A few hours had passed since Natsumi and the other mages had left for the graveyard, and the little voice in Natsu's head was starting to annoy him.
'Have you noticed how all the female mages we know are really fucking hot?'
'Yes, you fucking horndog, I have…' Natsu grumbled softly as he sat in his room. The Mermaids had decided to hang around a while longer and enjoy Natsu's hospitality some more.
Millianna was drinking whiskey from the bottle as she leaned on the wall beside the window, looking out at the city. Meanwhile, Kagura sat on the bed with her own bottle. She was carefully admiring Natsu's sword after 'requesting' to polish it for him.
"Natsu… *hic* it's so hot in here…" Kagura complained as she fanned herself with the cloth she was using to polish the jet black blade.
Millianna giggled and took a swig of whiskey as she glanced over at her friend. "That's because of all your clothes, Nya~ you should think about wearing less."
"But I already took my boots off!" The swordswoman muttered drunkenly, a healthy blush coloured her cheeks as she hiccupped. "I need to take off more?!"
"Taking the boots off isn't going to cool you down at all!" Millianna started to have a drunken giggle fit as she staggered over to the bed. The woman tripped over her own feet and started to fall towards the sword but she was quickly intercepted by a large, warm hand coming to rest against her exposed stomach.
"You need to be more careful." Natsu murmured softly and he gently moved the catgirl to the top of the bed, resting her back against the headboard. "Kagura, don't you think it's time to put my sword away?"
"No! I must learn its secret!" Kagura argued fiercely as she carefully held the sword to her chest.
Natsu sighed at the sword crazed drunk and sat down on the bed. 'Who knew these girls would be so open… I know they're drunk but usually Kagura's personality barely wavers at this time.'
"Aren't you still hot? I'm pretty sure being near the Fire Dragon King wouldn't do you any favours~." Millianna giggled at her friend. Her giggles turned into full-on laughter when Kagura jumped and accidentally threw the sword point-first into the ceiling.
Natsu sighed again, he could have sworn that he felt a little bit of his soul leave his body as he did. He reached up and grabbed the sword, sending it away to his pocket dimension so no further harm could be done. He turned to the swordswoman and was met with an uncharacteristically pouty face. "What?"
"I was polishing that…"
"You've been polishing it for the last hour, Kagura…"
"Oh! I've got an idea! Nya~!" Millianna cheered as she raised her bottle gleefully. "Why don't you polish his other sword?!"
"Huh?" Kagura turned to her friend with an innocent expression. "What other sword?" She turned to Natsu with the exact same innocent curiosity. "You have another sword?"
"Forget about it, Kagura… She's toying with you."
The swordswoman's expression suddenly turned forceful as she narrowed his eyes at the man. "I demand to see this "other sword" that Millianna is talking about!"
"She's talking about my dick." Natsu said flatly as he shot an angry look over at the perverted catgirl who was rolling around the bed in stitches. "That's what she meant by my "other sword", Kagura."
"Oh." Kagura said calmly. It took a few moments for the man's words to fully sink in but when they did the woman's head exploded in a cloud of steam. "Millianna!"
"Well, since polishing his 'sword' would make you feel even hotter, you should probably shed some of your clothing." Millianna pushed herself up onto all fours, practically falling out of her bikini due to all the rolling around she had been doing.
"Fine!" Kagura grumbled softly as she laid down and reached under her skirt, she grabbed her tights and slid them down her legs, revealing the pale skin underneath. Her blush grew deeper as the radiant heat emitted from Natsu caused goosebumps to surface on her legs.
'Oh damn, looks like we may be getting some action tonight!'
'Shut it, END.'
Kagura was halfway through unbuttoning her blazer when the door burst open, the trio of mages freezing in their tracks as they robotically turned to the door. Cana stood at the door, her look of panic rapidly turning into a large grin.
"Oh my… What are you three up to?"
"Cana, firstly, this is definitely not what you think it is, no matter how much Millianna wants it to be that way." Natsu said as he rose up from the bed. "Secondly, from how you barged into my room without knocking, I am guessing something has happened?"
"I think you should hear it for yourself." Cana muttered as she glanced over her shoulder. "Everyone is downstairs."
"Alright, I'm coming." Natsu started to walk towards the door but turned around after a few steps. "You girls should probably head back to your Inn, I'm sure your guildmates are worried about your whereabouts."
"Good idea…" Kagura said with a nod as she tried to crawl off the bed, only to fall flat on her face onto the floor. "On second thought… Maybe we've had too much to drink, we should stay here."
"Alright, I'll send a message to Shianne so she knows that you two are safe, and that you two are with Fairy Tail. Probably just say that you were catching up with Erza." Natsu smiled as fire burst from his shoulder and took the form of a small dragon. The man walked to the window and opened it, allowing the dragon to fly out into the night. "Alright, let's go see what is going on, Cana."
The brunette lush led the man back down the stairs and into the bar and lounge section of the Inn where they saw an angry Natsumi tied to a chair. Natsu glanced around and noticed they were missing one person. "Lucy didn't make it back?"
"No, she was arrested by the Castle Guards." Erza said calmly as she ate a strawberry cheesecake at the bar. "They took her, Yukino, and that Knight Captain."
"That wasn't a Knight Captain." Natsu said as he took a seat next to Erza. "It's Arcadios, the leader of Princess Hisui's personal guard."
"We need to rescue her!" Natsumi shouted angrily as she struggled against her bindings. "She's in danger!"
"No, it's too dangerous for the guild, if we launched an assault against the Crown's Army then we could kiss goodbye to the guild, we'd all be branded as traitors to the nation." Makarov calmly replied from his spot on the bar. "All we can do is hope we can solve the issue peacefully."
"I have an idea." Mavis said cheerfully as she appeared next to Natsu. "Natsu, I'm right in saying that tomorrow's game can make or break our current standings?"
"Yes. While we are currently ahead by a healthy margin, we still stand to lose with how the points are given tomorrow." Natsu sighed softly and placed his hands behind his head. "Tomorrow is the Grand Magic Game, a battle royal style match between all guilds. This is no Last Team Standing deal, it's whichever team has the most amount of points total by the end of the match wins. In other words, we can fail tomorrow without a sound strategy."
"Then we'll split our forces up." Mavis announced as she threw her arms up. "Team A will fight in the Game tomorrow, while Team B will infiltrate the Castle and find where they are keeping Lucy."
Natsu glanced over at Natsumi and noticed that she had calmed down a lot faster than he had but he guessed that she was still boiling away on the inside. He looked over his shoulder at the small blonde apparition. "Who should we send where?"
"I definitely believe we should send Natsumi, Mira, Happy, Wendy, Lily, and Carla in the rescue party. For Team A we should have Gajeel, Laxus, Erza, Juvia… and this is where I'm stuck…" Mavis replied as she scooted closer to Natsu. "I want to send you into the match as your power will throw the balance well into our favour, but you'd also be a valuable asset to Team B."
"I'll tell you what, Mavis." Natsu chuckled softly as he gazed around the room at his guildmates. "I was a little annoyed that I wasn't able to participate in this fight when I did it, but with your guidance, you won't need me to win."
"Do you believe that you'd be able to sneak inside with Mira and the others?"
"Easily. I may not be able to disguise myself as good as Mira can, but I can take out any guards that become suspicious of them with ease."
"How so?" Erza asked curiously as she gazed at the man.
"Like this." Natsu smiled at the redhead before turning to Natsumi. "Sorry, Spitfire, but take a five-minute nap."
It was instant lights out for the woman as she slumped down in her chair, soft snores escaping her lips. Natsu smirked as he turned back to Erza. "Satisfied?"
"Wait, it was that easy to get her to be quiet?" Gray asked loudly as picked his jaw up off the floor.
"It only works for me, and Seilah too, so don't get used to it Frosty." Natsu chuckled as he stood up from his chair. "Well, I don't mind helping out the rescue team. I have been noticing something odd over the last few nights."
"What do you mean, Natsu?" Makarov asked as he nursed his tankard. "Does this have anything to do with you pulling an all-nighter?"
"Yes. I was out looking for one of the two people who came through the Eclipse Gate from your future." Natsu informed the guild as he walked around to behind the bar and grabbed a bottle down from the top shelf. "Lucy to be exact, she comes back from the future to warn you all about the dragon attack that I mentioned on our train to Crocus."
"Come on, this whole city is crawling with Dragon Slayers. Gihi, what are a few dragons going to do?" Gajeel laughed as he grinned at the man cockily. "We'll just rip them to shreds."
"I suggest you shut your fucking mouth, fuckwit." Natsu growled as his eyes flashed a deadly red at the man. "You have no idea what even one dragon is capable, let alone over half a dozen. People will fucking die." He glanced at the sleeping woman with a snarl. "Wake up, Spitfire, you need to hear this too."
"Huh…?" Natsumi murmured as her head slowly raised back up, it took a moment to sink in that Natsu had put her to sleep but when it did she was boiling with rage once again. "You bastard!"
"Shut up and listen, Natsumi!" Natsu shouted, instantly quieting her as he never shouts at her, so she knew that this was important. "As I said just before, I haven't found the Future Lucy, not one single trace of her over this week. This is bad, it means that if that bastard pulling the strings gets his way, hell will fall on Crocus."
"And this hell is in the form of numerous dragons?" Makarov muttered quietly, trying to wrap his head around the new information.
"I'm afraid so. And I can't give you a solid number of just how many will turn up. Constants and Variables. The Gate will open, I'm sure of that, but the amount of dragons that will come out… Well, I have no fucking idea."
"And there is no way of stopping this?" The old man asked, his gaze travelling around the shocked and scared faces of his children. "This catastrophe has to happen?"
"I'm sorry." Natsu sighed softly as he calmed himself down. "The only option we have is to openly go against the crown, which is suicide. There is no other option. This is one of the Constants."
"I've heard you mutter that phrase a lot recently, Natsu." Erza said calmly as she placed her empty plate on the bar. "Hmm, 7 out of 10…"
"It's more to keep myself sharp, ready for everything, and so nothing surprises me." Natsu replied as he cracked open the bottle and took a swig from it. "Peach rum? Odd. Anyway. A constant is something that will always happen, for example, the fight between Sting and Rogue vs Natsu and Gajeel. A variable is their sex, male or female, or in the case of today, it was through my own actions. I had angered Minerva so she took the chance to have Sting lay down a challenge, drawing her and myself into the fight."
"I see." Erza nodded her head in understanding as she smiled at the man.
"Since Natsu will be moving with the rescue team, we need to work out who to put in the fifth place of the battle team." Mavis said cheerfully as she gazed around the room, a thoughtful expression meeting the eager looks of the guild members.
"I recommend Gray, pit him against the peacock, Rufus." Natsu said as he started heading for the stairs with a few more bottles of rum. "It'll be a tough fight, man. But I believe in you."
"Well… If he has your blessing, Natsu, then I guess we'll put him in. He'll be at a disadvantage though." Mavis blinked quickly as she watched the man start to disappear up the stairs.
"I know. Gray, just remember everything that makes you what you are, your experiences. You'll know what I mean tomorrow." Natsu called out as he headed back to his room, leaving the others to plan the day. He pushed open the door to his room and stepped inside. Millianna was sat on the bed but Kagura was nowhere to be found. "Hey, Milli. Where is Kagura?"
"In the bathroom." Millianna pointed to the adjoining room as she looked up at the man, she perked up when she saw the bottles of alcohol in his hands. "NYA~! More booze!"
"Hey Kagura?! You done in there?!" Natsu called out as he sat down on the bed and tossed an unopened bottle over to Millianna. "I've got more drinks!"
"Be right there!"
"She's come out of her shell fairly quickly." Millianna smiled at the pinkette as she cracked open the bottle and took a large gulp of rum. "Ooh nya~ peach rum~!"
"Yeah, I think we drank all the Fire Whiskey, and Cana probably drank the rest of the whiskey." Natsu chuckled softly as the door to the bathroom opened and Kagura walked out, she had ditched her blazer completely and was walking around in just her skirt and white lace panties and bra. Natsu held out another unopened bottle for the woman. "Here you go. Cooled off enough?"
"Thank you." Kagura crawled onto the bed and took the offered bottle. "Yeah, I feel better now." The drunken woman wormed her way out of her skirt, she threw it aside onto her blazer and opened her bottle.
'Damn, we're one lucky bastard.'
"Natsu, what's the deal with you and Minerva, you seem to hate each other?" Millianna asked curiously as she crawled over to the man. She sat on his lap and held her bottle in her mouth as she grabbed the man's shirt and pulled it up off him. "Nya~ that's better~."
"I just hate the way their guild is right now, so full of themselves. And Minerva is the embodiment of that. And she hates me because she underestimated me and ended up tied up in bondage and dropped in the middle of their guild's Inn." Natsu chuckled as he sipped his rum. "I completely ruined her ego, so she challenged me today to try and get back at me."
Kagura giggled quietly to herself as she crawled over to the man and pressed up against his back, a healthy drunken blush colouring her cheeks. "And then you decided to play with your food a little bit more before destroying her ego once again?"
"That about sums it up." Natsu laughed as he picked up on a faint creak coming from the door, he focused on it and noticed that it wasn't fully closed and that he could see various sets of eyes peering in through the crack. "Though I'm sure she'll be extra pissed off tomorrow."
"Will you be in the fight tomorrow, Natsu?" Millianna asked curiously as she started to trace the scars on his body with her fingertips, her eyes following her fingers as she licked her lips.
"No, I've got business that I need to take care of. It's too important to let pass."
"Nya~ that's a pity, I was looking forward to fighting you~."
"Gods Damn It, Natsu!" Erza shouted as she kicked down the door and waved her fist at the pinkette while also revealing Cana, Mira, Lisanna, Natsumi, Levy, and Juvia. "What are you doing?!"
The trio of mages just blankly stared at the red-faced redhead. Millianna turned around on Natsu's lap and faced the door. "We're just having some fun, getting to know each other~, Erzi Nya~ relax~."
"Why are you two in your underwear and why is Natsu shirtless?" Lisanna asked quietly, but her mind was loudly going through various smutty possibilities.
"Millianna always goes around in that…" Natsu replied as he gestured to the woman's revealing attire before pointing over his shoulder at the swordswoman. "And Kagura was feeling hot so she took Millianna's advice and took some clothes off."
"So wait…" Erza faltered as she lowered her fist slightly. "You didn't coerce them into this?"
"I mean, we've been drinking for a while now but I had no intention of having sex… Or stringing them along. They just did this of their own accord." Natsu shook his head at the woman as he sighed softly. "I may have brought some drinks up here, but it was for business, not pleasure."
"But it was my pleasure conducting this business with you~." Purred Millianna as she reached back and scratched under Natsu's chin, a playful grin on her face.
"Mine too." Kagura mumbled bashfully now that they had an audience, she draped her arms around the man's shoulders and looked towards Erza, her mind reflecting on what Natsu had told her.
"Damn, Natsu… Womanising even though we are currently in crisis…" Natsumi muttered in faux anger, her playful eyes betraying her bared fangs. "Have you no sense of control?"
"Hey, hey, hey… Enough of that." Natsu chuckled as he pointed to his counterpart. "I know full well that you are trying not to jump onto this bed and do your best to kick off an orgy."
"I plan on doing no such thing." The Princess gave him an innocent look as she wiggled on the spot. "How could you accuse me of such a thing~."
"Because I know what you're like, but then again, Seilah is even worse than you in that regard."
"Yeah, well, she has no shame." Natsumi flicked her hair to the side and looked out the window. "But in all seriousness, Natsu… We need to focus on tomorrow."
Natsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath to refocus himself, she was right… he had to focus, they didn't have the option of the Future Lucy to convince Arcadios and the Royal Family that what they were doing would bring about Fiore's end. "You're right, Natsumi. I need time to think of a plan." Natsu moved Millianna off him and removed Kagura's arms from around him as he rose up off the bed. "You two should take the room next to mine, it's currently empty as my companions had to look into a separate matter for me. And you can take the rum with you, I won't be having another drop tonight."
The temperature in the room started to climb as a heat mirage danced along Natsu's body, he was burning off all the alcohol he had consumed so he could think clearly and not make any miscalculations. The girls, with the exception of Natsumi, all started to fan themselves in an effort to cool off. The heat vanished after a few moments leaving the room noticeably colder, giving the women the chills.
"Alright, Kagura." Millianna said as she got to her unsteady feet beside the bed and helped her intoxicated friend up then collected up the swordswoman's clothing. "Let's give Natsu some peace and quiet."
"Yeah, good luck with your business, Natsu. It's unfortunate that we'll be unable to cross swords tomorrow." Kagura pulled herself together enough to sound somewhat like her usual self, though she couldn't stop the alcohol from slurring her words together. She took up Archenemy once more and turned to the demonic swordsman, bowing low. "And thank you for your information, I'll endeavour to remember it."
Natsu lowered his head politely as a small smile spread across his now serious face. "I wish you luck in tomorrow's battle, you'll need it. Be sure to come and see Wendy or I before you leave should you have even the smallest hangover."
"Since when did you become so formal." Natsumi hid her giggle behind her hand, which she promptly clenched into a fist and slammed into Natsu's arm. "So unlike you."
Natsu wordlessly turned away from the women and walked to the window. He gazed out at the city as his unholy rage churned within his core. Memories of the burning city flowing freely through his mind. His demonic markings activated as his rage started to seep to the surface.
"We should go." Erza calmly ordered the group of mages as she turned her back to the man. "Leave Natsu to his devices."
The Mermaids' eyes were wide open at the man before them, he was on the other end of the scale to the one they were just talking to. Gone was the cheerful man, what remained was something scary. Just who the hell was Natsu?
As the door closed behind the group of women, Natsu glanced over his shoulder at the door. He waited a couple of minutes while he kept his senses focused on it, making sure no one was eavesdropping on the other side of it. With a flash of light, Natsu requiped his P-IVD. "I should come up with a better name for you… since I don't exactly use you for viewing… just for transportation."
As he looked at the small sleek silver device, he felt his rage fade away and give way for a deep longing for his family, for his home, and the people he loved so dearly. He let out a sad sigh, it had been months since he had been home… It wasn't the longest he had been gone for but somehow the pain of it felt much worse. "I guess I'll call it the PIT, Personal Interdimensional Transporter…" He walked to his bed and sat down on it, placing his face into his free hand as guilt overwhelmed him. He had been neglecting his family, parading around as some fake. He didn't belong in this world, he belonged in his own, but he had a duty he had to uphold… for Natsumi, and he needed to see it through to the end.
"Temporary Override: Activate Vocal Commands. Authorisation: Natsu Dragneel." Natsu spoke clearly but quietly as he watched the holographic screen come to life. "Command: Call: Universe 129-G. Location: Bar, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Magnolia, Fiore."
A holographic call window appeared in front of the man, a broken circle spinning inside it as it connected the call. After a few moments of silence the window opened and revealed the guild's bar, as well as the head barmaid and model, Mirajane Strauss, she gasped as she laid eyes on the man she loved. "…Natsu?"
"Hey Beautiful." Natsu's soft voice was slightly strained as he raised his head to look at the woman, a tear leaked from one of his eyes. "I've missed you…"
"Natsu!" Tears leaked from the woman's eyes as she held her hands over her heart. "Oh kami… you look awful…"
"Heh, I know Mira." Natsu took his hand away from his face as his red eyes took in Mira's features. "I'm not sure if you all have been keeping up, but tomorrow is day five."
"Ah… then Lucy?" Mira rubbed her left arm softly as she took the chat window with her to a table.
"Captured, but I'm worried." The man gazed out the window as phantasmal flames danced on the rooftops. "This world is destined for disaster, and I fear that I may not be able to stop it in time. And what is worse, I believe that even if I try then I'll invite even more destruction."
"Acnologia…"
Natsu smiled softly as he dropped his gaze to his feet, he could tell that Mira was worried for him. "Yeah… I'm afraid that bastard would turn up, in fact… I'm surprised he hasn't already, not after today."
"Natsu? What happened…?" Mira asked quietly, she gazed around at the near-empty guild, it was early morning so many people hadn't arrived yet or they were out on a mission.
"I got carried away." Natsu chuckled quietly, he hadn't used that excuse in a long while. "During the Tag Battle, Sabertooth issued a challenge. I kinda pissed off Minerva before today when I went to retrieve Natsumi from their lodgings, and well… She had Sting challenge Fairy Tail to a three on three battle, on the condition that I was the third."
"Ok, I think I see where this is going…" The model giggled softly with a smile. "You went overboard again."
"Well, at least I didn't melt the place this time." Natsu laughed and shook his head before refocusing on the woman in front of him. "I expected a bunch of noise, where is everyone?"
"Probably still on their way here, though there are groups currently out on jobs. Shadow Gear, as well as your team, Laxus and his group, as well as my brother and sister." Mira tucked a strand of her white hair behind her head as she glanced around the quiet building. "What else is eating away at you?"
The man sighed as he pushed himself back to the centre of the bed and laid down, resting his head down on the pillow as he gazed at the beautiful white-haired woman. "I've been keeping an eye on things here, and I've found no trace of the Future Lucy, so I'm not sure how to stop them using Eclipse without using Macro."
"Macro would cause problems…" Muttered Mira as she placed her index finger on her chin in thought. "You be forcing them against their will."
Natsu nodded slowly as he slipped his arms behind his head. "Correct, so that option is off the cards, and so is bringing in Lucy."
"Because she is out on a job?"
"That and she looks much more mature than the one from here. I don't think we could pass her off as from the future." Natsu muttered as he ran a hand over his face. "Granted, Future Rogue is much older than the one from here as far as I'm aware. But we still have the issue of her being unavailable."
Mira sighed softly as she slumped back in her chair. She held her hand over her heart as she ran through options that could help the man. "Your sword, from your messages and what I've heard from those you called into train Natsumi's people, it can cut through anything, right…?"
"Yes and no." Natsu informed the model as he summoned his sword into an outstretched hand. "Yes it will respond to my will, activating its latent power. But I'm unsure of the nature of this power… if it's power like a spell then I run the risk of Eclipse consuming the power and preventing the sword from passing through it, we have to remember that this device was built by Zeref so I doubt anything less than sheer force will destroy it."
"Why do you say that?" Mira asked curiously as he head tilted to the side. "I mean, last time you crashed a dragon into it which did the job. Do you plan on doing the same thing this time?"
"Not personally, I plan on killing as many dragons as I can, I'll let Natsumi handle crashing the dragon."
"I'm seeing one problem with this. Future Lucy's death was the catalyst that caused you to become enraged and vow to protect Lucy's future. Natsumi won't have this kind of catalyst."
"Come on, Mira." Natsu chuckled as he placed the sword down next to him. "You know how I am, fiercely protective of those I care about. I turned into what I am now for that very reason. Natsumi is the same, she'd go through hell itself to protect them."
"But she doesn't have the kind of rage that you have, not in her current state."
Natsu's red eyes narrowed slightly as a smirk danced across his lips. "I thought there was no greater wrath than that of a woman?"
"The phrase is 'A woman scorned' but I suppose your point is still valid." Mira hid her smirk behind her hand as she giggled lightly. "Maybe her rage exceeds that of your own."
"I'll just have to piss her off. That shouldn't be that hard, considering back then I used to be very hot-headed."
"Natsu, just for your own sake. Are you sure that no one is listening in?"
The man concentrated in silence for a few moments, focusing his senses on the building. "No sign of magical tampering or anyone outside my door, and the rooms next to mine have their occupants in the beds or bathrooms."
"Alright, I wanted to be sure just in case someone other than the guild was listening in." Mira smiled brightly and looked behind her as people started to filter in. "Do you have a plan for tomorrow?"
"Same line up as ours. But I've been pulling some strings behind the scenes to hopefully make things a little easier. As for the rescue team, I'll be with them."
"Ara Ara, Natsu. Since when did you become so devious?" Mira giggled playfully as her eyes lit up with mirth. "Mr Marionettist."
"Shush you, before I come over there and play you like a fiddle." Natsu laughed softly. He was glad that he had called home, he had really needed this.
"Oh, do tell me more~." Mira hid her giggles behind her hand as she glanced around the hall. "How will you deal with the rescue?"
"I don't think it would be a good idea to just cut a rift into there and out of there. Those executioners would stop at nothing to put us down, meaning they'd pursue us if we don't deal with them and I don't want to be fighting on two fronts."
"And eliminating them completely would do more harm than good." Mira said as she nodded her head, understanding the situation. She sighed softly and glanced around and smiled at someone off-screen. "Good Morning, Master."
"Good Morning, my dear. Is that Natsu?" Makarov asked curiously as he jumped up onto the table. "My boy, how are you?!"
Natsu smiled as the window was pushed back by Mira and revealed the old man. "Good evening, Makarov. I've been better, I currently seem to be up shit creek with only one paddle."
"Hmm, how bad is bad?"
"We are before the 'Future Lucy cycle', but the Rogue from the future is lurking around." Natsu sat up slowly and repositioned the window in front of him. "Meaning that we are on a course for calamity, though I am hoping that my influence has caused this universe's direction to shift away from disaster."
"Are you prepared to shoulder the burden if the worst case occurs?" Makarov watched the man carefully. "Should you need aid, I am willing to recall your team from their mission."
"That won't be necessary, Master." The man replied as his red eyes narrowed. "I do not wish to put them in danger. I'm ready to unleash every last drop of power I wield to prevent those dragons from destroying this world."
There was a pregnant silence at the gravity of the man's statement. Both parties in complete understanding. If Carla's hellish vision came to pass, then the raw negative energies produced would have untold effects on Natsu's demonic nature.
"Best of luck, Natsu." Makarov's voice was calm, but both Mira and Natsu knew of the worry in the old man's heart. "Survive, and protect all that you possibly can."
"Have a good day, Mira, Master." Natsu reached forward and closed the call window. "Command: Reset Overrides." The man placed his hand onto the PIT and sent it back to his requip space.
"So, what's the plan?" Asked Mira, dressed in her usual black dress. She placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder over the back of the chair, causing the man to glance up at her.
"Sorry, Mira. Spaced out for a moment." Natsu replied as he rose up and walked around the chair to her. "We've got two options. Move as a group, or I can split off and intercept anyone who may interfere?"
"We'll need to do something to prevent drawing attention to us while we move through the city." Mira tapped her chin in thought. "Should we disguise ourselves or focus on speed?"
"We need to move quickly on the streets then we'll need you to disguise yourself as a guard once we reach Mercurius. The problem is that the bridge to the Castle is the only way to reach it, and would be heavily guarded." Said Natsu quietly as the pair of Mermaids entered the Inn's lounge. "Oh, hey there. How are you two feeling?"
Millianna and Kagura looked pretty healthy. Natsu guessed that they must have fallen right asleep the second they hit the beds. The two women walked over to Natsu and Mira as Millianna let out a yawn. "Kagura, we should head back to our in right away. No doubt they will be expecting us."
"I sent word to Shianne. You should be fine." Natsu reminded the two Mermaids with a kind smile. "That flaming dragon I sent would have told them. But it would be a good idea to head off right now. You might miss the strategy meeting."
The Inn was filled with polite chatter, unlike moments before the arrival of Kagura and Millianna when it had been abuzz with talk about their line-up and the rescue team. The swordswoman's keen eyes noticed a glint of steel glimmering from behind Natsu's back, hidden under his crimson coat. "Are you leaving soon, Natsu?"
"Yes. Have a good match." The man replied as Erza approached the group, dressed in her pink kimono. "Erza, is the team ready to go?"
"Yes." The Knight looked serious as she gave the man a nod, she glanced at the Mermaids next to her and smiled kindly. "Good morning, you two."
"Good Morning, Erzi!" Millianna cheered happily at her older sister figure. "You look beautiful in that!"
"She looks beautiful in almost everything, Millianna…" Natsu interjected as he leant back against the chair.
"Almost?" Erza looked at the man with a slightly annoyed look on her face. "What do you mean, almost?"
"Butt Jiggle Gang." The man replied as he rolled his eyes.
"Understandable… but I think that accentuated my figure nicely." Erza muttered as Mira giggled at Natsu's instant reply. She had heard rumours of the gang and their clothes. "We'd better get going."
"Same here." Kagura agreed as she glanced at her guildmate. "Let's go Millianna."
Natsu watched the two women leave then Inn before he turned to the model next to him. "Gather our group. We're heading out right now."
"No need. We're already here." Natsumi announced as she and Wendy approached the trio with the Exceeds in tow. "Let's go?"
"Good luck." Erza said as her team lined up around her.
"Don't worry." Natsumi flashed a grin at her friends as she gave them the peace sign with both her hands. "We'll get Lucy back, no problem!"
The rescue group made their way to the exit and glanced up at the Castle from the front of the in. Natsu turned to his team with a serious expression. "Remember, no magic during the infiltration. We don't want to risk being sensed."
"What about when we sneak in?" Mira asked curiously. "Wouldn't it be easiest if I transform into a guard?"
"Normally I'd say go for it." Natsu waved for them to follow as he started to run through the city. "But I gave it some thought while I was falling asleep last night. I'm willing to bet that they are on the watch for members of Fairy Tail near Mercurius, and have been told to use as much force as needed to detain them."
"And since we have strong members here and someone who can further enhance our powers…" Mira muttered in realisation, as she glanced at the women beside her.
"They'd most likely try and fight us with more than one guard, especially me." Natsu replied. He let out a sigh as fire burst from his back and formed into his wings. "Happy, Carla, Lily, grab the girls, we'll be flying fast and low, make sure to stick close to the ground."
The rescue team took flight and sped off through the streets of Crocus with Natsu in the lead. Natsu had his wings fully extended and hiding the girls from sight below them just in case a camera catches them.
By the time the rescue team reached the vast moat around Castle Mercurius, the sounds of fighting echoed around the city, the final day had begun. The team flew low, almost skimming along the water as they kept below the bridge.
"I'm going pop up at the end of the bridge, if there is trouble then I'll deal with them. Wait for my whistle." Natsu ordered as he flew faster, moving ahead of the rest of the team. He reached the stone wall at the end of the bridge and immediately shot up, arcing over the bridge.
Natsumi and the rest of the team came to a stop by the wall. They shared a glance as they waited in silence, listening for sounds of fighting. A few moments later they heard a short, sharp whistle breaking through the thick tension. "Up we go, I guess."
Mira floated up first, Lily placing her down on the bridge as Natsu stood among sleeping guards. Natsumi and Wendy touched down next to her and they regrouped with the King of Fire. Natsumi went to nudge one of the guards with her foot as her curiosity got the better of her but she was stopped by Natsu. "Don't. You'll wake them."
"Alright, let's go rescue Lucy." Natsumi quietly said as she slipped through the large set of doors, entering a vast courtyard. "Natsu, do you remember the path to the dungeons?"
"Yes, follow me." Natsu ran off to the right. He kept his eyes and ears peeled for guards as he navigated the castle grounds with ease.
"Is there anything we need to be cautious of?" Mira asked as she drew level with the swordsman. "Traps for instance?"
"The only one I know of is a pitfall trap in the dungeons, it leads to the caverns below the prison where they send people for execution." The man held out his arm to stop the woman as he slowed to a stop at a corner. He could hear movement coming towards them.
"Search The Area! We Have Unknown Intruders. The Guards At The Gate Were Found Unconscious!"
"I'm guessing that is a guard captain." Natsu murmured quietly to the group as he peeked around the corner. "I see about thirty of them. We could easily take them but that'd give away our position."
"Not to mention who we are." Natsumi agreed as she pressed herself firmly against the wall and gently pushed the younger dragon slayer behind her protectively. "Can't you put them all to sleep?"
"Yes, that amount of people would be child's play for me." Natsu crouched down as his eyes turned red. "But I'm going to have the captain send them away instead, to the eastern side."
"We're Going To The Courtyard And Then Proceed East In Small Groups. That Way We'll Cover More Ground."
"Yes Sir!"
"Wait for them to pass." Natsu muttered as he waved everyone down, silently telling them to make themselves as small as possible. "Mira, change into something easier to move in." A tiny flare of magic behind the man informed him of Mira's compliance. He glanced back and noticed the tight black bodysuit he remembered from years ago.
"Alright. I'm ready." Mira whispered into his ear as she peeked around him at the guards. Out of the corner of her eye she saw jet black streaks shoot out from the roots of Natsu's hair as the pink locks turned black. His skin also lightened considerably as his sword vanished from his back. Mira couldn't hold back her curiosity as she lifted the sleeve of his coat, he had also removed his markings too. "Hiding who you are?"
"Necessary evil." Natsu glanced at her then focused on the passing guards once again. "Problem is, I look like my older brother now, but since he is a she here I don't think it'll be an issue."
"Wait, you two have older siblings?" Mira glanced between the dragon slayers as her eyes widened. "Who? Are they still alive?"
"Shh Mira." Natsu immediately put a hand on her mouth and forced her back as a pair of guards passed right by where were hiding. He closed his eyes and focused, waiting for the opportunity to move before letting the woman free. "Come." He darted around the corner and ran the opposite direction of the guards.
Wendy sniffed the air as the wind shifted, she picked up the pace to reach Natsu and pointed down a pathway to their right. "I smell Lucy's scent blowing up from that grate over there. Are we near the dungeons?"
"Mhm. Yes, we are." Natsu rounded the next corner and spotted a pair of guards in front of the doorway that led to the dungeons. "Sleep." The guards fell to the ground as the rescue team surged past them, sprinting down the spiralling flight of stairs. "Be on your guard. I don't know the trap's mechanism so I can't stop it."
"What if you fuse the trap so it can't split open?" Natsumi suggested as their footsteps echoed up and down the stone stairs. "Wouldn't that stop it?"
"That runs the risk of causing the whole thing to break apart under the force and weight of it all, plus I doubt I have enough time to fuse the two halves together completely."
"Oh!" Wendy stumbled as her foot missed a step and she started to fall over. She was caught by a quick-thinking Carla who lifted her into the air and decided to carry her down to the bottom. "Thanks, Carla."
"It's ok, Wendy. It's not your fault Someone is going a little too fast."
"We've got a job to do, Carla." Natsu snapped back at the white exceed as he jumped the last few steps and landed in a sprint. "No slowing down, if you believe Wendy can't keep up then keep carrying her but I know what she is capable of."
"You think I don't know what she is capable of? I've known her most of my life." The cat replied haughtily as she turned her nose up at the man. "Hmph."
"Shush now." Natsu lowered his voice as he slowed right down. "There may be guards down here, tread lightly." The man let his senses take in the area, he could hear two set of breathing not much further up, smell stale air rising from below, and hear footsteps from behind but they sounded like they were just running past the entrance. "We seem to be clear."
The group stopped in front of the cell holding the two Celestial Mages, Natsu stood watch as Natsumi, Wendy and Mira walked up to the bars. Natsumi brought her hands up to the sides of her mouth as she started to whisper the Blonde's name. "Lucy… Hey, Lucy!"
"Huh?" Lucy's head rose up from the pillow but it dropped back down as the woman went back to sleep.
"Just throw a rock at her or something." Natsu muttered as his appearance reverted to normal and he knelt down by the door. "And make sure she shuts up, she's going to be loud."
"Lucy, wake up." Natsumi said a little louder as she searched the floor for something, her eyes landed on Happy and she pointed to the sleeping blonde. "Bop her on the head please."
"Aye Sir." Happy crept into the cell and climbed up onto the bed. He raised his paw and quickly brought it down onto Lucy's head. "Lucy~ wake up!"
"I'm up!" The woman shouted in shock as she launched upright on the bed. "Happy? Wait…" She looked at the bars and saw her friends. "I'm so glad to see you all! Please let me…"
"Shut her up before the guards hear her." Natsu muttered as his counterpart's hand wrapped around Lucy's mouth. "I'm going to bust the lock." The man clamped his hands around the lock body and muffled the sound of him blowing up the inside of the lock.
"We're free?" Yukino asked quietly as she approached the swordsman. She smiled cautiously as he opened the door for her. "Thank you, Natsu."
"We need to get out of this hallway right now." Natsu ordered as he looked around at the group. "Don't worry about Lucy's fresh clothes, she can change after we are out of danger."
"Hey, no fair! I feel gross!"
"Spare a thought for Yukino, Lucy. She's been stuck in that uniform for who knows how long." Natsu muttered as he started moving back towards the way they came.
"Oh… yeah, you're right. Sorry Yukino." Lucy smiled meekly at the former Sabertooth mage.
"It's alright. Though I do wish to have a bath once this is all over."
"You've got a long night ahead of you then, Yukino." Natsu looked back over his shoulder. "That Gate that you have so diligently been helping protect, it's a pathway through time."
"I've already told her, Natsu." Lucy informed the pseudo-leader as they started to break out into a run. "I told her what you have told us about the Eclipse Gate."
"That simplifies things. But I fear the Princess won't listen until she sees the devastation she has helped wrought." Natsu grumbled as he felt the floor shift under his feet. "Oh fuck! They found us!"
The floor suddenly split in two, inducing panic in the women and exceeds as the group plummeted into the depths. Natsu glanced around, it was too tight for his wings so he ignited the soles of his feet and propelled himself to the Celestial Mages. He wrapped an arm tightly around both of their waists. "Take Flight! Slow the descent so we don't have any injured."
The Exceeds latched onto the remaining free-falling mages and summoned their wings, gradually slowing their fall until the entire group landed safely on the green rocks. Natsu placed the two women on their feet and immediately looked around, getting his bearings. Admittingly, his memory of the caverns isn't as good as that of the castle as he hit his head the last time he was down here.
A voice echoed around the pit they fell in. Natsu recognised it as Hisui's and just sighed. "Yo, Hisui! Can we skip the exposition about the Palace of Perdition?"
A magical hologram appeared above the mages, revealing an annoyed Princess Hisui. "Fine, but know that this is the end for you. Thieves. I've summoned the Garou Knights to release you from this world. I'll make sure they take good care of you specifically since you've shown me great offence in using my name."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever Hisui." Natsu waved her comment away as he summoned his wings and floated up to her face, now was his chance to sow the seeds of doubt. "But before you go. Your plan with the Gate, it won't work. The Eclipse Gate is a portal in time, that's all it is. You can't weaponise it, no matter how convincing that man from the Future sounds."
"How do you know about him?" Hisui took a step back in shock, her eyes widening. She cleared her throat and recomposed herself.
"Because it's my job to know about threats to my guild. That man and his plan for the Gate, it's a complete lie. He plans on bringing dragons from the past into the present, and if he succeeds then the lives of everyone in Crocus, be it Mages, Civilians, or your own Father and yourself, everyone will be in danger. It will be the apocalypse. And if we are unlucky then it could even draw Acnologia himself to Crocus!"
"How can I trust you? You're all criminals."
"I don't give two shits about your trust, Hisui. I just want you to understand the situation, and realise what will happen once Pandora's Box opens." Natsu turned away from the Princess and started to float back to the ground. "But when those Dragons come through that gate and start killing people, who do you think has to kill them? The only ones with the power to do it."
The cavern was silent for a few moments but Natsu could still feel Hisui's eyes directly on him. Natsu looked deeper into the cavern as his feet touched the ground. He glanced at the other mages as he dropped his voice. "Let's go, we need to find a way out of here. I doubt the executioners will get called off."
"Natsu, was it?" The Princess' voice had quietened and she sounded very uncertain of herself, causing Natsu to smirk, he had accomplished what he set out to do. "I'll think over what you have said, but as of right now the Eclipse 2 project is continuing. Should I find anything to support your claims then I'll see to it that the launch sequence is aborted. But I will not make any promises to you."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Hisui." Natsu started to walk through the caverns with the rest of the group in tow. He sensed the magic hologram shut off so he turned and started walking backwards. "Hopefully she'll realise the truth before the Gate opens, otherwise I think we'll have a tough time on our hands."
"Wow, Natsu… You're an arsehole…" Natsumi said between giggles as she broke down. "You've got some balls too, you made the Princess of Fiore pull a complete turnaround and then backed her into a corner and had your way with her!"
"Phrasing, Natsumi…" The man shook his head and sighed at the woman's antic. "I had to do it, otherwise I don't think we'd be able to get her to see reason later on. Best thing we can do now is to find Arcadios and tell him the situation."
'Hey kiddo, the Princess is hot. Like Damn!'
"Natsu, look out!" Lucy shouted as she reached towards his shirt, just as he stood on a Femur and lost his footing. Natsu fell down onto the hard ground with Lucy falling on top of him, her breasts suffocating the poor man. "Oof."
"Oi, make room for me~!" Natsumi shouted as she piled on top of the blonde and smothered the man with her own breasts.
"Oh gods damn it…" Natsu muttered as he pushed the women off him. "Now isn't the time to be playing around, Natsumi… Lucy, thanks for trying to help me."
"Can I get changed now~!" The woman complained as she got to her feet. She helped both the dragon slayers to their feet. "I feel gross."
"Yeah, fine." Natsu waved her off as he walked over to the nearest wall. "I'm going on ahead to see if I can find any cracks."
Mira handed the bag she was hiding to Natsumi and hurried over to Natsu. "Remember, Lily, Happy, no peeking." She said over her shoulder with a giggle. The white-haired woman slowed down and walked alongside Natsu. "Could you cut those rifts through this place?"
"That only works when I know the exact location of my destination, or at the very least a rough idea." The man explained quietly as he glanced back, making sure Yukino wasn't listening in. "Last time I was here, I landed on my head. So I only really remember the Garou Knights."
"Phooey… I was hoping we could do this quick and easy…" The ground started to shake under their feet. Mira lost her balance for a moment but latched onto Natsu's arm to support herself.
"Sorry Mira. The problem will be those Knights, we need to take them out otherwise they'd pursue us out into the castle."
"Not to mention reaching Arcadios and swaying him?" Mira asked as Natsu came to a stop beside a crack. "Is that the way out?"
"Yes, there is one problem though…" Natsu muttered as he turned to look at Mira, his eyes roaming up and down her body. "You, Yukino, and Natsumi should have no issue passing through as you three keep reasonably fit. But Lucy…"
Mira smirked playfully as her hands went up to her breasts. "Lucy's put on some weight in certain areas. She'll get stuck, won't she?"
"I mean, you would too if you didn't have that bodysuit on. It looks to be pulling your breasts in a fair bit."
"I came prepared for a fight. They get in the way if they aren't secured properly." Mira replied as she gently moved her breasts about to demonstrate. "We should let the others know where we are."
"No point, Natsumi is already following the sound of our voices. I can hear her coming." Natsu pointed over his shoulder at the faint footsteps. "But here is the question… should I widen the crack or let Natsumi tease Lucy for getting stuck? It'll be a tight fit for all of us, really…"
"Ara ara, Natsu… You're so mean…" Mira giggled softly as she glanced over his shoulder. The model leaned in quickly and whispered into his ear. "Leave it."
Natsu smirked devilishly at the woman but quickly hid it behind his fist, clearing his throat as the others finally caught up to them. Natsu turned to face the woman and pointed to the crack. "The air coming through this crack smells fresher than in here. So I believe this is the way out of her."
"Hmm…" Natsumi walked up to the crack, leaning in as she examined it closely. "It looks a little tight…"
"I'm afraid there isn't much we can do about that." Natsu replied as he slipped his hand under his coat and removed his Boltok from its holster on his lower back. "If you, Mira, or I tried to expand it. We could cause the cavern to become unstable and cave in on us."
"That's what you all get for being so destructive…" Carla chided the trio of mages as she stood there with her paws on her hips. "Maybe Wendy could try?"
"Wind erosion would take too long." Natsumi sighed softly. "Natsu's right, we'll just have to do our best to fit through it."
"I'll go first just in case someone is waiting in the next section, you all work out among yourselves who will follow me." Natsu said as he held the heavy revolver at his side and started to sidle through the crack, leaving the sound of bickering behind as he slowly eased his way to the other side. "Thank god I didn't have my sword on me…"
"Natsu?" The man turned around and saw Wendy already through with the Exceeds around her. "How long do you think we'll be stuck down here?"
"A fair while, I'm afraid." He sighed as he placed the revolver away behind his back and gazed around the new section of cavern that they were in. He sensed something watching them, causing his eyes to narrow as he searched for anything that wasn't a rock or a skeleton.
"Natsu… Something is watching us. I can feel it." Wendy muttered, sounding on edge as she moved closer to the man.
"That would be Cosmos." Natsu quietly replied as he finally found the source, a plant with an eye in the centre of the flower. "She's a plant mage like Droy."
"Damn, Lucy! You've been hitting the sweets hard, haven't you?" Natsumi hollered as she held her eyes to prevent herself from breaking in two from the fit of laughter she was plagued with. "I think we should buy you combat clothes instead of letting you prance around with the girls on show."
"Shut it, Natsumi! And pull me free!"
"Alright, alright. Calm your tits and suck them in for a sec." The pinkette jeered, grinning as she grabbed her friend's outstretched arm. "No wonder Happy calls you heavy, all your weight goes to your tits."
"I Said Pull Me Free!" Lucy bellowed and shot a furious look at her best friend. "So Do It!"
"Natsumi, stop giving the woman a hard time. She's still a developing young lady." Natsu decided to let the executioners spy on them as he turned to the two women, a grin on his face. "Cut her some slack."
"Wait." Natsumi gave Lucy a hard tug and wrenched her free. "You're telling me that those tits will get even bigger?"
"STOP TALKING ABOUT MY BOOBS!" Lucy shouted as she flew through the air and collided with Natsu, coming to rest on his face. The impact forced Natsu onto his back with Lucy sat on his face, the woman let out a gasp as she felt hot air tingle her most private parts.
"Ara Ara~, Lucy." Mira giggled playfully as Yukino gasped in shock. "How daring, and in the middle of all this?"
Lucy turned as red as a beetroot as she shot to her feet and jumped away from the man. "Don't pin this on me! It's Natsumi's fault for throwing me into him!"
"You wrapped your legs around him." Natsumi fought back with a grin. "And it looked like you were enjoying it to me."
"Putting Lucy obvious horniness aside for the time being." Natsu muttered as he rose to his feet and dusted himself off. "We're still stuck down here, and I'm guessing company isn't far off either."
"Not you too!" Lucy started pounding her fists against his chest in anger. "Wait… what do you mean by 'company'?"
"One of the executioners has their eye on us. So we better start moving again." Natsu turned and started leading the way through the cavern.
"Natsu!" Wendy called out to the swordsman, getting his attention as she pointed at something over the cliff. "There is someone down there!"
The salmon-haired man walked over to her and looked at where she was pointing to. "That's Arcadios. Looks like he is the bait for a trap. Ah, fuck it, the sooner they show themselves the better." Natsu leapt from the ledge and soared through the air, landing next to the semi-conscious Knight. "Wake up, Buttercup. Nap time's over."
"Is he ok?" Lucy called out as the group ran over to the downed man.
"It's definitely Sir Arcadios." Yukino gasped as they surrounded the man. "These injuries can't have happened during the fall."
"That's because it wasn't the fall. Like I said, he is bait." Natsu muttered as he took a few steps back, his senses warning him of a hostile behind him.
"Run… while you still can." Arcadios grunted in pain as he started coming to. "They are here."
"Pop goes… the Criminals!" Neppa shouted as he launched a magical fist at the group, forcing them to all scatter except for Natsu, who spun around and drove his heel into the side of the large executioner's head. Sending the man flying into a nearby boulder.
"Finally! What? You all got sick of being Voyeurs?" Natsu cracked his knuckles as he stalked over to the large man. "Watch out, the others are here too!"
"By the order of Princess Hisui. You criminals have been sentenced to death by execution. Repent for your sins and find peace in the afterlife." Kama announced as he and the other Knights advanced on the group. A rush of air forced their attention towards Neppa, only to find him in mid-air, held by his throat by the winged Dragon Slayer.
"You're probably the most dangerous…" Natsu muttered as his grip tightened, causing the bottle to fall out of the large man's mouth and shatter on the ground. "I'd rather not take an acid bath. So give up and go to sleep or I'll be forced to kill you instead."
Neppa struggled within the man's deadly grip, trying to break free. He cocked his fist back and charged it with his acid magic but the sudden release of pressure from his throat threw him off. In an instant, his vision went black as the hand wrapped around his face. Wind rushed around him and he saw light once more, but the criminal was rapidly getting smaller.
Natsu glanced down and saw a plant rushing up to devour him. He ignited his fist and slammed through the flora, incinerating it in an instant before launching towards the falling Acid Mage.
"Stop him!" Kama ordered his team as he pointed at the largest threat to their mission. "Forget the others, take him out first!"
The pinkette vanished in a cloud of embers as a giant red paper fist slammed down right where he had been. The man instantly reappeared above Neppa and slammed a fiery fist into his face.
The large man's head crashed into the ground and forced the man into a headstand. The dazed man was further brutalised as Natsu spun around and delivered a devastating flame-enhanced kick to his large belly, rocketing Neppa back towards the Knights.
Natsu vanished in another burst of embers, instantly appearing above the executioner once again. He grabbed the man's head and viciously slammed it into the ground at the feet of the other executioners. "Consider this your only warning: We are not your enemy, we are trying to save this kingdom from annihilation. Should you continue to pursue us with the intent to kill us, I'll be sure to leave no trace of any of you, not ash nor bloodstain."
There was a pregnant silence for what felt like forever. Natsu started to get pissed off and activated his Etherious mode, causing the ember markings to turn crimson red and move out from under his clothing, travelling up his neck as his eyes turned red and radiated a lethal aura. Natsu dragged Neppa up onto his knees as his lips split into a sadistic grin. "Perhaps I need to make an example of this one." Multiple magic circles expanded from his arm as Natsu activated one of his spells. "Ultima Ratio: Athena's Cannon."
One by one the magic circles shot down to the back of Natsu's hand as a bright light started to shoot out from between his palm and the back of Neppa's head. The demonic man's eyes boring into the eyes of the Knight's leader. He slowly pulled the large executioner off his knees and raised him up so his team could watch his final moments. See the lights leave his eyes.
"Alright! Enough. You have our word that we won't pursue you. But in return, you need to tell us exactly what you are up to. You say you aren't thieves…" Kama threw his hands up in the air and nodded to his team to do the same.
Natsu kicked Neppa over to Kama's feet as he pointed his arm away from everyone. He fired off the spell which took the form of a concentrated beam of superheated plasma. It tore through the wall of the cavern with ease and left a glowing tunnel about a foot in diameter.
"Princess, I've come to back you up!" Loke announced as he appeared with a flash of golden light. "I sensed a massive burst of pow…er…" The Lion spirit gazed around the battlefield, in his hands were Lucy's key pouch and Yukino's Golden Keys. "Holy Mother of Lucy…"
"Loke!" Lucy shouted as she ran up to the Spirit. "How did you get here?"
"I'll always be able to find you, my Princess." Loke bowed his head politely and handed her the key pouch. "I took the liberty to reclaim your keys." The man walked over to Yukino and handed over her keys. "Here, I have yours too."
"Oh, I can't thank you enough, Leo." Yukino smiled happily as she held her keys close to her heart. "I promise to never let anything like this happen again."
Natsu walked towards the injured executioner as a ball of green fire grew in the palm of his hand. "Consider this a show of good faith. I have no intention of hurting him further." He dropped the fireball onto the large man, revitalising him as he stared each one of them in the eyes. "Lucy, call out Crux. Have the spirit tell everyone here about the Eclipse Gate. I'm sick of repeating myself."
"Alright." Lucy reached into her pouch as Natsu pushed past the executioners. "Hey. Where are you going?"
"I'm scouting ahead, if I hear sounds of fighting then I'll be back in an instant and kill these fuckers."
Yukino edged over to Natsumi and whispered into her ear. "What's wrong with Natsu? I thought he was a kind guy, but he's turned into someone else…"
"He gets like this when people threaten his family. He'll stop at nothing to destroy those who try and kill us." Natsumi chuckled nervously as she scratched behind her head. "Best not to worry about it, he is under a lot of stress right now."
"He isn't like your normal members…" Yukino mumbled as she watched the man disappear in the darkness.
"Natsu has always been more powerful than me. He's also a Fire Dragon Slayer, we're both trained by Igneel. We both call him our father but he and I come from different families, we don't remember much about them though… Anyway, since he is more powerful, he had been going on more dangerous missions, and eventually became our agent in the underworld. That's why he is different, he's seen some shit and done shit that he doesn't like talking about."
"Oh… I'm sorry." Yukino glanced between Natsumi and where Natsu was last seen. "I didn't know…"
Natsumi waved her hand as she smiled at the Celestial Mages. "It's just our history, no biggy. Yo Luce, how's the spirit coming along?"
"I was just waiting for you to stop distracting Yukino so she could hear Crux." Lucy pointed to the Southern Cross spirit who was sleeping in the middle of the group of mages. "I gave him the research request. He shouldn't be much longer."
"That guy's going to be walking for a while. You know?" Cosmos informed the rescue team as she walked over. "This place is like a maze, without directions he'll get lost."
"Don't worry your pretty head about that man. I'll be here to keep you all company." Loke gave the plant mage a flirty smile.
"I know we aren't meant to cause you any harm, but can I hit him?" Cosmos asked as she jutted her thumb at the spirit. "Guys like him get on my nerves, I'd prefer the other guy. I bet he could give me some good thrills."
"He did seem very capable. I wonder if he is willing to get rough?" Kamika mused as she joined her fellow Knight. "Anyway, Cosmos is right. He'll most likely get lost before he finds the exit. I'm guessing it was probably a bluff to see if we'll attack once the biggest danger is gone."
"I wouldn't bother trying, Natsu doesn't need magic to kill someone." Natsumi said offhandedly as she walked over to the sleeping spirit and start poking it. "He can tear monsters in two using brute strength alone. Though I get the feeling that he'd probably prefer taking his time right now."
Crux awoke and looked to Lucy. "Ahem. I've gathered the information regarding the Eclipse Gate. Shall I tell everyone?"
"Yes, Crux." Lucy smiled as everyone gathered around the Celestial Mage's spirit. "We promised to share the knowledge since it would both clear our names and clear up what the Eclipse Gate really is."
"Ahem." The Spirit cleared his throat once again before addressing the group of mages. "The Eclipse Gate is a set of large magical doors that create a passageway through time. It was originally created by Zeref as a means of travelling back in time to prevent the death of her younger sister. However, she later abandoned this idea and the fully constructed Eclipse Gate for reasons that are unknown."
Arcadios limped over to the spirit, holding his side gingerly as he approached. "And what about the Princess' plan, Eclipse 2. Can the Gate operate as a magical cannon?"
"No." Crux turned to the tall man as he donned a quizzical expression. "Who told you such a fabrication? The Eclipse Gate cannot and will never be able to be used as a weapon. It was never built for that. It is merely a passageway that connects two time periods, as Zeref had intended it to be. If she had wanted to create a weapon then she would have created one."
"Do you believe me now?"
The group of Mages and Knights whipped around to the direction of the voice. Sat on a small boulder on the edge of the darkness was Natsu. His markings and eyes glowing menacingly in the dark. He had his Dragon Killing sword Durandal resting against his shoulder with the endcap of the sheath supporting it on the ground.
"This is what I was warning you about. This is what I tried to tell Hisui. You all have been deceived into thinking that dragons exist in large numbers." Natsu hopped off the rock and slowly walked back towards the group. "This is another falsehood told by that man from the future. Acnologia managed to hunt down all but five dragons, all whom fled to Guiltina, running from extinction."
"So… the Princess…" Arcadios fell to his knees and stared at his hands in horror. "She about to…"
"Correct. She's about to unleash an untold amount of dragons on Fiore." Natsu came to a stop before the man and used the endcap of his sheath to raise Arcadios' head. "And you're an accessory to this. Your dedication to her Highness is commendable, as well as her dedication to protecting her Kingdom. But, you have both brought about the destruction of our nation."
"I… I didn't know…"
"Stand Tall, Arcadios!" Natsu bellowed as he grabbed the man's shirt and forcefully brought him to his feet. "What is your duty?"
"To protect the Princess and the Kingdom of Fiore with everything I have, even my life."
"Well then, Sir Arcadios. Do your job, report to Hisui and stay by her side. Protect her with everything you have to offer." Natsu released his grip on the man's shirt and turned to the executioners. "As for you lot. You won't be able to kill us, no matter how hard you try. I don't even have to fight, you still won't succeed in even eliminating one of us. Consign yourselves to defeat and report that you have failed in your task. Say no more beyond that."
"Yes, Sir." Both Kamika and Cosmos shouted as they saluted the man. Causing all eyes to fall on their flushed faces.
"Uh-oh…" Natsumi giggled as Mira hid her smirk behind her hand. "I see some puddles starting to form on the floor~."
"Puddles?" Wendy looked around innocently at all the older women. "What do you mean by puddles?"
"Nothing! Don't worry about it!" Lucy shouted as she immediately covered Wendy's ears with her hands. "Absolutely nothing you need to worry your pretty little head with!"
"Anyway, can you point us in the direction of the exit?" Mira asked politely as she turned to the Garou Knights leader.
"How big is this damn cavern!" Natsumi bellowed angrily as she smashed a nearby boulder with a flaming fist. "It feels like we've been down here for hours!"
"Because we have." Natsu muttered as he led the group down multiple flights of stairs. "People aren't meant to escape this place." He walked to the edge of the platform and looked down into the abyss, his eyes adjusting rapidly as he made out the shape of a large door in the distance. "Come with me, I see the exit."
"What, where?" Lucy asked as she walked up and stood by his side. She leant forwards as she squinted her eyes, trying to make something out in the dark. "I can't see anything down there."
"My eyes are far better than a human's, Lucy." Natsu glanced around, shortly after rocks could be heard grinding against each other and stones bouncing off the floor of the cavern. The boulders rose to the platform as Natsu stepped off, walking down the makeshift stairs as they formed right under each foot. "Keep up."
The mages and Arcadios stuck close to the swordsman, staying at least one step back from him in case he didn't bring a rock up. Behind them the stones started shifting, moving to the front of the line and allowing the group to reach the ground safely.
As they touched the ground, Lucy immediately hugged the floor. "Oh ground, sweet ground!"
"If you're so happy down there, maybe I should have left you here." Natsu said teasingly as he smirked at the woman. He chuckled when the blonde shot to her feet and spun around to face him.
"Nope, I'm good thanks! Get me out of here."
The man turned to the large door with a sigh as a ghost from his past flickered in front of his eyes. Rage started to bubble up inside him once again as the memory flickered and changed to the woman bleeding out in the arms of Lucy, a feeling of powerlessness washing over him.
Natsumi rushed over the door and punched it, pulled it, kicked it. No matter what she tried she couldn't get it to open. "GraAHH! The thing must have a password or something!"
A snarling Natsu pushed the woman aside as he brought his foot up. "Knock knock, Motherfucker!" The raging demon slammed his boot into the door with all his might, ripping the doors free from the hinges and launching them through the wall on the other side. "I'm going to deal with that fucker from the future. Don't die on me."
"Natsu?" Lucy called out as ran forwards, she grabbed his arm and turned him to face her, finding little resistance. "What's wrong?"
Natsu looked into the chocolate brown eyes that he had fell in love with long ago. He brought a hand up and softly caressed the blonde's cheek, finding it so damn hard to look away from her. In Natsu's intense gaze from his demonic eyes, Lucy found something that made her heart flutter… Love, the amount of love he held in his heart for Lucy.
The woman was rendered speechless and couldn't stop the man from walking out through the doors and disappearing through the doorway, her heart thumping away rapidly as the man vanished from sight. The Fire Dragon Princess walked up to her friend and placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder, gaining the woman's attention. "Don't worry about him, he's probably about to start drawing the attention of the guards and Future Rogue, so we better head out."
The remaining members of the rescue team walked out of the caverns and into the castle. Arcadios immediately left the group and disappeared down the hallway just as the clanking of armour rounded the corner from the other end of the hallway. Though the incoming knights seem to be splitting into two groups with one lot going after the salmon-haired swordsman instead of turning to intercept the Fairies.
0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0
Natsu's demonic instincts were leading him to the traces of Zeref's magic left behind by passing through the Eclipse Gate, he knew that the residue would lead him directly to his foe. "Come on out, you little fucking bitch! Quit hiding in the shadows!"
"Oh? So you're after me? You think you can hold a candle to me?" Future Rogue muttered as he rose from the ground. "I'm much stronger than you could ever hope to be."
But… the man wasn't ready for Natsu. Not in a million years.
The pinkette surged through a hail of embers.
His fist slamming into Rogue's face as the man was peppered with white-hot embers.
Rogue was sent flying back and slammed into a wall, his hand covering his face in shock.
"You better put up a fucking fight then." Natsu burst into a cloud of embers and appeared in front of Rogue once again. Driving his knee into the White-Shadow Dragon Slayer's stomach and destroying the wall. "Otherwise I'm going to be fucking disappointed in you after all the shit-talking."
"White Shadow Dragon's Vestment!" Rogue shouted as he burst back into the hallway, firing off multiple light and shadow beams from the palms of his outstretched hands.
The pinkette blinked backwards as he held his oversized sword at his hip, his hand wrapping around the grip. "Yasha's Empty Flash."
A sadistic grin spread across the demon's face, as the incoming spell was shredded in an instant. Shocking the Dual Dragon Slayer.
"Shadow Dragon's Abyss!" Rogue shouted, covering the floor, walls, and ceiling of the hallway in shadows.
"Hellscape."
The shadows were instantly burnt away in a sea of flames. The inferno surging through the hallway towards the shocked Dragon Slayer. The man took his eyes off the demon for a split second as he leapt back through the hole to safety.
Natsu appeared in the man's face once again, his eyes glowing with sadistic rage and his fangs glinting in the light. His swung his sheathed sword at Rogue, sending him flying through a window and out into the night.
"White Shadow Dragon's ROAR!" Rogue let loose twin beams of light and shadow magic, spiralling towards the sky as he plummeted to the ground. He had timed the attack to catch Natsu off-guard, knowing the demon would chase him.
A shadow raced through the breath attack, resembling a shark racing towards the surface to attack its prey.
When the spell ended, Rogue was horrified to find the pinkette mere metres from him, falling headfirst towards him.
His coat and shirt were shredded and flew off him in tatters, revealing his glowing crimson ember markings that covered his arms and back as well as most of his neck and torso. A cone of fire started to form around Natsu as he encroached ever closer on the Dual Dragon Slayer.
The man from the future couldn't stop the sinking feeling that grew in the pit of his stomach. Deep down he knew that whatever the hell this man was… he was just toying with him.
The deadly game of chicken ended when Rogue felt himself starting to impact the ground. He instantly turned into a shadow and sunk into the ground, shooting off towards the gate.
"Hecate." Natsu muttered as magic circles formed around him. Spears shot out of them like a Gatling Gun, racing through the air after the shadow and impacting right in front of him, forcing Rogue to change directions constantly out of fear that this unknown spell may harm him in shadow mode, he had already been shocked by Gajeel earlier in the day and didn't want a repeat.
Wings burst from the Pinkette's back, the man taking flight as he continued to rain hellish rods down upon his foe. "Fight Back You Little Fucking Bitch!"
Natsu slammed his fist on the ground as it glowed a bright yellow. Dozens upon dozens of demonic magic circles appeared all over the ground. "Boom Motherfucker!"
A cacophony of explosions rang through the grounds as bits of stone, grass, and dirt flew in all directions. The blasts forced Rogue out of his shadowland as he went sailing through the air.
The demonic swordsman withdrew Durandal from the sheath and launched the black blade at the mid-air mage.
"White Shadow Dragon's Eruption!" Rogue shouted as he held his hand out. The spell caused a mix of light and shadow magics to burst from the ground under Natsu, launching him into the air.
The Dual Dragon Slayer reached behind him, stretching his arm out as far as it could to touch the incoming wall.
Just as Durandal started to make contact with his stomach, Rogue managed to touch with the wall. He turned into a shadow and forced himself into the wall, shooting up out of harm's way as the sword became embedded into the stone.
"You lucky bastard." Natsu grumbled as he wrenched the sword from the wall and flew after the shadow. "Why are you running, bitch?"
Tens of invisible slashes tore through the shadows, forcing Rogue out of the wall as blood leaked from numerous shallow cuts. "HOW?!"
"I have some pretty and insanely good teachers." Natsu grabbed the dragon slayer and threw him high into the air. "No more playing in the shadows. Come at me like you mean it!"
A wave of powerful magic surged through the city. The Eclipse Gate had opened and out flew the first dragon.
"MOTHER FUCKING FUCK!" The pinkette shouted as a rush of negative energies flowed through his demonic body, empowering and enraging him.
"Finally! My plan can move forward!" Rogue shouted as he turned in mid-air to face the courtyard on which stood the open Eclipse Gate. "DRAGONS! DESTROY THIS CITY!"
Natsu grabbed the man and threw him to the courtyard with enough force to shake the castle. Seething with rage and oozing demonic power like a leaking broken dam.
The Dual Dragon Slayer groaned in pain as he struggled to his feet, he clutched his rips as he felt some of them shift slightly. "Fuck this hurts…" Rogue's instincts told him to move this instant. The man dived forward just as a large black sword pierced the ground where he had been standing.
Hisui and Arcadios, as well all their guards watched on in shock as the winged demon Natsu descended from the sky behind Rogue, watching as the man scrambled to his feet and tried to limp away from his impending doom.
"Someone stop him!" Rogue shouted as he pointed to the monster behind him. "He's controlling the dragons! Just look at him!"
A gunshot rang out from behind the Dual Dragon Slayer as something ripped through his left knee, blowing his lower leg off and causing him to fall to the ground.
"Don't even try to pin this on me, you worthless piece of rat shit." Natsu growled as he landed and slowly walked to the man, watching him try and drag himself to safety all while dragons kept flooding from the Gate.
The man shifted his aim with the Boltok, aiming the heavy revolver at Future Rogue's right knee this time before pulling the trigger.
"Fuck!" Rogue cried out in pain as his right leg was blown in two. Blood poured from the wounds as he tried to drag himself away, a look of sheer terror plastered all over his face. "No, no, no! Not like this!"
Natsu stalked over to the man and drove his foot into Rogue's stomach, sending the man skipping along the large stone tiles towards the princess. Natsu continued his menacing approach towards the man from the future as well as the Princess and her guards. "Hisui. This is what I was warning you about. This is the man who lied to you, played you like a damn piano. And now look at what has happened!"
"No! We're too late!" Natsumi shouted as she, Wendy and Lucy sprinted out a set of nearby doors. "FUCK!"
The demon put one last bullet into Rogue, shooting the man through the head before turning his attention to the arrival of his fellow Fairies. "Lucy, where is Yukino?"
"Well shit… someone pissed you off." Natsumi muttered as she looked at the mangled dead body of Future Rogue. "Finally whipped out that Boltok?"
"The situation called for it. He could have harmed the Princess." Natsu replied as he walked over to the mages. "Lucy?"
"She ran off, Mira went after her." Lucy was in shock as a dragon roared while passing over the top of them. She slowly gazed up at the sky and saw at least a dozen dragons flying through the city. "How… how do we stop this?"
"We need all twelve Golden Keys. We need you and Yukino to close the Gate." The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he watched more dragons come out. "I'm going to do some population control. Natsumi, gather the other slayers and slaughter the small fry. Leave the big ones to me."
"On It!" Natsumi shouted as she turned and started to run for the bridge, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. "Natsu?"
"Before you go." Natsu slipped his hand under the bandages that she uses to strap her breasts, placing his palm flat on her back between her shoulder blades. "I'm going to transfer some of my power to you, along with some of the knowledge I possess. The power is finite so don't expect this boost to last."
Natsumi gasped as a rush of power entered her body from her back, it felt enormous. Natsu's raw power was flooding into her and heating her up from the inside. The two Fire Dragon Slayers started to radiate heat and power as a red dragon tattoo spread across the full of Natsumi's back, it resembled tattoo-like marking that was on Natsu's arm years ago but this one had black embers floating around it.
"I also temporarily unlocked your ability to generate power from negative energy. Once you burn through all of my magic, this marking of mine will vanish." Natsu quietly informed the woman as he took a step back.
"Damn it! I wanna see it so badly!" Natsumi yelled in frustration as she kept trying to look over her shoulder at her back. "I bet it looks badass!"
"Natsumi, here." Natsu chuckled softly as he turned around. He covered his chest with his arms as he was engulfed in a puff of smoke.
The Dragon Princess turned around to see her on back in front of her, the problem was that she hadn't had her hair cut in a while and Natsu had perfectly copied her appearance. She gently moved the long salmon-coloured hair aside and grinned widely. "Oh that is so badass! I wish I could keep that!"
"OI, Stop looking at that woman's breasts!" Hisui shouted at her guards as she rushed over and draped her cloak over Natsu. She sighed softly and looked at demonic mage. "I'm sorry for all this trouble…"
Natsu was enveloped in another puff of smoke as he returned to normal. He grabbed the cloak and spun it around Hisui again before clasping it around her neck. "Just another day's work I guess. Work on getting the gate shut." Natsu gently pushed the monarch aside and walked over to his sword. "I've got shit I need to kill."
Scales rushed up the man's arms as fiery horns grew from his head. Natsu sadistic side retreated back inside, this was no time to play with his food, he'd have to go for the throat. Magic started to swirl around the man as lightning started to arc off him and burn jagged lines into the stones.
He glanced over his shoulder at the gathered guards and mages. "If you are in danger, shout." Natsu grabbed his sword and adjusted the magical latch on the sheath so that it stayed near his left arm at all times. His wings fully extended and with a great gust of air, Natsu took flight.
'END, take partial control. I need you to take care of targeting for Hecate. Prioritise the little Draconoid monsters.' Natsu ordered his demon side as numerous multi-layered magic circles appeared around him. 'Use Macro to guide them if at all possible since we can't manually mark them.'
'Hell, with the power we're generating right now, don't worry about it! Those fuckers are as good as ash! I'll even blow them to bits!'
"ULTIMA RATIO: HECATE'S BARRAGE!" Bellowed the demonic man as he soared across the battlefield. A hail of explosive spears shot from the circles around the man and shot off in all directions, leaving a trail of fire and smoke behind them.
Natsu rapidly approached the great glowing obelisk where he could sense a large concentration of mages as well as King Toma. A dragon was bearing down upon them, its maw opening as it charged a breath attack.
Beams of White and Shadow Dragon Slaying magic shot up from the crowd at the dragon. They collided with the underbelly of the dragon and caused it to pause for a moment but it was ultimately unfazed and continued with its attack.
'Clip its wings!'
"With pleasure." Natsu growled as he flashed forwards, his black blade singing as it raced through the air.
The dragon sensed its incoming demise and spun around to intercept the danger, firing off its snow-based attack at the fire dragon slayer, sending a blizzard at the demonic man.
Natsu vanished in the white-out but appeared above the dragon as another volley of spears shot from the magic circles.
He shot down in a burst of embers, launching towards the dragon's wings with his sword in position.
The jet black blade arched through the sky, cleaving the wings clean from the body of the massive beast. Forcing it to plummet to the ground below.
The mages scurried out of the path of the crippled behemoth as it smashed into the ground, carving out a creator from the impact.
Natsu slowly landed about a dozen yards in front of the dragon's head and watch it struggle to its feet. "Rise to your feet and I'll give you an honourable death. Stay there and you'll die like a coward, cowering for their life in their little hidey-hole."
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" The dragon bellowed in pain as it forced itself to stand. "YOU OSTENTATIOUS BASTARD!"
The ground under the pinkette's feet exploded as he launched forwards with blinding speed, shooting along the right side of the dragon as Durandal slipped between the open maws of the dragon.
Near instantaneously, Natsu appeared at the tail end of the beast, not a drop of blood on his sword as the dragon slid apart into two halves. The body combusted moments later, becoming consumed by intense demonic flames. "Turn to ashes."
"LISTEN UP!" Natsu shouted as he gazed around the Monument Gardens. "Tonight will be the hardest fight you have faced so far! If you don't think you can handle a life-or-death situation then I suggest you leave the City AS SOON AS FUCKING POSSIBLE!" He started to rise up into the air once more. "DRAGON SLAYERS, LET'S HUNT US SOME FUCKING DRAGONS!"
The man held out his hand as he transformed his power into raw magical energy. Bolts of pure power shot out of Natsu's hand as he temporarily transferred some of his magical power to all of the Dragon Slayers in Crocus, with the exception of Natsumi whom he had already gave some power.
Bolts of pure magic arced through the sky like white lightning, striking the dragon slayers and giving them a massive boost in power along with a Dragon King Marking. The pavement around the gathered dragon slayers shattered and rose into the sky, disintegrating shortly after.
Kagura hurried over to the man and threw a pebble at him to get his attention. The man landed right in front of her and shook his head in amusement. "What's with you and throwing things at me?"
"I want to help too… but my sword can't slice through dragon hide…" Kagura looked down at her unsheathed Archenemy, her eyes reflecting back at her in the polished steel.
"Durandal was designed to kill all dragons, unlike Archenemy. While your sword has an unbelievably strong cutting force. A dragon's hide can resist standard weapons." Natsu placed a hand on her shoulder and gently raised her head up with the pommel cap of his sword. "Though, maybe I can give your sword a sacrificial enchantment. Problem is that I don't know if it will work."
"I'll be careful, I just need to be able to kill the dragons if they are near." Kagura looked into the man's demonic dragon eyes with absolute resolve. "I'll take any assistance you can provide."
'Natsu! I need more firepower! A second draconoid-spawning dragon has arrived and I can't keep up!'
Natsu held up a hand in front of Kagura as he gave her an apologetic smile. "Hold that thought for a second. I just sensed an increase in those Draconoid monsters, must be a second spawning dragon. I need to make a quick adjustment to my spell." He pointed to the magic circles around him as more formed and the fire rate was increased. The magic circles reached a critical threshold and completely vanished, leaving the spears to form out of thin air at an astonishing rate.
"Wait, is that what is causing all those explosions?" King Toma asked as he plodded over. The minute King looking up at the barely human-looking man.
"Yes. I've been targeting the small fry as best as I can. Going to take out those Spawners as soon as we are done here." Natsu replied as he placed Durandal into the sheath suspended beside his arm and held out a hand. "Hand over Archenemy for a moment."
"Hey Natsu!" A woman shouted from above. "Check out my new friends!"
Natsu looked up as he was given the sword by Kagura, his eyes landing the winged Fire Dragon Princess. She was flanked by a few Fire Dragons, including Atlas Flame. Her grin was more than visible enough to see from the ground. "Nice Work Princess! Go Give Them Hell!"
The man looked back down at the sword and brought his free hand up to his fangs. He bit into the pad of his right index finger and drew blood. He started to draw draconic runes onto the shiny steel blade as he quietly chanted in the lost draconic language, fusing his Fire Dragon Slaying magic into the blood runes.
When he reached the tip of the sword, he finished off the chant and sealed the cut on his finger with his rejuvenating green fire as the runes glowed with power. "There you go, that should allow you to cut through dragons. Just use the sword like normal and the runes will amplify your attacks with my Slayer powers. Just like the power I gave to the other slayers, these runes have a limit and will burn away once that limit is reached but there should be enough power in there to last you through the night."
"Thanks Natsu, who knows how many lives you have saved by doing this." Kagura bowed to the swordsman and took her sword back. "I'll see you out in the battlefield."
"Good luck and stay alive." Natsu replied as he launched up into the sky. He quickly surveyed the city and got a headcount. Not including Natsumi's wing of fire dragons intercepting a dragon that was going after the evacuating mages and civilians up on a nearby cliff, there were approximately thirty dragons alive with more still coming through the gates.
Golden light erupted from the castle grounds as twelve shining stars flew through the air and a golden pillar of magic soared into the heavens. Yukino must have finally been found and closed the Gate alongside Lucy. Now the clean-up could begin.
Natsu locked onto the Diamond Dragon, Motherglare, and rocketed towards the familiar dragon. The dragon sensed his approach and covered himself in Adamantine. "Your Puny Sword Won't Even Be Able To Scratch My Adamantine Body!"
The demonic man clasped his hands together as ravenous fire erupted from his fists. A vicious grin on his face as he slammed them down upon Motherglare's snout, sending the dragon plunging to the earth with a ground-shaking impact. "What was that?! I can't hear you from all the way down there!"
The Diamond Dragon rose to his feet and lifted his head, unleashing a roar powerful enough to burst eardrums, destroying the surrounding buildings from the force of the soundwaves. It forced Natsu to clamp his hands over his ears as his vision became disoriented and blurred.
"FUCKING SHUT UP!" Natsu bellowed with rage as he exploded with power, sending a shockwave out that shook the ground once again and blew apart even more buildings. His demonic features glowed brightly as he took control of every single Hecate Spear in the air and barraged the dragon with every last one of them. "YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKING CUNT!"
The earth quaked almost fearfully as the demon rained hell upon the dragon. Explosions decimated the city block in rapid succession.
Even as the last spear punched through the cloud of dust the assault didn't let up, Natsu just continued to produce Hecate Spears and obliterate any trace of Motherglare.
By the time Natsu had calmed down and the ringing in his ears had stopped, the only thing left of Motherglare was a fine pink mist on the wind. There was no blood, no flesh, no bones, everything had been blown to smithereens.
'Can I have my spears back now?'
Natsu relinquished the control of the spears back to END as he shook his head clear. He gazed around for the other Spawner dragon. It seemed to be another Diamond Dragon. And by the look of it, it was enraged. Natsu guess that he just obliterated its mate, Motherglare.
The dragon was over by Mercurius, trying to attack the humans by the gate but it was constantly being forced back by jets of wind and bolts of lightning. Blowing the great dragon about while electrocuting it.
Natsu turned his attention to his counterpart's flight of dragons. Natsumi and her dragons were protecting the civilians and mages that were fleeing the city.
A beam of Light and Shadow ripped through the sky halfway across the city. Punching a large hole right through the chest of a dragon as it flew over the Twin Dragon Slayers.
Clouds of poisonous gas tore through a separate section of the city. Since there was no dragons near that cloud, Natsu guessed that he was targeting a pack of Draconoids.
Natsu started racing towards the castle as a crescent moon of white-hot fire sailed through a line of buildings. A quick glance down revealed Kagura and the other Mermaids escorting King Toma back to the castle. The woman had decimated untold amounts of fodder monsters in the single attack.
'Shift focus to the immediate area, we need to clear a path for King Toma and the Mermaids.' Natsu ordered as he nosedived towards the conflict. He pulled out at the last second and rocketed along the street just above the tops of the buildings as a Mach cone started to form around him.
The man half folded his wings and pushed jets of fire out of his soles as he forced himself to go even faster. Breaking the sound barrier as he rained explosive spears down on the streets surrounding the King's Escort.
On the ground, the guards, King, and mages heard the lines of explosions rapidly approaching. They turned their heads to the source as Natsu flashed past them with twin cones of fire trailing behind him. Shaking the ground and shattering windows with the supersonic shockwave.
'Alright, switch back to clean-up.' The man pulled up and continued towards the castle, his eyes set on the unsuspecting Diamond Dragon that was being assaulted by Wind and Lightning attacks.
He grabbed the handle of Durandal as he drew ever closer to the dragon. A grin spreading across his lips as he started drawing his sword, it glowed with violent red energy.
Durandal whistled as it sailed through the air, leaving a trail of energy behind it due to Natsu's sheer speed.
Natsu blew past the dragon as his glowing sword bit into its neck, sliding through the Adamantine-coated scales, the flesh, and the bone with almost no resistance. Separating the dragon's head from its body. "Turn to ashes."
All Natsu left behind was a supersonic shockwave and a burning corpse that fell to the ground. He didn't stick around though as he moved onto the next target.
In the corner of his eye he saw a pillar of white magic shoot up near a clock tower. The magic signature felt all too familiar and it pissed him right off.
Natsu quickly diverted from the next dragon and tore off towards the source of the magic, but before he could reach it a magical pulse was emitted. He quickly found himself pulling up from the street and racing towards Mercurius once again.
Hisui stood behind Arcadios as Wendy and Laxus kept the female dragon on the defensive but weren't able to do enough damage to put the enraged dragon down for good. Even though the dragon had been shocked by lightning that had previously been enough to kill other attacking dragons.
"Why won't it die?!" Mira shouted as she flew through the Draconoid ranks in her Sitri Take Over, blasting the monsters with Fire and Darkness magic. "Laxus! Hit It Harder!"
"I'm already burning through the power from Natsu! Not to mention being boosted by Wendy's Enchantments! This thing should have been dead long ago!" Laxus yelled back at the white-haired woman. "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!"
"Shattering Light: Sky Drill!" Wendy launched her spell at the Diamond Dragon, knocking its head up and stopping it from releasing a breath attack. "What with this sense of Déjà vu?"
"I don't know, Kid. Just keep hitting the bastard!" Laxus shot another bolt of lightning at the dragon in the hopes of finally frying it. His attacks were starting to take noticeable effect, the gigantic monster was moving much slower than when it began to attack them, and it seemed very dazed.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mira saw a few glowing rods racing towards the pack of monsters she was among. The woman sensed the familiar power behind these and quickly retreated as the first Draconoid was skewered and blown to smithereens, taking two more with it in the blast.
"MAKE A SHIELD WALL! NOW!" Arcadios ordered his Knights. By his command they lined up in front of the Princess, forming two rows of shields with the top row angled towards the sky.
A hail of explosive spears rained down upon the monsters like cruise missiles, obliterating the forces attacking the castle. The ground quaked from the blasts as shockwaves collided with the shield wall and tested the mettle of the Royal Guards.
"FAST MOVING OBJECT INCOMMING!" Shouted one of the guards as they pointed to the sky. It was hard to focus on the unidentified flying object but the guards knew it was on their side as it was the source of the spears that were decimating the monsters.
"Holy Crap! That's Natsu!" Mira shouted as the demon banked towards the enraged yet dazed dragon and reached for his sword. "Look At The Glowing Red Markings!"
A high pitched whistle rang through the courtyard as a red energy trail swept through the air and sliced through the neck of the dragon. Glowing red lines rapidly spread across the dragon's body and it burst apart into fragments like a broken porcelain doll.
All Natsu left behind was a sonic shockwave and burning chunks of dragon that fell from the sky, landing in the courtyard with large wet slaps.
"…Fuck…" Mira muttered, her voice deeper than usual due to Sitri's Take Over. She watched on awe as the dragon withered away to ashes in less than a minute. "Looks like I better up my game!" Mira shouted to the rapidly shrinking pinkette as he turned sharply and flew towards the clock tower.
'END, I'm suspending Hecate's Barrage for the time being. We need to focus on our little time mage problem.' Natsu narrowed his eyes as he shut off the jets of fire and spread his wings fully, slowing down as he landed at a devastated crossroads and approached the crispy looking Ultear. "You Fucking Imbecile! What Did I Say About Wasting Your Life?!"
"One minute… I was only worth one minute…?" Ultear mumbled to herself as she took her eyes off of the clock tower and looked towards the aggravated demonic man. "Why…?"
"Because one person's life has an infinitesimal value, no matter the power or the following they have, nor the history of pain and suffering they have taken on or the sins they have committed." Natsu gazed around at the destroyed city, taking in the pain and suffering, sensing that lives were saved once again. "I suppose there is one thing you should be happy about."
"Huh…?" Ultear muttered faintly as she fell back on the stone intersection. Her vision slowly growing dark. "And that is?"
"I'd say that the amount of lives you just saved with that single minute more than outweighs the suffering you have caused. You've given so many people a brighter future instead of being left to rot in this devastated city." Natsu knelt down beside the time mage and took her hand, he gently brought her into a seated position and held her to his warm chest. "Clear your conscious, Ultear. You've saved the world with your actions."
"Natsu, you've seen this all before… What becomes of me after this?" Ultear closed her eyes and rested her head upon the man's beared chest. "What are the repercussions of that spell?"
"You are stripped of your years by a phantom of time, becoming a little old lady with an unknown about of vitality left." Natsu replied softly as he ran a hand through the woman's frizzled hair. "You had such beautiful hair, such beautiful skin… you were like a bewitching Snow Woman. Leaving frozen hearts in your wake."
"My my, Natsu…" Giggled Ultear weakly, as she cracked her eyes open. "Maybe you'll thaw out my frozen heart."
"Nah, I think it's been thawed for a while now. I don't see the cold-hearted bitch that I crossed paths with long ago, not when I look down at you."
"And what about you? Why are you here?"
"I possess the ability to defy the God of Time itself, to burn even a source infinite magical power till nothing remained. Focus on my being, tell me what you feel…"
Ultear shifted her head on Natsu's chest, using what remains of her strength to feel the man for what he is. A symbol of crossed hammers flashed before her eyes a familiar feeling washed over her. "Tartaros… You're not human… Are you?"
"I used to be, long ago. But I died." Natsu replied quietly as he continued to run his hand through the woman's hair. "I was brought back by my brother, and for the sin of defying the God of Life and Death, Ankhseram, he was cursed. His Living Magic became the opposite, and what once he loved would die before his very eyes. In this world, my brother and I are actually sisters."
"Her… them…?" The woman's eyes slowly opened in realisation, she gazed up at the man and took in his demonic features. "I'm sorry."
"Don't. She and I are alive because of them. We do not need pity or sympathy, we live because we were given the chance to live. We live our life to our fullest because of it." Natsu laid the woman down on her back with the utmost care. He placed a hand on her forehead and the other over her heart. "And now, I'll purge the phantom from you and give you the chance we had been given. You'll still be human, but with your new life, I want you to live for your family and friends. Live for Meredy, she needs you."
"Please, Natsu… Save me…"
"As you wish, Snow Woman." Natsu closed his eyes and channelled his power into the woman, following the path he took long ago when he saved his own world's Ultear. "Hmm… This may take longer than I expected since the spell is working against me."
Ultear gasped delicately as her skin became flushed, the man's magic setting her body ablaze from the inside out. It was beginning to get too much for her to bear as she began to squirm.
"Bear with me, Ultear. Trying to make this as quick as possible."
"Oh Natsu~ what if I don't want it to end~."
"All good things must come to an end eventually, Ultear. Plus… we still have work to do in this city."
Ultear's skin started to heal itself as her hair became glossy and healthy once again, her body returning to its glory. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lips as she rubbed her thighs together, her breath coming out hot and heavy.
"Oh yes~ you tease me so good~!"
'Hey, Natsu. Do you think we have enough time for a quick break?'
'No, you fucking horndog, we don't have the time.'
'By that notion, if we had enough time it sounds like you'd be open to it.'
Natsu sighed deeply and shook his head to clear his mind so he could focus on his work. He didn't have much more of the time phantom to burn away and it seemed to have been getting weaker the longer he had been at it.
Ultear gasped and mewled loudly, her body twitching in ecstasy as the last vestiges of her spell were burned from her body. "Oh Gods Yes!"
"Ok, I've removed the last of the spell's hold over you." Natsu informed the woman as he rose to his feet and spread his wings. "I suggest you find Meredy and tell her what you did, and you better damn well apologise for it."
"I will." Ultear sat up slowly, huffing and puffing as she slowly regained her breath. "Just give me a few moments to come down from that rush you gave me."
"Well you better do it quickly because this is still a battlefield and who knows when a group of monsters will turn up." Natsu replied as he took flight. He flew high up and slowly spun around, aiming to get a good idea of the situation.
All around the city there were crumbling buildings and vicious fires roaming from one pile of rubble to the next. Corpses of Draconoids littered the streets like refuse. The remaining dragons were in the middle of an aerial battle, fire dragons led by Natsumi fighting the rogue dragons.
The man flew over the dead dragons one by one and used his demonic fire to turn them to ashes and ensure that no one could get their hands on the flesh of a dragon and use it for nefarious purposes such as necromancy. An undead dragon is something he definitely did not want to deal with.
As he finished up the last corpse, Natsu turned to the ongoing battle. The Fire Dragons were dominating the other dragons they were facing, but even so the battle was drawing on much longer than Natsu liked. He maintained his high altitude as he flew over to the conflict, observing from above.
Natsu noticed that among the rubble, six people had gathered underneath the flight of dragons. His keen ears picking up on their plan, he knew Natsumi overheard them too as simultaneously the Dragon Slayers charged a Roar. The man grinned as he decided to join in on the fun.
"Fire Dragon King's ROAR!" He bellowed as a torrent of crimson fire raced from his gullet and slammed into the back of a rocky dragon. At the same time as the attack hit, the same dragon was hit from head-on by Natsumi's Fire Dragon Slayer Roar, while also being struck from beneath by Roars of Lightning, Wind, Poison, Shadow, White, and Iron.
When the dust settled, the dragon was nowhere to be found. Not a single trace of it was left after being hit with such potent power. The remaining two rogue dragons looked between them where once flew the rocky dragon, now only seeing empty air. Gazing around, they saw that they had been surrounded. Above them was one winged Fire Dragon Slayer, with another in front of them with a flight of fire dragons. To their right were the White and Shadow Dragon Slayers, floating in the air with the assistance of Wendy's buffs. To the left of the dragons were the floating Lightning and Iron Dragon Slayers. Behind was the Poison Dragon Slayer, with the Sky Dragon Slayer below them.
Natsu grinned as an idea came to his mind. He turned upside down and folded his wings, going into a full dive as he gripped his sword. His power flowed into Durandal, causing it to glow in the sheath as Natsu fell through the sky.
As he drew level with the dragons and Dragon Slayers, he slid Durandal from its sheath faster than the eye could see. Red lines raced along the dragons' bodies as time started to slow down for that very instant. Realisation burst into the eyes of the dragons as they felt their bodies start to fall apart, with nothing but darkness following soon after. The corpses combusting as they fell to the rubble below.
The demonic man chuckled as he grinned somewhat sadistically. He flipped back over and glanced around at the Slayers and Fire Dragons. "I've cleaned up the remains of the rogue dragons. There will be no chance of anyone desecrating their remains. Since we are all flying, we should regroup back at Mercurius. Anyone we find along the way we guide in that direction, no matter who they are or what guild they come from."
"Alright." Rogue floated over to the two Fire Dragon Slayers as the sounds of fighting still rang through the city. "How many of those little dragon monsters do you think are left?"
"A few pockets." Natsu replied as he gazed about. "I've been keeping my senses tuned to them as I've been going from dragon to dragon, striking them down with my spell." He returned his focus to the dragon slayers. "Tell you what, you guys take care of the escorting. I'd prefer to keep as many people on that task as we can afford so we can save as many lives as possible. Natsumi, can you ask your new friends to take care of those Draconoids? I'll be heading over to that Gate and working on a way to break it."
"What do you think, Uncle Atlas?" Natsumi cheered as she spun around to face the flight of Fire Dragons. "Up for the task?"
"More than up for it, Princess." Atlas Flame replied as he bowed his head to the dragon princess. "Leave the job to us."
Natsu watched as the dragon slayers took off to carry out their orders. He sighed softly and turned to the Fire Dragons. "No doubt you all have questions, or did Natsumi fill you all in while you were by the cliffs?"
"The Princess told us about your nature, who you are and what you are." The Hellfire Dragon replied as he gazed between Natsu and his retreating counterpart. "But I have one question: Igneel?"
"Died. Acnologia killed him. He granted me his status and power." Natsu sighed as he gazed down at his hands. "My power, this sword, hell even all the things I can do that a normal person can't, I owe it all to him. I am honoured to have had him as a father."
"Alright. You're Highness." Atlas Flame said as he gazed out at the devastated city. "Shall we get to work?"
"Thanks for helping deal with this menace, I'll try my best to get you back to your own time as soon as possible." Natsu said as he parted ways with the dragons and over to the Eclipse Gate. As he landed on the broken courtyard, he gazed around at the destruction wrought by the dragon incursion.
"Natsu, right?"
The man turned his head to the source of the voice, coming face to face with the shaken Princess Hisui. "Hello, Hisui. How can I help you?"
"What's the situation?"
"Straight down to business. Very well." Natsu waved for her to follow him as he started walking through the gathered mages and guards. "As of right now we have eliminated all hostile dragons. The remaining dragons are Fire Dragons who quickly aligned themselves with the Fire Dragon Princess, Natsumi. These dragons are currently mopping up the last of those little bastards to keep our people safe as the Dragon Slayers guide people to Mercurius."
"Are we safe then?" Hisui asked as Arcadios fell in step beside her. "Are we out of danger?"
"For the most part, yes. For the time being, we are safe." Natsu sighed softly as he approached the Eclipse Gate. He looked up at the monolithic door as he tried to figure out the best way to destroy it. "We have two issues still, this Gate is the main issue and take current priority."
"What's the second issue?" Hisui put her hand on Natsu's shoulder, stopping him from walking any further. "If you have any information that could prove beneficial to our current situation then I'd like to hear it."
"Keep it between yourselves then." The man turned to face the Princess. "I believe that all this chaos has a chance of attracting something far more dangerous. Fairy Tail has crossed paths with him a few times now. Took the arm of our Ace, and then sunk Tenrou with all of our S-class Mages and S-class candidates."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Hisui asked quickly, she was feeling guilty for being the cause of everything that had happened tonight and wanted to make herself useful in any way she could.
"Have your guards watch the horizon, if anything big and black flies this way then they better damn well tell me right away." Natsu turned and started walking towards the Gate again. "As for yourself, clear the area around the Gate, if I have to throw a dragon into it to destroy this fucking thing then I will."
"A dragon?" Hisui shouted in shock, she couldn't believe her ears, did he just say throw a dragon at it?
Natsu shut off everything but his Etherious Mode as he approached the Gate, not wanting his magic sapped when there is still danger lurking around. "It's made from Maginium, so magical attacks won't do so well against it, and it's really strong. Then there is the fact that it'll actively absorb any magic used near it, completely ruling out magical attacks. This only leaves physical attacks, and I mean hitting it really fucking hard." He ran a hand across the monolithic structure. 'I could try melting it using my demonic fire… that could work…'
'One problem with it. Didn't you want to hide our nature to the people here?'
Natsu sighed and glanced around the battlefield. 'Can we really afford the luxury of keeping it a secret? Plus, it'll only be pinned on me, and I can easily make up some kind of story to explain it away. Being captured by Tartaros and escaping for instance.'
'Is it a risk you're willing to take? Who knows how they'd react. But I supposed you did throw in most of your chips during that fight, why not go all in.'
'Exactly my thoughts.' Natsu grinned as he started building curse power, using the fear that was thick in the air to boost his power. His demonic fire started to spread across the massive construct. It seemed to be working, the Gate wasn't able to absorb the curse's power. "Well in that case… I guess I could superheat it then blast it apart…"
'That's if it doesn't turn into a molten puddle first.'
'Either way works, as long as the thing is destroyed.' Natsu upped the power of his fire as the Eclipse Gate started to glow. Yellow likes spread out across it like a spider's web.
"Hey, Natsu. What's with that fire? Word is that no one can use magic near this thing?" Bacchus asked as he waltzed over, bottle in hand. "I can sense one hell of a story behind it."
"I'll keep the story short for now, I suppose you should go gather some other people too. No doubt they are curious too." Natsu glanced over at the martial artist mage. "Better to hear it from the source than be muddled by gossip."
"Alright." The man turned around and started walking over to a group of onlookers. "By the way, we should all have a drink after this blows over. Celebrate Fairy Tail's victory, and surviving all this crap tonight."
"The night isn't over, Bacchus. The worst may still be on its way."
"Come now. Natsu. Don't be like that!" Bacchus laughed as he threw his arms up. "We just saved the entire city of Crocus from a horde of Dragons, not to mention that Hottie sweet-talked a few dragons onto our side!"
"Alright, this should do it…" Natsu muttered as he took his hand off the near molten metal that was now laced with explosives. He turned to face the group of onlookers and hurried over. "Clear the area! I'm going to try and blow that thing to bits and I don't want anyone to be hit by flying molten metal!"
"I'll make a barrier!" Erza shouted as she rushed over to the pinkette's side. She used her telekinesis to rip the shields from the guards dotted around the grounds and used them to create a wall of protection that was just far enough away that the magic wasn't sucked into the Gate. "Everyone behind the shields!"
"You heard the lady! Move it, people!" Gray shouted as he and some of the other members of Fairy Tail herded the gathered group behind the shields. "Blow the Gate, Natsu!"
"Three… Two… One…" Natsu grinned and clicked his fingers for theatrics as he detonated the bomb curse. The blast ripped through the air and shook the ground, sending a few of the unprepared onlookers onto their asses. "Haha! I think I might have overdone it!"
"Natsu… The gate is still there." Erza informed the man quietly as she peered through a small gap in the shields. "It definitely took damage though. And it's still on fire."
"Oh For Fuck's Sake…" Natsu closed his eyes and listened for the beating of large dragon wings or anything that screams Dragon for that matter. Hearing nothing, he turned to Erza. "Dragons are gone, which means those little bastards are gone too. We can start cleaning up the city now. But I want to make sure this thing can't be repaired by anyone."
"Maybe we should see if it's broken enough to use magic near it?" Erza suggested, she remained calm while the man next to her was gritting his teeth in anger. "How I fly one of these shields over to it?"
"Good idea. If it doesn't pinch the magic from your telekinesis then I'll be able to shred the fucker with Durandal." Natsu gently clapped the injured and battle-worn woman on the shoulder as he started to grin. "Alright, go for it."
Erza sent all but one of the shields back to their respective Guards and pointed the remaining one towards the Gate. The redhead glanced at her demonic friend then back at the Gate as she sent the shield racing towards it. "Here goes nothing."
The mages watched on as the shield collided with the gate, giving off a shallow gong. The shield almost instantly fell to the ground and became coated in fire.
"Well shit." Gray muttered as he looked over at the Knight and the Ronin. "Looks like the drain is still active…"
"Nah, the fucker is definitely busted." Natsu chuckled as he pointed at the fire. "That was my fire's fault, it burnt away Erza's telekinesis. But, at least we know that it is safe to use magic around."
"You have a rather foul mouth, Natsu…"
"Yeah well…" Natsu turned around and faced the voice, staring directly into the green eyes of Hisui with a slight smile. "After the shit I've had to deal with, and the shit that has happened to me over the last seven years that I've been wandering the lands… I think I've earned the right to a foul mouth."
"I hesitate to ask… but what could have happened?" Hisui drew back slightly as she watched the man with a curious gaze.
"Try being captured by Tartaros, tortured for about eight months, then being killed, and then being revived as an Etherious, a demon, only to be tortured some more by some sadistic bitch of a demon. So in other words, I've been through hell and came back no longer human." Natsu idly waved his hand as he gazed about the crowd. He detached his sword's rune mount from his arm and grabbed a hold of the sheath with his left hand. "But I never forgot where my loyalty lied, with Fairy Tail. So here I am, helping my family get back what they lost, what was stolen from them."
"So, how you look right now has something to do with being a demon?" Kagura asked stoically as she walked forward to get a better view of the man.
"Yup, this essentially my Etherious Form, due to starting out with a human body, well… modified human body due to my Dragon Slaying magic, I won't drastically change in appearance. I can make some pretty hard-core claws though." The salmon-haired man held his arms out wide so everyone could get a good look at his activated form. "While I'm not one to hold a grudge for very long, I can't just turn my back on the torture. Granted, I did get something decent out of it, plus it turns out I got along with at least one of the demons there. She brought me food and patched me up after her friend had her way with me."
"Wait… 'had her way with me'…" Millianna repeated the phrase that was stuck in everyone's minds. "Just what kind of torture were you going through?"
"I think I'll leave that up to your imagination, it's more fun that way." Natsu chuckled as he turned and walked towards the flaming Eclipse Gate. It had started to buckle and sag under its own weight due to the heat softening it. The man started drawing his sword and channelled magic into it, causing it to become shrouded in red energy. "Now, let's bust down this Gate."
Durandal was brought to bear upon the large set of doors, the dragon blade slicing through the Eclipse Gate as if was papier-mâché. Natsu shifted his footing and turned the blade over, powering through the near-molten metal, each strike becoming faster and faster.
Soon, the Eclipse Gate was reduced to a pile of shredded metal. Natsu let out a sigh and turned to the Princess. "Yo, Hisui, I recommend having this hunk of junk melted down and turned into shields and Armour for your Personal Guards. Having gear that is resistant to magic would go a long way for protection." The man rummaged around in the pile and picked out a few of the largest pieces for himself, sending them away to his requip space before grabbing one about the size of a watermelon. "Anyone seen Gajeel anywhere? Got a snack for him."
"I'm right here!" The man shouted from a nearby pile of stone rubble. He was gathered in a group with all of the other slayers. Gajeel caught the lump of metal that was thrown to him by the pinkette. "Ow Fuck! It's still hot!"
"If you're going to be a little bitch about it then go talk to Frosty and get him to turn it into a fucking snow cone for you." Natsu shot back as he flipped the man the bird and walked through the gathered guilds, making his way to Arcadios like a man on a mission. "Hey, Big Guy. Any word from your guards?"
"Nothing on the horizon just yet. We'll let you know as soon as something pops up."
"Alright, keep your eyes peeled. I think we've had enough dragons for one night." Natsu replied as he clapped the man on the back and joined up with his guild.
"Damn Natsu!" Cana called out to the approaching man as she raised a bottle of ale to the sky. "That was one hell of a show you put on out there! We owe you for kickin' ass and saving ours!" The brunette reached into the crate next to her and took out a bottle of ale for him.
"Don't party too hard, we still need to be on high alert." Natsu reminded the Fairies as he took the offered bottle and cracked it open. "We don't want to be caught with our pants down."
"Hehe I never took you for an exhibitionist, Natsu." Cana giggled as she downed the entire contents of the bottle and grabbed another.
"SIR!" A guard shouted from the perimeter. "WE'VE GOT INCOMING!"
"I just cracked open a cold one…" Natsu muttered as he turned to the guard, watching on as Arcadios ran to the knight. "Eh, I'll just drink it on the way over." He placed Durandal on his back and took large sips of ale as he made his way to the disturbance.
"What is it?!" Arcadios yelled as he hurried to the guard.
"Just as that guy said." The guard pointed towards the horizon. "There is a large black monster coming this way from the east. Flying."
"Well, looks like I'll have to pay the bastard a visit." Natsu grumbled as he threw the bottle aside once he had drained it. "Fucker's due for a good flame grillin'."
"It's Acnologia… Isn't it?" Princess Hisui asked the pinkette as she rushed to Arcadios' side. "What you warned me about earlier?"
"Let us help!" Sting shouted as the Dragon Slayers formed up behind the demonic man. "With the power you gave us, we will be able to easily fight him."
"No, not Acnologia." Natsumi murmured as she rubbed her arm nervously. "Even with how far I've come, and with Natsu's power flowing through me… I don't think that even I would stand a chance."
"Salamander is right." Gajeel muttered through gritted teeth. "We'd only get in the way."
"Bullshit!" Sting yelled in defiance as he pointed to the demonic man's back. "What makes him so different?!"
Natsu took a deep breath, the fires all around Crocus started to bend to his will as he began consuming them. It tasted horrible, of death and burnt plastics and rubbers. It caused his stomach to roll and turn, but the man fought against his gag reflex.
"What makes him so different…?" Natsumi murmured quietly as she turned to the blonde dragon slayer. "You've never seen him at a hundred percent. He is a monster in terms of raw power, turned an entire city larger than Crocus into a crater of glass. With only one spell."
"Oh…"
"Wendy." Natsu said quietly once he had finished consuming all the fire. He kept the surge of power hidden as he turned to the little blue-haired girl. "Use, Ile Vernier, Ile Arms, and Ile Armor on me. Put the last of the magic I gave you into the enchantments, please." Natsu glanced over to Sting and Rogue. "Gajeel is right but for the wrong reasons. It's not that I don't want help, or that you'd get in my way. It's that I don't want you to be in danger of being too close to the fight. When I go all out, I can't control the atmospheric anomalies that are produced. It'll be like standing inside a volcano, something only Natsumi and I can do, while a storm is raging above. But not only that, the impacts from my spells could blow you apart. Like what happened with Motherglare."
"Hell, I'd be surprised if the Evac team didn't feel or hear all that commotion from up on their cliff face." Natsumi chuckled as she punched the man's arm. "Did you really have to go that far?"
"Err… I'll get back to you on that." The demonic man smiled meekly as he rubbed the back of his head. He sighed and turned back to the incoming threat. "How's this, you guys give the bastard a warm welcome for me. Give him everything you have left in your tanks, one big powerful roar. Just be aware that he can absorb it, so I'll help make it count."
Natsu held out his hand towards the Dragon of the Apocalypse as power surged behind him. The slayers were gathering every last ounce of their power in preparation for the opening attack. "Dea Yggdrasil: Bind!" Taking the lead, a large mass of vines shot from the silver sphere at the end of Natsu's outstretched arm. The curse raced towards Acnologia and bound his massive maws shut while also wrapping around his wings to prevent the dragon from moving out of the way. "FIRE!"
Seven different Dragon Slaying Roars raced past Natsu's head, blowing his hair about on their way to their target. The spells started to merge inflight and became an amalgamation of draconic power. Acnologia twisted and turned among the vines, trying to claw free his great mouth, but only succeeded in lowering his body and giving the Dragon Slayers a larger target.
Scales spread across Natsu's skin once again as the air around him started to shiver and sizzle. Watching on in anticipation as the beam of magic collided with Acnologia's chest, a roar of rage-filled agony filling the air as the vines around his mouth snapped. With a shower of stone and dirt, Natsu launched towards the dragon with speed unrivalled.
Power burst from the pinkette, flowing freely through the skies above Crocus. Setting a large swath of rubble ablaze as the air became stifling hot and met with the usually cool air of Fiore, creating a vicious thunderstorm that readily flashed and crackled with lightning. Fuelled on fire and fear, Natsu raised both fists high, ablaze with multi-coloured flames and crackling with raging lightning.
'Good. Let the hate flow through you.'
His fists collided with the Dragon's head like a sledgehammer hitting a nail, slamming the gigantic head to the ground. Acnologia rose up through the dust, rubble and dirt flowing from his body like water. "YOU!"
"Oh? So you finally have something to say to us?" Natsu grinned wickedly as floated down in front of the Dragon's head, his wings extended fully. "And here we thought you'd stay quiet."
"I thought It would be Her?!" Acnologia roared as he took a sudden swipe at Natsu, knocking him through a nearby tower. "It was you! You're E…"
The Dragon was cut off by a devastating uppercut as Natsu appeared below his head, slamming his jaws shut and launching the dragon into the sky. "Why don't you go back to being silent and just fight us. Or are the rumours true… Do you fear us?" The demon's grin grew wider, his bloodthirsty nature surfacing. "You will soon."
"You Cocky Son Of A Bitch!" Acnologia bellowed as he rapidly charged his massive breath attack. "DIE!"
The demon vanished once more before appearing below Acnologia's head and delivering another devastating uppercut to the dragon, forcing his head up and directing the roar away from the city. "SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!"
A giant fist sailed through the air and smashed into Natsu, sending him flying in the blink of an eye. He tumbled through the air as the world blurred around him, he righted himself and landed feet first against one of the exterior walls of Mercurius, high above the crowd of Knights and Mages as the air around them became unbearably hot and the ground started to bubble and crack underfoot.
The wall exploded as Natsu kicked off from it, showering large chunks of molten stone brick and mortar on the spectators below. He didn't give them a single thought though, his mind set on annihilating his foe. "ULTIMA RATIO: BALROG!"
Within a few heartbeats, Natsu was once more in the face of the dragon, delivering a haymaker from hell to the snout of the beast.
Acnologia dug his claws into the ground but he was still forced back a few city blocks. He shook away the daze and focused on the demon, noticing the demonic-looking gauntlets and boots that adorned him.
The Dragon slammed his fist into the ground, forcing a massive pillar of magic to shoot up from under the pinkette. Confident that he had struck the demon but Acnologia knew that it was far from over.
A swirling mass of fire burst from the side of the pillar and raced towards Acnologia. The behemoth's first thought was to just consume it but his instincts told him to get out of the way. Diving aside, the Dragon almost completely avoided the attack, almost… His left wing was caught in the demonic inferno, pain coursed through his body as he yanked the appendage from the fire, only to find that it had been completely incinerated.
"Shocked? Afraid?" The voice came from Acnologia's back, causing his large head to whip around. Natsu touched down on the black and blue scales of the beast. He had developed a vicious, sadistic expression as he grinned at the Dragon. "That's our Demonic Fire, still have to come up with a good name for it, but it burns literally everything. And right now it's very fucking powerful, demons thrive on negative emotions after all."
"YOU BASTARD, I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT!"
"Good, good. Get angry… It Only Makes US STRONGER!" Natsu shouted as he wrapped his arms around the base of Acnologia's remaining wing.
'Break him.'
Natsu roared as he started to pull on the wing, putting more and more force into it as Acnologia thrashed around beneath him, trying to get the demon off of his back. "DO YOU FEEL THAT?!"
Acnologia turned and charged into a pile of rubble, dragging his back through the debris, desperately trying to rid himself of the demon that was tearing him apart. "GET OFF ME!"
"ULTIMA RATIO: ATHENA'S CANNON!" Natsu bellowed as he directed one of his hands at the base of the Dragon's wing. Multiple magic and curse circles spun around his arm, slamming into the back of his hand as a swirling vortex of plasma started to form in the palm of his hand.
The beam of plasma shot from Natsu's hand and collided with the stout base of the wing. The demon knew the attack wouldn't pierce right through instantly, so he kept the beam going as long as he could, slowly burning his way through the scales, flesh, and bone of the dragon.
Thirty seconds felt like an eternity for Acnologia as no matter what he did, he couldn't stop the demon on his back from severing his wing from his body. A roar of pain echoed around Crocus as the grounds thundered with the raw power of the two monsters. Lightning tearing across the black sky menacingly.
"Turn to ashes." Natsu muttered as he threw the wing aside, discarding it like an unwanted toy as it became consumed in demonic fire. He listened to the Dragon's haggard breathing as he walked along its body and jumped from its head onto the ground. "We're not done yet."
"YOU INSOLENT WORM!" Acnologia bellowed as he staggered to his feet, fighting through the pain as his anger swelled, wanting to crush the insect before him.
'Feed on his hate, his anger.'
"Hey Acnologia!" Natsu shouted as he launched up and flipped through the air, slamming his foot down on the Dragon's nose in a bicycle kick, smashing his head back to the ground. The demon pinned the head down with a foot firmly planted on his snout, as a large Hecate spear formed in his hand. "We heard that nose piercings are all the rage nowadays, how 'bout we give you one?!"
Acnologia roared in pain as Natsu drove the tri-bladed Corseque through his snout and out the bottom of his jaw. "BASTARD!"
The Demon leapt back as Acnologia swiped at him. The dragon's claws slicing into the man's chest but only managing to part the skin, leaving the muscle and bone underneath intact. "Motherfucker! That one stings a little!" Fire danced across his chest, first red then green, sealing the four cuts then rejuvenating the flesh. He'd need to go to Wendy afterwards to get it healed properly. "Ok, if that's how you want to play it. We suppose we could kick it up a notch!"
Natsu's sadistic aura only grew larger as he drew Durandal from its sheath on his back. The jet black blade became instantly enveloped with malevolent red energy. He forced the spear to dissipate instead of explode as he held the sword in line with his eyes and sank into a low stance, watching as his quarry rose to his hands and feet.
"ETERNAL FLARE!" Acnologia thundered as thousands of stars pierced the heavens and rained down upon the Demonic Dragon Slayer. But the Demon had already vanished by the time the first had made its impact.
A sharp pain race through his tail, the dragon turning on horror as his tail spun through the air being consumed by demonic fire and leaving him with a bloody stump as the Demon stood behind him, flicking the blood from his blade.
'Make him suffer.'
Natsu spun around and dashed back along the underside of the dragon. Durandal flew through the air without contacting the Dragon's limb, yet red lines spread across Acnologia's arms and legs. Every line split open in a single moment, leaving a thousand shallow cuts on the limbs.
The pinkette launched into the air once more, spinning on his side like a top as he flew along the back of the behemoth, creating a crimson spider's web across the massive back.
Acnologia pushed through the pain of untold amounts of shallow cuts. He turned around as he charged a roar, quickly firing it off at the pinkette before he could get any further away.
Durandal's sheath separated from Natsu's back and the demon caught it in his left hand. He slid the blade back into the sheath as he turned to the incoming attack. His world started to turn a blue-tinted white as the beam of magic filled his vision.
It was a point-blank wide-angle attack designed to hit him no matter what he did. Natsu wouldn't be able to dodge even if he had wanted to. But the demon just grinned, his drew Durandal in an instant and sliced through the spell, breaking it in two and forcing the halves to shoot past him as a red crescent sailed through the roar.
'More.'
Blood seeped from the numerous small cuts across Acnologia, only made worse when Natsu dashed along his right side, creating even more cuts. The dragon bellowed and tried to stomp the demon, but due to the large size, he couldn't land a decent hit. He feared what would happen if he transformed to his human form in his current state, an arm wouldn't have mattered but he had lost more than an arm at this point.
"What's Wrong? You've Slowed Down!" Natsu shouted as he stood in front of the dragon, Durandal resting across his shoulders. "Could It Be That All The Pain Is Finally Getting To You?!"
Acnologia roared as pure rage surged through his body. He pulled back an arm and launched an earth-shattering punch at the demon, only for his arm to come away from his body in three pieces, getting sliced apart at the wrist, elbow, and shoulder, and being set alight with demonic fire. "YOU BASTARD, I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!"
Fire rushed across the Dragon's body, sealing all the wounds shut. Ensuring that Acnologia wouldn't die from blood loss. Natsu remained standing before the dragon, his sadistic grin ever-present.
"POWER OF THE END!" Acnologia thrust his remaining arm forward as he shot a beam of magic from his palm.
'Kill him. Leave nothing left.'
"Hehehehahahahaha!" Natsu appeared next to Acnologia's left eye, viciously grinning from ear to ear while tapping the sword across his own shoulders. Acnologia's remaining aim was shredded, turned into mincemeat in an instant. "Is This All You Have? The Mighty Acnologia, Dragon Of The Apocolypse? How Disappointing."
"YOU VERMIN!"
"Spare Me The Rhetoric. Just Roll Over and DIE!" The Demon kicked the Dragon high into the sky and slipped Durandal back into its sheath. He placed it on his back and took after the Dragon. Natsu quickly caught up to Acnologia and surged through the clouds, lightning coursing around them as the pinkette started to radiate intense heat and power.
'Do it.'
"ULTIMA RATIO: FINAL JUDGEMENT!"
0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0
At the base of Mercurius, everyone was shocked at what they were seeing. Someone had managed to commandeer one of the cameras used in the Grand Magic Games and was playing the fight on a large holographic screen. While they were able to get a clear view of the battle, they couldn't get any sound as the raw power from the two monsters was causing interference.
Natsu and Acnologia disappeared into the thunderstorm, causing the spectators to rip their eyes from the screen and gaze up at the clouds.
A flash of light illuminated the dark clouds. Followed by a rapidly expanding mass of intense heat and fire that evaporated the clouds. A wave of blinding light spread out in an ominous halo around the great ball of fire as a shockwave started to tear up the ground.
Clouds were pushed aside, revealing blue sky as the blast folded in on itself and rolled up through the atmosphere.
The unprepared onlookers fell from their feet due to the powerful shockwave shaking the ground under them. An intense heat washed over them and it began to feel like they were being cooked alive.
Slowly, the light began to fade. Revealing a large mushroom-shaped cloud that reached high into the heavens above. The ground immediately below the mushroom cloud was scorched and had turned to glass in some spots.
An object fell from the epicentre of the blast, shooting across the sky like a falling star. It was racing towards the gathered mages and knights, plummeting in a ball of fire.
The fire dissipated in a burst of embers and a wingless Natsu came into view, sailing head-first through the air.
"Shit!" Lucy shouted as her hand dove into her key pouch. "Aries, I need you right now!"
"Lady Lucy?" A golden flash appeared next to the blonde as Aries popped over from the spirit world. "How may I help?"
"I need you to cushion Natsu's fall!" Lucy beckoned urgently towards the sky, pointing out the seemingly unconscious man.
"I'm sorry, Lady Lucy. But at the rate he is falling, I won't be able to safely catch him from the ground. Sorry…"
"Are you comfortable with being thrown?" Natsumi asked tiredly. She and the other slayers had put everything into the attack and were all worn out. "If we can get you close to him, you can create a bunch of wool and slow him down that way."
The spirit shrunk back in shock but nodded quickly. "If it's needed, I'll be happy to do it."
"Yo Elfman!" Natsumi shouted as she spun around to the Strauss Siblings. "We need your big arms over here!"
Elfman hurried over to the trio, sparing a glance up at the falling mage every so often. "You girls got a plan?"
"Throw Aries up at Natsu!" Both Lucy and Natsumi shouted up at the mountain of a man. "Quickly!"
Elfman picked up the ram spirit in one hand and cocked his arm back. He brought forth his other arm and aimed it at the falling mage like he was about to hurl a shotput. "Here we go!"
Aries squealed as she was launched through the air. Her hair whipping around as she rapidly closed on the plummeting man. She wrapped her arms around the man's head as their bodies collided, her soft chest cushioning the man's head as she cradled him in her arms.
Fluffy pink wool exploded from the woman and slowed their descent drastically into safe margins. The ball of wool completely encased and protected them as Natsu and Aries came crashing down in the courtyard. "I got him!"
"Is he okay?" Natsumi asked hurriedly as she tore through the pink wool, revealing Natsu, out cold and using the blushing Aries' breasts as pillows while the female spirit had her arms and legs tightly wrapped around him.
The pink-cheeked spirit gazed up at the Dragon Princess, she stuttered as words failed to form on her lips. "T-t-this i-i-isn't what it… he, he's very warm. He's breathing… and it's so warm… his body feels very hard and tense."
"Hold onto him, Aries." Natsumi ordered as she quickly gazed around. "Wendy, we need your help!"
The little blunette hurried over to the fallen mage with her new friend in tow, Shelia, who wanted to lend a hand with her Sky God Slayer magic. "I'll do my best, but after that attack I'm a bit low on magic, so I brought Shelia to help heal him."
"I'll take the front." Shelia said as she rolled the man onto his side, using the spirit as a makeshift bed for him while she got to work on the four cauterised slashes on his torso. "I won't be able stop the scars from forming, maybe if I took care of them right away…"
"Oh gods…" Wendy murmured in shock as her magic trickled into the man. "How is he still walking?"
"What do you mean?" Natsumi asked quietly, hearing the little girl clearly. "How bad is he?"
"The hits that he took from both the magical and physical attacks, they have caused a fair bit of internal damage, broken ribs, bruised organs, probably worse still." Wendy looked up at pinkette. "I think we should contact them. She can take care of him better than Shelia and me."
"Alright. Erza!" Natsumi turned to the redhead, taking charge of the situation once more. "I need you to use your Telekinesis to move him to someplace private. Princess Hisui, can you show them to such a place?"
"We'll take him to my quarters." Hisui quickly replied, tearing her eyes from the mushroom cloud that hung over the city.
"Master." Erza lowered her voice as she addressed the old man. "Should bring her into the loop?"
"I'll leave that up to your discretion, Erza. If you see fit to tell her, then so be it. You have the device, correct?"
"Yes, Master. I brought it along with us in case we needed it. It is currently stored in my requip space." The Knight raised her hand and used her magic to carefully raise Natsu up from the spirit's grasp and float him to the castle. She made sure to keep him perfectly still so she didn't cause any further harm. "Lead the way, you're Highness."
Hisui turned to Arcadios as the man started to follow the Princess and the two Fairies into the castle. "Please stay here, you are needed here so things remain under control. I'll be fine."
"As you command, Princess Hisui." Arcadios saluted and returned to his post.
Hisui led the way through the castle, moving up through the floors as she guided the Knight and the injured Dragon Slayer. "What was that young girl talking about? Contact who?"
"Please refrain from asking questions until we reach your quarters, please." Erza replied, she had developed a stoic demeanour which hid her nervousness well. She wasn't sure how the other Fairy Tail would react, would they be angrier at him for being so reckless or with them for not providing adequate help… "Rest assured that your questions will be answered. Are your quarters soundproofed?"
"Yes, I have runes in place that I can activate and stop all outgoing sounds."
"Wonderful." The redhead glanced at the Princess then looked around to see if they were being followed. "How much further?"
"Just around the corner." Hisui pointed ahead of them. After a few moments of silence, she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused your guild."
"We're used to it. But usually we caused it to begin with." Erza replied as she gave the woman a small smile. "Please do not worry about it too much."
"A-are you sure? I can't just ignore the foul things I have brought upon your guild, the wrongdoings that led to the destruction of Crocus…"
"You made all the correct decisions with the information you were given. It just so happens that you were being misled."
The Princess looked out the window at the destroyed city, her emotions running riot but she did her best to keep them caged. "In here, these are my quarters." Hisui opened a set of doors and let the Fairies in first. She closed the doors and turned the soundproofing on as Natsu was carefully placed upon her bed. "Alright, the room is locked down tight."
"Good." Erza moved over to the bedside table as light flashed between her hands. A device with ornately carved wooden panels appeared in her hands, it was the size of a shoebox and had a glass panel on top. "What happens in this room stays in this room."
"You have my word." Hisui said as she sat on a chair in the corner, preparing some tea for herself.
The redhead typed away on the glass screen in silence, the only sound in the room coming from the clinking of silver and porcelain coming from Hisui. After a few moments of waiting, a holographic window appeared above the device.
"Erza? What can I do for you?" Mira asked curiously. She had her hair tied up and was smoothing out the wrinkles in her silver sweater dress. "Hmm, the dragons would have attacked by now, right?"
"Yes, we just defeated them… but Natsu took a fair bit of damage." Erza glanced down at the bed next to her. "Is Wendy there?"
"No, Team Natsu is out on a mission. Though I have heard from Erza who said they've completed the job." Mira immediately grabbed her mobile and shot a message off to Wendy to see where she was. "How bad does it look?"
"Four slices across his chest and stomach, he sealed them shut himself by the look of it. Our Wendy said that he has suffered a lot of internal injuries too."
"What the hell happened?!" Mira almost shouted in shock as her eyes shot wide open. "I know dragons are dangerous but oh kami…"
"I think over forty dragons passed through our Eclipse Gate. To top it all off, the chaos had attracted Acnologia." Erza explained quietly. She gestured to the bed next to her. "Natsu took him on all alone."
"That insane bastard!" Mira grumbled as she slammed her fist onto the bar, splintering the wood. "Wendy and the others are currently at an Inn, I'll come to you then open a portal for them."
"Don't worry…" A voice groaned weakly from next to Erza. The redhead snapped around and saw Natsu struggle to his feet. He covered his mouth with a hand as he coughed into it, pulling it away to once again find blood. "I'll have her come to me. But you're still welcome to come."
The man wiped the blood on his tattered pants as he requiped his PIT and tapped away on it, sending a message to Wendy and getting a serious case of Déjà vu. "I just ask that you don't spread word of my condition… I wouldn't want an influx of worried messages from my worried family."
Before he had even finished the sentence, a portal had opened up in the room and didn't even have the chance to stabilise before an adult Wendy burst through it. "Where is he?!"
"I'm right here, Little One." Natsu murmured softly as he rose to his feet. "Got myself in a pickle again."
"What the hell happened?" The blunette yelled angrily as she carefully forced the man to sit back down on the bed and got started on healing him. "You're even worse than when you picked a fight with Bacchus!"
"Yeah, well… I picked a fight with Acnologia this time." Natsu chuckled weakly as he scratched the back of his head.
"You did what…?" Erza said, but it wasn't the one by the bedside table. The more mature redhead from Natsu's home had walked through the portal, dressed in her Ataraxia Armour. "Did I hear that correctly?"
"Yes, Erza. You did." Wendy shot at her teammate, shooting an angry glance at her. "This idiot is basically running on empty from what I can tell."
A second portal opened and out stepped Mira, she had silver thigh-high boots that matched her sweater dress. "Seriously, and here I thought you couldn't be more reckless…"
"Mira, it was either I kill Acnologia then and there, or he decimates Crocus and slaughters everyone here." Natsu argued back feebly, he pointed out the window at the mushroom cloud. "That is all that remains of him. I vaporized him."
"Oh kami…" Mira mumbled as she walked to the window and gazed out at the ruined city. "This was a sight I did my best to forget… What the hell did you use?"
"Final Judgement, same as what I did in Berephus. Except this was high up in the air, and one of my Ultima Ratio class of spells, I had everything activated and poured it all into that spell." Natsu was starting to feel better thanks to Wendy. He was finally beginning to be able to freely breathe.
"Can I… um… ask some questions?" Hisui asked quietly as she looked around the room, unable to hide her shock. "Who are you all?"
"We are exactly who we look like." The older Erza replied as she brought the younger Knight to her side. "We are the same person, but from a different reality. It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Hisui."
"So um… What should I call you?"
"Just call me Scarlet for now." The older redhead replied as she bowed to the Monarch. "Do you have any other questions?"
"Natsu, who are you?" Hisui asked slowly as she took a sip of her tea. "From what I am seeing, you are from a different… reality, was it?"
"I'm a different version of Natsumi. I've been here for the last three months, training some of the members of Fairy Tail here. We are years ahead, which I how I knew of the events that would occur tonight but I couldn't do anything about them because I knew you wouldn't believe me and that Rogue from the future had your ear."
"Hey, something's going on…" Mira announced over her shoulder. She pointed out at the city as it began to glow. Slowly repairing itself as the sun started to peek over the horizon.
"Ah, Ultear. I saved her life during the fight, I'm guessing she is helping with repairs." Natsu said quietly as smile started to grow on his lips. "Hopefully the others are helping too." He laid down on the bed and gazed at the white-haired woman, silently admiring her.
"So you knew what was happening with the Games?"
"Yes and no." Natsu tore his eyes off of the woman and looked at the Princess. "Here is the thing, no matter what, there will be Constants and Variables. Constants will always occur unless influenced by a strong Variable. A variable is something that can change from iteration to iteration. There was a high chance that the events could have been different, the matchings could have been different. I knew Fairy Tail would win because that was the trigger for tonight's events."
"So you're saying that your influence would have made no difference to the outcome of the Games?"
"Yes, like I said. The win causes you to believe Rogue's story, and open the gate. Now, this is where the variables happen. When we went through it, we only had seven dragons, none of which we were able to kill. We only stopped calamity when I smashed the Gate by ramming Motherglare into it."
"And we have forty or more dragons come through the Gate…" Hisui's eyes widened in shock as the news made her come to terms with the horror that she had inflicted on her Kingdom. "Oh kami… please forgive me."
"Don't worry about it too much, Hisui." Natsu coughed and wiped the blood from his lips as he felt a rib shift in his chest. "The crisis has been taken care of. We defeated the dragons."
"Can you please not cough. You're making my job hard enough as it is." Wendy demanded as she lightly hit the man's arm. "Princess Hisui, we are happy enough to answer your questions, but please don't address Natsu until I am done healing him. This is a delicate task, I have to ensure is organs are properly healed otherwise it could lead to complications, I can't do that while he is talking which will promote him to cough and cause more damage."
"I'm sorry…" The woman mumbled in shock at the fierce blunette. She fell silent as she started to mull over the situation, what to ask, and what she needs to do for her Kingdom. "Okay, I've got some more questions…"
Another long one, I wanted the climax to be one full chapter which contained the rescue and the fight. I want to apologise quickly if there has been a drop in quality with my writing, I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things. But, in any case, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. I accidentally fried my brain while writing it due to listening to Doom Eternal's OST while doing the action scenes, especially the dragon invasion, but it was so damn fun to write, I really enjoyed it. Please follow/favourite to keep up to date with the story, and if you want to then please leave a review, a few kind words or constructive criticism is welcome as the motivate me and help refine my writing. You can even let me know if you have any ideas for future things. Right now I have Brandish and Dimaria on the cards for an appearance soon, maybe even a Christmas party since it'd be about that time when Natsu returns home. Again, I hope you have enjoyed and I'll see you in the next chapter.
