One's Road to Remembrance

by Insane Dominator

For 4 years, a lone guy has been suffering from memory-loss, and can only remember his name: Craig Crius. The 4 years have been very unfriendly, and in turn has become rather desolate. With the help of Cana Alberona and from Fairy Tail, Craig will endure horrific hardships, take on dangerous tasks, and unleash power he never knew he had in order to understand who he was. OCxCana.

35. Rise of the Dragon

The rubble fell everywhere dust scattering and splattering everything amongst…well, everything. As everything was white, all that rang in Craig's ears was the sound of ringing itself. The beam that shot into the sky began to diminish, but the roaring reverberated like a jet, palpitating the ground like it was an earthquake. It lasted for several minutes before dust cleared and the shaking stop.

Craig groaned as he ascertained a few good scrapes, but also laid his back upon a pile of rocks. He opened his eyes groggily, seeing gray sky. "Where am I…?" He mumbled.

"What hit us just now…gngh!" Cana felt a sharp pain in her head. "I think I got a concussion."

"I got three of them at once. Shut up." Craig retorted with eyes half-open. It took not even a second later to realize that the sound came from atop of him. He realized that his chest and abdomen was heavy for some reason, while the hundreds of scars he's ascertained also stung. His eyes opened back up once the voice clicked into his head. He slowly looked up to his chest, seeing Cana there, groaning as she was covered in dirt and sprawled upon him from that blast wave.

"Brownie?!" Craig shouted, his tone a mix I shock and utter disgust. Instinctively, he did what fitted him the best. He shoved her off. "Get off me ya trash heap!"

Cana landed on her butt, sitting up as Craig bolted to his feet. "Ow!"

Craig began to wipe and brush the dirt off his pants and shirt, looking as angry as the day he met her. "Freakin freeloader. Now I'm all covered in your germs." He testified.

"Trash heap?" Cana grew a tick mark. "Wait…freeloader?!" In offense to Craig, she bolted back to her feet. "The hell is it with you thinking I'm the sick one?!"

"You're diseased and you smell! Put those two together and you're asking for trouble!"

"Oh excu~se me for having better hygiene than a barbarian who leaves flesh hanging from his lips after fishing!"

"At least I don't go touching you when I'm busy having my hands full!"

"I fell onto you, idiot!"

"Well go fall somewhere else!"

"How's about I fall on you again!"

"Just try it! Take another inch and I might get contaminated by your smelly bacteria!"

"I'm violated from having you touching me!"

"You're forgetting who fell on who! Were you trying to use me as a cushion?!"

"Yeah, and I'll do it a hundred times over!"

"Fine, I'll use those you as a pillow the next time I wanna fall on something!"

"I'm already a pillow for you when you sleep like a baby, Cranky!"

"Quit being a crap-ass why don't ya, Brownie!"

Elsewhere, a massive slab of rock was removed promptly from underneath, revealing Ace using one hand and tossing the slab over, making it break into pieces. Looking around, he saw the damage and the debris field all around the center of Tahunga. He began to inspect the vicinity with his bloodshot eyes, ignoring the red seeping from the one side of his lip. "Is everyone alright?" He called out.

Elfman coughed as he moved away from another debris pile. "Yeah *cough* we're good." He coughed again as Evergreen followed behind.

"Next time *cough* warn me, you oaf." The Fairy Mage retorted.

Gray, shirtless as ever, emerged from a rock pile. "Man, what just hit us?"

"Uuuugh…" Natsu groaned as he and Erza managed to get to their knees. "Man, my head…"

Erza looked over, seeing Natsu there by her side. "Natsu. Are you alright?" She asked in concern.

Natsu began to get up, supporting himself and her. "Y-yeah, I think I'm good." He struggled to stand, but eventually he and the redhead got to their feet. He looked around, the atmosphere and the country alike in a pile of rubble. The look on his face got serious all of a sudden, as that beam from before didn't seem to waver.

"That pressure just now…"

Erza grew weary. "Yes. I fear whatever they were after, they may have gotten to it."

Gajeel jumped off a debris pile, looking around until he spotted the massive tear in the dead center of Tahunga. His eyes widened upon witnessing the size of the hole. His Dragon Slayer hearing could pick up the faint sounds of growling, a blood-curdling kind that made his ironclad bones quake. He looked around again, seeing the Exceeds come around with the group. 'That pressure just now. Something happened, and I can guess that's what we were hit with just now. This smell and this hearing, can it…can it be really…?'

Ace's head craned down, his eyes widening. "Everyone, look alive!"

A massive draft exerted from the hole, sending high-powered winds like a raging tempest in all directions. Once again, everyone was forced to cover up and take action as it was like facing a hurricane. The raging winds flooded everyone, but luckily with the support of either sturdy bodies of heavy support, they all held their ground.

"What-what is this?!" Evergreen screamed through the howling winds.

Craig peeked through his arms, leering at the hole. As the land began to shudder once again, he saw something of unbelievable portions erupt. His eyes widened, his sea-blue eyes fixated it disbelief.

"What…the hell…?"

Natsu and Gajeel stared at the emerging hole, the true cause of the shockwaves coming to resurface. They had no words to describe what they were seeing. No one did. Erza and Cana had absolute zero words to describe the massive beast as its huge head and long, thick neck went straight up. They could only gape and shudder at the destructive weapon that emerged.

The claws briefly gripped the ground at the edge of the hole, causing another massive shudder. The beast had two solid yellow eyes and a thick, bulking snout with a black horn at the nose. Its whole neck was long and thick with a cream underside that included the lower jaw. The massive fangs overlapped the lower jaw some from the upper one. The four-legged best had black spikes going all across its back and towards the very long bludgeon-like tail end. All of its scaled on the limbs, back, and head were all brown, as to where the underside was a cream color. Its wings were massive and brown with a cream membrane, expanding as its upper body reached the surface to make it look three times as wide.

As it ascended, the dragon ground continued to shake, sending winds without having to flap its wings.

"This can't be real, can it?" Natsu muttered. He looked up as the flying dragon ascended higher ito the sky.

"My god…" Elman said. "It's huge."

Lily went wide-eyed. "That thing is more than huge."

"That's a titan." Ace interrogated. By all means, titan was an understatement. It wasn't a colossus, for that's not even scratching the surface. The rock formations around the entire country reached heights equal to perhaps 1,500m above sea level. And this beast was perhaps 2,000m. Igneel, Metalicana, and Grandeeney combined couldn't reach its full height. In short, it was a mountain itself.

The dragon ascended higher towards the sky, very slowly actually. Despite the little momentum it had, it was gaining fairly strong altitude, and its revival shuddered the land, even in flight. Using its horn at the base of its nose, two figures were seen holding on for dear life, at the same time smirking.

It was Xixen and Gengo, both grinning.

'Wait…' Ace's worn-out eye narrowed. 'Those two must be…'

As the 2,000m dragon ascended, the winds it picked up continued to burst from the hole it made from the ground. As the updraft violently exerted towards the surface, a lone body was seen struggling inside the upscale tempest. Craig and Cana uncovered to see the body beginning to fall and come into their line of sight. Their eyes widened when they saw it was a wailing Andrea, screaming helplessly as she was falling to her demise.

Erza was the most perplexed. "Andrea?!"

The swordswoman screamed out as she continued the plummet, unable to find her momentum. Thankfully, Happy was able to stand, initiating his Aera Magic.

"I-I got this!" He shouted through the raging winds.

"Happy, no! It's too dangerous!" Lily protested. However, Happy flapped and zoomed through the winds anyway. He took off without even a single blink back at his other Exceed pal. "Happy! Wait!"

Andrea continued to fall in the waning tempest, unable to find any means of balance. Happy had paws stretched forward, wings tucked in as he was using his Max Speed to zip through the roaring winds. He was having a struggle as only one eye was open, and dozens of raging winds pounding his face, but he pressed on, hurrying towards her until she got within reach of her. With what he had in him, Happy blitzed through the air, catching the wailing swordswoman.

"I gotcha!" He declared. "Hang on!"

Andrea opened one eye, seeing her savior being the blue cat. "You're…"

Happy came to an abrupt landing upon the ground. His wings disappeared, and he and Andrea were only ten feet off the ground before the dying wings at last caught them, making them falter and yelp as they crashed to the ground; Happy atop of Andrea. Both swordswoman and feline groaned in pain and disoriented feeling, their worlds troubled.

"Happy!" Natsu shouted.

Everyone managed to find the other, gathering around where Happy fell, and where Andrea was trying to get to her knees. Craig and Cana gathered with the remainder of the group, looking shocked with Andrea being present to begin with.

"Andrea, are you able to withdraw?" Ace asked.

Andrea coughed, her head still light after that sudden tempest literally knocking the wind out of her. Her vision was hazy, but as she was on hands and knees, she noticed the whole team gathered.

"What happened? You look like you got hit by a train." Gray said.

Natsu paled upon hearing that word. "Uh…what he said." He added.

Andrea shut her eyes, her fingers gripping the ground. "I…I…" Her teeth gritted, her frustration on the rise. She screwed up bad. First, she berated the team because she was being selfish, and she full-heartedly denied that; secondly, she had no idea what she was doing. What did come over her? Why did this happen to her? Was she doing even fair? Her eyes began to mist, the guilt finally making her succumb to her sadness.

"This is all my fault. I'm weak." She admitted.

Craig stared at her, mourning briefly for her own fault. He looked back up to the sky, seeing the behemoth rise like a mountain. "…well it can't be help now." He walked a few paces towards the creature, staring up at it as the rattling of the earth finally ceased. "We got bigger worries than your own pity. Right now, we have something to take care of. For now, just pull yourself together."

Andrea looked back at him. "You…"

"Don't give me your crap. I know what you're thinking, and s hard as it may sound, it isn't easy to break yourself out of a depression or self-pity." He looked back at her, a sense of seriousness in his eyes. It startled her, and the so-called Brownie. "But someone's gotta do it, otherwise you'll never get anything done. So rather have me preach like a schoolteacher in a time of bullcrap, get that ass up and do something about it."

Andrea was shocked to say the least. She really didn't deem herself as a failure, not until now at least. It amazed her, to a degree, as to how someone who was a ruthless and savage as Craig to just yank her off her heels. While could do so literally, he'd rather had her pick herself up. After all, she had two legs, and she could use them. She doesn't need to be dragged around with lessons in her ears as long as she learns from them. The pity in her heart began to soften, and she finally found the strength to stand.

She stood amongst her peers, ready with the resolute fire in her eye that returned. "You're right. Being sorry won't solve anything." She looked at the rising dragon, her fist clutched. "I'm ready to do what it takes."

Cana crossed her arms. "Wow, Cranky, didn't peg you to be a motivational speaker."

He turned towards her, unsatisfied. "I'm not, dimwit. It's just that I don't wanna deal with full-grown babies that cry for mommies in a time like this." He retorted.

Ace looked up at the insidious titan-like dragon high within the altitude. He could barely make out the figure itself with his eyes all sore and his complexion paling to a weak degree. Despite his health and his urge to lie down, the swordsman glared up at the beast, knowing for a fact Xixen and Gengo were riding it.

"Attention, may I have all of your attention, please." A voice rang from all over Tahunga. It sounded similar to a speaker system, yet there wasn't any sound resonating from the destroyed machanisms across the country.

Cana's eyes narrowed. "You hear that?"

"Yeah, I hear it alright." Craig answered.

Natsu's fists clutched. "It's them."

Ace and the gang said nothing as they listened to what was being said. They knew it was by some form of lacrima, which was confirmed as high in the sky, Xixen stood upright in the high altitudes with a hand holding a lacrima. He grinned as he gave out a message to all that were hundreds of feet below him.

"This is a message from the Dragon Emperor Society. I'm sure many of you are wondering what is happening, or rather why this is occurring. I will be obliged to answer all of your worries." The message paused, allowing the small level of suspense to gain momentum. "I am Xixen, head and founder of the Dragon Emperor Society. If you have not been aware, my cult has been extracting Dragon Lacrima wherever there was a plentiful source of it. We have found the sufficient amount to fully give life and command to a dragon. As we speak, my men are wreaking havoc amongst this country. Less not you worry, for your time of peril and screams will be short. I hereby proclaim the end of Tahunga. I will all be exterminated, and now face retribution for leaving unjustified history be!"

The massive dragon opened its mouth high in the sky, unleashing a devastating roar. Its bellowing screech made blood thin within every ant-sized body beneath. The 25-story vicinities that equaled the size of one of its fingers shuddered in horror. Some parts crumbled, falling towards the earth and devastating streets paved with Latin-themed material. Panic and mayhem reigned as the citizens all around Tahunga were afraid of the chaos Xixen had just unleashed.

Gajeel adjusted his footing. "We gotta bring that thing down, before this place gets blown to bits!" He yelled.

Elfman's eyes widened. "I forgot, dragons have breath attacks." He gasped.

"GAH! I don't wanna die! There's so many fishies I haven't tried yet!" Happy shrieked.

Craig's sharp teeth were bare for all too see. He narrowed his eyes, neck craned and slightly hunched over. He looked up at the dragon, opening his mouth to let loose his own bellowing roar, one that was as insidious as his mannerism. Hid blood-curdling roar made his throat vibrate and pressed his footing back, ready to charge.

"Let's find a way to get up there and bring it down!" Natsu declared.

Cana flashed a couple tarot cards. "There's a lot of ground to cover, so we better get moving."

"Indeed." Ace deduced. He reached once again for his sword, Katsyu, and had his hat cover his eyesight. "Craig Crius, accompany me this one time! Everyone else, fan out and secure a district!" He yelled.

"Right!" Everyone diverged then and there. Craig and Ace headed in a single direction, as to where Cana and the rest began to diverge and cover ground where other elites and goons might be springing up. As they diverged, Craig looked back at Cana as she ran, giving a snort and craning his head before turning away, running in a fashion comparable to a dinosaur. His steps were harsh and loud. Cana could only watch as Cranky ventured of, a small scowl on her face as they diverged.

The strategy was divide and conquer, cliché, but at this point, the most liable option.

Xixen and Gengo watched from atop of the dragon, observing the smoke and dust rising in various parts of the country below. Winds blew from above, but they dared not deter them from their goal.

"Xixen, what do you propose we do about Ace?" His loyal elite asked, down on a knee and bowing before him.

Xixen grinned calmly as he observed the carnage down beneath. "…let him try. Everyone knows dragon scales cannot be shattered." His eyes squinted. "We'll see."

---

Natsu opened his mouth, unleashing a Fire Dragon's Roar that streamed through the atmosphere. The dozens of Dragon Emperor Society members in front were engulfed in the flames, decimated beyond recognition. Following him, Erza was in her Black Wing Armor, slashing repeatedly with flawless execution. One by one, the thugs of the society, so fast that it was like knocking down dominoes.

Natsu slid along the ground as one carried and axe overhead. He brought his arm around and attacked,

"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!"

His elbow cloaked in flames struck the guy's abdomen, making him sore backwards in agonizing pain, sliding to an unconscious form.

"Moon Flash!"

Elsewhere, Erza slashed her sword in a cross formation, making thugs tumble over with severe cuts. Both met up after their attacks finished, seeing the damage they've dealt and how they were still so far away from the dragon flying over their heads.

Natsu looked up, a frown over his face. "How do we get up there? If it was Happy, that'd be easy…and Lily too, I guess."

"There's no time to waste for constant trips. We need to figure out a way to subdue that dragon, and take it down with your Dragon Slayer Magic." Erza insisted.

Natsu's eyes widened. "My…"

Erza smiled at his, albeit warmly. "That is what it's for, right?"

Her innocent and encouraging inquiry left a fire burning inside Natsu's belly. When he looked at Erza, he always had this warm and fuzzy feeling bubbling. It was hard to explain, especially for the likes of him, but he always felt it around Erza especially. In a way, he liked it. He could always feel himself get stronger just by her smile. He was hesitant to think about these feeling, and still is, but it really didn't matter so long as they helped him to fight.

He smiled back, raising a fist cloaked in dragon fire. "Yeah, you bet. I'm gonna fry that overgrown lizard into a nice, tasty barbeque!"

"Are you so sure about that?" Another voice called out from the norm. The sudden call caught the two by surprise, their shock forcing their reflexes to kick in.

An ominous chuckle filled the area, echoing though the buildings all around them. Natsu and Erza tensed up as they both could feel a spike in Magic Power from not so far away; in fact, it was so close that Natsu's nose was twitching

"Who's there?" Natsu called out.

Erza stepped forward, glaring all around. "Come out! We won't ask a second time."

The chuckling subsided, giving way to a familiar voice. "Well, well, looks likes secrets are out now. Even after you learned about them, you're scurrying around like mice." The masculine but unsentimental voice announced. In a quick flash, a figure reappeared out of thin air on a knee, smirking at Natsu and Erza. The man present and responsible was none other than elite Derex.

The Dragon Emperor Society member looked at Erza. "Looks like we meet again…Erza Scarlet." He announced.

"You." Erza growled.

"Wait, you know him?" Natsu asked, quite shocked about the news. He turned to face the smirking enemy, but unfortunately for him, his luck was too slow. Without so much as a warning, the Dragon Slayer was met with a fast blur and felt a crushing force hit his gut. Time slowed down for a moment's notice as Natsu gagged, the air knocked right out of him as Derex's right hook followed through. He soared backwards, tumbling to a slam against one of the building walls.

"Natsu!" Erza shouted. 'He was so quick. I didn't even see him.'

Derex smirked at her still. "What's the matter? Don't act all surprised. You're dealing with an elite. You should've known better than to question and let your guard down."

Erza adjusted her stance, knees bent and went straight for the blow. "That makes two of us! HRAH!" The Requip Mage slammed her sword down, the massive impact of her Black Wing Armor-enhanced attack connecting with his arm that he used to block. Erza pushed with all her might, applying higher pressure to cut into him, but as shocking as it was, her sword was only stable against his skin.

Her eyes widened upon the revelation, which Derex took full advantage of. With one fell swipe of the arm, he made Erza back off, gaining some distance between the two. "You forgot about my Pressure Magic." He informed. He lunged at her, his speed so fast that he closed the gap between relatively quick. "Maybe this will ring a bell!" Clutching his fist, a great swell of compressed pressure bottled up. With a strong yet swift howl, his offense met Erza's abdomen, sending another gruesome shock through her body. The scarlet-haired mage's eye widened as she felt her midsection get pulverized by that one blow. She shot back on her heels, barely hanging on, but in the end slammed right through a glass window.

"Maybe you should never forget what experience can do to a human. You seemed to have forgotten all about my powers. You were so focused on putting me into a corner on our last encounter that you made yourself so predictable." Derex adjusted his footing, and then had the audacity to tilt his head and crack his neckbones. "You were so engrossed in taking us out that you were blind to our leader's plan to revive this little beaut up above."

Natsu got back up, and not far off was Erza, who got up with only a few cuts from the broken glass. The latter could feel herself get carried away, a fault. 'He was never this fast in our last encounter. Was he hiding this speed from me this entire time. If so, then he was playing with me.' Her grip on her sword tightened out of anger. 'I let my guard down. But…' "I won't lose to you. Fairy Tail doesn't take failure as an option." She glowed, requipping into her Flame Empress Armor.

Natsu brushed himself off, looking at his foe with a glare. "So you mind telling us about that dragon?"

"That's not in my jurisdiction." Derex retorted.

"I see…" His fists erupted into flames. "Then I guess we'll have to beat it out of you, then it next!" Together with Erza, he raced after the grinning Derex.

---

"Icicle!"

Cana summoned large icicles that were shot at the adversaries available. All of them were left incapacitated and harmed by Cana's attack. Elsewhere, Andrea brought her damaged jungle green sword overhead, slamming it against the ground.

"Dynamic Cheetah Dash!"

A linear shockwave of compressed air from her projectile slash attack went blazing through the ground, striking a number of menacing thugs, a number equally as impressive as Cana's. As enemies within the vicinity laid at their feet. With many unable to fight back. That left the duo to notice how vacant the area now was. Andrea looked around, maintaining a solid hold on her blades.

"Are you sure you can handle wielding those?" Cana inquired.

Andrea looked down at her damaged blades, both borderline broken. Still, their condition did not deter. "I'm fine, don't worry about me." Then her body felt the cut Craig gave her earlier, which flowed through her like water. Grunting, she barely held herself back. That attack she did nearly opened up her wound. She looked back at Cana again, seeing the Card Mage's serious face. "What? I said I'm fine."

"Whatever you say." Cana said. She then looked up at the flying dragon that loomed overhead, its wings making flaps that made a light breeze falter towards the ground. It was cool, but at the same time chilled the brunette's spine. Her eyes narrowed, an ominous sensation at the brink of dawn.

"This is looking bad." The swordswoman said. She looked down at the fallen enemies, looking closely to see if any were still conscious…or even alive. When she saw one with minor cuts but unable to stand, she took the initiative. "Hey, you there, answer me!" She berated.

No answer apparently, instead, constant struggling.

"I said…answer!" She was just about ready to use her chipped blue sword if not for Cana butting in.

"Okay, let's not go through this again." The brunette warned. "Wasn't that temper exactly why you got your ass kicked?"

Andrea raised a brow. "Ironic coming from someone who flips her top whenever even looking at Craig Crius." She chastised.

Now it was Cana's turn to get hostile. "What?" She crossed her arms and looked away, an irritated look on her face. "Dream on. That bastard's just got it in for him and he doesn't take no to anyone having the last laugh."

Miles away, Craig took a small look back over his shoulder, unconsciously growling.

"Cranky's nothing but a pissed off carnivore. So much as breathe and you'll be in for a while ride." Cana hold nothing against what she said. Even talking about him irritates her, but at the same time, she could also recount the number the times he's pulled through in the end. Which is always. Losing was never an option; it was life or death for Craig. There was no such thing as rivalry to him, unlike Natsu and Gray. To Craig, it's last man standing, with the victor having more than a few stains of blood. Cana hasn't had rivalry, but she knows about it since so many guild brawls comes from that concept. Pointless scuffles. But in the end, Craig never takes such childish fights like that. There wasn't a single time he got into a physical brawl with the other brawls. Perhaps that's the only decency she sees in the maniac, other than how prehistoric his means of offense are. Still, Cana could berate him all she wanted, but pity for him still lingers. He has mood swings because his friends died, all of them. He can't sleep at night without remembering the gory monsters that thrived in the shadows devouring others. While Craig is many things, Cana can't cast the blame on him when life made things far from fair for him.

Andrea raised a brow. "Geez, you gave that freak a pet name?" She asked.

Cana's eyes widened. "Wait…pet name?!" She retorted. "Cranky is what he always is!"

"Then why does he call you Brownie?"

"Because my hair is brown! Get some glasses!"

Andrea rolled her eyes, a mischievous smirk across her lips. "Denial is always the first stage."

Cana was about to retort, but suddenly a sharp spike of pressure resonated within the area. They both could feel it right beneath them, so they acted fast and went straight for backing away, which succeeded. They evaded just in time as a beam of compressed soundwaves shot straight up from the earth. The rising pillar of sound diminished, but the lasting effects of the sounds left Cana and Andrea both ringing in the ears.

Both covered their ears in pain while a fresh hole was made. Standing on the edge of the hole was a man with orange goggles so that none could see his eyes. He had dark skin and purple hair, which was short, yet kept in the form of a ponytail. He had the Dragon Emperor Society member insignia on his white cloak. It was massive in size, and he seemed to have baggy black pants. He seemed calm, which was the exact opposite of how many felt at the moment.

"Who the heck is this guy now?" Andrea grunted.

Cana discerned him, her eyes immediately taking note of his insignia. "Wait…that crest."

"He's an elite?!" Andrea exclaimed.

"As I am. This is most fortunate, for the society of course." He spoke in a soft and calm demeanor. "It's not often that I get the opportunity to do battle. I'm mainly used for communication and knowing what's going on throughout the area. It's a very efficient way of preserving ourselves."

Andrea had both swords out, ready to attack. "Enough. What do you want to do with that dragon in the sky?" She interrogated.

The winds made his coat flap. "Is it not obvious? If you cannot hear your own cry of terror, then you're better off deaf. I, Jaguar, will move faster than the winds, my sound will decimate you, leaving you unable to hear anymore of your wallowing."

Cana was still for a brief moment, her hair shifting. "You feel that? This guy's not fooling around."

"I can feel his Magic Power alright." Andrea said wearily.

The dragon overhead opened its mouth, unleashing yet another voluminous roar within the area. The country was once again rattled by the monstrous quaking of its insidious roaring, making buildings crumble, reducing lampposts to pieces. Cana and Andrea covered up as their ears rang from the soundwaves of massive potency.

Jaguar, however, seemed unfazed as the roaring reverberated. He remained focus on the two girls, unleashing his attack. "Now…Compress!"

Cana and Andrea's eyes widened when they felt yet another pressure change. The two woman were suddenly bombarded with a compressed blast wave of that same sound. The dragon's roar got louder all of a sudden, the soundwaves bouncing all around the vicinity, shattering glass and walls, and the veil-like soundwaves closed in on the two, erupting them in an explosion of dust and rock. When the dust cleared, both were on a knee, grunting in pain.

Cana winced, her ears again ringing. 'This guy…he's gonna be a pain if we don't stop him. Cranky, you better get to wherever you need to go.'

---

On another street in another vicinity of Tahunga, the men were already down thanks to Gray, Elfman, and Gajeel. All three had either left the goons in ice, battered and bones crushed, or some form of iron crumbled all over them. As all three were just finished, they were met with some…coincidence.

"Heh." With a mischievous smirk, someone, who was followed by two other guys, stepped forward to face Gray and the group. It was the same three faces of Renji, Solidus, and the same guy Gajeel fought in the colosseum. All three were grouped together, smirking at the unlucky trio.

Renji was gripping his snake-like weapon in hand, the hilt corresponding with the head. The mage smirked. "Well, well. What do we have here? Didn't expect to run into you guys again." He taunted.

"You have proven yourselves worthy as adversaries, but that is all you shall be." Solidus said.

The Thread Mage smirked at Gajeel. "Heh, I've been looking for some payback for this guy messing with me earlier. I, the elite, Wimson, was very patient for this time to look for you…Gajeel Redfox." He sneered.

"It's these guys again." Gajeel grunted.

Gray slammed his own fist into his palm, smirking. "Well what do you know. I've been looking forward to getting some payback for these clowns making a fool out of us." He said.

Elfman raised a fist. "A real man doesn't lay down for nothing until the job gets finished!"

Both Gray and Elfman stepped forward alongside Gajeel, the three men smirking as they closed the distance between them and their enemies.

Renji's smirk darkened. "I think we all know what to do. Time for the lightning round! HIYAH!" He didn't waste a single breath as he lashed his dark serpent-like weapon at the trio. The neck and head traveled across the mid-airspace, closing the gap between it and its targets. At the last second, the three men narrowed their eyes, making diverted leaps that made them evade the chomp that made a dust cloud erupt. The debris on the ground went flying, making the three digress and split up.

Gray slid backwards, while Elfman and Gajeel took up the sides. Solidus and Wimsom engaged with Elfman and Gajeel respectively, meanwhile Gray had begun to engage with Renji for the second time.

The serpent creature split open the dust cloud, heading straight for Gray with a hollow hiss with mouth open wide and four massive fangs ready to chomp down. Gray put his two hands together, readying for a counterattack.

"Ice-Make: Ice Hammer!"

The mage created a large malice made of ice overhead seemingly out of thin air. The hammer swung down onto the serpentine weapon, but Renji's eyes narrowed. "Don't think you're clever." True to his warning, as the hammer came crashing down, the purple serpent suddenly swerved around the massive end, evading the crushing blow.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Gray exclaimed. The beast's large head rammed into his gut, sending Gray backwards screaming into a building wall, leaving a massive indent into it.

The weapon recoiled around its master, leaving Renji to put his hand to his hip. He frowned seriously at Gray. "You're not as bright as I thought you'd be. For someone who's been eager for payback, your bite is no harsher than your bark. Didn't you stop to think about how I kicked your ass? Or rather why not learn from your mistakes?"

Gray broke free from the wall, the few grains of the wall itself crumbling. He grunted as he was feeling a sharp pain in his gut. The mage panted as he was also catching his breath, giving a harsh glare at Renji, which managed to catch the recipient by surprise.

"The only mistake I made…was getting beaten by the likes of a punk like you!"

Renji twisted a brow. "Actually, what I was gonna say was you letting your guard down…" His smirk returned. "But I guess whatever." He sentenced his weapon to attack him again. "Now, let's end this!"

Elfman ran up to Solidus with a hardened fist packed full of muscle. "HRAH!" The big guy jumped and unleashed his punch in midair, colliding with Solidus' forehead head on without defensing. His attack connected, but Elfman was suddenly getting a shock running through his body. Without warning, he went flying backwards, like a shield rejected him. He fell onto his back, grunting at the sudden assault rejected.

"I thought you would learn. A warrior dares not take pride in defeat, especially with their meatheaded methods." Solidus informed. "You have learned this well, so I'd best remind you of it. You cannot defeat me that easily. I am untouchable so long as you go to physically hit me, fool." He raised a fist.

"If you really intend on victory, then use your strength and find another way. Otherwise…" The fist he made came crashing down on Elfman, who moved to block it with his forearms. The impact was so great that she slid backwards again to a massive and painful halt. "Then you'll die…alongside everyone in Tahunga."

Elfman's eyes narrowed. "Damn."

"HRAH! Iron Dragon's Sword!" Gajeel brought his arm forward, morphing it into an iron jagged sword that closed in on Wimson. The Thread Mage merely stood still as the attack closed in. At the last second, Wimson made his move and jumped overhead, the sword piercing the ground instead.

The Thread Mage seemed awfully delighted as he opened his mouth in midair, spitting three globs of sticky silver thread that snared Gajeel's sword and arm alike. He bit the thread off his mouth, leaving him to grip onto the thread with his hand and yank, dragging Gajeel's sword along the ground. Startled, Gajeel began faltering, his momentum from the forced swing and Wimson gave one more pull off to the side, at last making Gajeel pivot and lose momentum forward. As the Iron Dragon Slayer tripped, his adversary scoffed in a hissing fashion overhead, suspended by thread he put in the blink of an eye between the buildings around him.

Gajeel morphed his arm back to normal and got to a knee. "Damn you…!" He growled.

"It was a close call last time, I admit, but Xixen would never forgive me if I didn't apply justification." Wimson's smirk grew. "I would say this was nothing personal…but that would be a lie!" He swiped his arms down towards Gajeel, firing several thick threads with sharp ends.

Gajeel jumped and dodged, but he continued to maneuver through the barrage of threads that were raining down onto him like rain. He grunted, but all he could do for the moment was defend. 'This guy isn't fooling around anymore-!'

Gajeel suddenly realized the thread shower stopped, leaving a clouded area of dust around him. Standing still, he looked up to see his opponent wasn't moving in the slightest. All Wimson did was smirk as Gajeel locked eyes at him.

"Wonder what's he staring at? Huh-?!" He saw him move his left ring finger, as if reaching for something. Straight ahead, the dust moved out of the way as a thick wrecking ball of white thread of hefty proportions swung in and smashed into Gajeel. The medium-sized assault packed a lot of momentum behind it, and thus Gajeel flew backwards with a sharp yell. As he faltered towards the ground, he flipped and slid on his feet to a halt, grunting at the abdominal wound received.

Having the thread connected to his ring finger, Wimson let out a scoff. "You really left me impatient back there. Now, let's see you hang by a thread alone!"

---

The swordsmen – latter of which does not appeal – blitzed to the nearest building, where they began at the lobby. There, nearly half a hundred were already at the ground floor. Craig simply ducked while Ace sliced vertically across, cutting up everything and applying free passage towards the next story building.

Hurrying, Craig went up the steps, in which Ace followed behind. "Come on!" Craig urged, turning up towards the next flight of stairs.

Ace followed behind, barely keeping up ten seconds later. "I prefer it that you do not pa-!" The swordsman's eyes widened and he covered his mouth. He faltered barely to a knee and began to cough. His coughing caught his associate's attention, who stopped his advances when the slightest sound reached his ears. Stopping at the top of the flight, Craig looked over his shoulder, seeing Ace coughing. As Ace was coughing, he could see red dripping from the sides of the fingers. The younger of the two was staring, yet his stare was getting anxious, his eyes sharpening, but as of insecurity.

"Ace…"

With each passing cough, Craig could feel his heartbeat accelerate. He was feeling his own anxiety rise, the sides of his face beginning to fluster with sensations of guilt. What he was witnessing was a withered old soldier…something he saw in a lot of his friends before they passed away. Craig could tell a façade when one was made. There was no hiding from him. When you're Craig, you've seen every deranged, kind, strong, weak, timid, strong-willed, brave, feared, and tenacious personality. He's notice Ace's pale skin ever since they met at the guild just yesterday, but was he hiding it this entire time. As far as Craig was concerned, this was only gonna make him lose focus, but he couldn't help it.

"Craig *cough* don't worry. I can go on." Even as he looked ill, Ace did not dare show any signs of wear. His eyes were as sharp as they were ever. His Magic Power was low it seemed, and though his eyes were looking bloodshot, the pupils could still make you feel like you've been stabbed. "Keep going. I swear to you, I won't falter again. You know what's important…as do I."

Craig looked hesitant, but he complied. He knew the people were important, as was Tahunga itself. Whatever Xixen was after, he cannot have, not if it meant slaughtering and destroying a country and everything it's known for. Craig turned his back, looking at the next flight of stairs at the other side of the hallway.

"…just keep up." His eyes narrowed. "Don't make me stop a second time."

Neither said another word to one another. Ace was back to his feet and resumed his trek behind Craig. The two breezed through the duration of the other steps of every flight. Every third of fourth flight, there were a few goons here and there, but nothing Craig couldn't handle…or tear apart for that matter. Not even a few sword slashes and he cut down all the forces in the area.

---

"Natsu, behind you!" Heeding the redhead's warning, Natsu suddenly ducked, dodging a roundhouse kick as Derex caught him by surprise with him reappearing behind Natsu. With momentum behind him, Natsu encompassed fire around his fist, driving an uppercut straight up. Derex saw the flaming uppercut reach up for him, but at the last second, he backed away, ascertaining distance.

Natsu and Erza alike glared at him, seeing him slide back on his heels.

At a standstill, Derex glared back at Natsu and Erza, pondering. 'These guys are getting on my nerves. I better finish this up before Xixen gets that dragon to do the work instead.' With his thinking complete, the grin on his face returned. "Sorry I can't stay you two, but as much fun that I'm having at the moment, I'm gonna have to end this little gig here."

"Just try it." Natsu urged.

Derex narrowed his eyes. "Fine." He sprung ahead, zipping in a straight line, closing the distance between him and Natsu. He reeled back a fist going for the killing blow. With a loud shout, he drove his fist forward, zipping with all his might.

A loud banging sound roared within the vicinity, and the air was filled with a shuddering silence. Dust again bellowed within the atmosphere, catching the ground in shattered pieces.

Derex snickered as the dust raged, feeling his fist embedded into some part of Natsu. Whatever it was, it was crushed, whether it was the face, neck, or the abdomen. His eyes narrowed. 'That should do it.' He pulled back his fist, but for some reason, his fist wasn't moving. In fact, it was actually feeling a hefty pressure suppress it. "What…?" He yanked again, but his fist was still hurting. "Why is my fist not moving?"

"Simple." Natsu's voice rang from the dust dissipating, leaving Derex shocked. The dust finally cleared out, revealing Natsu glaring at him with an arm stretched out, gripping his fist with one hand. "It's because you never touched me."

Derex's surprise never stopped mounting. "Impossible-GAH!" A sudden, crushing force met his gut. As time momentarily slowed down yet again, Derex caught the glimpse of red hair and a boot. His mouth opened wide, gagging loudly as the pressurized force met him hard. He shot backwards, flying in midair and crashing into the nearest wall. Dust bellowed and raged, but it eventually let up, leaving Derex sitting up and clutching his gut, which ached beyond measurable proportions.

He looked up, seeing Natsu and Erza in the distance. "You…how did you know my blind spot?" He grunted.

Natsu smirked. "Heh. Took awhile, but we finally got your little secret to your magic."

Derex's eyes widened.

Erza held her sword tight in hand. "Your magic enables you to alter the pressure around you, yes, but the flaw is that it affects a certain area. Once you've heightened the pressure around you, it has a vulnerability. Including yourself, those within the heightened pressure area are also able to deal pressurized blows. The same could be said for the latter, where the lower the pressure is, the lower the pressure is within the small area you give off." She explained. "It leaves a theory to be explained. You heighten the pressure field around you when on offense, and then you lower the pressure around for when you shift to defense." She adjusted her footing, ready for any means of offense or defense alike. "However, there is one other weakness we have picked up. There is also the timeframe within the two pressure fields to enact. You always back away or try to ascertain distance before either defense or offense. Why do you suppose that may be? It's simple. Because it takes seconds for you to alter the fields around you. You have to turn on field off to turn the other on. That's where you're most vulnerable."

Natsu put a hand to his hip, smirking. "And from the looks of it, the timeframe is only two seconds. So all we have to do is wait for either that split timeframe or for you to attack us."

Derex was back up to his feet, looking rather angrily at the duo. His eyes narrowed, his frustration on the rise. "You're not as dumb as I pegged you, I'll give you that." He admitted. "But…" Suddenly, he disappeared, leaving Natsu and Erza a little surprised. Natsu suddenly heard a voice from behind. "Why do you think I have this speed?!"

A harsh kick came around and smashed into Natsu. The Dragon Slayer let out a loud cry of pain as the impact slammed him into the ground, falling him.

"You fools really think that after all this time, you had me figured out? You can just increase your speed, but as long as I can make the pressure diminish, I can hang on far longer than the two of you put together!" Proving his point, he turned back towards Erza, who swung a sword at him when he had his back turned. With a turn, he used his forearm as a blockade. Erza connected, but not even a cut was seen, leaving her in frustration. "I told you, you can't-!"

And that's when the most unexpected play was made. With the distance between them at an absolute minimum, Erza brought her head forward, headbutting Derex straight in the forehead. The shock ran through Derex's face and skull, making his eyes go white for a moment's notice. He recoiled in pain.

Erza stood there, fists clutched as she requipped yet again, this time into her hakama pants and sarashi. "Just because you lowered pressure, doesn't mean you can still be hurt."

Derex put a hand to his forehead. "Damn you…!" Something suddenly clutched his ankle, leaving him wide-eyed. He looked down, seeing a hand gripping him, resonating rom a certain Dragon Slayer who was still lying down.

Natsu smirked. "Heh." He shot back up, dragging Derex up and throwing him off balance. "Then how about this?!" With a wild throw, he threw Derex by his ankle and slammed him upside-down against the same building wall he struck earlier, making a much larger crater embedded into the stone.

Everything for Derex went white, his mouth gaping as his whole back felt pain. The blow Erza dealt before made him lose momentum, and left him to undo his pressure fields, so now he sustained damage that ran through his back. 'These punks…'

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Natsu unleashed a stream of intense fire, which burned its way through the atmosphere. The attack made impact onto Derex, as well as the building itself. A massive eruption of fire and smoke erupted into the atmosphere, and as the rampage ensued with the building's destruction, Derex's body was seen flying through the atmosphere, flying backwards through several feet, tumbling against the earth. With each thud, it was a harsh grunt of pain. He finally crashed and thudded to a halt against another street, with his footing at a barren standstill.

Grunting in agony, he tried to get up, but as the smoke raged in a large cloud in front, he didn't see Natsu nor Erza leaping from the smoke at breakneck paces. They lunged ahead, faster than what Derex could've seen. By the time he looked up, it was already too late.

"HRAH!"

Natsu and Erza passed Derex, both respectively passing him in a flaming glory and swords. On one side, he was engulfed in fire, and on the other, he was cut up, spilling some red. As Natsu's flames went out, and Erza requipped a sword away, Derex fell behind them, defeated.

Natsu and Erza turned towards the other, looking at the other with ever smiling confidence. Erza could feel her insides get warm with Natsu smiling at their combined victory. It left both happy.

"We did it." He happily said.

Erza nodded. "Yes, we did…together." He looked back at Derex, seeing as how despite him being defeated, he was still classified as incapacitated. "Now for some answers."

Both Natsu and Erza walked on over towards him, the man's right side a little charred, while his left was cut pretty deep. Groaning in pain, he coughed, his lungs feeling a sharp pain…all over. Erza had a sword to his throat, urging him to not get off the ground.

"Now, what is it that you're wanting?" She interrogated. "How was that dragon been dormant all this time?"

Derez frowned, eyes half-open as he looked at her. He turned away, looking to the side. "…that dragon wasn't dormant, genius." He grumbled. "It was revived."

Natsu's eyes widened. "Revived?"

"Impossible. No such magic exists that can resurrect something of that proportion!" Erza belittled.

Derex turned back towards her, looking rather angry. "You're a dumbass, you know that?"

Erza's eyes narrowed.

"You really are clueless about the world. You're blind. You're senile for a lack of better wording. I don't know and I don't care where you came from…but I know this; wherever you're from…you have no idea how big the world can get. You need to see for yourself what kinds of monsters are just lurking around your shoulder to make you understand just how inferior you are to them."

When that was said, Natsu could feel his fists tighten. He growled as he slowly craned his neck up, looking at the massive dragon high in the sky. Its roar bellowed through the air, making his nerves crawl. If this was what's been beneath them in Tahunga, then god knows what else is out there. Only one other guy knows worse. And he knew with his own eyes.

---

"Manly!" Elfman was in a full body Take Over once again, in midair and went right for the hefty assault on Solidus, who stood still with his magic taking effect for the umpteenth time. For the countless time now, Elfman went flying backwards, slamming harshly into the ground in his Beast Soul.

Solidus crossed his arms. "You're persistent, I will commend you on that much." He said.

Elfman got up, planting a fist on the ground, grunting in pain. He could barely keep himself upright. He was thankfully on a knee, glaring at Solidus. He had to find a way around his defenses, one way or another.

Gray could barely find an opening for himself as well. He put his hands together, conjuring ice with his magic. "Ice-Make: Lance!" At his control, several lances of ice shot from his palms, reaching out the attack Renji.

"Please, you're being too predictable!" Bringing his arm back and then forward, the serpent weapon followed. The creature arched around, attacking from the side and intercepting the ice lances, which shattered in the air like fireworks. Gray looked on in frustration.

"Damn. Is there no way to hit him?" He grunted.

Renji smiled maniacally at the frustrated Gray, looking satisfied. "Come on, even your pink-haired friend put up a better fight than you did! HRAH!" Renji swiped again, unleashing his serpent weapon to attack. The head made impact, sending Gray flying backwards.

Gajeel was in midair, looking for his own opening to get an attack of his own in. He morphed his arm into an iron column, going for offense. "Iron Dragon's Club!" He extended the column forward, attacking Wimson. The Thread Mage seemingly let go of the air beside him, allowing the thread to fall and for him to go swinging off to the side. He dodged Gajeel's attack as if swinging from an invisible vine, chuckling as his feet planted against the side of the building.

"Close, but no cigar." He commented.

Gajeel's eyes narrowed. 'Damnit. This freakshow's actually learned from out last fight. It's bad enough that he was a nuisance, but it's even more annoying with him actually knowing when to strike. I gotta get a close shot at him.' Taking the initiative, he went on the attack again.

Wimson raised a brow as Gajeel charged at him. "Watch where you step." He chimed.

Gajeel yelled as he ran towards the building, but when he only got so far, his boot suddenly stopped, making him falter again. His eyes wide, he tripped, yelling out at the abrupt fall. He got up again, but only to a knee. Otherwise, his boots were not responding. "What the…? The hell, can't I move?! Gah!" He looked back, his horror reaching a peak. He saw that his boots were stuck to sticky thread that was littered all over the ground. In fact, it was all over the place. All of those attacks he did before, it was just to get Gajeel to stay in a small space. He was played for a fool, and now he couldn't move.

Now suspending himself with thread against the building to support his arms and legs, Wimson was able to freely go on offense. "Seems you have left yourself a little too open, wouldn't you say?" His mouth widened again, where silver thread-like energy swirled from the atmosphere again. The energy converged to a single point, making a sphere of silver energy. His eyes narrowed when the energy was at a peak.

"Silver Lining!"

The sphere was unleashed, fired at Gajeel with great momentum behind it. Just like in the tournament, the attack made a heavy impact in the form of a silver beam that erupted into a dense explosion upon impact. The eruption bellowed within the small area, but enough to deal hefty damage to nearby buildings.

Gajeel screamed as he went flying, his back slamming against the ground, his body sustaining serious damage. He landed close to Elfman and Gray, all three gathered in one spot.

Reni's serpentine weapon's mouth was open, charging up the compressed magic that was beginning to turn into one of his signature projectile attacks. Renji couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, let's end this! ROAR!"

The mouth widened just a little, but then the hazardous beam blitzed through the atmosphere, making way for the trio. All three of their eyes widened as all they saw was a bright flash before erupting in a blinding explosion. The earth raged as a massive smoke cloud bellowed upwards. Fire surged everywhere, nearby buildings shattering.

As dust and smoke flared, Renji let off another smirk. "Well that was a waste of time."

"They were desperate to get in our way." Solidus informed.

"I know, but that's what impatience brought them, now, didn't it?" Wimson snickered.

Within the dust cloud bellowing still, even though they were still battered and exhausted, all three men were seen frowning, all on knees. The dust cloud had been going on for a minute now, but that was all they needed.

"You got that?" Gajeel asked.

Gray smirked. "You don't have to tell me twice."

Elfman growled, his beastly form ready for another go. "So that's what we gotta do."

Gajeel began to smirk. "Alright, then I guess we have an agreement."

Renji and the two beside him began to turn away from the dust cloud, believing they have claimed victory. They started walking away, no longer needed in the spot. They had business to attend to, such as the Dragon Emperor Society. As they all gained distance foot by foot, Solidus took a sudden stop.

"Hm?"

Renji looked back over his shoulder, a twisted brow on his face. "Hey, what's the deal?" He asked, also catching Wimson's attention.

Solidus looked over his shoulder, watching the smoke and dust dissipate. "…" He stared as three figures were seen getting up. "It looks like persistence can't begin to describe them."

Wimson's eyes narrowed as his smirk grew. "Heh?"

Renj looked back around, realizing that the three were still alive, let alone in one piece and standing. They all had serious faces on them, despite their injuries. When he looked at Gray, he was looking peeved. "Seriously? They that desperate?"

The three stood there, while Gray, Elfman, and Gajeel began their dash towards them.

Renji pivoted and smirked once more. "Alright then! Have it your way!" He swiped his arm, bringing the tail of the beastly weapon around and controlling it, having it shoot across the ground and have its snout aimed right for Gray. However, Gray managed to sidestep and dodge. The ground beside him shuddered, but he and the others continued to run.

"You guys remember all of that?" Gajeel yelled.

"Yeah, now let's get 'em!" Gray roared.

Elfman ran in a fashion similar to a wild animal. He rushed in on Solidus, jumping in midair and roaring with a fist set. Solidus stood there, remaining completely still as his adversary was ready to fire back whatever he had left.

"It's pointless." He announced. Elfman didn't listen, and yet, something bizarre occurred. Elfman used his fist and made contact with not Solidus, but the ground in front of them. His fist made such a hard impact that the ground made dust flare, with the shuddering erupting that threw Solidus lose slight balance. The man recoiled backwards from the dust cloud. 'What did he do? Was that a misfire?'

Without even a chance to blink, Elfman unleashed a devastating blow through the dust, socking Solidus in the face. The big guy felt an intense pain as he yelled and slid back along the ground. Solidus looked up, seeing Elfman emerged from the cloud, ready for more action.

"You…!" Solidus shot back to his feet, ready to defense with his magic. As he used it, Elfman made another shocking play and grabbed his solidified wrist instead. His eyes widened again, but he didn't have time to gasp before Elfman pivoted and tossed him into a nearby building, making it break apart like a house of bricks…though it technically was made of bricks.

Solidus felt intense pain flare as he laid in a brick mound, while Elfman looked like he was snickering.

Renji maneuvered his weapon to attack Gray from behind, which altered the weapon's course of action. The serpentine weapon arched and hissed to look behind and see Gray running towards its master. The beastly snake-like weapon opened its mouth, heading right for Gray's back.

Gray used his magic and something appeared in his hands. He smirked. "Now I know what I gotta do." As the weapon's mouth closed in, ascertaining great length, suddenly stopped, and pivoted so as to face the incoming threat and used the supposed stave he made and extended it forward. "Chew on this!" He reached out successfully, prodding the stave within the snake's mouth. It was strong enough that it kept it open, stopping the weapon's advances as its mouth was unable to snap down.

"What?!" Renji shouted.

Gray turned back to face him. With a frown, Gray took a sharp lunge and molded more ice together. "Ice-Make: Death Scythe!" Gray manifested a large scythe made of ice. With a sharp swing, he brought it around and slashed at Renji, cutting right into him. The mage went wide-eyed as he slid back from Gray's attack, getting to a knee.

He put a hand onto his wound, while using the other to hold his weapon. "You…!"

Gray let out a shout as he fired pure ice at Renji, the impact creating a sudden spike of ice flaring and sending Renji flying onto his back, his body flaring at the sudden spike of pain ascertained. Gray smirked at his opponent, his confidence back up. "Now we're talking."

Gajeel dashed at his adversary, ready to go on offense. He took a large leap into the air yet again, attacking with full might as another Iron Dragon's Sword was made. He slashed at Wimson, but the Thread Mage jerked back to dodge. He slid back, while Gajeel landed on the ground, both maintaining a weary disposition.

His eyes narrowed, Wimson extended his arms forward, using magic to fire thin but lethal threads of silk that beamed towards Gajeel. They blitzed through the atmosphere so hard that wind resistance seemed irrelevant. Gajeel extended his arm forward as a response, glaring.

"Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!"

Hundreds of kunai came from Gajeel's arm, which shot like rapid-fire bullets that shot with pressure through the atmosphere. The wide-range offensive only had several snares within the streaming threads, which caught the kunai, but at a price. Each kunai that was caught in the silk made it heavy, which slowed it down, eventually where the attack fell straight down, while more continued on towards Wimson, making a direct hit. The kunai pierced his skin and cloak, making him grunt as he slid back in pain. The Thread Mage faltered and swiped his arm to rid of them, but was met with Gajeel suddenly reappearing in front of him.

His eyes widened. 'What speed!'

Gajeel dealt a powerful uppercut to his jaw, sending him flying. Wimson screamed out in pain, blood spilling midair from his gag.

Renji clutched his shoulder, feeling intense pain. "Damnit, how are they finding our weaknesses so fast?!" He looked at the trio opposing them, seeing that they were of Gray, Elfman, and Gajeel; two of which were defeated, and one…

Renji's eyes widened. 'Wait! That guy!' He looked at Gajeel, realizing the flaw. 'No! He's the one who exploited our weakness with that pink-haired brat. Now it makes sense! That's why they took so long to respond in the dust and smoke…'

Gray noticed his opponent's frustration and clutched a fist. "I think they figured out how screwed they are." He put his hands together forming ice. "I say we wrap this up and stop that overgrown lizard in the sky!"

Renji gritted his teeth. "Not if we have a say in it! Tear them up, guys! ROAR!" Renji's weapon responded, ascertaining raw magic into its hollow open mouth. The weapon began to stretch out again, diving at Gray for a close-range blow. The stave in the mouth shattered as the raw magic began to pressurize, shattering the air inside.

Gray's eyes narrowed. "Alright…" He conjured a bow and arrow, made up of solid ice. A great swell of cold began to erupt from the arms, misting up the air. "Now, let's end this!"

The beast closed in, the compression at full peak.

"Ice-Make: Super Freeze Arrow!"

The attack was unleashed, shooting the arrow at an intense velocity. The release made it blitz diagonally through the atmosphere, getting colder with every inch it went. The arrow's pressure made it a speeding missile, finally reaching the attack inside the mouth. The large arrow made contact, and that's when the core of the enemy's raw magic inside the mouth began to emit beams of blue. The beast howled as its mouth remained open, hissing in agony as the stable power was rendering unstable. The head of the serpent-like weapon howled in violence as the eruption finally kicked in, making it exert cold catastrophic shockwaves in the air.

Renji covered up as he was hit with a large wave of chilled energy. "Gaaaah! No!" He yelled.

Gray ran through the smoke and blitzed past the purple pieces beginning to fall. 'Gotta hurry! The timeframe is short!' He reminded himself of how fast the beast regenerated, so he had to make this quick. He appeared in front of a startled Renji, two large, jagged swords of ice made and crossed.

"Ice-Make: Ice Bringer!"

Gray passed Renji, swiping his swords of ice, making a colossal ice stack that Renji was momentarily stuck in. The mage's hollowed out screams of pain filtered out, making the ice shatter as he fell backwards onto the ground. He landed with a thud, mouth gaping as ice covered parts of his body. As he laid defeated, his weapon dissipated.

Solidus ran towards Elfman, a fist stretched out to hit him. "Now you've done it!" He brought his fist forward, but at the last second, Elfman leaned left and dodged, allowing Solidus to go wide-eyed as he began to lose momentum.

"No you don't!" Elfman grabbed the man's falling figure, and used his claws to dig into his skin, making it extra harsh on Solidus. With a hefty pivot, Elfman used his monster strength and raised Solidus overhead, diving him straight into the earth. The sound of the earth bellowing shuddered the atmosphere, as well as Solidus' spine.

"GAH!" Solidus felt the recoil and the shock made him scream out in pain. The shock made him stay on the ground as Elfman raised his fists overhead, letting out a large huff. As the two fists were seen overhead, Solidus' eyes widened, his heart pouncing. "Wait-!"

Elfman roared like a monster, hammering Solidus in his chest with his two fists. The hefty impact coupled with the bone-shattering attack made the crater Solidus was in almost twice as deep. Elfman roared as he watched Solidus' eyes go white, the recoil finally knocking him out at long last.

Wimson growled as he glared at Gajeel, his patience beginning to break. "Damn you…!" He targeted Gajeel, beginning to form more thread from his fingertips. The thread began to twist and turn. "Silk Twister!"

Around Gajeel, a cyclone of millions of threads began to spin and swirl. The white thread began to spin in a fashion that made it relative to a tornado, and yet unlike last time, Gajeel was surprisingly calm.

The Iron Dragon Slayer frowned as his body was starting to glow a green aura. "Sorry, pal." He said. "But I got news for you. As a Dragon Slayer, I got an obligation to kick some dragon ass, and you're in my way." He managed to pull off a smirk. "Still, you weren't half bad."

Within the twister of silk, Wimson heard the sound of Gajeel gathering a massive grunt, while he also saw beams of green rise and shine out of the small cracks of the wall made in front. The Thread Mage's eyes widened. 'This…this Magic Power increase. What is he up to-?!' Suddenly he saw a large manifestation at the tiptop of the Silk Cyclone high in the sky, seeing a massive weapon of that had a sharp tip to it. His horror reached a peak when the Magic Power resonated from that very object.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art – Karma Demon: Iron God Sword!"

Gajeel proceeded to slam the sword down, letting out a loud roar as the hefty blade slashed through the twister of thread like it was nothing. The hundred-foot iron blade attached to his arm cut straight through the area, slamming down onto Wimson. The attack's impact stretched so far ahead that the shockwave ran through the air and ground alike, splitting apart the earth until it reached a tall, sturdy building, which stopped there, but decimated said building.

Gajeel's arm returned to normal after the attack ceased, looking past the carnage he made down the huge street and saw that Wimson laid in the shattered ground, defeated. As he managed to stand up again, the Iron Dragon Slayer stood alongside Gray and Elfman, the last mentioned back to himself once more. All three observed their defeated adversaries, smirking with pride.

"That felt good." Gray said.

"Save that line for after we deal with the bigger threat, stripper." Gajeel pointed out. He looked back up to the massive dragon high in the sky. "We've got bigger problems to deal with here."

Gray put a hand on his forehead, seeing the beast in a dark light blocking out the sky. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"That thing is humungous." Elfman said. "I'm pretty sure dragons aren't supposed to be that huge."

"Well Metalicana sure wasn't." Gajeel said. "Whatever the size, we gotta bring it down."

Gray smirked. "Yeah. I still got some juice left. Let's do it."

"Taking on a dragon! Like a real man!" Elfman declared.

"Just shut up and get moving!" Gajeel bellowed, running towards the direction where the dragon was. "Hurry to higher ground! We got a dragon to bring down!"

---

The dragon sailed high in the sky, Xixen and Gengo both overlooking all of Tahunga, beneath them, the two girls against Jaguar, to his point of view, was looking to be of no issue it seemed. Cana and Andrea both had been going at it for minutes while trying to keep their hearing in one piece. They didn't have room to counter because each step they took upon landing only served as sound, to which nearly blows up at their own expense.

"You both disappoint me." Jaguar calmly spoke as he stood there, observing the two women. He swiped his arm, the sound from whipping in the wind echoing soundwaves and reverberating through the atmosphere up ahead. Cana and Andrea alike were both hit by the loud attack, sending them flying backwards on the tips if their heels to a painful halt.

Exhausted, and barely able to hear much, Cana had to go on the offensive. "HRAH!" Stepping forward. She fired several tarot cards that blitzed through the atmosphere.

"Don't make me laugh." Jaguar initiated his magic, the last word he said in his sentence echoing and compressing into soundwaves that hit the tarot cards, making them erupt in an explosion that filled the air between the three with smoke. With the small smokescreen as cover, this was a golden opportunity for Andrea as she lunged through, howling as she closed the distance between.

"You're mine!" Andrea shouted.

Jaguar didn't seem fazed in the remote slightest. As Andrea used her now rectangular blue sword to swipe and attack, her adversary was moving constantly and swiftly all around. Andrea howled as she began to use both swords and swipe relentlessly to get a good hit in onto Jaguar. As Jaguar was evading left and right, Andrea swiped harder and faster than before, until her eyes widened when a sudden force got her in the jaw. The swordswoman recoiled from that startling jaw uppercut.

"Andrea!" Cana warned.

Jaguar extended his one arm forward. "Now, Rattle!"

At his command, the bone-snapping sound reverberated within the atmosphere. It was getting louder, and as every second passed, Cana and Andrea could feel as though their own bones were starting to hurt from just hearing the ongoing sound. It left them paralyzed, shuddering as they could've mistaken one of their own bones breaking apart.

"Boom."

An explosion of sound bellowed, roaring with the sound of the familiar bone snap. Dust and a massive soundwave went unstable, making the duo scream as they went flying and slammed into a building wall.

Cana tried her best to stand, despite her shabby state. "Aw, man." She groaned. The Card Mage couldn't hear herself, her ears ringing from the constant reverberating of the harsh Sound Magic that she had to put up with. "Great, I can't even hear myself."

Andrea started to come around, wincing as she laid on her side. "Damn you…" Again, just like Cana, she could barely hear herself curse.

Jaguar made no sudden movements. "You'd be wise to stay down. I am willing to overlook this and your lives and save them for Master Xixen when he unleashed the dragon upon you all. Consider this mercy."

Cana got to her knees, looking at her adversary to a blinking gaze. "…what?!" She yelled.

Jaguar smirked. "Are you shocked?"

"What?!"

Jaguar's smirk dropped. "Uhh…"

"What are you saying?!" Andrea shouted.

Jaguar's expression grew grim. "You…you cannot hear?" He asked in a shocked fashion. "I guess that's what happens when you are exposed to my magic for as long as you have." He ascertained a smirk, though his calmness maintained itself. "Oh well. As long as you can still see, that's fine. It's better to see horrors rather than hear them. It's better that way. Sound is just an instrument that an item uses to make its own appeal different. You have it easy now that you-!"

He was abruptly cut off by a sudden blast of streaming cards that looked to be set on fire. Perplexed, he scooted back, dodging the cards as they exploded upon impact with the earth beneath, making a large booming explosion that obscured him for just a moment's notice. "What?!" He was so caught up in the distraction set up that he didn't realize that overhead was Andrea. She came soaring down with her jungle green and blue swords, swinging them at an angle.

"Winds of War!"

Her attack sent spinning slash waves through the atmosphere down onto Jaguar. The slicing projectile attack blitzed all around, causing bits of his clothing to tear up as he was trying to cover from the impact. Jaguar slid backwards to a halt, ceasing on a knee.

Andre landed, a serious look on her face. "Who says we need to hear you to beat you?" She questioned. "Now I don't know what you said just now, but we don't care. One way or another, we're saving this place. Now! Get ready!" Both swords in hand, she readied her attack.

Jaguar maintained his calm expression. "Not if I have a say in it! Compress!"

"Scattering Petal Shock!"

As horrendous soundwaves converged onto Andrea, the orangette swung her swords around, sending cuts similar to a cyclone that terrorized the area. The ground was ascertaining several cuts while the airspace itself was cut into pieces. The compression of the soundwaves was met with the latter assault, resulting in the soundwaves getting sliced apart.

Jaguar stared with immense shock. "But…how?!"

Andrea's eyes narrowed. "Even an intermediate swordsman knows how to cut the wind."

Jaguar's patience was beginning to diminish. "Damn you…!"

Cana slamming a card on the ground caught his attention. He looked past the orangette to see a couple of streams of water flourish through the atmosphere in a volatile fashion. The energy and Magic Power he was feeling was immense, and it resonated from the brunette in the back.

"Prayer's Fountain!"

The streams of water snaked and scattered around to assault Jaguar, resulting in them closing in on Jaguar. Jaguar covered up yet again as the volatile streams of water got him. They had great pressure pounded him within every ounce, making him lose momentum and shoot backwards into a skid as the water began to subside.

"Crescent Moon!"

As the water diminished, a crescent shockwave traveled through the atmosphere. The attack closed in on the target, and sure enough, it caught Jaguar by surprise once more. The man hurried for a counterattack.

"Boom!"

In a desperate attempt to defend, he used the word 'boom' and made it reverberate off every particle within the area and expanded outwards, causing a powerful rupture within the atmosphere that caught the Crescent Moon attack. The slicing projectile attack, however, only managed to cancel out the rupture, making dust and debris scatter. As the dust and debris crumbled apart all around, the howling winds scattered and Jaguar got his smirk back. He looked appeased with how he was able to buy some distance between them. 'I have to hurry. If I can amplify the sound of crumbling, I can stall them long enough to blow them to smithereens and-!'

However, he heard a sudden card swipe, meaning Cana played another card under the cover of smoke and debris. The brunette smirked. "Let's see you sound get through this! Wind Edge!" Suddenly, an updraft erupted from below Jaguar's feet. The Sound Mage was caught momentarily in free fall as the harsh winds actually lifted and suspended him. As he felt a sharp pain, the mage was scowling at Cana.

"What are you doing?!" He yelled through the winds, but fortunately for him, he was unable to get a clear message to the pseudo-deaf Card Mage.

"If your sound needs air to travel, then I guess it's only gonna go up now." Cana smirked.

"Curse you!" Jaguar scowled. He could only struggle as the attack's pressure intensified, making him unable to move.

Andrea held both swords in hand, and Cana had tarot cards in hand. The latter knew they had very limited time, so now it was time to make their attack count. It was all of nothing. Even though they cannot communicate verbally, the two women could finish this together. With their team-up evident, they began to unleash their spells as the updraft worked with them.

"Now! Thunderbolt's Fate!"

"Full Moon – Howling Jungle!"

Cana released lightning from her card, which blitzed through the turbulence generated and rose the air current all the way up to Jaguar, causing an immense discharge that made static fly all throughout the vicinity. Meanwhile, Andrea used her cracked jungle green sword and her blue sword and grazed the ground and continued to follow through with her long, harsh swipe. With one fell swing, the shockwaves of her swing transformed into a cyclone of projectile cuts that engulfed Jaguar. The Sound Mage screamed din pain and agony as the lightning electrocuting him and the cuts gathering and slashing was proven too much. He screamed loudly, his own ears hurting and turning red from not just the cuts, but the immense volume each attack took up. As the winds, lightning, and tornado ceased, Jaguar's mouth hung open as he fell backwards defeated.

Cana grinned and held up a fist. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

Andrea looked at her swords, inspecting both. She noticed that after that last attack, her jungle green sword ascertained a few more cracks on it; parts of which chipped off. In truth, the swordswoman didn't seem deterred. She knew that one of these days, she would have to deal with this situation. The swords were everything to her, and Craig roughed them up out of her own weakness. Perhaps this was a way for her to repent. Still, even with no swords, she still had an obligation to uphold.

"Come on! We need to get to higher ground and stop that dragon!" She yelled.

Cana turned towards her, blinking in question. "…what?!" She yelled.

Realizing they were still deaf, Andrea pinched the bridge of her nose. "Good grief."

"What?!"

---

In the high altitude, there was a door at the top of at fifty-story-high building, which in terms of the dragon, was the length or size of its hand. As the winds roared, the door to the top was kicked down abruptly, revealing Craig trudging with several panting breaths. With heavy breathing, he looked around, seeing how ridiculously high they were.

"Well, looks like we've made it this far." He muttered.

Behind him was Ace, who kept up just as he said he was. The swordsman caught up to Craig, looking up at the monstrously huge creature that continued to soar above the sky. The greatest swordsman in the world looked up at the nose horn, where he caught sight of Xixen and Gengo holding on and watching them in a mocking fashion.

"Such a deplorable means of destruction. Xixen!" Ace exclaimed.

Craig's eyes widened as he watched the massive beast's head crane down to look at them. They both saw and took into account how it seemed to be lowering itself, its main horn directed towards the tower they stood on. The dragon let out a devastating roar that rattled the skies, making all of Tahunga rattle.

Xixen smirked as he and his associate held on. "Now, destroy!"

Craig and Ace bent their knees, both of them having swords in hand as the beast closed in on them. The tower shuddered as it looked like a meteor was heading their way. The attacking dragon seemed extremely slow, but it was closing in surprisingly thanks to gravity. When the beast's horn was but meters away, the tower was basically shaking in fright.

At that instant, Craig and Ace's eyes narrowed.

The dragon's face collided with the building, shattering it to pieces. The earthquake it caused spread across the vicinity, making everything within a 10-mile radius shatter and fall apart. All of the buildings in the area shattered, breaking apart like building blocks. Shockwaves and dust bellowed around the area, dust raging and cloaking everything at ground-level in a sandstorm.

In the distance, Cana and the others saw the large-scale destruction as they raced up a flight of stairs on the side of a building. Fortunately by that time, none of them were at low-ground. Natsu and Erza were both running up steps and looked to see the dragon attacking. Gray, Elfman, and Gajeel were also venturing forth and saw the destruction. Everyone couldn't believe what they saw.

"Cranky!" Cana shouted.

"Ace!" Andrea yelled.

As the dust and debris scattered, the monster dragon raised its body, ascending back into the sky. As the winds raged on, there were two figures seen attached to the nose horn. The two figures revealed themselves to be Ace and Craig, who were both hanging onto the side of the horn, which thankfully worked for their smaller sizes. They were able to evade the destruction and were thankfully in one piece…if not for their tattered clothing. Lucky in Craig's case, his shirt he wore for the day wasn't tarnished, if not filthy.

Craig winced as he clung on to dear life. He had one eye opened to look down to see the destruction below beneath. "What the hell?!"

"Such destruction!" Ace yelled through the winds. The swordsman clung onto dear life, looking in the opposite direction to see Xixen and Gengo maintaining balance, the former smirking calmly.

"Well, look like your sizes helped you out. Not bad." He commended. "A shoe with valleys of soles can't crush ants I suppose."

Ace's eyes narrowed. "Xixen!"

Gengo looked ready to retaliate. "Watch your mouth."

"At least, my friend." Xixen said. "No need to get so hasty. They survived the tallest building collapsing just now. What good would it be to not reward them for making it this far?"

Craig's grip tightened on the horn as he was feeling himself slip. "What do you want?!" He yelled.

Xixen looked at Craig, equally as amused. "Craig Crius, I presume? Yes, I'm familiar with that name as Jaguar brought that around fast. You're as equally as stubborn as they say you are. You also have a voracious pair of chompers to."

Craig opened his mouth, letting out another one of his signature prehistoric roars like a carnivore. The bellowing roar caught Ace and the other two by surprise. "You think this is a joke?!" He berated.

Xixen raised a brow, finally frowning. "A joke you say?" He repeated. "No, no. The only joke I think is funny, is how feeble your efforts are when there's no chance."

"And what gives you that conclusion?" Ace asked.

Xixen's malicious grin returned. "Hmmm. Very well, I guess you shall learn the truth. The truth of what has happened to Tahunga."

Craig and Ace said nothing as Xixen continued to speak.

"As you are aware, Tahunga is an island country of its own rights. It's got great rock formations, and great weather protection. This helped the life here evade large enemies in the past…including the centuries long before the dragons went extinct." He didn't bother looking at the sharpened eyes of Craig upon that fact. "With their invaluable defenses, Tahunga was a country that was basically a grounds where humans could learn and study about the dragons. The tropical climate was a nice little nesting grounds for dragons that were acceptable of human behavior. Together, it served as a private refuge. It was here that humans were able to learn about the secrets of withdrawing Dragon Slayer Magic into lacrima, giving them Dragon Slayer qualities."

'Dragon Lacrima. Just like that light bulb back when we tussled.' Craig thought briefly as to when he and Laxus quarreled.

Xixen had his hand out in the roaring winds, smiling. "My ancestors were amongst the few people who helped transfer Dragon Slayer powers into the lacrima, which was abundant within the mines of Tahunga. Underneath the earth, however, there was a whole other world, where the so-called 'King of Tahunga' watched from the depths." His smirk darkened. "Have you guessed it yet…?"

Ace looked confused at first, but he thought back to that hole. "King of…Tahunga…" It was slowly processing, with the lacrima gathered, and then the monstrously huge dragon. His gaze slowly turned worrisome. "Wait a minute. Tahunga…those lacrima we saw…this dragon…" His eyes went wide with horror. "Oh no."

Craig's teeth gritted, a snarl emanating out of him realizing it as well. "Damn this prick. Should've known the answer lied right beneath our feet." He cursed.

"Ah, I see you've realized it." His arms stretched out to his sides, giving a general expression. "This. My friends, is the king himself!"

The dragon opened its mouth, letting out another bellowing roar that rattled the gray skies. The shaking of the dragon itself made Craig and Ace wince as their spines shuddered. Both looked back at the enemy.

"This was known as Tahungadon; the Titan Dragon. Back in the lost documents that my great grandparents have spoken of, they had one or two tales of the great Tahungadon, and how it has lived for thousands of years. It had found the isolated island of Tahunga, which is what it called its new home. With his large size, he governed the island, until humans at long last were accepted into society. Tahunga went underground, enjoying the peace and comfort. Eventually his lifespan expired, and to pay tribute to his guardian role, the Tahunga citizens and dragons alike built a grave of their treasures in his honor, forever sealing it to be forgotten. And thus, humans from then on ruled over Tahunga, with the burial forgotten within the confines of time."

Craig kept a tight grip, growling. "So you're using Tahungadon, just to make the world pay for disregarding history?!"

Xixen looked offended. "You don't understand!" He yelled. "Yes, some things are best left forgotten, but this is not the case! Dragons have been with us from the start. Why would we want to ruin such a bond? Why did they have to go extinct? What I could not fathom…" His fists clutched. "Was how people actually felt safe, when they knew the dragons died out." His eyes showed an immense anger. "So, I've made it my goal. I will make everyone in Tahunga regret discarding the great founder and protector! With my Ethereal Magic, I have perfected in drawing the power of Dragon Slayer powers and pour its manifestation back into Tahungadon!"

"He's gone mad." Ace grunted.

Craig's eyes narrowed as he also grunted. "Dumbass…" He knew full well of why things were best meant forgotten; it's been drilled into him far too much.

Xixen regained his calm composure, overlooking the country from high above. "Gengo."

"Yes, sir?"

"They have what they want. Rid them."

"Understood."

Craig's eyes widened. "What are you-?!" Suddenly, Gengo disappeared like walking through an invisible door, somehow reappearing in front of Craig. With an elbow to Craig's ribs, the pain flared in the man's body. His grip loosened, and the dragon defying gravity only made it that harder. Craig finally lost his grip, plummeting far below. Eventually, with Ace unable to use his magic, he was caught off guard as well. He followed Craig as they descended down onto the ground.

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Craig roared. Though he was able to restore his balance, he was still plummeting hundreds of feet. He looked down, eye narrowed from the wind pounding his face. He briefly thought back to when he survived a fall like this, where it was hundreds of feet up. That's where he learned the Sky Sunder attack.

Before he could recount and think as to how in the world he could catch himself, he felt a sudden yank, which seized him and pulled him through the atmosphere.

Ace continued to fall, until he too was caught successfully. "What…?"

Both realized they were soaring, as though they had wings; in Craig's case, again. Both looked back over their shoulders, realizing that they saw black and blue…literally.

"You?!" Craig bellowed, seeing Happy carry him.

"A-aye!" Happy strained. His face was pale, and he was flapping profusely. "Your cuffs and weights are so heavy!" He strained as he was doing his best to hold Craig up, but Craig's added weight was not helping Happy in the remote slightest, unlike Andrea.

Ace looked up to Lily, who was carrying him. "You're that black feline."

Lily peeked over his shoulder. "Evergreen helped us finish with the evacuation. Tahunga's surface should be secured since we guided everyone to the harbors. We wrapped it up and saw you falling."

"I see. Thank you for your assistance."

The two Exceeds sailed down from the sky – Happy was practically falling – and they both descended onto one of the large buildings still intact, where everybody else was.

"Hey. Look, I think that's them!" Gray shouted.

Evergreen crossed her arms. "Well they're sure coming in fast."

Natsu waves up to them. "Hey, down here!"

Cana saw Craig, the two instantly meeting the other with their usual glares. Though they were grateful the other was still alive, they were also equally as annoyed they had to see the other's stupid face.

Happy dropped Craig like a bomb, where Craig landed in front on a knee, his massive weight in his leg weights and cuffs making his weight so much larger that the section of the roof caved in a little. Compared to that, Ace landed on his two feet.

"That was a close one. Are you both alright?" Elfman asked.

Ace nodded. "Yes, we're just fine. Thank you."

"What?!" Andrea shouted.

Ace turned towards her, looking perplexed. "I thought I had just explained."

"We can't hear you! That guy we fought made us deaf for awhile!" Cana shouted.

Craig raised a brow. "What?!" He looked pissed. "Well then how the hell am I supposed to enjoy seeing her feel insulted if she can't even hear me?!" He yelled.

"What?!" Cana shouted.

Craig's eyes narrowed, his throat reverberating with annoyance. "Then again…" He raised a mischievous brow. "Hey! Brownie! You smell worse than a five-day-old diaper! And your fashion sense makes children feel offended! And I hope your sandals snap so you fall over into a sandbox!"

"What?!" Cana shouted.

Craig turned away, smirking. "You know what…" He looked back at Cana, who was just looking at him with inquiry. That only served to annoy Craig further, retracting his statement. "…nevermind. It's no fun if she doesn't do those stupid faces whenever I breathe in her face." He groaned.

Erza pointed ahead. "Look!"

Everyone turned back ahead to see the dragon flapping over the center of town. It remained stationary while its winds made a small gust breeze its way towards everyone else. As it did. Xixen raised both if his arms, where ethereal energy began to rise up and shudder the land. As the earth shuddered once again, everyone saw the huge hole in the center of Tahunga beginning to quake. They all saw a large amount of lights slowly brighten up the hole. It was then they all caught a glimpse as to what it really was that began to float upwards.

Craig's eyes widened. "What's he doing?"

Ace's eyes did the opposite, they narrowed. "This looks bad."

As the Dragon Lacrima glowed and levitated high around the Tahungadon, Xixen's smirk widened. He never felt so alive. He continued to maintain his hands to his sides, where he continued to make the Dragon Lacrima pour up from the massive hole, all of the hundreds upon hundreds of lacrima at last encompassing the dragon, glowing brighter.

As the dragon released another roar, Tahunga shuddered once again, nearby buildings falling apart. Xixen disregarded the volume and looked on in delight. "Now…" His eyes narrowed on the Fairy Tail group, mainly Ace and Craig. "Time for retribution."

---

Chapter 35 is out! How was it guys? Did it suffice? I had to make sure I got this done in less than 5 days. Fortunately, I managed to get the 16K in 4 days. I wanted to update earlier, but I have this thing called work that I do. At any rate, made extra CraigxCana bickering, and got ll of the elite fights over with.

As always, share your thoughts, comment, and review. Thanks for reading, and next chapter shall be the conclusion of the Tahunga Arc! Until next time! :)