a stop, "Zero Slash!"
Natsu leapt over the whip of Darkness magic that carved its way through everything it touched. The Dragon Slayer descended upon the Dark Mage and coated his arms in fire, "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" The massive wave of flames nearly enveloped Zero entirely but the large man quickly leapt up and fired a barrage of magic at point blank range. Natsu screamed in pain as he was overwhelmed by the volley.
Zero laughed with condescending delight as he kept up the assault with glee. But through his barrage Natsu charged in, tanking all the magical blasts that pelted his body as he drew closer and dug his fist into Zero's cheek. The Dark Mage was sent flying as the Dragon Slayer dropped to his knees and tried to catch his breath.
Zero landed on his feet and wiped his chin before scoffing, "I guess even with the enhanced power of the Dragon Force, there's not much you can do about all the pain and damage you've suffered already, is there?" Natsu glared at him as Zero licked his lips and swallowed the blood in his mouth. He squared his shoulders and chuckled, "Any further and you'll probably break before I get to have my chance."
"We'll see who breaks first," Natsu braced himself and charged at Zero, "BASTARD-"
The ceiling above their heads suddenly cracked and fell in over them. They looked up in surprise and jumped before they could be crushed by the debris. From the ceiling Naruto and Cobra came dropping down while wrestling with each other. Cobra twisted in the air and slammed Naruto into the ground when they landed.
Naruto kicked Cobra in the gut and sent the Dark Mage across the room before he could get another attack off. The blond started picking himself up-
"Naruto?"
He looked up, "Natsu?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I was coming up the leg to help with the Lacrima before that asshole cut me off. We started fighting and I sent us crashing through the rock. I guess we ended up here."
"Why is your eye red and your whiskers scratchier than normal?"
"They are?" Naruto touched his face in surprise before looking at the Dragon Slayer, "Did you notice you have scales on your face?"
"I do?" Matching Naruto's surprise, Natsu started touching his face and felt the patches of skin that were coarser and scaly. The two men then looked at each other and shrugged, "Worry about it later?"
"Yeah." Naruto agreed and stood back up by Natsu's side, "How are things on your side?"
"About how you'd expect."
"Cobra," The Poison Dragon Slayer lifted himself up with a baleful glare towards Zero, "You're still running around? I'm surprised to see you here, and I'm also surprised that you resorted to using your basilisk poison-"
"FUCKER!" Cobra swiped at Zero with a palm covered in Poison that forced the older man to dodge. Cobra stumbled for an instant before slamming his boot down and snarling at his former leader, "I heard what you said! Making the workload easier to handle?! A means to an end?! Loose ties you just had to cut off!"
"Well was I wrong?"
"I'm going to take Nirvana from you after I'm done here!" Cobra growled, "You never deserved our help."
"Oh come now, Brain gave you all everything you needed. A home. Food. The magic to make you strong. What's so wrong about that?"
"YOU FUCKING ADMITTED TO USING US LIKE TOOLS!"
"And do you think any of them will believe you?" Zero asked, "Do you think Midnight would believe and side with you over Brain?" Cobra continued to glare with murderous intent but remained silent. The white-haired man scoffed, "See? If you don't believe they'll listen to you, then they must really prefer what Brain had to offer them than you did."
"I swear-"
"You know this wouldn't have happened if you and the others had just worked a little harder. I'll admit these Mages are tougher than expected, but they shouldn't have been toying around and playing with their enemies so much. I mean you were carrying your poison around this whole time and you chose to only use it now. After you were beaten and defeated. If you want to blame anyone...blame yourself."
"You piece of-"
"Ah!" Zero held up his hand and then pointed to the side, "Instead of arguing with me, why don't we handle the immediate problem with these little bugs..." Naruto and Natsu narrowed their eyes, "And then you and I can settle our argument later. How's that for a plan?"
Cobra took sharp, snarling breaths through his teeth as he tried to control his anger. As he was able to reclaim some level of calmness, he looked over to the Fairies instead. He turned and covered his hands in his magic, "First we kill them, and then I kill you."
"I'll be happy to destroy you after."
As Zero and Cobra slowly started to walk forward, Natsu and Naruto looked up at the Lacrima. The timer in their heads noting that they now had less than five minutes to prepare for the coordinated attack. The two men looked at each other before nodding.
They slowly started to walk forward to meet the two Dark Mages.
And then they started to pick up speed.
Before, finally, they were charging at each other...their roars echoing through the room as the four men met head-on to decide the fate of Nirvana.
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"Men! Men! MEEEENNNNNNNNN!" Ichiya flexed as time started counting down, "MEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNN!"
He needed to psyche himself up.
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Jellal watched in stunned silence at the spectacle unfolding before his eyes. He was certain that if he still had his memories and all his experiences with magic, he'd be more accustomed to battles of such high caliber like this. His only comparison right now was the fight he and Erza had with Cobra a few hours earlier. But while that was an intense battle that Erza handled with remarkable composure and focus...
This was chaos incarnate.
Natsu roared, the golden flames around his body igniting as he spewed a massive wave of flames out before him. Zero leapt over the fire attack as Cobra reared back and released a roar of his own, the intense cloud of purple gas spewing out and clashing against the rush of flames. The fire and poison pressed against each other vying for supremacy but with both Dragon Slayers at the apex of strength then neither was pulling ahead.
Zero sneered as he took this moment of pause as his chance to attack. He threw his hand forward and created several Dark Capriccio blasts that spiraled and flew through the air. As they flew over the clash of fire and poison, they curved downwards and aimed to overwhelm Natsu from all sides.
But a blur shot through the air above Natsu and all of the Darkness attacks suddenly swerved off course. Naruto twisted in the air, having knocked aside all of Zero's attacks with punches and kicks in his chakra enhanced form. Once that was done he twisted around, chambering his fists at his side before throwing a barrage of punches that sent out blasts of wind and magic towards his enemies.
Cobra and Zero were surrounded by his assault and even felt the attacks pelt their bodies through the barrage. It was enough to make Cobra lose ground and for his poison roar to falter. And with that opportunity Natsu's flaming roar overwhelmed and swallowed the two Pillars in its blazing fury.
Naruto landed by Natsu's side as he closed his mouth and stopped his torrent of flames. The two Fairies looked at each other before staring at the cloud of smoke their enemies once stood in.
"HA!"
Zero came rushing out of the smoke and punched Natsu hard enough to send him flying. He turned and whipped his fist out to catch Naruto next but the blond raised his guard and took the attack against his arm. Just as he was about to counter, Cobra rushed out as well and swept the whiskered Mage's legs out from under him. As he fell the two Dark Mages buried their fists into his ribs and cratered him into the ground.
"GRH!" Blood rushed into Naruto's throat but instead of screaming he growled. He twisted his body around, forcing them back as he spun like a top on the floor. And when he had enough speed, he pushed off from the ground and slammed his feet into their chins.
"FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN!"
Natsu rushed in from the side, wreathed in flames as he slammed into both Cobra and Zero and sent them flying across the chamber. Naruto jumped back up to his feet and charged after them as Natsu landed and ran alongside him.
"Dark Capriccio!"
Zero launched a dozen spiraling blast of Darkness that flew into the air before dipping down to pierce the stone of the chamber. His spiraling attacks swam underneath the surface of the entire chamber before launching out from all sides. Naruto and Natsu had to jump through the web of vicious attacks Zero weaved between them. They vaulted and flipped and dodged through everything they could to reach their foes-
"GAH!"
"Naruto!" Natsu called out as a spiral slammed into Naruto and pierced him into the ground hard enough to drag him through the rock. The pink-haired Dragon Slayer dropped through the air towards Zero and raised his fist, "Fire Dragon's-"
"Poison Dragon's-"
"-IRON FIST!"
"-TWIN FANGS!"
The two Dragon Slayers met in the air and crossed blows, Cobra's hands cutting across Natsu's chest as his flaming fist shattered his nose. However even with the blows exchanged neither man dared to let up and just pressed on. Punches covered in fire and poison landed against each other with vicious desperation.
As Zero carved and riddled the inner chamber with trenches and ruts, he watched the Dragon Slayers fight. He let out a small chuckle of amusement before focusing all of the Dark Capriccio attacks on them to end them both-
Zero felt killing intent at his side and dodge aside as a blade of wind flew towards him and slashed through his shoulder. The Dark Mage's control of his magic faltered and all the Darkness attacks suddenly disappeared. The Oración Seis master touched the gash that tore through his shoulder before looking up at its origin.
"I beat you down once already," Naruto walked up the slope and glared Zero down as he approached, "Was once not enough for you?"
"Oh was it you that knocked Brain around?" Zero scoffed and laughed wholeheartedly as he ignored the cut in his shoulder that seeped with blood, "Well I suppose a thanks is in order. He's rather squirrely and likes to hide when things get tough, so even if the rest of the Pillars were to fall he would have tried to avoid you lot as best he could. But with you beating him down that was one less problem I had in returning." Zero smiled and raised his glowing hands, "Everything I've done and will do...is thanks to you."
"The only thing you're going to do," Naruto launched forward, slamming his fist against Zero's and releasing a massive shockwave when they met, "Is wish you stayed down when you had the chance!" Naruto roared, baring his sharpened teeth in unbridled anger, "GO DOWN!"
"Hahaha!" Zero cackled with joy as his desire for destruction flared against his foe, "You'll have to do better than that, boy!"
Naruto opened his hand and grabbed Zero's wrist, pulling the larger man off his feet and burying his fist into his gut. Zero doubled over, spitting up saliva and blood from the force of the punch before he smirked. He placed his hand against Naruto's chest and unleashed a powerful blast of Darkness magic that sent the whiskered blond flying back. Naruto landed against the wall...
And glared at his enemy as he stood up upon the wall. His legs tightened and muscles bulged before he dashed, running along the wall of the chamber as quickly as he could. The Fairy's body disappeared into a blinding blur as he ran along the wall at super speed. Zero looked up and tried to follow his movement but failed to even get a look at the speedy blond.
He started weaving his hands around and gathered his Darkness before letting it surge, "Dark-"
Naruto leapt off the wall and flew at Zero like a missile.
"RANDO!"
As Naruto approached Zero like a speeding bullet, the Dark Mage raised his hands and created a massive explosion around him that engulfed them all and destroyed the floor. It crumbled down and dropped all of them into a layer further into Nirvana. Zero laughed, ignoring the pain that was shooting through his body after the exchange of attacks as he landed in the murky, dusty, blood-crusted old halls of Nirvana's interior.
Naruto stood up as well, blood running down his face from underneath his hair and his breathing heavy. He heard a pained gasp behind him and looked back as Natsu picked himself up. The Dragon Slayer was still burning gold but with patches of his skin poisoned by Cobra's attacks.
The two Fairy Mages stood back-to-back as they were flanked by the mad cackling of Zero and the determined glare of Cobra.
Only two minutes remained.
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Wendy took in a deep breath. She sucked in as much air and sky as possible before her lungs were fit to burst as she had to exhale. And then she started all over again, inhaling and refilling her body with magic before she had to stop and start over again.
Her magic had never been pushed this far before. Never, in any of the tasks or missions she had taken with her guild before, had she exhausted and refilled her own magic so much. She had eaten so much sky to refuel that she wouldn't be surprised if she was partially bloated after it was all done.
But this was no time for hesitation or doubt. Any possible desire to wait and worry had to be pushed down in order to focus on her job. Her guild. Her family. Her comrades. Her friends.
They were trusting her to carry her part of the burden...and she wasn't going to disappoint them. Not after everything they'd done.
"Wendy..."
Carla whispered her name softly by her side and the Dragon Slayer wanted to assuage her friend's worries but focused simply on taking in more magic.
Grandeeny...make this attack...strong enough to save them all.
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"Storm Fist!"
Naruto wasted no time, nudging Natsu aside and throwing his fists out in both directions. A projectile of Wind went flying out at both Zero and Cobra to catch them off guard. However the Dragon Slayer took the attack on his arms and Zero dodged aside before they both rushed at the Fairy Mages.
Naruto felt a firm hand push on his back and he bent over to act as a surface. Natsu planted himself on his friend's back, lifted his legs, and spun before aiming them at the approaching foes, "Fire Dragon's Claw!"
Zero and Cobra were engulfed in a rush of flames that covered the entire hallway. As the fire filled everything around them, the Fairy Mages separated and charged at their enemies.
Naruto dashed at Cobra and jumped at him with a flying knee. But Cobra raised his hand and caught his knee, tightening his grip until he started pressing into Naruto's flesh. Naruto pulled his leg back, swiping an elbow at Cobra's temple and slicing a cut along his head when he did.
"You heard him yourself! You're a fucking tool!" Naruto yelled as he threw punches and kicks at Cobra. He pushed, cracking his fists and scraping his knuckles against the hardened scales along the Dragon Slayer's arms but refused to give for even an instant, "He's going to throw you and your comrades away like garbage! How can you still be fighting for this?!"
"Because it's all been for the goal - not the fucker that used us!" Cobra smacked his fist aside and head-butted the whiskered blond in anger, "It's all been for Nirvana!" He followed up with a barrage of poisonous punches that Naruto struggled to defend against, "The chance to control others! The chance to turn the world in our favor! To use the magic we've searched all these years for and make a world that caters to our whim!"
"So what?!" Naruto crossed punches with Cobra and landed a jab in his jaw, "Just make a dream world and damn everything and everyone else?!"
"Fuck yes! Damn everything and everyone else!" Cobra barked, "Until I can make a world for Cubellios, then damn this world! If it hasn't done anything for us after all these years, then we'll bend it to our whims instead!"
Naruto's hands swung in towards Cobra's ears. The burgundy-haired man's eyes widened, his arms raised reflexively and stopping the blond's palms from slamming his ears and rupturing his eardrums again. He stopped the attack on his ears, but Naruto took that chance to knee him in the chin and kick him into the wall hard enough to crack it.
"Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!"
Natsu swiped across Zero's face and left a vicious burn across the pale man's cheek. But he just took it in stride and laughed manically as he punched Natsu back. The Fairy Mage flipped and spat a ball of fire that filled the hallway. Zero just laughed with glee and charged into it, creating a membrane of Darkness in front of him to pass through and out to the other side.
Natsu glared the pale villain down as he proudly stood up and stalked his way forward, "I thought your flames would be a little more intense than this after achieving Dragon Force. I guess Cobra's Dragon Force is a little more effective when the enhanced element is poison, huh?"
Natsu snarled and refused to even answer the man across from him. Even so he couldn't deny that the poison that had infected him was starting to take a serious toll on his body. His fingers and toes were going numb. The corner of his vision was blurring and starting to darken. And it was starting to get harder and harder to take full breaths without the effort making him experience a sharp pain. At this rate-
His eyes widened.
The timer had passed the one minute mark.
59...
58...
"Naruto!" He turned and ran towards the other end of the hall. His friend turned his way, his eyes wide as he realized that their time was running out, "Get up there!" Naruto turned and sprinted at him as they both arrived under the hole for the Lacrima chamber above them. Natsu clasped his hands together and caught Naruto's foot before tossing him straight up through the hole.
"Sonuvabitch!" Cobra swore as he jumped up and grabbed the edge of the hole before lifting himself up.
Natsu groaned and tried to follow after them before he felt a cold, empty chill run up his back. A vile and disgusting miasma started to waft through the hallway and run over his body. He turned around and watched as a writhing, jerking blotch of shadow started to rise around Zero.
Zero grinned as he raised his hands, "Do you think he can really stop it? Do you think I'll let any of you get what you want?"
"I think you don't have a choice in this anymore." Natsu circled his hands together and gathered his golden flames, "And I trust Naruto and my friends to end this. While I...end you."
"Well you're a right about one thing boy," Zero smiled and caused an eruption of Darkness magic around him, "This is definitely the end! Genesis Zero!"
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Naruto jumped from floor to floor as he made his way up to the chamber proper. The moment he landed he spotted the Lacrima as it started to glow brightly. Nirvana's cannon had nearly finished charging and the time to land the decisive blow was coming.
And so was their opportunity to break this whole damn thing.
Naruto started to gather his strength-
"Poison Dragon's Grip Strike!"
Cobra's talons carved into his back and pumped him with poison. Naruto screamed in agony before Cobra twisted and threw him into the wall. Naruto slumped down against it gasping for air before the poisoned dragon claw tightened around his neck again.
"You!" Cobra punched him, "Titania!" Punched again, "Jellal!" He punched Naruto again and again as he roared, "All you damn Mages keep trying to get in our fucking way! Well not any longer! We'll realize our dreams and goals with this!" Cobra's hands chambered to his side as Naruto tried to lift himself up, "Poison Dragon's-"
His magic exploded-
"Venom Shower!"
He started throwing a blindingly fast volley of punches that exploded with Poison magic at every hit. Naruto tried to weather and guard against the barrage but was quickly overwhelmed by the assault. The Fairy Mage was beaten into the wall as a web of cracks formed around his body. Cobra grit his teeth and then roared as he pushed his onslaught forward.
He would finish off Hunter...
And then kill the pink-haired brat and Zero.
And then anyone else who would get in their way.
Then he'd find the others, collect them up, and they can work on using Nirvana however they needed.
Their desires. Their wishes. Everything they wanted to make and turn the world into! It would all be within their grasp!
Cobra threw one more punch-
And Naruto's head slid aside, avoiding the strike and raising his bruised, bloody face up into Cobra's.
"WRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Naruto roared in Cobra's face, the scream reverberating through the room and creating a shockwave that blew away the dust and rock around them. Cobra's eyes widened as the roar shook him through to his bones. He stumbled back and tried to find his equilibrium-
His head shot back as a punch crashed into his chin. And as he flew back, Naruto jumped into him and carried them up to the top of the chamber. As Cobra struggled to find balance and realize what happened to him, through the pain in his ears he heard Naruto growl, "You wanna achieve your dreams and goals?! More power to you!"
Naruto released Cobra and let him fall through the air of the chamber. The Dark Mage looked up in shock as a whirlwind started to form around Naruto's body, rapidly and violently spinning around him as it grew faster. The whiskered blond looked down at Cobra, his brown and red eyes narrowing in on him, "But if you wanna make your dream come true so badly, try to make it happen with your own hands! Don't drag me, my friends, and everyone in the world into it!"
3...
2...
He launched off the ceiling, cratering the spot he once stood as he reeled his fist back-
"AND DON'T THINK FOR A FUCKING SECOND WE WOULDN'T DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO STOP YOU! FAIRY KNIGHT'S GRAND LANCE!"
1...
He buried his fist into Cobra's gut as blood shot out the Dark Mage's mouth. They rocketed down from the air and slammed into the Lacrima, sending a web of cracks through its entire body as they landed.
Before it finally shattered.
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"Ice Make: Cannon!"
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"Blumenblatt!"
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"Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"
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"MEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"
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Grandeeny...everyone...give her strength...
"Sky Dragon's ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
She opened her mouth and released a massive vortex of wind that covered and decimated the Lacrima in front of her. She kept her attacking raging for several more seconds before closing her mouth and ending it. She dropped to her knees and Carla quickly ran up to her side to make sure she was okay.
They both looked up and stared at the empty pedestal the Lacrima once stood upon. They sat there with baited breath as they waited for it to either reform from the damage or...
The ground shook. Cracks started sounding out around them. The entire mechanism started to tilt and sway.
Wendy and Carla smiled and cried with relief.
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"Genesis Zero!"
Zero summoned his attack and sent it flying towards Natsu. The Dragon Slayer ran straight towards the oncoming wave attack of writhing, screaming Darkness. The Fairy roared at the evil wave before it hit a crest and dropped down on him.
Zero smiled with glee and delight as he heard Natsu's agonized screams become drowned out by the crashing of his own magic. Zero reveled in the sight of the young Mage being devoured and destroyed at his hands and promised to follow it up by letting all of his friends meet the same-
Suddenly a glimmer. A spark of something bright and shiny in the sea of death and darkness. Zero stopped laughing and watched in shock as the tiny glimmer steadily grew larger and larger until it was a clear golden spot in his magical attack.
And then it burst!
The golden light spread out over all of his Darkness magic and consumed it in flames. It grew hotter and hotter until the magic was burned away and even the hallway started to melt. And in the center of it all...
A golden dragon.
Staring directly at Zero.
"Crimson Lotus:-"
The illusion faded and Natsu came flying through the golden flames.
"Phoenix Blade!"
The pink-haired man barreled into Zero's chest and doubled the man over in the process. The Oración Seis master's eyes rolled into his head as he was tackled through several dozen walls and pillars along the way. The golden flame expressway charged through the bottom levels of Nirvana without pause as Natsu used his foe like a battering ram along the way. He roared at the top of his lungs before finally running out of steam.
Natsu dropped to the ground and let go of Zero. The pink-haired Mage gasped for air and sweated as he lifted himself up and looked down at Zero, unconscious and beaten from his final attack. He looked behind him and spotted the countless walls he had tunneled through that were either melting or still burning with golden flames.
That was a lot of damage. And he wasn't certain but he felt like he broke through a few support pillars for the structure along the way.
The ground cracked and everything started falling apart.
"Oops."
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He did it. Jellal believed they would succeed but watching it happen was remarkable. The whiskered blond and the beaten Cobra toppled through the broken remains of the Lacrima and hit the ground in lifeless heaps. And before Jellal could stand up to help, everything around them started to fall apart.
The brick and mortar that made up the room started to crack and break apart. As if whatever was holding it together suddenly disappeared and now it realized it shouldn't be standing up anymore.
The hallways suddenly started to collapse and cave in. The room tilted on its axis and dragged everything to the side. And as the leg that kept Nirvana standing suddenly failed, the ground collapsed from underneath them.
Jellal watched as a large crack formed in the floor and carried on under Naruto's motionless form. The blond didn't move or crawl away in time as the floor fell away and opened into the vast, empty space above the Woodsea.
Jellal slid along the tiles and grabbed his arm before he fell. The injured former Wizard Saint gagged and strained against his injuries to keep his grip on Naruto's arm before he could fall to the wilderness below.
As Jellal struggled to keep his grip, the blond finally stirred awake and opened his eyes. His red eye blankly looked ahead and tried to register what had happened. He felt a tightness on his wrist and looked up to find Jellal holding him up.
He closed his eye and opened it again as it returned to its clear blue tone instead.
"Hey," Naruto chuckled weakly up at Jellal, "Thanks for the save."
"Heh," Jellal groaned with a smile, "Anytime."
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"Come on! Run Wendy!"
The young Cait Mage ran along the collapsing roads and streets of Nirvana as it crumbled around them. They had stopped the magical weapon from activating, but they had been so preoccupied with stopping it they hadn't considered how to save themselves when it started to crash.
As Wendy panicked and tried to figure out what to do, she spotted the barely flying heap that was Christina floating over the city. She and Carla started making their way towards it as the flying magic vehicle steadily flew a few dozen meters above the collapsing city as a relief boat for their escape.
("Wendy-chan! Hurry!")
Hibiki's voice called through her head as she kept running over the breaking uneven ground. As she got closer she spotted the forms of her friends and comrades standing by the entrance ramp and calling her over. Lucy and Gray were waving their arms to get her attention as Erza looked ready to jump down and grab her. The young Dragon Slayed picked up the pace-
Only for the ground to collapse underneath her. She suddenly felt weightless for an instant and fear filled her chest-
Before she suddenly landed on a clean, firm, unmoving slab of stone that sprung up from the ground at an angle directly at Christina.
"JURA EXPRESS! MAKE WAY!"
Wendy was suddenly swept off her feet with Carla in hand and carried up the slab of rock. Jura cradled her in one arm as he carried Kichiyo's helmet in the other. Despite his numerous injuries and fatigue, the Wizard Saint charge up the ramp he made and vaulted the last few meters before landing on the ship.
"They're here!"
"We got them!"
Jura placed Wendy down on her feet and she suddenly found herself being hugged by both Lucy and Happy. She squeezed them back before her eyes widened, "What about Natsu-San and Naruto-San? Where are Jellal and-"
("I'm sorry but we can't wait anymore! We have to move!")
The Christina lifted away and escaped before the collapsing Nirvana could drag her in with the wreckage. Wendy and the others watched in silence as the giant, mighty ancient weapon collapsed into rubble and rained down into the Woodsea below. Now that it was rendered totally useless, its destruction was somewhat beautiful and could be watched with joy-
If not for the pit of despair filling their stomachs with the knowledge that they didn't know what happened to their friends.
"They're okay." Erza said reassuringly for all of them to hear, "It's Naruto and Natsu. This wouldn't be enough to take them out."
It was a reassuring thought but as they watched the mobile city collapse...there was a hint of dread they couldn't ignore.
The Christina landed in a clearing not too far from the wreckage of Nirvana. They touched down and gave the skeleton crew keeping the ship afloat a merciful break before unloading themselves. All of the forces from Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Cait Shelter, and Fairy Tail stared at the wreckage of the gargantuan weapon they destroyed. Except for Naruto, Natsu, and-
"Men! Men! Men! Men! Men! Men! MEEEENNNNNN!" A voice cried out over the area and they looked up in time to see a figure jumping and tumbling down Nirvana's wreckage. The shadow made one finally leap and ungracefully landed in the middle of the clearing with everyone else, "Meeennnnn~, did you miss me?"
"Ichiya-San!"
"You're okay!"
"Aniki, we were so worried!"
"It was a little touch and go there for a second." Ichiya picked himself up, still veiny and muscular from the effects of his magic, "I may have gotten lost somewhere along the way, but I'm glad to see I found the rest of you."
"So if you're here, then where are-"
"Do you know what keeps us safe and secure in times of peril? It's not struggle. Not survival. Not self-preservation."
A voice suddenly spoke up from nowhere before a blob formed in the middle of the clearing. It grew higher and higher with the muddy earth before suddenly slipping away and revealing what was underneath.
"It's love!" Hoteye exclaimed as he put down the bodies of Midnight, Zero, Cobra, Natsu, Jellal, and Naruto. As everyone else watched with baited breath, three men picked themselves up.
Jellal, Natsu, and Naruto slowly sat up and looked around at their surroundings in surprise. Naruto groaned, "What happened? The chamber was falling apart and then suddenly-"
"Naruto-San!"
Naruto had to suddenly prop himself up as Wendy ran in and jumped into his chest. The young Dragon Slayer hugged him tightly and cried with joy at seeing her friend again, "We did it! Just like you said! Just like you promised!"
Naruto smiled and gently hugged her back, "Told you Fairy Tail always keeps their promises."
"Thank you." Wendy pulled back and looked around at the smiling faces of everyone, "Thank you so much."
The battle...was over.
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Done
Man, there's only one chapter left to this arc! I wanted to get it out to round this year out properly but dammit! Missed the deadline! URRRAAAAARRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!
Well, good way to start next year off anyway.
See you soon!
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Thank You and Bye