Chapter 32 – The Devil Inside
Inner Garden, Autumn Time
Year X792
Sting Eucliffe
Natsu and I both arrived at the site of the major most battle that night, in what I could only think of as the 'nick of time'.
"Yo!" Natsu smiled brightly as he greeted Arthur. Stealing a glance to the pinkette, I could see the fires in his eyes burning brightly. Looking back over to Arthur, I noticed Edric smiling weakly in Natsu's direction, Medea obviously unconscious beside him.
"Thomas… ah… said you guys needed some help, and it looks like he wasn't kidding" I explained quickly to Arthur, who just smiled and turned back towards two other individuals, one of which was perched upon a large rock that jutted from the middle of the ruined garden, the other standing in front of it. It was obvious that the stony outcropping did not belong there, which immediately led me to the conclusion that they were the twin cousins that Arthur and the others had set off to fight.
"Are they the guys we've gotta beat? Their cousins?" Natsu whispered to me. I shrugged.
"I guess so" I replied. Eyeing up the pair more closely, I noticed that they weren't completely identical in appearance, despite what Thomas had said back at the guild, although they were very similar. They both donned different attire, and each wore their hair in different styles.
"Damn Hugo, I should've planned the traps myself, rather than let that idiot deal with things. He's been making slip-up, after slip-up ever since that botched job at the port!" One of the twins cried out in anger, from atop the column of rock and earth. I immediately eyed up the shrieking teen; he was blond, much like Arthur and Edric, however unlike them, he did not wear the fancier suits or attire. Instead, he was clad in a leather jacket, with tight-fitting trousers, and thick boots. The jacket was left open, to expose bare muscles beneath his clothes, and on his hands, he wore scaly metallic gloves that were shaped to look like claws.
"Although he did come up with the plan to capture the patriarch, which was successful" the other twin chimed in from the ground, using a much more level tone of voice to his partner. Looking to him, I saw he wore a full leather outfit, all of which seemed too-tight to be comfortable. He also wore gloves, however his were neither clawed, nor metallic, but rather were fingerless and leather. "We should probably deal with things more seriously from now on, though, Tai. Those two were strong enough to defeat the Troupe and those mages that were stationed in the mansion" the grounded brother than added. I allowed a flicker of a smile to pass over my features. Well… we defeated one of the Troupe at least… and about those other guys… well, I suppose I shouldn't get 'em any angrier than they are already…
The one identified as 'Ten' then laughed. "It's alright Dai, if they've had to go through all that to get up to us, then that just means they won't have much magic power left, right?" Tai said.
Dai smirked. "I suppose that's true" he agreed, before looking towards Natsu and I with a bit more intent. "Now, let's see how strong you are…" he added. After that statement, 'Dai' rushed forwards towards us with a near inhuman level of speed.
Natsu was first to react, rushing to meet him with flaming fists. "So, you wanna fist fight, do ya?" Natsu chuckled, meeting the oncoming teen blow for blow. I followed suit a moment later, aiming to fire a quick White Dragon Claw and hopefully paralyse one of the two before they became problematic. The longer the fight, the worse off we'll be… gotta do this fast I thought to myself. Just as I was about to get within range and fire off the spell, I felt myself shift about. Disorientated, I took a step and released the spell, the target I intended now a few steps away. I looked to Arthur with confusion. "What the hell, why'd you stop me?!" I barked at him. Not a second after I said that did I hear the thunderclap, lightning striking where I had been only a heartbeat ago.
"I was making sure you weren't hit by that" Arthur stated flatly. "Now come on, whilst Natsu keeps Daichi distracted, we'll take out Tenchi, then we don't need to keep watching over our heads all the time" he added hastily.
I frowned, eyeing up the teen upon the rock. "So, he's the Lightning Devil Slayer, right?" I asked. Arthur nodded.
"Yes, now… are you ready?" he asked me. I frowned.
"For wha-" before I could finish asking my question, Arthur opened up a portal beneath my feet, depositing me directly above the other twin cousin. Realising instantly what his plan was, I prepared another White Dragon Claw, bringing my light-infused fist down upon the teen. My attack missed, instead striking the rock below, and shattering it in a brilliant explosion of pure white.
"Too slow, Arthur" Tenchi laughed, as he sped away using lighting to propel himself. I didn't allow the teen's speed to phase me, instead, using the large pile of rocks falling around me, I bounded after him.
"I'm not gonna let you get away!" I called out, barely managing to keep up with the Devil Slayer.
Tenchi shot me a wide, wolfish grin over his shoulder. "Really, because you seem to be just as slow as everyone else" he chided.
I shook my head. "Tch… just you wait" I muttered, as I channelled my magic power into another spell. "White Drive…" I mumbled after a moment, activating my most powerful boost. With new power, I sped along and managed to even catch up to the electrically-charged blond. "I'm not as slow as everyone else" I commented casually upon reaching the teen.
Tenchi scowled. "Hmph… you wanna fight me so bad, fine. Eat this!" he barked, before releasing a large blast of purplish lightning from his palm, aiming to strike me with it as he ran along. I dodged the blow, falling back a bit.
"Ha, is that all you've got. Some Devil Slayer you are" I laughed challengingly. "Now let's see you run from this" I added, channelling another spell. "White Dragon Roar!" I shouted, releasing forth a large eruption of light that surged forth towards the blond.
"Too slow, you mis-" Tenchi began to say, as he leapt sideways, avoiding my strike with apparent ease, only to find himself instantly back to where he was stood, the attack hitting him full force and sending him spiralling into, and through, a tree.
"No, you don't" Arthur laughed, as he lowered his hands, spheres of Territory Magic fading rapidly.
"Argh… that hurt" Tenchi complained, getting up and brushing himself off.
I smirked brightly at the blond. "Looks like you can't dodge all my attacks after all" I stated. Tenchi shrugged.
"Maybe, but what about your friend; doesn't look like he's doing so well against my bro" he replied, shooting me a wicked smile. At the prompt, I immediately looked over towards Natsu. The fiery pinkette was yelling something whilst delivering a number of kicks and punches that pushed the leather-clad twin back a step. Frowning I looked back toward my own opponent, however I quickly realised my mistake as a bolt of purple lightning struck me and sent me sprawling back at high speed, until I was caught by a prickly bush. "Damn…" I cursed my own stupidity.
Tenchi laughed triumphantly as he dashed over to me at high speed, lightning crackling over his knuckles as he delivered a few additional punches that made me gasp breathlessly. "Hah, if you're tricked that easily, then you really shouldn't come to face us" he spat. I growled, before blocking another punch, my eyes locking with the deep-green eyes of the enemy blond.
"Don't ever use Natsu against me" I barked, as Tenchi grinned.
"Or what, you'll hit me with another stupidly weak spell?" he replied, grabbing my other wrist as I attempted to punch him back. I shook my head in response to his taunting, my eyes becoming as fiery as Natsu's.
"No, I'll fucking destroy you, you scum!" I snarled, before headbutting him. Tenchi muttered a curse as he loosened his grip on my arm enough that I was able to push him back, kicking him away. As soon as he was off of me, another projectile stuck the teen, sending him sprawling to the ground some distance away; it was his twin.
"Sting!" Natsu's voice rang out with a note of concern. "Are you alright?"
I smiled at the pinkette as he ran up to me. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just one attack, and it didn't even hurt" I said, before looking the Fire Dragon Slayer up and down. "How about you?"
Natsu grinned brightly, jabbing a thumb at his chest. "I'm fine, he didn't hit me any more times that I hit him" he replied. I smiled.
"That's good… although you probably shouldn't let him hit you at all" I stated, looking over to the pair of groaning Devil Slayers. They both wore matching expressions of anger and pure hate.
"Damn you're…" Tenchi started.
"Annoying" Daichi finished. "However, how about we see how much of you is left after we do out most powerful combo spell" the Mountain Devil Slayer added, looking to his brother. Tenchi nodded in agreement.
"Alright" he agreed. The pair then moved to stand shoulder to shoulder, both facing us, and Arthur who was a few paces behind.
"Mountain Devil's…"
"Lightning Devils…" the pair both charged up their spells, timing perfectly in sync. It didn't take Natsu or me very long to work out what was going on, and no more than a second later we were preparing our own spells, equally in sync.
"Fire Dragon's…" he chanted.
"White Dragon's…" I parroted.
"Rage!" the twins unleashed their attack.
"Roar!" we countered.
The two sets of spells collided in an almighty mix of bright light, scorching flame, crackling lightning, and deep purple gemlike-rocks that swirled about for a moment, before exploding in a great wave of magic that swept over everyone present in the garden. Natsu glanced to me as the spells connected and fused, however much to his obvious surprise neither of us were affected by the explosion, not with the bubbles of Spatial Magic surrounding us. "You two alright?" Arthur called out from his own Territory bubble. I looked over to where he stood and nodded.
"Yeah, thanks" I said. He smiled, before clicking his fingers, the two bubbles growing and forming one large bubble. "Whoa…" I watched the move with amazement. "I've never seen a Territory this big, m'lady usually uses smaller ones" I commented in an impressed tone. Arthur laughed.
"It's only a defensive spell, and it only works thanks to Edric and Medea" he replied, before holding up two cards not unlike the tarot cards I had seen Cana use in my time in Fairy Tail. Arthur seemed to notice my vague curiosity. "Yes, unlike their usual cards, these are not playing cards, but rather they are the more usual tarot ones used for Card Magic… with their own twist of course. Actually, it's because of these that those two are as weak as they are, so long as I have these on me, their powers are dampened by a significant amount" Arthur explained this, before replacing the cards in his pocket, patting the area to emphasise their importance.
"So, they'd be even stronger without those cards?" Natsu asked. Arthur nodded.
"Yes" he confirmed, before glancing distractedly over to where his cousins where once more standing. "Ah, so you survived" he stated. Tenchi smiled cockily, folding his arms over his now bare chest, his leather jacket lost somewhere in the garden I guessed.
"Of course, we don't need some lame shield-spell to remain safe from a minor thing like an explosion" he responded.
Arthur smirked. "Let me guess, you went and hid in a hole in the ground. Why didn't you stay there and save me the trouble of continuing this bout?" he laughed.
Tenchi scowled, however Daichi evaded the gaze of his cousin. "Well… it was the safest place" he mumbled. Tenchi looked to his brother.
"Don't worry about it, Dai" he stated, before looking over towards Arthur. "However, it seems I underestimated those siblings of yours. Hmph… using spell cards to weaken our magic… intriguing" he eyed Arthur challengingly. "Although, I'm betting that they can't dampen all of our power" the blond Lightning Devil Slayer smiled wickedly. Arthur frowned.
"I never said it would completely dampen your abilities, I simply said it was weakening them" he commented, before raising his hands. "Now, are you going to continuing fighting, or have you finally realised the error of your ways?" he asked the two.
Tenchi laughed. "You misunderstood, I wasn't saying that it would completely negate our abilities" the blond mused, before looking to his brother, "Just that we might have to… power-up, if we wanna overcome it" Tenchi smirked. Daichi smiled too.
"Oh…" he finally caught onto his twin's scheme. Arthur went wide eyed, as I looked to him for answers.
"Damn…" he cursed under his breath.
"What's going on?" I asked the Territory Mage.
"What's going on, Dumb Dragon" Tenchi answered with a snide tone, "Is that as of this moment, this fight is over"
I frowned, however before I could ask a follow-up to question a huge rush of magical energy emitted from the pair of Devil Slayers. "I think it's time we got really serious" Daichi said.
Natsu growled lowly beside me. "That's…" he muttered.
Arthur nodded in agreement. "What? What is it?" I asked the pair.
Arthur looked to me with a deathly serious expression. "It's their demonic powers" he replied. Natsu nodded.
"Yeah, it's… a Take-Over" he stated edgily, "Just like Mira's" he added with a slight hint of fear. Oh… this is gonna be a problem I thought to myself as Tenchi and Daichi changed.
"Fuck…" I cursed.
/
Inner Garden, Autumn Time
Year X792
Natsu Dragneel
The smell of magic was nearly overwhelming. It was so bad that I couldn't even get a small whiff of Sting's scent, and he was standing right next to me. I growled lowly. This is the same Magic as Mira's but… it's different… it's stronger than her usual spell… maybe as strong as Sitri… I noted silently.
Sting looked around confusedly between me and Arthur, searching for answers. "What, what is it?" he asked in a confused tone. I growled angrily at the magic the twins were using.
"It's their demonic powers" Arthur answered Sting's question. I nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, it's a Take-Over" I concurred. "Just like Mira's" I couldn't manage to quite keep the fear from my voice. Sting swore, before reaching out and touching my arm. I glanced over to him, and saw him smile. I smiled back, before my eyes were drawn back to the twins.
Lightning crackled around Tenchi, a bright, blinding glow that engulfed his whole, half-naked form. Beside him, a swirling twister of dust and earth engulfed Daichi's form until he was completely undistinguishable. The spell only took a few seconds; however, it was a the most anxious moment for both Sting, Arthur, and I.
With a final explosion of energy, both twins were released from the clutches of their transformation as changed beings. Unlike Mirajane, the two were quite different to what I was expecting, with each one of them resembling a particular animal. Tenchi, wearing a metallic, wolf-like guise that covered his whole head, his mouth visible in the open jaws of the beast, had grown more muscular, and now had white fur bristling down his forearms, a gold stripe running all the way from his neck to his hands that were still concealed within those metallic gauntlets. His teeth, or those that were visible, were pointed, and his legs bulged with new musculature beneath the confines of his trousers. "Behold, my demonic glory;" he bellowed in a much deeper voice to his earlier human one, "The Lightning Beast, Raiju".
Daichi then stood forward. Unlike his brother, he had no obvious muscle-gain, instead he had grown slimmer. His face was covered by a metallic mask too, although his was in the shape of a weasel, and left none of his real face visible. He also had gained some fur, as I could see it poking out from the edges of where his clothes met his once leather gloves. These too had changed into metallic ones, similar to Tenchi's, although they still left his finger-tips exposed. Attached to top of the gloves on each of Daichi's hands were curved blades that measured at least the length of my forearm. I raised an eyebrow at these fearsome weapons, before my eyes locked onto a final change that revealed itself as Daichi stepped forwards one step; he had grown a large, bristly tail, that appeared to be made of spines as sharp as the blades on his hands. "This is my Demonic Take-Over; the mighty Kama Itachi" Daichi's voice was heavily muffled by his mask, however even I could tell that like Tenchi's, it too had changed somewhat. Damn, they look strong… and kinda cool… I thought to myself as I eyed up the pair together.
Tenchi seemed to notice my gaze, as he gave me a wolfish grin. "Are you fearful now, Dragon Slayer?" he asked in a pompous tone. I smirked, before shaking my head vigorously.
"Hell no, I'm just wondering which one of ya I wanna take on more" I replied cockily.
Tenchi laughed, folding his arms over his bare chest. "That won't matter, in these forms one of us can easily do away with all five of you" he boasted, pointing at us with a challenging smirk.
Arthur frowned. "I fail to see how you sacrificing your humanity makes you strong, perhaps it is by gaining strength from stupidity?" the Territory Mage chuckled, narrowing his eyes daringly at the pair.
"Tch… I've had enough of your damned smirk" Daichi commented angrily. "Can we just dispense with this mindless chatter, and fight, Tai?" he added, turning his masked face towards his brother. Taichi smiled, before nodding.
"Yes, I agree Dai, how about we show 'em how strong we really are?" he replied. Daichi nodded, before turning back towards us, his weaponised gloves poised ready to strike. I prepared myself to evade; no way was I going to be able to block those blades.
Sting, I noticed, did the same. Tenchi noticed our stances, and muttered something to his brother, before the pair set into motion.
Tenchi's form crackled with lightning as he shot up into the sky, his demonic twin crouching low. "Let's see how you fare against our ultimate technique; the Demons of Heaven and Earth" he bellowed from his position above. I smiled cockily.
"I've already fought guys like you with stupid ground-air tactics, they won't work!" I declared. Tenchi smiled again, as lightning formed a bright carpet beneath him, allowing him to quite literally stand in mid-air. "We shall see" he replied, before nodding towards his brother.
At that the fight truly began. However, neither Sting nor I really knew just what we had gotten ourselves into.
/
Tenchi fired bolts of red lightning from his fingertips, great arcs of crimson that struck at the position Sting and I had been standing in moments before. Although the White Dragon Slayer and I hadn't really had much time to practice fighting together, our bond, and our understanding of each other's fighting style made us mostly suited to this two-on-three combat. Arthur withdrew to the backline, supporting Sting and me with Territory from afar, whilst we rushed forward, aiming to tackle Daichi first, before taking out Tenchi.
Unfortunately, this was easier said than done. As soon as we both neared, I prepared a hasty Fire Dragon Roar to cover the blond, whilst he activated White Drive, so he could go up close and personal to the weasel-like demon twin. Both spells failed however, as we were driven back by the instantaneous eruption of dust and earth that exploded outwards from beneath Daichi's feet. "Behold, the special power of the Kama Itachi; the Dust Storm" he laughed, from somewhere within the blinding mist. Sting and I both pulled back, going shoulder to shoulder as we escaped the attack.
"Argh… I can't see him" Sting complained. I growled.
"I can't even smell him, all I can smell is that fucking dust" I added.
"Be careful, Daichi's an expert at fighting in that cloud, don't rush in or get caught in it" Arthur called out to us, before summoning up two blue portals that intercepted and seemingly absorbed two more crimson lightning bolts headed our way. "Hah, I've saved this spell for when we really needed it, but I guess that'll be now… or never" Arthur commented, before conjuring up two purple shimmering portals, out of which shot the same two red lightning bolts that he had just absorbed. "You Slayer's can't absorb your own attacks, and that counts for demons too" Arthur laughed as the wolf-like demonic twin dodged sideways, lightning carpet moving to catch him before he fell.
"What an… tch… irritating spell" he muttered angrily. "However how many attacks can you absorb?" he added with a wicked smirk.
Arthur grinned back. "Try me" he replied cockily.
I went wide-eyed as I saw Arthur take Tenchi's own attack and turn it against him. "How did you do that?" I barked in surprise. Arthur smiled, as he conjured up three more blue portals to absorb the Lightning Demon's follow-up attack.
"It's a little complicated, and I'm not gonna go into it right now. You two deal with Daichi, whilst I keep him off your backs. Even if you can beat him, just keep fighting, I know that you two have the magic power to outlast him" Arthur stated. Sting and I looked to one another, before smiling and nodding in understanding.
"Alright" we both said in unison, turning to face the dust cloud that Daichi was still hiding in.
"Let's blow this guy away, Sting!" I said. Sting nodded, before taking my hand.
"On three… one…" he started counting.
"Two…" I continued.
"Three!"
"White Dragon Roar!" he bellowed.
"Fire Dragon Roar!" I shouted in unison. Two blasts of flame and light shot forth, entering the dust storm, mixing and swirling as they swept through the cloud.
"It's useless, my Dust Storm will not be dispersed so easily, and so long as I am within it, you cannot hit me!" Daichi called out from his hiding place.
"Oh, ya think!" I barked back. "Come on Sting, give it more power" I added. Sting smiled, before increasing his magic output, the two attacks getting stronger, consuming an even wider area of garden with radiant light and searing flame. After a few moments of constant Roaring, we both shut off our attacks, the dwindling magic leaving a large hole in the dust cloud that quickly closed over as the cloud reformed.
"What the…" I growled in frustration.
Once more Daichi's voice played out from the cloud. "I told you it was useless, this is my power, the power of a demon. No simple spell will get rid of it that easily" he laughed.
I looked to Sting. "What should we do now?" I asked him. Sting shrugged, before smiling.
"I guess we've got no choice, we need to take him on directly" the White Dragon Slayer stated, "We'll both have to go into that smog, although we have to make sure we don't get separated" he added. I nodded in understanding, before holding out my hand for the blond to take.
He did so happily, interlacing our fingers so we couldn't be separated so easily. Or so we thought.
With on final glance at Arthur, who seemed to be successfully keeping Tenchi busy, we both entered the dust cover, in which Daichi hid. "Coming to get me, are you?" his voice rang out from somewhere within the swirling cloud; it was impossible to tell its source direction. I smiled.
"Yeah, we both are" I shouted back daringly, hoping that I might be able to tempt the demon into revealing himself. Daichi laughed, a hollow sound that rippled across the whole area, making it impossible to tell where he had concealed himself.
"Well, then, I invite you to try" he chuckled darkly. Undeterred by his words I charged head first, deeper into the cloud. Sting made a protesting noise, as he didn't seem to want to go in any further, however I didn't give him a choice.
"Natsu, wait a minute. This might be… a bad idea if we go in too far" he stated sharply, pulling on my arm to get me to stop. I frowned at the blond.
"But we won't find him unless we keep moving. He can't keep hiding forever" I said. Sting nodded.
"I know but… this kinda feels like it might be a…" the White Dragon paused, as he seemed to sense a shift in the cloud.
"A trap?" Daichi said, as his silhouette became visible in the ever-present dust clouds. Sting narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah" he agreed. The earth-based Demon laughed, before shrugging.
"Well you're not wrong, it wasn't a bad idea to hold hands, however… here is where I get serious, lover boys" he replied, before reaching down and touching the ground. Almost immediately a huge wall of earth and rock exploded forth from the ground around us, cutting Sting and me off from each other as we each dived to opposite sides in order to avoid getting struck.
Feeling Sting's hand let go of mine, I cursed, looking up at the monolithic wall, on the other side of which I knew the White Dragon was located. "Fuck… maybe I could break through?" I muttered to myself.
Suddenly a slight shift in the smog around me alerted me to another presence. Daichi came dashing out of the dust, blades primed to strike me. With another curse, I jumped up against the wall, kicking off of it to avoid the attack. "Oh, you're good" Daichi praised me sarcastically. I smirked.
"You ain't gonna be getting me that easily" I replied, "Now remove this wall and gimme Sting back" I added with a much more demanding tone of voice. Daichi shook his head.
"No. I'm gonna take care of you, then I'm gonna deal with that annoying blond" he answered. I frowned.
"I'm not gonna let you hurt one frickin' hair on Sting, this is where I beat you" I snapped sharply. Daichi laughed.
"No, you won't, Fire Dragon Slayer. I've already seen your moves, that's why I'm gonna take you out first. Unlike the other one, you aren't a threat, he," Daichi jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to where the wall was "at least, managed to keep up with Tenchi, even though he isn't a lightning user. Therefore… he must be stronger than you" Daichi's voice almost made it sound like he was looking forward to taking on a stronger opponent. I gritted my teeth in anger.
"You think I'm weaker than Sting… I've beaten him on so many occasions… you know what, that's fucking it! I'm gonna beat you senseless!" I snarled, before rushing forwards, hands aflame. Daichi laughed, before dodging my incoming blow at lightning speed.
"You'll never be able to hit me at that slow pace of yours, nothing can move faster than a weasel in its home turf" Daichi commented, before raising his hands in a fighting stance. "Although… perhaps you may make for minor amusement before the main event" he added. I shook my head.
"I'm not some guy that you can have little bit of fun fighting; I'm a Dragon Slayer… and I'm also the guy who is gonna beat you down into the ground, before finding Sting again" I stated, grinning confidently "So, let's go!" I added in a challenging tone.
At that, I began clashing with Daichi once again.
/
Inner Garden (Dust Cloud), Autumn Time
Year X792
Sting Eucliffe
I looked up in anger at the towering stone wall that formed the gap between Natsu and myself. "Damn it…" I cursed as I listened carefully, hoping to catch at least a whisper of the pinkette's voice.
I was rewarded with a great bellow. "Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!" Natsu's voice breached the thick wall of earth and rock.
I allowed myself a slight smile of contentment, before I set about making my own move. "The wall seems to spread well beyond the length of the cloud…" I mumbled to myself as I paced along one length of the construct. "Maybe I can bash my way through?" I thought aloud, before shaking my head at the idea. If I do that I might hit Natsu… or the whole thing might come crashing down on top of him… I reprimanded myself for the idea.
With a slight grunt of annoyance, I looked up the seemingly monolithic wall. "Well if I can't go around or through it… guess I'll try up" I said, before channelling my magic around myself. With brilliant white scales forming over my skin I placed a little distance between myself and the earthen wall. Then I took my run up, and with a magic-powered leap I raced up along the surface.
About half-way (or at least by my estimate) I felt the pull of gravity beginning to force me downward once more. "I'm not gonna fall…" I grumbled, reaching out for the wall with both hands. My fingers imbedded themselves in the rock, and with another heave I pushed myself continually up the wall, through the smothering cloud of dust, right to the top. "Hah… so much for this wall splitting us up" I heaved triumphantly, as I pulled myself up to the rocky parapet at the very top of the great wall. Looking down, I noticed the cloud of dust and debris only seemed to reach about four-fifths up the length of the wall, the very top remaining just above the ever-flowing miasma. I narrowed my eyes upon the cloud, looking intently for a few minutes, before I noticed what I was looking for; the bursts of red signalling a Fire Dragon was fighting his hardest. "Don't worry Natsu… just gimme a minute" I said, more to myself than for the benefit of anyone else.
Unfortunately, I was not alone in my lofty position. "So, my bro is busy fighting the other one, huh" a voice said from somewhere nearby. I looked to my left, immediately locking eyes with the other twin, clad in his metallic-and-leather, fur-covered Demon Form.
I narrowed my eyes at Tenchi, an angry expression immediately twisting my face. "You…" I growled lowly. Tenchi laughed.
"Hi, again. Did my bro make that wall to split you and your boyfriend up?" he asked. I frowned.
"Well, you would know what he was up to better than me" I responded, "Now are you gonna fight me, or are you gonna let me get on with what I wanted to do?" I added with a challenging tone. Tenchi smiled.
"Now now, no need to be impatient, we could-" Tenchi was cut off mid-sentence as a portal of glimmering white opened up near him, a beam of energy spewing forth almost as soon as it appeared. He had to drop quite an altitude before his carpet of lightning caught him.
"Get on and help Natsu, Sting" Arthur stated as he appeared in a bubble of Territory right beside me. I smiled at him.
"Thanks" I said, before looking back down at the cloud, once more looking for the sparks and bursts that signalled the presence of the Fire Dragon Slayer. Once I found them, I nodded to Arthur. "Alright, here goes" I said aloud, before jumping down into the cloud.
I felt the rush of air around me for a few moments, before the ground, with dust clinging to it like a permanent fog, came up to meet me. I landed expertly, barely losing any momentum, before I heard the loud crash of metal striking stone. That's Daichi's claws I thought to myself, identifying the direction of the source. I'm only gonna get one chance at this…
With all my power coursing through my body, and with White Drive Active, I rushed forwards towards where Natsu and the Earth Demon were battling it out.
/
Natsu was in a precarious position, with his back to the solid wall, and with great spikes of stone littering the battlefield either side of him. "Are you done yet, Dragon Slayer?" Daichi laughed, his weasel-like mask smothering his voice somewhat.
Natsu smirked cockily. "Hell no… I ain't even close to done yet" he replied, both fists exploding into bright crimson flames. I knew what was coming; Natsu charged forward, both hands striking at his opponent in a perfectly executed Fire Dragon Wing Attack. This was followed up by a barrage of kicks and punches that forced Daichi back three steps as he moved to block or dodge each blow. It's always so frickin' amazing to watch Natsu fight I noted to myself, before I began preparing for my sneak-attack. Once Natsu's out of range I'll use it… he'll probably run out of attacks in a couple of minutes… I added mentally, as I mapped out what my next actions were going to be. Sure enough, after two final attacks, a kick that became a Fire Dragon Talon and a punch, Natsu stopped to catch his breath. Daichi, lowing his arms as he recognised his opponent's fatigue, smirked cockily.
"It seems that your stamina has finally run dry" he chided. Natsu gritted his teeth.
"I'm alright, this isn't anything" he panted in reply. I shook my head dismissively at the pinkette from the safety of my hiding place. So stubborn…
Daichi laughed. "Is that so, well, not that it matters, because now it's my turn" he stated, before raising his arms up. That was the cue I was waiting for. Channelling my power into my hands I rushed forward, propelled even faster by my active White Drive. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art… Holy… Nova!" I bellowed as I surged towards the Demonic teen at full speed, light enveloping my right fist as I brought it in to strike.
Daichi went wide eyed as he noticed my approach, my fist barely two centimetres from touching him. Then he disappeared. I gasped in surprise, as I overbalanced, toppling forward, my attacking fizzling out as my concentration shattered momentarily. "What the-" I cursed, as I moved to catch myself, turning. Natsu gave me a surprised look, before gesturing.
"Behind you!" he cried out. I swerved sideways, as the sharp blades of the demon-teen slashed where I was standing.
"Whoa, that was close…" I breathed, as Natsu came up beside me. Daichi scowled, before diving back into the concealment of the smog.
"Damn it… you're annoyingly quick… you even forced me to go at full speed" the teen commented from his hiding place. Natsu and I stood back-to-back, prepared, this time, for another of the weasel's sneak attacks. I narrowed my eyes upon the mist, reaching out to our opponent with my voice.
"So, you can go pretty fast then, fast enough to dodge an attack when it's almost point blank?" I asked the cloud.
Daichi's hollow laugh sounded out. "Don't be so surprised, I said it to the Fire Dragon Slayer, and I'll say it to you; nothing is faster than a weasel in its home turf" Daichi called out, voice dripping with self-confidence.
I smirked upon hearing this information, an idea forming in my mind. So that's why he doesn't leave the dust cloud… Looking to Natsu I was met with a bright smile, and even brighter eyes. "What's up Sting?" the pinkette asked me, obviously taking note of my own expression. I chuckled, before leaning in close.
"Do you remember how we defeated that other guy outside the mansion?" I asked Natsu. The pinkette nodded, a vaguely confused expression touching his face as he tried to piece together what I was thinking.
"Yeah…" he mumbled.
I smiled brightly. "We need to do that… just bigger" I whispered to the other Dragon Slayer. Natsu's eyes glittered at the notion of even greater overkill than the attack we used earlier.
"Bigger? Like… both of us together, using more power?" he asked me, a little excitedly. I nodded, before gesturing subtly over toward the earthen wall.
"Yeah, so come on… we'll stand with our backs to that wall and then on the count of three use the biggest Roar you can manage" I instructed the pinkette firmly, putting my most 'guild-masterly' tone on. Natsu grinned at me.
"Alright… one…" he began counting, as we got into position.
"Two…" I continued, taking the pinkette's hand for reassurance as we stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our backs to Daichi's wall. This better work…
"Three!" we both finished in unison, before unleashing the largest Roar-attacks we could manage. "Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu spewed forth a vast carpet of crimson, orange, and yellow-gold flames that surged forth in all directions.
"White Dragon Roar!" I added my own attack of pure white radiance, that blasted forth with Natsu's in all directions in front of us.
"It's useless" Daichi called out to us. "You've already seen that your Roars can't hit me in here, even with wider range you're still way too weak to get me" he added mockingly. Natsu growled from the back of his throat, however I smiled, squeezing his hand.
Natsu then smiled back at me. With more willpower, we forced ourselves to use as much magic power as we could, until the two roar attacks fused into an even bigger attack; one never seen before.
"That's impossible…" Diachi called out in surprise, as the flames grew hotter, turning a brilliant white, empowered with light to the point where it was blinging. "That's… even Tenchi and me can't do a Unison Raid… it's just not-" Daichi's voice cut off. Moments later, a strangled cry was heard from somewhere within the dust, a loud scream that was filled with many different profanities. Natsu and I both smiled. It's working… I thought as we continued Roaring for as long as we could. The longer we persisted the weaker the dust cloud seemed to become. Soon, we could see the rest of the garden again, including Arthur, who looked at us with a look of mild annoyance as he stood within his own defensive Territory, his siblings in their own.
"I see you found a way to force him out of that annoying cover of his" the blond Territory Mage muttered. We both smiled as we noticed Daichi mangled in a heap in a new hole in the mansion wall.
"Ugh… you…" he groaned.
Up above Tenchi glared at us. "You… damned… fucking… YOU WILL PAY!" he roared.
/
Inner Garden (Outside the Dust Cloud), Autumn Time
Year X792
General Perspective
Arthur stood upon the stone wall, high above both the garden, and the swirling, choking cloud of dust. "Hmm… attack from above?" he muttered to himself as he observed Sting's descent.
Tenchi growled at him from atop his carpet of lightning. "Those attacks of yours are getting annoying… I think I'm going to finish you off now, so that I can rain more destruction down on that annoying pair my brother is fighting" the Lightning Demon smirked wolfishly beneath his helm. Arthur smirked back at his opponent.
"I can't wait to knock you off that cloud and send you right back to the earth, on your butt" Arthur snapped back venomously, raising his arms in preparation to attack. Tenchi smiled more wickedly, as he rose higher into the air.
"Well then, let's see if you can get me all the way up here" he hollered back, before holding his arms out in front of him. With two snaps of his fingers, one for each hand, twin bolts of red lightning rained down from the carpet beneath him. Arthur raised his hand above himself, conjuring two portals, one blue, which intercepted the bolts and absorbed them, and then one purple which brought them both raining back down upon Tenchi from high above.
The Lightning Demon was prepared for this counter, though, and with one swift movement, he dodged out of the way, the lightning bolts once more raining down upon Arthur's position. With a curse, Arthur leapt off of his perch upon the rocky wall Daichi had made, and using Territory, he appeared safely upon the ground, nearer his siblings once again. The lightning struck the rock, causing some of it to shatter and tumble down the side where Sting had just climbed up, away from the battling Dragon Slayers and Demon, luckily. "Tch…" Arthur cursed his poor defence, as he was forced off of the only position high enough to allow him to reach Tenchi with ease. The Lightning Demon, laughing from above, rained down several more lightning bolts; unfortunately, from his newer, even loftier position, his aim was slightly off and a number of them harmlessly struck the ground around Arthur. The few that did stream down close towards the Spatial Mage were harmlessly absorbed and redirected using his blue-purple portal method.
"It seems being higher up has its disadvantages for you, why don't you come closer to me, so you've got a better shot?" Arthur called up in his loudest voice. Tenchi shook his head.
"You mean come closer, so you can reach me with those damned laser-portals of yours. I'm not going to be fooled, I can still hit you from here" Tenchi bellowed back. Arthur sighed, before summoning up a new blue portal above himself, as well as another above where Edric and Medea lay. This is going nowhere… we need to figure something out otherwise I might not be in position when Thomas is finished… Arthur thought to himself. Just as the Territory Mage considered giving up completely on defence, and instead opting to teleport up to the flying demon, a huge explosive sound rippled across the garden, emanating from the dust cloud near its centre. "What the-" Arthur barely had time to register what was happening, before he had to throw up all he could in defence of himself, and his siblings, as a massive swathe of fire engulfed the garden around him. Natsu… he silently both cursed and praised the Dragon Slayer in equal measure. Not more than a second later, joining the fire, bright light flowed over the garden, striking walls, plants, and Territory barriers alike. Sting too…
The flames and light grew in intensity, and as Arthur watched the display through half-lidded eyes, he noticed a figure speed past him, propelled by some invisible force. "Ah… so they intended to defeat him by sheer force and power…" Arthur mumbled to himself as he continued raising his barrier. Even though the Territory protected him, and his siblings, from harm, Arthur could still feel the overwhelming heat, and feel the mass of force that threatened to topple his barrier at any moment. "Not yet…" he breathed as he made sure to keep everyone safe from harm.
With a momentary fleeting thought, Arthur wondered if the attack would reach high enough to hit Tenchi as well, however he didn't have much time to ponder as no sooner had the attack began, it ended.
Arthur maintained his barrier for a few more minutes, lest some stray lightning struck him in a moment of weakness or distraction, watching the flames and light dwindle. Carefully opening his eyes back to their fullest, the blond Spatial Mage surveyed the chaos and destruction that now swept the once beautiful and tranquil garden. "Ah… such a shame…" he sighed slightly to himself, before his eyes wandered over to the fading dust cloud in the centre of everything, out of which stepped the two Dragon Slayers, each looking as bedraggled as the other.
"I see you found a way to force him out of that annoying cover of his" Arthur said to the pair as they approached him. Natsu smiled, rubbing the back of his head, however before he could speak, a loud groaning noise sounded behind Arthur. The blond turned rapidly, fearing that Edric or Medea had been harmed, before his face settled. It was only Daichi, buried in amongst some rubble in another hole in the mansion wall.
Up above Tenchi, with eyes of fury, cursed, the lightning on his carpet becoming brighter and more prickly with every passing curse. "You… damned… fucking…" Arthur largely ignored the comments for a moment, as Sting came up to him.
"We… er… had to give everything we had taking him on… but we can still fight" the White Dragon's voice did not lose even a drop of confidence. Arthur nodded, his barrier receding, as he observed the Lightning Demon overhead. "If you're quite done, you should notice that your brother has been defeated" Arthur called up, his voice sounding so much like a parent scolding a child that it took both Sting and Natsu by surprise. They grinned at each other, as Tenchi scowled.
"Yeah, and now I've got nothing to stop me letting loose" he replied. Arthur rolled his eyes, shrugging. It can't be long now… just need to keep him busy for a few more minutes…
"Well, it's not like you couldn't before, just that you feared for your dear twin brother" the blond said, in a mildly sarcastic tone, before raising an eyebrow. "However, if you do fire at me, I can guarantee you at least one of those attacks is going to hit your brother, what with my special technique" Arthur emphasised his threat by summoning up another blue portal above himself, and a matching purple portal that was aimed for Daichi.
"You wouldn't have a chance to do that, if I vaporise you and that stupid portal" Tenchi snarled. Sting and Natsu both moved to stand with Arthur, their bodies primed and ready. Arthur gave momentary glances at the pair.
"If I teleport you to the wall, do you think you could do another one of those… big attacks, like that other one, and knock him down?" Arthur whispered to the pair carefully, putting all of his Father's stealth training to good use and disguising the fact he was talking to them. Sting looked to Natsu, who nodded vigorously.
"I can still get him" the pinkette confirmed. Sting smiled, before nodding towards Arthur. The blond smirked, before a bellowing noise overhead earned his attention.
"Whatever you three are plotting, I will not allow it any more. I'm finished talking" with that Tenchi raised his arms above his head. Arthur immediately noticed what stance he was taking, and prepared himself.
"Not that attack again… I'm surprised he can use Devil Slayer Magic and Satan Soul at the same time… unless it's a different attack" Arthur muttered hurriedly to himself, before preparing a red portal for Natsu and Sting. Just as the pair of Dragon Slayers were about to step through the gate, the ground beneath them exploded upwards, forming two earthen cages.
"I'm not gonna let you dodge Ten's attack," Daichi spluttered, as he crouched on a patch of scorched grass just outside of the hole in which he had been flung. "Or you Arthur" he added, as another cage moved up to grab Arthur. The blond managed to dodge the restraint at the last moment, his red shimmering portal fading before him. Cursing, he turned to try and summon a white portal, intending on taking Daichi out, before absorbing as much of whatever attack Tenchi was sending their way as he could.
"Argh… I'm not gonna go down like this!" Natsu barked from within the cage, intense flames forming around his person as he tried to break free. Sting nodded at his partner, before coming to the small gap in between the stony bars of the cage. "Natsu, aim another roar at my cage and I'll do the same to yours, we might be able to break out of them that way and free each other" the White Dragon said. Natsu nodded.
"Okay… but… I don't wanna hurt you" he called out. Sting nodded, before grinning.
"When have your attacks ever hurt me?" he asked. Natsu smirked.
"Well-"
"Don't answer that" Sting interrupted the pinkette, "Just do it. We don't have much time" he said, this time with a more commanding, and urgent tone.
Suddenly, from above, Tenchi's voice boomed loud and clear. "Too late, now's the time you all turn to dust. Hellfire could never achieve this kind of power; taste the force of my Wicked Maelstrom!" Arthur looked up to see dark clouds loom above, darker than he had ever seen clouds turn. They twisted and broiled overhead, a deep ebony that blotted out the moon, stars, and covered such a large area, Arthur would not be surprised if it reached over all the Zollzero lands. Then they began crackling with lightning, not just the red lightning that he had seen before, but lightning that was both icy blue, and sickly green. The lightning ran along the twisting clouds, forming a bright sphere in the centre that crackled with ominous violet.
A quiet 'oh…' was all the Territory Mage could manage before the battle was over.
Not long after the deciding blow had been dealt, the clouds dispersed, and for a moment, perhaps the longest moment that long, long night, everything was quiet.
End of Chapter 32
Final Chapter; Family and (Boy-)Friends
Author's note; I just wanted to give everyone a great big thank-you for reading this fic, and I hope you all have enjoyed reading this story so far. Now let's see what happens in the final chapter. ;)