The small group was open to the howling of the large beast that was in the skies, wings stretched far and wide to show how intimidating its reanimated state was. With Xixen and Gengo riding its head, the overgrown Titan Dragon had all the power to decimate any who stood in their way. However, it was not without competition.
Natsu turned towards his blue feline friend who had wings still spread. "Alright, Happy, time for this Dragon Slayer to do what he does best!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy ascended, carrying Natsu up from the shuddering ground and off towards the territory that lied ahead.
Gajeel looked ahead with his own resolution. "Hey, what the hell am I just standing here for! Hold up, Salamander! Lily, let's rock!" He yelled. His black Exceed complied and assisted in helping Gajeel into the air. Both Exceeds flapped their wings, carrying the two Dragon Slayers towards the roaring Titan Dragon that bellowed in the distance. As they raced on, Natsu showed an excited expression, one greater than normal. He couldn't wait to do what he does best and destroy.
Ace watched as the four went off, leaving him to govern the others. "Craig, everyone, remain careful…" He unsheathed the great sword of Katsyu and held it with not one hand, but two. His grip remained tight as his bloodshot gaze remained stable. His eyes remained stiff as stone walls as his vision reflected the dragon.
Everyone began to feel the air around them twisting. The massive twist in the atmosphere was cutting off brief oxygen from Craig, which began to rise and fall as a massive level of Magic Power was flowing with immense abundance into the sword.
Erza's gaze began to shudder. 'This Magic Power…it's-it's off the charts!' She could've sworn her own heart stopped.
"What are you…?" Cana trailed off.
Evergreen stepped back, her gaze getting worrisome as the magic in the atmosphere was pouring into the blade. "Is he gathering magic?"
Andrea, unlike the two other women, seemed thrilled. "Oooh! Yes! It's Ace's ultimate slash technique!" She chimed.
Craig looked at Ace as well, he too was unfazed, but he did give a leery expression. "So you're pulling out that stunt?" He questioned wearily.
"Uh, Cranky, what's going on?" Cana asked, but she asked quite loudly as she was still somewhat deaf.
Craig put an arm out to his side, ceasing Cana from advancing ahead. "You might wanna stand back if you don't wanna end up diced into pieces." He wearily urged, much to everyone's confusion. Craig was normally the guy who…then again, he was a mystery with how miserably screwed up he was. They complied, standing back as they watched Ace's clothing beginning to levitate.
As the Dragon Slayers came flying in at full speed with their Exceeds, miles away, Xixen stared at them incoming with a malicious smirk. Clearly he wasn't so concerned as it looked like flying ants heading their way. The winds in the high altitude continued to howl and the adversary manipulating the revived beast was ready. He only scoffed and allowed his own magic to defend.
The Dragon Lacrima in the sky glowed brighter, bright enough to where they could've been mistaken for miniature suns. This caused the Dragon Slayers to raise brows.
"What's going on?" Natsu wondered.
"How should I know? Just keep flying in high!" Gajeel yelled.
Xixen snapped his fingers, and at that moment, the hundreds of lacrima fired very small beams, a fashion similar to lasers. All of them were small, but they shot fast as spears. As they traveled through the sky, it looked like a rainbow beaming. Natsu and Gajeel went wide-eyed, seeing the attack head their way. Screaming out at the barrage heading their way, their Exceeds began to maneuver. They slipped and dodged past every beam they could, staying alive as every blast had Dragon Slayer might embedded within them.
"Careful where you're flying, Happy!" Natsu shouted.
"Sorry-whoa!" Happy jerked towards the left, evading a blast as cold as ice. Was it Sub-Zero Dragon Slayer Magic? Was it Arctic Dragon Slayer? It mattered nit. A single inch and it would've frozen his wing.
"Here we go!" Gajeel and Lily howled as they blitzed passed several lacrima blasts, closing the gap equally as fast as Natsu and Happy. They all made it through the field of lacrima blasts, finally reaching the giant face of the enormous monster. With eager, shouts, they unleashed their might.
"Iron Dragon's Sword!"
"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"
Natsu made a fireball overhead and threw it down onto the snout, as to where Gajeel made an elongated sword of iron that reached down and stabbed the snout. The fireball exploded, and the sword met skin. As a clanging sound was heard and a flash diminished, the two recoiled from their attacks, wanting to see what they did.
The smoke settled, revealing the spot Gajeel struck wasn't even dented, and the spot where Natsu struck was barely sizzling.
"What?!" Natsu bellowed.
"That did nothing at all?!" Gajeel exclaimed.
Xixen smirked at their efforts on vain. "Hmph, calling yourselves Dragon Slayers. You can't harm a giant when you're just a fly. Your powers are futile."
Natsu could feel his anger spike. "Shut up! We'll just hit harder!" He puffed his cheeks and began to ascertain more magic from the atmosphere. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" To cope with his strength needed, Natsu bellowed out a streaming blast of fire, which was like a torrent that spilled onto the Tahungadon's massive face It one saw from a distance it looked like a baby firefly on the face of a raging animal. In a sense, it looked severely small. The smoke cleared, and the same result as last time occurred, and Natsu could've sworn that the beast's scales were harmed at all. "Not a scratch?!"
"Iron Dragon's Roar!" It was Gajeel's turn to attack. Puffing his cheeks and opening his mouth, he fired a tornado of metallic whirlwind that swerved towards the beast's neck, where Lily was obliged to direct him. Hitting the neck with his breath attack, Gajeel hoped or some serious damage. Once the attack settled, he saw that the Tahungadon wasn't remotely scratched. "Not even a single scratch?"
"Years from underground pressure really has its perks. Iron and all other forms of magic are so small and inferior that it's merely bouncing off." Xixen explained. "Face it, you are only wasting Magic Power."
Natsu, however, only showed spite. "C'mon, c'mon…! There's gotta be a way! Size doesn't always matter! We're Dragon Slayers! You'll go down when we go all out!"
Xixen's eyelids lowered a little. 'My real concern…' He looked in the far distance, seeing Ace and Craig. 'Is those two.'
Ace was taking in a very deep breath. He was taking whatever sweet air he could and breathed out to cleanse his mind. What he was doing was taking an immense toll on his stamina and will. His grip was tightening, the pressure and intense focus converging onto his blade. Katsyu was looking sharper every second.
Despite the questioning going on in everyone's mind, Andrea and Craig both knew full well what was gonna happen. They could feel their own skin grow uncomfortable as time marched onto a full minute now. The glow around Ace's blade had begun to ascertain so much pressure that the ceiling they stood on was about ready to give in.
Erza's fists clutched. 'What unfathomable strength he's manipulating. Is he…is he growing stronger infinitely?' She thought.
Ace's widened eyes zeroed in, his bloodshot gaze had begun to sharpen to a heightened degree, so much that the corners of his yes began to drip blood from fatigue and exertion. Despite how his magic was harming his eyes, he got a full high-definition figure of Tahungadon and the location in front. At that exact instant, the pressure ceased.
Craig's eyes narrowed. "…everyone get back!"
Ace raised his sword into the sky, shimmering so loudly it ranged everyone's ears. For a split second, time froze; all had turned black and gray. Their hearts stopped, with that not even being half a second's time.
"The ultimate slash technique that shall cleanse the world. The truest form of cutting atoms and the revolving of the earth around the sun." Ace's red eyes faced the dragon, ready to slash. "Now, split apart the hopeless, and give birth to justice…DIVINE SWORD OF WILL – CALAMITY REVOLUTION!"
At that singular instant, Ace brought the sword down. The sword came down so hard and so quick that Erza couldn't keep track of it. As he slashed, a blinding light traveled across the ground, expanding as it looked like a massive wave of bright light expanding and getting far greater than Tahunga itself. The bright light also emitted blistering shockwaves, which sent winds around that obliterated buildings and towns alike to diced chunks. In the far distance, Xixen frowned, hos actually gaze widening out of shock and surprise. He watched as the bright light closed in, leaving him to feel his own heart jump. Natsu and Gajeel looked back to see something head their way, in which they hurried and got out if the direction it was heading for. A moment passed and the bright shockwave suddenly turned off, but on the other sides of the rock formation behind the dragon, it was another story. There were several glints before the bright wave ran straight through the formations as large as mountains. The shockwave went all the way out towards the sea, reaching about two miles out, making seawater spout like giant tidal waves.
The bright light finally faded, and Craig uncovered, along with everyone else. Craig kept a solidified and casual gaze, while at the same time startled. "Well I'll be damned…"
Erza's eyes went wide with horror. "Im…possible…"
Natsu's surprise was as equal as anyone else's. "This can't be for real, can it…?"
"No way…" Gray muttered.
No one could say anything. What was there to say? Andrea and Erza were the most shocked one could say, seeing a swordsman outdo them by miles on end, literally. When the attack was finished, the most startling feature was that the entire country was cut in half. A large open crack was opened up so wide and so deep that everyone could see the underground port, which was at least fifty-feet below. The obliterated crack ran through all of Tahunga; the underground caverns clearly visible for all to see. The sliced trail traveled for miles, reaching the dragon. The dragon's abdominal region ascertained a serious scrape, borderline bleeding. Behind the dragon, the mountain of rock formations were split in two, and behind, stretching for another two miles, the sweater had a breach in it, sliced in half, literally. When everyone looked up, they realized that their shock surmounted to no end.
Erza's eyes widened, her heart pouncing. "The sky…" The clouds were also sliced apart, giving way to a blue sky. Straight up and going for miles, the open rift in the gray sky meant one thing. "Ace can even cut the clouds?!" The swordswoman was left speechless as her gaze reverted back to Ace. 'Is this truly the full extent of the world's greatest? I never imagined will alone could decimate an entire country…'
Cana stared ahead, mouth gaping at what he saw. Though her hearing was repairing a little, she was still witnessing the unfathomable. "You're kidding." She looked at Craig, who was staring with a serious gaze forward. "This…is the level of strength Cranky's acquaintances are?"
"Awesome~! That's what I gotta learn!" Andrea declared.
The Exceeds were so in shock they almost forgot they were still carrying Natsu and Gajeel. They stared down at Tahungadon as its left shoulder running straight down ascertained a superficial wound. What they saw could not be ignored. It was shocking enough that a swordsman obliterated Tahunga in a straight line, decimating the mountains and seas alike, but a dragon?! What was Ace? Dragon scaled were so hard that only Dragon Slayer Magic could harm them. There was no way Ace was a Dragon Slayer, so how could a swordsman with the greatest skill in the world cause a critical hit that two actual Dragon Slayers couldn't do? The actions that boiled up left Natsu stiff.
"No way…" The pinkette stared as the Tahungadon was still airborne, yet it had a dried trail on the body. His clutched fists began to shake.
"Natsu?" Happy asked worriedly.
"How…how are we not doing anything? We're Dragon Slayers, so why isn't this guy down yet?"
Gajeel looked over at Natsu, seeing his frustration. In a way, the Iron Dragon Slayer could sympathize with what went on in his head. He was a Dragon Slayer with his own pride, and yet he was outclassed. He knew better than to question things by now, especially seeing the horrors and the strength of the people Craig had to fight and endure. Natsu, however, was not Gajeel. The Fire Dragon Slayer wanted to be the strongest, and yet he wasn't doing his job, and someone had just done it for him.
Natsu sped back in. "Come on! We're not done yet!" He roared. His fellow Iron Dragon Slayer followed behind, backing up Natsu.
Xixen looked down, seeing the superficial wound on Tahungadon. 'He actually managed to inflict a hit onto the Titan Dragon. His years of swordsmanship…I was right all along to suspect Ace being a threat. However…' Ace looked back at the far distance, seeing Ace struggling to stand. 'It seems that he used every ounce of focus to deter me. He's reached his limit.'
Ace fell to a knee, covering his mouth as red began to cover the palm and fingers once more. He almost lost a hold on Katsyu, yet barely held on in the process. His eyes were bleeding, his coughing overfilling his lungs with heinous germs.
"Ace!" Andrea got to a knee to support him. "Ace, are you alright?"
Ace coughed some more, a few good seconds before he lowered his head. His breathing was heavy, his chest huffing out a lot of unsound breathing. "I am…" He panted in between momentarily. "…sorry, but that is the last of my strength." He looked up ahead once more, the large dragon flapping its enormous wings once more, making a small gust that blew towards the ground. Ace and everyone there held their ground as it felt like a small tempest almost kicked them up. His eyes narrowed.
"I only managed to graze it." His eyes closed. "I'm sorry, if only I had Dragon Slayer qualities, I could've done a lot more." He sounded like he was in regret, and he grunted as he felt tremendous pain flow through his body. The recoil from his slash left him in pain, so much that he winced as he inhaled.
Elfman looked ahead, his eyes narrowed. "Well, at least we know that thing isn't invincible."
Gray put hands to his hips. "Well now we gotta find a way to beat the guy controlling it, or deal with that dragon."
Erza stepped forward, requipping a second katana into her hand. "The obvious choice is to defeat the leader of the Dragon Emperor Society. Defeat him, that thing is sure to return to the grave where it belongs. Everyone!"
Andrea got what was left of her swords out. "Let's pick up where Ace left off!"
Evergreen smirked. "We'll deal with him no problem."
However, unlike the many who appeared to be anxious to get up there, Craig just kept weary steps in the general area. His eyes narrowed, looking suspiciously ahead as he saw something wrong ahead. He could see the hundreds of lacrima surrounding the Tahungadon were still intact, something that Ace was unable to cut. The supposed swordsman looked startled as he saw the hundreds of lacrima glowing again.
Cana looked over to see Craig not as glee or as happy as the others. In fact, his expression left her equally as weary. "Wait a second…" She looked back ahead, seeing the lacrima glowing in the far distance. "Uh, guys…?"
Erza and everyone looked back to find that the Dragon Lacrima surrounding the dragon had begun to glow again, firing up charges for the second time. All of their hopes of getting closer were put to a halt.
Back up front, Natsu and Gajeel were still unleashing fireballs, roars, and spears of their respectful nature, but after minutes of trying, nothing was working. Natsu was using every last bit of his strength to bring the beast down. He was hitting in the massive gut for crying out loud, and not even a small charred spot. He stopped to realize that all around, the lacrima were glowing again.
"Wait…" Natsu's horrors began to fill as he saw where the trajectory was aimed, namely at a certain high point on the second tallest building of Tahunga, which housed a certain group, and a redhead. His eyes widened. "Erza! No!"
Xixen extended his arm forward, ready to obliterate them. "Now know this! Though unlike the other dragons, the Tahungadon's roars are so potent that they leveled islands as large as this! I may not have that kind of power for a full blast, but I think half-strength is more than enough to wipe you all off the face of the earth! Goodbye, Ace Hunter and friends!"
At that instant, the hundreds of lacrima fired small beams of the Dragon Slayer Magic they had dwelling within. The hundreds of small beams were all closing in from the miles upon miles apart, becoming a full-scale rainbow beam that's been combined. The mass and length was so long that it looked like a small beam that could indeed destroy a single city in Tahunga. They ploughed over buildings, shaking the earth and shattering the wind resistance like it were glass. The attack closed in on Ace and friends, looking very similar to the Jupiter Cannon, only ten times greater in size.
Erza moved to use her Adamantine Armor, hoping to block it, but what then? The armor barely held its own against a Jupiter Cannon, now they have to deal with one ten time greater. Still, it was a risk she had to take. "Stand back, everyone!" She declared, advancing in her Adamantine Armor and watched the attack close in. She brought both shields ahead, ready to block. "I'll stop this!"
"Erza, no!" Cana shouted.
"Are you crazy?! You'll get blown to smithereens!" Andrea warned.
"Titania!" Evergreen exclaimed.
Erza spread her feet apart, weight shifted forward and ready for the full blunt of the massive blast. The ones behind her could barely watch as the beam reached them, making them flinch and brace for impact.
The entire building shuddered and shook violently as the beam supposedly engulfed them. Everyone there heard the sound of hazardous grunts, but as luck would have it, it wasn't resonating from Erza. It was elsewhere.
Gray opened his eyes, seeing the beam pass them. "Whoa, what the heck?" He looked up, seeing hundreds of rainbows fly all around them like they were going through a tunnel. "What happened?"
"I…I don't know." Elfman said.
"Are we inside the actual beam?" Andrea wondered. She looked suspiciously around for any remnants of clues, but she found little answers. It was only when she looked ahead and saw what was happening that her heart nearly stopped. A heaping gasp escaped her mouth. "Im…possible…"
Erza opened her eyes, realizing that she was still in one piece. Looking down at her armor, the suit was still intact. Not a scratch. "What's this?"
Ace's wounded eyes widened. "Ahead!"
Erza looked straight, seeing what was causing this scenario to occur. Her eyes went wide with vivid shock as she – and mostly Cana – were the most perplexed. In front of Erza, on the very brink of the building and barely maintaining footing, there he was. Craig. The cranky individual was doing it; he was using his arms and swirling and converging the energy that was supposed to be engulfing them.
"Grrraaaahhhh!" He yelled, mustering up his chi and using the energy waves of the attack and drawing it into a single point.
"My word…" Ace was at a loss for what had to be said. What could he say? Craig was using an unknown means to draw it into a single point.
Elfman, Gray, Evergreen, and Andrea stared with no words. They couldn't fathom how Craig was doing that.
"What is he doing?!" Elfman yelled.
"Hey, look!" Gray pointed out. "Doesn't that look like something that he did against Laxus?"
Evergreen gasped at the realization. "You're right. It does look similar to that."
Cana stared ahead, her knees almost giving in. They would've been annihilated, even with Erza's defense, and yet Craig stepped up out of the blue, and what was shocking to an extended degree was how he was defending in the same manner he used that one chi gimmick against Laxus a short while ago. Craig was taking in the center of the attack, drawing in the energy to a singular sphere, swiping his arms and swirling them around an ever-growing sphere in the center of his chest.
"Cranky…"
Craig let out a loud grunt yet again as he recalled that same vision he had against Laxus. He had never forgotten it, but he didn't disregard it either. It took constant thinking for him to understand. There were those chi blades that he learned to use, and then there was that other chi move. The latter was what seemed to benefit, and thankfully, he was drawing in so much Dragon Slayer power into a rainbow sphere that it was bigger than a bowling ball.
Xixen's eyes narrowed. "What's this?"
The energy exhausted from the 'roar' diminished, finally letting up. As all of the energy dissipated like fire, Xixen and Gengo both looked ahead, horror striking them hard as even though a sizeable fraction of the city they were in was reduced to rubble, the fact was that the one building everyone was on was still in one piece, everyone still alive. It was a moment of pure awe and bewilderment.
"S-sir…" Gengo was caught baffled with what transpired. What was there to say other than what just happened? They saw Craig was still in front, and he had a condensed amount of raw energy swirling in the shape of a sphere, which exerted unstable bubbles and waves all around. It looked like it was gonna blow.
Natsu's eyes widened. His heart skipped a beat when he realized Erza was okay, but then he felt his heart stop when he saw Craig standing in front, feeling an unimaginable swell surging. For some reason, the Dragon Slayer could feel the estrange force escalate from that single point. Whatever he was sensing, Craig was able to ascertain all of that energy and compress it. As impossible as the feature may have seemed, all of that immense Magic Power that was able to level an entire city was compressed into something a lone man made.
Craig was grunting, teeth gritting so hard that bone could be reduced to dust. He was ascertaining so much strain. He could feel his muscles pull. The strain was so potent that he could've sworn that he could feel his own nerves crackle with the urge to snap. Still, Craig persevered and kept suppressing, moving around the sphere with his rams, going left and right, maintaining a solid core. AT long last, when he got enough energy stored, he unleashed it full blast.
"Energy Arts – Bide Exploder!"
With a massive shout, Craig bellowed louder than a dinosaur. The small sphere in hand finally gave in and erupted, becoming a massive beam that was of rainbow colors that brightened up the sky. Copious abundance of dust and the building they stood on broke apart, the entire front of said building ripping off like present wrapping paper. Everyone behind him screamed out as they were nearly blown off the rooftop by the unmeasurable shockwaves that nearly split open the roof. Compared to how big it was before when it was launched at Craig, the blast unleashed from Craig went blazing ahead, obliterating even the ground. It was so massive that it rivaled the size of the dragon due to the compression multiplication Craig's chi concept had. Natsu and Gajeel and everyone gaped their mouths and got out of the way as the blast beamed after Tahungadon.
All of Tahunga was engulfed in an earthquake of unbelievable proportions. The impact of Craig's counter shook the earth and raged the rock formations all around the country, making some fragments chip off even. The Tahungadon's entire front was hit head on by the largest attack ever countered. It was worse than a meteor impact is what Fairy Tail could say, because ripples bellowed out, expanding the rift in the sky to where it was an open hole for sunlight to reach out of. All of Tahunga was within sunlight again, while the enormous Tahungadon was shot down by the impact, roaring as scales were chipped off. Its underside had suffered considerable damage, and as it fell backwards, the spikes that ran all the way down to the tail were decimated. It fell over, its enormous body had leveled all of a single city of the 12 that Tahunga was made up of. It was a disaster as not only was the beast knocked out of the sky, but the rock formation – the same one Ace sliced right through – was also swallowed in the blast wave, completely annihilated, leaving an opening to Tahunga.
Evergreen's mouth gaped after the several minutes passed by, the rumbling starting to quell. She stared at the fallen dragon, her shock overwhelming anything she could've said. "Oh my…"
Erza's mouth gaped, her eyes shuddering. "Unbelievable…he couldn't have…"
Ace wasn't gaping his mouth like the others, but his shock was on par. "What on earth was all of that power?"
Gray got to his knees, his shock so great he was paling hard. "Did…did Craig just….?"
"He knocked that thing out of the sky…with its own power returned…" Elfman muttered.
Craig was having a hard time breathing. His muscles were pulled like crazy. Every time he breathed, he could feel a pain in his chest. His lightheadedness resulted in him suddenly getting to both knees. His head was craned up towards the blue sky, his mouth gaping as he was begging for constant air, no matter how much it pained.
"Cranky!" Cana scooted on over, looking down at Craig. "Craig!" She gasped when she saw his arms and legs, the shock she had rising. 'His arms, the veins are purple!' She looked back at his face, seeing how pale he was looking. 'Cranky…'
Craig let out a last huff before the color began to come back to his face. His sharp sea blue eyes cascaded up towards Cana, seeing her hover over him with worry. As he caught his breath, he was able to get some movement within his arms at least, though it pained him a little.
"Brownie…" He groaned.
"What is it?" She asked.
As Craig looked at her, his gaze suddenly turned despondent. "You are violating my freakin space, you perverted female."
Cana's eye twitched once, then a second time, and then she went full-blown exasperated. "The hell is with you?!" She yelled. "I just got my hearing recovered only to hear that?! You ungrateful vagabond!"
Craig grew a tick mark and shot up from where he sat, as if all his energy had returned. "Then why don't you go back to being deaf or something?!"
"Because whenever I see you move your mouth, I always feel insulted!"
"The thought of you is bad enough! Now you go violating my space when I can barely feel my blood go through my body?!"
"I violated your space in bed!"
"And I wash the sheets almost every day to rid of your dirty germs!"
"You gross me out with how you eat raw meat!"
"You gross me out with those huge things bouncing around! This is no time to seduce me, moron!"
"You're just asking for trouble! You nearly get blown to pieces and you disregard it?! You got problems!"
Craig's face grew despondent. "And I'm so~ blessed you're one of them." He turned away, back towards the dragon that fell in the distance, dust bellowing and rock crumbling. 'But, Brownie wasn't wrong. That last attack made me draw in as much chi as I could. I nearly collapsed if it wasn't for me looking back at the clear mind part.' He looked back down at his arms, slowly moving his fingers around. 'That was a lot of chi I had to manipulate, but still…' His eyes narrowed. 'This fight isn't over. I'll do it a hundred more times if it means shutting down that thing!'
Xixen coughed within the dust cloud, pain flaring from that drop. It was like he fell from a tower and survived…luckily. Finding a grip on the scaled chipped on the snout, he looked around, realizing how damaged the beast was now. His shock began to spout into exasperation as they thought of that last move played.
"Damn that man." He growled. "He wants to prevent history from making a claim? Then fine, let us destroy him first. Gengo."
Gengo appeared right next to him, a few good dirt stains on his body. He waved the dirt away, trying to get a clear view around him. He saw Xixen and processed his command. "Yes, Master Xixen." He declared. "I'll make sure he's not a bother again."
The ground began to shudder once more. The lacrima within the atmosphere had begun glowing yet again. Though the glow seemed a little faint compared to last time, it still meant power resonated. Tahunga once again was rapture within an earthquake, which occurred as the Tahungadon had begun to arise once more.
Though still inflicted, it got its second wind back and let out a shout, which sent loud soundwaves through the atmosphere, enough to make Natsu and Gajeel get blown away yet again.
"Looks like that thing is getting back up for more." Cana figured.
"Yeah, big duh." Craig said. His right eye shut as he suddenly winced. 'Damnit, come on, I can't breakdown again!'
The building beneath them all suddenly began to shudder, fragments of the sides beginning to fall to the ground. The shuddering and the dismantling of the structure was rattling everyone down to the very own. This caused uneasy tension which left even Craig to be aware as to what was happening. Collapsing.
"We're going down!" Elfman shouted. He adjusted his foot just as the section of the building caved in. When Elfman looked down into the hole, he saw that everything was literally falling apart.
Evergreen activated her wings, getting into the atmosphere and of the rattling tower, which was beginning to tilt. "I can only carry one person, guys! Think of something!"
"We know!" Gray screamed.
Craig looked back at Cana, pointing at her with a twisted brow. "You!"
"What now?" Cana shouted. "Are you gonna imply how smelly I am!"
Craig gave a despondent look as he was still. "You said it, not me. Anyways! Use your magic!" He retorted.
Cana blinked. "My…magic?" She gasped.
"Now you get it! Turn yourself and everyone into cards! Have the primidone carry us all the way to the dragon! They either won't fire those things when we're in close-range, or they'll lower their output so as to not harm the dragon! Whichever, it'll give us an advantage!" He explained. "Well quit being a slowpoke and do it already!"
Cana reached into her purse. "Alright! I got it!" She scornfully shouted. Once she had a deck ready, she looked at everyone as the building was coming down. "Everyone hang on! This is gonna get rough!" the cards began to glow. "Card Dimension!" In a bright flash, Erza and the others felt reality distort around them, their shock turning south when everything suddenly got bigger for them. The entire group, excluding Evergreen, had become cards. They were all neatly folded into a deck, where they sat patiently on the building.
In a hurry, Evergreen swooped down and seized all the cards. As she held them tight in her hands, she flew high out, not bothering looking back as the roof finally collapsed, along with the massive tower. The entire structure went crashing down, filling the streets with a dust storm and raining debris.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Iron Dragon's Roar!"
Another breath attack from the two Dragon Slayers, and yet the same thing happened. As they fired at one spot against the Tahungadon as it slowly arose, no damage was accumulated. The spot they shot at was completely fine, if not damaged already by Ace and Craig.
"Damnit!" Natsu yelled. "We're freakin Dragon Slayers! Damnit! Go down!"
As the gargantuan titan began to get a foot underneath, which rattled the few buildings it stepped on, Xixen and Gengo were trying to ascertain their balance as the head moved up and down, coordinating with the dragon's fatigue. Scales were severely damaged, and that left only insult to injury for Natsu as he inspected the beast. Craig and Ace did far more than what 50,000 mages could do. Was that even possible? Was that even fair?
"You fools! I'll get rid of pests like you!" Xixen shouted. He reached up towards them. "HRAH!"
A blue Dragon Lacrima glowed right beside Natsu, catching the Dragon Slayer and Happy both off guard. Both were engulfed in a bright blue ray as slick as water, a hydraulic blast that was packed full of pressure and got Natsu and Happy to descend several feet.
"Salamander!" Gajeel shouted.
"Happy!" Lily screamed.
Both managed to regain balance thankfully, and then the two looked up, seeing as how they were just below the lacrima field, where hundreds were present. To say this was a shock caught one of them by surprise.
"Hey! Where did these things come from?!" Natsu shouted.
"Seriously, you dumbass?! We've been maneuvering around them and trying to hit that Tahungadon for an hour now and you just realized its power source?!" Gajeel screamed.
Happy sulked. "His poor brain."
Natsu looked around, inspecting the domain. Despite the numerous lacrima centered around them, they smelled dragon. They knew the Tahungadon's power resonated from the lacrima, but at the same time, Natsu knew the only way that worked for him was to attack head on. It wasn't ideal, but if he attacked the lacrima, they would all go and attack him instead. It was one or the other. As he contemplated, he picked up a figure flying from the distance. "Huh?"
As the figure closed in, she had a stack of cards in hand. She seemed to be familiar.
"It's Evergreen!" Happy cheered.
"What is she doing here?" Lily asked.
The lacrima fired as Xixen reached for Evergreen. At the command, about fifty Dragon Lacrima fired a variety of elemental blasts. Darkness, lava, clouds, frost, and various draconic qualities raced towards Evergreen, but she had a way of countering.
"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!"
She waved her arm to the side, unleashing energy needles made of concentrated fairy dust. The torrent of yellow needles intercepted all of the attacks, resulting in a large-scale explosion, enveloping several lacrima in a smoke cloud. This allowed obscuring vision to be an asset in the event of Evergreen. With the smoke as cover, she hurried and flew down towards the dragon's snout, close to where Xixen and Gengo were at. Once she landed, the smoke cleared, revealing her on the battlefield.
"Sir." Gengo said, but then Evergreen held out the deck.
The Fairy Mage smirked. "Now, come out and play!" At her call, the top card of the deck surfaced, forming into Cana as she was standing in front of the Fairy Mage.
The CARd Mage swiped her arm, using her magic to made the deck glow. "Now, guys, come out!" AT her call, the cards all became bright flashes, which vanished briefly before transforming into the group again, with them on the dragon, everyone was ready for battle.
Elfman cracked his knuckles. "Alright, time to take down Dragon Lacrima, like real men!"
"I'll get freezing, pronto!" Gray declared.
Erza, still in her hakama pants and sarashi. Had her katanas ready. "We'll handle the power source."
Ace held Katsyu by the hilt, ready an aimed at his opponent, which was Xixen. "I shall deal with him then."
Cana held a card out. "Then Cranky and I will sick his little lapdog!"
In response to Brownie, Craig pulled out his blood red sword, unleashing a mind-blowing roar as he craned his head from one side to the other.
Xixen smirked at them, looking all the more confident. "So, you intend on beating me instead of the dragon, huh?" He inquired. "Well you better do it fast, because once this Tahungadon is back in the air, you won't have much time to save yourselves. Come and get me then!" He swiped his arms forward, and thus summoned several lacrima that were gathered around. He unleashed them, sending dozens of blasts of the concentrated magic each lacrima had against the group. Everyone scattered as the blasts diverged, coordinating against mainly Gray, Elfman, Erza, and Andrea.
As the blasts focused on them, Ace, Crag, and Cana all ran ahead towards Xixen and Gengo.
"Deal with those two. The big fish is mine." Xixen ordered.
Gengo nodded. "Yes, understood." He dashed forward, suddenly disappearing in a fashion similar to before.
Cana's eyes widened. "He's gone!" She gasped.
Craig pivoted, suddenly narrowing his eyes. With sword in hand, he swiftly pulled it up and blocked Gengo's sudden right hook. Upon impact, and using the flat end of the blade, Gengo was caught feeling time slow down, his shock beginning to overwhelm him as he flew backwards from the recoil. He regained footing upon landing, looking back at Craig as he stared placidly at him.
"…how did you know where I was?" Gengo asked.
"Spatial Magic. You shortened the distance by refracting space to close distance as if going through a window. This ain't my first rodeo." Craig said.
Cana whipped around, looking to where she saw where Gengo was. "If that's the case, then let's hit him where he sits still!" She pulled out a card, ready to strike at him. "Now, HRAH!" Her cards glowed and she shot them. She watched as the cards flourished a path, but Gengo closed his eyes and disappeared. He vanished as he stepped backwards, the cards instead exploding upon impact with scales, resulting in no damage whatsoever.
Without looking, Craig called out to Cana. "Behind you!"
Heeding his call, she pivoted and turned around, where Gengo reappeared as if reaching out of an invisible window. Gengo was again met with time slowing down as Cana had cards in hand, which she used as blades and tried to cut his hand. With the sharp edges, she grazed Gengo's palm, forcing him to retreat backwards.
He grunted as he held his palm, seeing the cut. "You brats." He growled.
Craig walked up to Cana's side, opening his mouth and emitting yet another roar. His head and neck were craned low, his steps sturdy. It really was intimidating to look at, especially with how sharp the teeth he had were. They looked like rows of shark teeth, incisors that could rip human flesh…and snap bone!
Gengo clutched his fists and readied an offensive. "You may have made it this far, but what can you do? You all exhausted your strength just from either attacking or blocking. Do you really think you can stop a dragon?" He retorted.
Craig tilted his neck to the side, cracking his neckbones. He looked back at Gengo, a narrow gaze fixated onto him. "Well you know what they say, you'll never know unless you really try." His grip tightened on his blood red sword, poised to strike.
Gengo's patience was getting thin. "You cocky little…" In his retaliation against Craig, he disappeared with his magic as he leaped to the side. He seemed to be closing the gap relatively quick as his upper body appeared above Craig. He went to strike him dead in the head, but then Craig raised his free arm, blocking with his cuffs. The shocking part was that he didn't even bother looking above him. His eyes widened out of pure shock, bewildering him beyond recognition.
Craig looked up at last, eyes narrowed as he nudged up and seized his wrist. Without even a snarky comment back, he twisted the man's wrist, driving him down against the dragon's massive scales. He slammed him down maliciously against his own head, making and intense shock rattle through him. As one could hear thudding penetrate the atmosphere, Craig let go, pivoted, and kicked him dead in the gut. The impact was so harsh that Gengo went flying backwards several yards, constantly tumbling and skidding against the rough skin of the dragon. As he stopped, Gengo's most critical pain derived from his skull and his gut, where Craig seemingly broke both.
Gengo struggled to stand, but regardless, he did manage. He slumped back up, a throbbing pain flaring. All he heard was footsteps approach him before he caught wind of a blur emerging from in front. With senses dulled from shock, Craig took advantage and clutched a fist.
"Smash!"
"Huh-?!" Gengo's vision only cleared just as Craig walked up and socked him on the face with his brute strength. The blow to the face again shot Gengo far away, falling onto his back.
Watching, Cana looked at Craig. "Hey, Cranky! I'm still here!" She berated.
Craig turned around to face her. He gave a blunt stare. "So?"
"So, don't think you get all the action as well." Cana showed a smirk as she pulled out her tarot cards. "Step aside, and let me show you how to finish off someone."
His eyes narrowed. "Screw you. I'm faster."
"Sorry, ladies first."
"I went first from the start. You're more sluggish than you thought."
Cana grew a grim tick mark on her forehead. "Have you ever heard of privileges?"
"Yeah, and there's rights to! But you know me, Brownie, I have such a complicated view on those most legit and meaningful things." He added the right amount of sarcasm as he looked to the heavens upon that explanation.
"You break rules as often as you break faces!" Cana pointed out.
"I'll break your spirits if you don't shut up!"
"I'll shut you up before I break your concentration."
Nearby, Gengo was getting back up groaning in pain. He rubbed the back of his head, looking at them berating one another.
"Concentration?! Your sense of concentration is as dull as that look you have in your eyes!"
"Yeah, and your look scares off bears!"
"Then why don't you go running off with them!"
"We're on a dragon!"
"Then get off the dragon!"
"You get off! I was here first!"
"Yeah? Well I got a case of I-don't-care-it is. See how that works?"
"Well I don't care that you're a-!" Cana was suddenly grabbed from behind. Her neck was grabbed by Gengo, who used his magic and managed to seize Cana in a good hold. He pulled her away, catching the brunette by surprise. "What the-?!"
Gengo leered at Craig as he held her in a chokehold. "Don't come closer. Unless you wanna see her suffocate." He threatened.
Craig's eyes narrowed, lowly growling at the sudden dynamic change. He was so raptured in berating Brownie, that yet again, another calamity had occurred. Even so, he had to act. Although…
Cana coughed as she struggled to break free. "Hey! Cranky! Do something!" She yelled in a strained fashion.
Craig's gaze sharpened. "Shut up, Brownie." He stepped back, pulling his sword up. "Though all things considered, this is your fault." He added.
"WHAT?!" Cana yelled. Her shout made Gengo's ears ring a bit.
"You and I shouted constantly back when we were fighting that one army. How'd you let your reflexes get sloppy. Didn't you feel the distortion around you?"
Cana's teeth gritted. "You're mocking me of my ill-reflexes than save my life?! You ungrateful pig!"
Craig raised a brow. "Pig? That's funny. I'm only 18, and the ladies above me don't seem to mind."
Cana was flaring pretty bad. "Stop insulting and help me out so I can kill you a little!"
Gengo blinked. He was just staring ahead out of immense shock. He could not believe what he was seeing and hearing. 'Are they…are they seriously arguing as she's being a hostage?' He looked at Cana, who was gritting her teeth at Craig out of her own hate for him. 'They don't even care she's a hostage. These people…just who the heck are they-GAH!'
Gengo suddenly let go of Cana as a sharp pain flared in his collar bone. His grip was free from her as he faltered backwards, an immense pain flaring as there was a shimmering blood red blade pierced his right shoulder. Time slowed down as Gengo's eyes were wide, his oblivious judgment getting the best of them. He looked back at Craig, seeing as how he threw the blood red sword and inflicted a wound without so much as grazing Cana, despite the trajectory inches away from her hair and face.
Gengo could feel everything around him slowly slip as the blade dripped his own blood. 'Did they…they bickered…on purpose? They did it just to throw me off my guard?'
Cana showed a toothy smirk with her back turned. When she pivoted to face him, she already had cards in hand.
"Summoned Lightning!"
The cards she had in hand went glazing at him in green bolts, making a direct hit and engulfing Gengo in a vivid lightning strike. The man screamed out violently in pain as not only was he slowly falling backwards with a sword in the shoulder, but also was electrocuted. He could feel his conscience fading as everything went black. 'Who are…these two…Master Xixen, forgive me.' He fell backwards on the dragon's snout, thudding and signaling his own defeat.
Cana had a hand to her hip, smirking as Craig walked on over and overlooked Gengo. He stared down at the man, lowly silent before he pulled the blade out of the shoulder. As he held the blade to the side, he whipped it, cleansing it of the blood it ascertained.
Cana smirked at Craig, looking quite content with what just happened. "Well, looks like it worked." She said.
Craig looked back at her with a small grin of his own. "Tch. It's always a mental game. The mind's gotta be set and ready, no matter what stupid tricks a foe does."
Cana continued to grin at Craig. Despite how their bickering helped them, what he said wasn't wrong either. "I'll take your word for it."
Gray let out a shout as he summoned ice lances, unleashing them in various fashions as the lacrima all around were blasting like crazy like defense lasers. They all intercepted each lance and pushed through him, where he was forced to back away. When he jumped back, he found himself back to back with Elfman and Gajeel.
"There's seriously no end to these things!" He berated.
"Every time we attack, they always block and counter!" Elfman shouted. Once again, after he spoke, the big guy was forced to maneuver and dodge around the opposing lacrima. He nearly lost footing as he dodged right, and then left, and then left again. It was a nonstop game that he was unable to do anything about. The lacrima fired elemental waves at the adversary, and Elfman jumped at the last second, barely dodging with what leg strength he had left.
Gray put his hands together, making ice ready around him. "Then let's out this battle on ice! Ice-Make: Freeze!" At his command, the Dragon Lacrima within the area, the hundred close around, encasing them all in solid ice. Everything around them glistened and seemed like a blessing, giving Gray and the group some space.
Gray raised a fist. "Alright, that stopped them."
Elfman looked around and smiled. "Alright, wait a go Gray-huh?" Elfman looked at a certain lacrima, seeing it glow a certain color. "I think you just jinxed yourself there." He warned.
"What do you mean by-!" Gray turned around and went wide-eyed. Elfman and everyone around watched as one of the lacrima in the area had begun to glow, and as the glow began to brighten, the ice within the area had begun to glow, the energy turning it into streams that drew itself into the lacrima, a fashion very similar to Natsu taking in fire. Without less than seconds, the lacrima in the area were thawed out like nothing happened.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Gray screamed.
"Ice Dragon Lacrima?!" Elfman shouted.
The lacrima began to fire into them once more. Once again, they all had to nimbly dodge while avoiding blast waves comprised of ruby, sonic waves, and various other elements that involved the Dragon Slayer might.
Nearby, Erza made another move for the Dragon Lacrima, using both katana to attack. She was so close to cutting one in half before it fired a blue beam, getting her head on. The redhead screamed as she fell down onto the dragon's snout, flopping onto her back before flipping onto her knees.
"You okay over there?" Andrea asked. She looked back over and used her swords to block a bright white beam. While the swords blocked the laser, the dozens more lacrima fired at her. She had no choice but to dodge. She slipped left and skidded along the rough scales, barely managing to hold her footing as many beams almost made her trip.
Erza got up, looking no less damaged than she ever was. "I'm fine." She jumped to her right, dodging a small laser. "These lacrima are what power the dragon. They would have to use minimal strength if they are to stay functional. That's what I just realized when that blast just now struck me." She held up both her katana, ready to pick another target. "They have numbers to back them up. So let's go!"
"Right!" Andrea took a big leap, along with Erza, and took near-flight. Both swordswoman swiped their swords, cutting right into the beams that were trying to keep them down. Erza slashed constantly, faster than what the eye saw, and Andrea was no different. Erza and Andrea reached a critical point and had both their swords in hand. With separate lacrima chosen, they slashed with all their might. They cut their swords right down the middle, splitting the two lacrima into spliced pieces.
They both landed, side by side, frowning upon their work.
"We got two it seems." Andrea barely squeezed that sentence in before several lacrima b=fired at her, constantly keeping her on her toes.
Erza blitzed around, trying to find another opening. The look on her face showed frustration as her teeth gritted. "We can't stop!" She leaned right, dodging another lacrima blast as fluent as the air itself. "We've managed to cut two. We just have to cut the thousands more! Keep fighting!"
Ace slashed the mighty sword Katsyu against Xixen, but the effort put into the attack was in vain due to the blockade put up by some Adamantine Dragon Lacrima in front, manifesting an energy shield that blocked the assault. Ace was surprisingly forced to recoil and slid backwards to a halt. Once that happened, he reluctantly got to a knee.
Xixen smirked at Ace's falter. "My, my." He extended his arm forward, using one of the surrounding lacrima and unleashing a blast of Dragon Slayer Magic at Ace. The swordsman caught on and managed to dodge in time by leaping backwards and managing to falter onto his one good knee again. "Someone's looking a little shaky."
Ace gave a hardened glare that stared daggers into his adversary. "Save your pity." He got back up, but not without a grunt or two. "I'd rather have you save it for when you feel remorse for failure."
"Failure?" Xixen feigned shock. "Failure isn't the same as retribution. I'm merely making the world a place where the past is more important." He brought his arm around in a vivid swipe. "It's what defined now!" He fired another few beams of lacrima from all around, which aimed directly for Ace. Ace lifted Katsyu by the grip and slashed it diagonally. He cut straight through the beams like they were butter, dissipating them like they weren't even there. Xixen was only all the more persistent as he extended his reach forward, firing blast upon blast of Dragon Lacrima energy at Ace. The dozens of blasts multiplied into numbers no less than fifty. From those high above, the lacrima targeted Ace, and the swordsman didn't move much from the same spot as he raised his Katsyu once in an upwards arched swipe. Theassault worked, cutting every single beam in the vicinity around by the projectile wave that made even the distant area cleave in half. The air around Xixen was cut in half, in which oxygen was momentarily cut off from him.
In a pace, faster than the speed of lightning, Ace abruptly appeared in front of Xixen, leaving the man perplexed at his speed. "You're finished."
Ace passed Xixen, leaving a slice trail behind and a massive clanging sound. The swordsman took a pause as his attack ceased, looking back with narrowed eyes to see Xixen unharmed. Instead, the Adamantine Dragon Lacrima was shattered to pieces.
Xixen looked over his shoulder, frowning with a small shadow over his eyes. "That wasn't bad. If that attack had hit me, I'd be cleaved along the side."
Ace glared in silence, his bloodshot eyes almost shuddering.
Xixen turned around to face Ace. "I can see why you're the greatest swordsman in the world. The Adamantine Dragon lacrima can withstand the might of an Etherion blast. Yet you can slice through it without not effort. I'm impressed. This makes me realize that I should get to obliterating you now. So sorry, but I hope you've enjoyed the ride while it lasted."
"What are you doing?" Ace asked. As soon as the question left his mouth, he was left perplexed when the snout and jaws of the mountainous dragon had begun moving. It was causing a miniature earthquake that made the upper jaw tilt upwards, catching everyone off balance. Erza, Gray, Elfman, and Andrea were all abruptly caught off balance just as the Dragon Lacrima were gaining up on them.
Observing from the sky, Gajeel and Lily saw the calamity approaching. They looked around and saw the lacrima glowing brightly yet again, catching them by surprise.
"What's going on?" Lily asked.
"How should I know?" Gajeel asked. He looked down to where he saw a bunch of orange flashes in the far distance below. He knew all too well who the culprit was. "Hey, Salamander! What the heck are you doing?!"
Far below, Natsu let out a draconic shout as he put his hands together and unleashed another massive fireball. The Dragon Slayer threw it, making contact and erupting against the beast's underside. When the flames and smoke dissipated, however, Natsu's frustration and temperature was on the fritz when the attack still didn't do anything.
"Are you kidding me?!" He yelled.
"Natsu! We have to get away! It looks like it's gonna bellow!" Happy warned. Natsu's hands were lit up in dangerous fire yet again, this time, Happy could feel the heat far greater than before. The Exceed could feel the raw frustration of what went through Natsu, hence the fire.
"I AM A DRAGON SLAYER!" Natsu roared. With his shout, he made a loud draconic cry as he brought his arms and hands in full circle, making a swirling vortex of fire that crackled to an unstoppable degree. "GO DOWN, DRAGON! Dragon Slayer Secret Art – Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" With an intense, hostile shout, he unleashed the massive fire spiral that shook the airspace, if not incinerate it. The attack enveloped the small section of the underbelly, which to an overall standpoint, made a sizeable impact to it. The blast was half the length and size of the Tahungadon's index finger, which was huge compared to most prospects.
Natsu pumped a fist, panting as his entire body was literally steaming. He was so hot that the heat waves around him exerted on a drastic level. He was huffing and puffing like there was no tomorrow, every labored breath heavier than the last. He observed at the smoke was clearing up, and the fire beginning to settle. When it did, his eyes widened.
"No…way…" Natsu coldly muttered.
The spot where Natsu had struck was steaming, otherwise, barely a fraction of it was covered in soot. Nothing burned to a crisp, no cry of pain, and sadly, no critical damage that Ace and Craig had pulled off. In fact, the Tahungadon was continuing to spread its massive wings and open its mouth like nothing had happened. Natsu's efforts were all for nothing, which left his eyes shuddering. As he slowly looked up, he realized hos damaged it was, but also at the same time how giant it was as well.
With wings fully spread, Tahungadon unleashed a full-scale roar. The soundwaves bellowed on such a massive scale that the actual waves transmitted like visible radar through the country. Not only was its entire body shuddering, but also all of Tahunga was beginning to quake. The soundwaves hit the vicinity beneath, breaking down buildings and shattering windows, towering metallic structures, and devastating endless streets. Everyone aboard of the Tahungadon covered their ears while still trying to keep themselves afoot. They barely held out, but at the same time, they all could feel their organs rattle exponentially.
"This thing's roar is that loud!" Gray screamed.
"Everyone stay strong!" Erza shouted.
The wings flapped, and that was when Tahunga was engulfed in a hurricane. The massive wings whipped winds so powerful that everything in every city of Tahunga was either blown away or decimated. Homes, businesses, everything was engulfed in a disastrous typhoon that was the dragon taking flight.
"Aaaaah!" Natsu, Gajeel, Happy, and Lily were all engulfed in the turbulence, blown away to the ground that was far below them.
"Natsu!" Erza screamed. Suddenly, her katana snapped as the dragon scaled shuddered, the dragon began to take flight, immediately straining gravity that was like taking in an entire ocean of suppressing air. Ultimately, with everyone on edge – literally – that came with the cost of their balance. Erza screamed as the gravity was too much, resulting in her falling.
"Erza-gaaaah!" Gray, followed by Elfman, fell down as well.
Andrea tried her best to maintain a strong grip, but alas nothing worked well for her. The swordswoman let out a cry as she fell down.
Ace grunted as he was barely keeping footing. He was on a knee, and was barely holding himself down if not for Katsyu using itself as his own personal anchor. He was grunting heavily, barely keeping himself up, but Xixen, unlike the rest, was not afraid. His footing was perfect, as though he wasn't effected.
"I'm sorry about this, Ace Hunter." Extending an arm forward, Xixen used only a singular silver Dragon Lacrima blast and struck him. The impact was so powerful that Ace lost hold on Katsyu just as the sword had gotten loose against the scales. And so, the swordsman begun falling.
"Ace!" Craig shouted, now using his blood and dark red swords as anchors. Behind him, he was hearing another shout, one that rang his ears like bells. He whipped around, horror striking him hard as the eyes widened, his heart jolting as he saw Cana falling.
"Aaaaaah!" She screamed as she had begun her plummet.
Craig's instincts jolted. He constantly kept his swords anchored down as he crawled towards the edge of the Tahungadon, where he saw Cana plummet with the others. "BROWNIE!" He bellowed.
Cana screamed out as she fell, but as she did, she saw Craig with his horrified expression. In a hurry, she got her purse and pulled out a deck. "CRANKY! KEEP GOING!" She kept both hands on the deck, causing a bright light to engulf everything. "Card Dimension!"
The brunette was engulfed in a bright light, as was the rest of the plummeting group. In a bright second, they all became trapped in cards as before, the dimension momentarily distorting for them, thankfully. With them all in cards, they all fluttered towards the ground, giving Craig a sense of relief.
With them safe for the time being, Craig craned his neck around, giving a sharp stare at the only other person still aboard the Tahungadon: Xixen. His scoffing and smirking was making Craig growl.
"My, my. Someone seems angry." Xixen mocked. He didn't waste another breath when he reached out, using Craig's faltered momentum to his advantage and fired about ten other lacrima blasts directly at him. The beams all made it towards him, with the impact so harsh and comprised of so many elements that they engulfed Craig in a powerful shockwave. Rather than get swallowed by the explosion itself, the shockwave pulsated and tore Craig off the dragon scales beneath him, sending him soaring as the dragon's ascent continued to rise. The screaming of Nic's pain ran through the atmosphere, leading all the way towards the very top of the horn, where he used his legs and thankfully wrapped them around it with his hands having swords.
Barely hanging on, Craig was upside-down, eyes wide with his entire body flaring with gravity weighing him against the world.
Xixen smirked. "Get rid of him."
The Tahungadon complied, ceasing its ascent when already hundreds of feet up and beginning to crane its head down. As it lowered its head, Craig felt an uneasy tug as his back banged against the solid nose horn, a throbbing sensation running through the spine and back of the neck alike. He almost lost hold.
Down below, the winds had started to slow down, everyone covered in a debris field. Natsu and Gajeel made a crash landing, with Happy and Lily barely pulling them back to slow them down to where they could tumble rather than bluntly fall to their deaths. In doing so, Natsu and Gajeel plopped constantly until they hit a building with its lower floors barely together.
Natsu's head throbbed and his eyes remained shut. "Ugh…what just hit us?" He grumbled.
Gajeel coughed, getting up from his side. "Damnit."
"Are you guys alright?!" Happy called out as he and Lily descended. Both Exceeds deactivated their wings and made it towards the ground. They both got closer to their allies, seeing as how both were banged up pretty bad.
Gajeel looked up, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the flying monstrosity. "Just what the hell are we supposed to do now? We can't get near that thing the way we are now. We barely put a scratch on it-!" A sudden fist banging against the ground caught the Iron Dragon Slayer off guard, surprising him greatly. "What the…?" Looking over, he saw Natsu. Who was on his knees like he was, head and fists against the ground. "Salamander?"
"This…this isn't fair." Natsu shuddered, sweat dripping as his eyes showed pain. "I'm supposed to be a freakin Dragon Slayer, so why wasn't I able to beat it?" His eyes shout, his pain accelerating. "I don't understand! How could Ace and Craig do that?!"
"Natsu." Happy mourned.
Lily crossed his arms, observing Natsu's frustration. Along with him, Gajeel could sympathize with the Dragon Slayer's frustration, but there really wasn't anything to say about it otherwise. Drawing their attention elsewhere, Lily blinked when a card fell in front of him.
"Hm?" He looked down, picking up the card. "Hey, look."
Happy turned towards him. "Huh?" In front of him, another card had fallen, and then another, followed by another couple. The Exceed looked up, seeing the couple cards left fluttering down gently. "Is it raining cards?" He asked.
Lily tilted his head. "Doubt it."
The card in Lily's hand suddenly glowed, catching the Exceed by surprise. He and Happy both backed away and covered up as a bright light resonated from the cards scattered all around.
"Wait-GAH!" Natsu covered up as the bright light blinded him, and along with him was Gajeel. Both dragon Slayers and Exceeds were momentarily blinded as the lights faded, revealing the cards to transform back into Cana and the rest of the group.
Natsu looked back, his eyes wide. "Whoa! What the heck?! Where did you guys come from?!"
Gajeel turned towards him, angrily. "You idiot. Don't you remember? The boozer can use Card Magic!"
"Wait…!" Natsu's realization came around. "You mean they broke their falls?! Now how is that fair?!"
Ace was on a knee, looking around to see anything out of place. "Is everyone alright?"
"I think so." Erza said, wincing just after she said that.
"Well, at least we made it towards the ground safely." Gray grumbled.
"But now we gotta find another way." Elfman pointed out.
Cana looked around, seeing everything in one piece. "At least we're still alive." She muttered. "Huh?" She looked up, seeing the Tahungadon with its head lowered, like it was ready to flick. "What the…?" Cana narrowed her eyes, trying to see what was at the top of the horn. While it was too small to decipher, she could picture something awkwardly dangling from the tip. When she realized who it was, her eyes widened.
"Cranky!" She gasped.
Erza looked towards her. "Hm? Wait. Craig?"
Andrea let out a surprised gasp. "You mean…"
Ace looked back up, a narrowed expression. "Aye…it would appear so."
Cana looked up at the Tahungadon, her teeth gritting. "Cranky…"
On the Tahungadon high in the sky, Craig was hanging on for dear life, wrapping his legs with whatever sense of improvising he had. 'This ain't gonna end well.'
As frustrating as it is, I had no recourse but to split the chapter in half. It was getting too long. It was gonna be over 20K, which is far too much. I had to divide this in half, but still, I apologize for not making yet another flashback chapter. I can assure you, the next chapter will in fact be the conclusion for the Tahunga Arc. It still irritates me how I always say something, yet I contradict it in the end. I said I was gonna wrap up the Tahunga Arc, but in the end it's gonna be 7 chapters instead of 6. At least to make up for no flashbacks, I poured in extra CraigxCana bickering, with a hint of development and the return of a little usage of chi for Craig.
Anyways, I hope this chapter left a good impression on you guys, and I hope you comment and review as always! :)