A/N: Sup guys! wiErD here and as promised, this will the last chapter of this arc before moving to Riser. The battle for Natsu and Asia's lives finally comes to a close. What do you think would happen? Well, it's all right here in this chapter, including the aftermath as well.
Hope ya like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own FT and HSDxD. All goes to their respective authors/writers of these wonderful stories.
- Awakening of the Two Dragons -
Natsu felt like he had been sleeping on a cold hard ground as he felt his body rested on a flat surface. His eyes slowly blinking back to life and his body is beginning to readjust to his surroundings as his memories are still quite groggy. He seemed to have hit something hard on the back his head that somehow made him unconscious for quite some time. He tried to remember but the images were blurry and quite hazy at the moment.
It took only a couple of minutes for him to finally realized of what's happened.
That's right. He volunteered himself to be kidnapped and let Asia escape from Raynare's clutches. However, he couldn't say the same thing for himself now that he actually found himself in some sort of a cavern, locked in a large cage with magic-sealing properties to prevent him from using his power. Candle lights are seen from odd places and he could see some sort of an altar with a huge cross at the top of the slope of stairs with intricate markings.
"I see you're finally awake..." It was then a voice rang into his ears as his head shifted towards his left and saw Raynare sitting on a chair beside the cage with a laid-back expression, seemingly not as hostile as she was before.
"Raynare..." His voice was filled with anger but it didn't faze her one bit as she stood up and paced back and forth as she was examining him from head to toe.
"Well, it seems like you're not that injured after knocking you out that suddenly."
"A little chop like that ain't gonna kill me." He hissed.
"Thought so... since I knew that you would possess a power that could even withstand such petty attacks like that easily... Though I don't sense a Sacred Gear within you, I could tell that you possess something even more powerful than that." She deduced.
"And what makes you think that?"
"You nearly killed me and easily overwhelmed the others in just a short amount of time that is... That power is something I want from you." She smirked.
"So you're just another power-hungry fallen angel, huh?" He realized.
"Say what you want... It will be a matter of time till I can get that power of yours... There will be no one who would save you this time, not even your devil friends or even your brother." She spoke with finality before leaving as Natsu simply leaned himself over to the wall before sitting and breathe a long sigh as looked up to the dark ceiling in worry.
'I wonder if Issei and the others are okay...'
Despite the current situation he was currently in, he doesn't feel a single thing of worry about his own safety. After all, he's just a human associated to no one. He couldn't say that he aligns himself to Rias and her peerage because he did that with his own reasons involving both his brother and his forgotten past. With things turning in for the worse, he just felt nothing to say to his condition and just started moping around like a lost person.
What is his purpose? Why was he bestowed with such power that it caught him into many weird situations that almost ended his life? Why does he needed to be dragged on with all this?
He didn't know but the answers would probably lie on his dream about that mysterious creature.
Sighing again for the second time, Natsu wanted to rest again. He lost track of time and having been inside the cave, he couldn't know if it was day or night by now. Whatever it is, he will just have to accept his fate if death really have to be on his side this time.
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Meanwhile, at the old school building...
"Natsu's been kidnapped?!" A distressed shout came from the redhead as her hands slammed to the desk out of worry and frustration after hearing the whole situation that happened between him and Raynare. Asia and Issei were just as worried as she is and the former couldn't help but cry in the midst of the discussion, seeing that it was all her fault that Natsu was taken away by the fallen angels.
It's not just them who were worried. Behind Rias was Akeno who had been trying to keep her composure for as long as she could in order to think straight towards the situation. Her worries and anger are growing far more noticeable as Rias looked at her queen in great worry and decided to calm her down but still couldn't contain most of it unless Natsu was freed from those low-lives.
"What are we gonna do now, Buchou?" Kiba asked his master for orders but Rias could only bit her lip as she tried thinking for some solution to bring back the pinkette safe and sound.
.
.
With each passing minute, Issei couldn't hold himself from much longer and stood up from his seat and tried to speak for himself.
"Buchou! I'll save Natsu!"
"Don't be reckless, Issei... There's no doubt that the church would be heavily guarded, seeing that they have Natsu as a valuable asset to themselves." She reminded.
"Why would they kidnap Natsu instead of Asia?" Kiba asked.
"They probably must've caught wind of Natsu's power and decided to divert their attention away from her and turned on to him as the new target."
"We don't even know the power Natsu possesses nor we do have the knowledge in identifying it... More or less, it's a dangerous and powerful one and if it falls onto the wrong hands, we'll be having ourselves another war with another faction." Akeno reminded.
"I doubt that they know his power as well... And I don't know what would happen if they tried to do something that they weren't aware of." Rias frowned.
"What do you mean by that?" Asia asked.
"I mean that if they decided to exploit his powers, there's no doubt that Natsu would get hurt because of it or in the worst case scenario, he might die." A wave of collective shocks went through the group at her assumptions. True, Natsu maybe powerful at first but he's still human and cannot withstand much as they do in their current status as devils. However, his growth in power seemed to be escalating with each passing time and if the fallen angels had done something to halt that progress, Rias might have to assume for the worst.
The reactions within the group were in the mix of anger and worry. Asia knew how much the situation had turned in for the worst now that Natsu is in danger of his life as of now. If they didn't do something about it then he'll-
She tried to shake off the horrifying thought as she didn't want that to happen.
.
.
"I-I'm sorry... It's because of me, Natsu-san is... ..." Everyone looked at the nun in worry as tears seemed to build from the corner of her eyes again, seeing that all of this was her fault.
"Don't blame yourself, Asia... ... Natsu just wanted to keep you safe and away from harm." Issei reassured but she was really never convinced as she continued to cry, much to their dismay. However, all of a sudden, Rias took it upon herself and simply hugged Asia close to her chest as her tears immediately stopped from flowing down from her eyes. The redhead slowly stroked her hair softly before patting it completely in reassurance as she begins to speak.
"Don't cry, Asia... ... If Natsu would be here, he would be sad to see you like this... He volunteered himself to be captured for your sake... He did it in his own accord and he knew all too well about the consequences that may come soon to him, all because he cared about you..." She paused.
"... You may not realize it but Natsu already views you as one of his friends, his family and a trusted human whom he can talk with, have fun with and cry with altogether. He's the kind of person who would risk himself in order to save his comrades, just like how he saved you from them the other day... ... So please, don't cry anymore. I'll promise you, we're all going to bring him back to us." Rias smiled warmly as Asia could only look at her in relief as she could finally let out a teary smile.
"Yes..."
It was then, Issei approached her with a determined look.
"Don't worry, Asia... I'll definitely bring him back... Brothers need to stick with each other and I think I still have to pay him a debt for saving me before." He pumped his left fist as his Sacred Gear soon appeared before him.
Just by observing his undying will, everyone could only smile in thought towards him before they finally returned back to discussing their situation.
"Alright, everyone... Right now, our mission is to retrieve back Natsu at all cost. As you can see, the information that Asia provided for us is that the church is teeming with rogue exorcists and being led by the fallen angels. So far, we only knew four of them and one of them is Raynare, the same fallen angel who tried to kill both Issei and Natsu..." Rias explained.
"Raynare... I swear I'm going to kill you when I finally get my hands on you." Issei hissed in anger.
"There's going to be a lot of resistance once we attack the church, considering that the fallen angels might have to stop us from getting to Natsu as well..."
"Buchou and I will handle the fallen angels... ... It is best to have both the king and queen deal with them... The rest of the pieces will have march in and take out the exorcists and find Natsu." Akeno suggested.
"Akeno is right... Kiba, Koneko... You two will have to accompany Issei in the assault. You all will have the permission to use whatever means to defeat these scums. No need to hold back. Our top priority is Natsu so I'm leaving the three of you in his hands." Rias ordered which only gave them respond back to her with a firm 'Yes, Buchou' before moving out.
However, before they could even initiated their plan, Asia soon called out to their attention as she has something to say.
"L-Let me come along too..." She spoke but Issei could only gape in surprise at her statement.
"Asia?"
"I-It's partly my fault that Natsu was involved in this so... ... I also want to help him... I may not be a fighter but at least, I can heal everyone if they were injured!" She finally spoke out in determination for the first time, much to the brownette's surprise.
"But healing a devil is a bit-" Kiba spoke but not before long she interrupted him.
"That's not important right now... ... What's important is saving Natsu-san. That is all!" It didn't take long until all of them smiled at her decision until Rias shook her head in content.
"Very well, I'll have you accompany with the three in bringing back Natsu... All of you are a valuable asset in preforming this rescue mission. Don't think yourselves as worthless and believe in your power. Sacred Gears move in accordance to the will of its user. The stronger your will, the more your Gear will work for you."
"Yes, Buchou..."
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"Oh and one last thing, Issei..." Rias called out to the brownette who stopped for a moment as he turned to look at the redhead in confusion.
"Yes, Buchou?"
"There is one last thing that I have to tell you of your Evil Piece. Although you might already think that your piece is the weakest but you are wrong... Among the evil pieces, it has special features that the other pieces don't have..."
"Special features? You mean, the pawn?"
"Yes... It's called Promotion... If a master advances her pawn all the way to enemy territory, she can promote her pawn into any piece other than the King."
"Wait, then that means-"
"That's right... You will gain the ability of the pieces like rook, knight, and queen, depending on what you desire to choose towards the situation. However, you can only make this special technique once you reached into enemy territory... Right now, our enemies have resided in the abandoned church which I would mark as an enemy territory. Once you get there, you can use this technique to save Natsu." She noted.
"Got it, Buchou... This time, I'll definitely get stronger to protect those who are important to me..."
"I knew you would... After all, you're my precious pawn... I have faith in you."
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It was then Akeno finally came to the door, signaling Rias that it's time to go.
"Buchou... We're ready..."
"Well then, let's all give our best to save Natsu... I'm counting on you my proud servants of the Gremory household." A collective form of nods went to the rest of the group as Rias and Akeno finally disappeared in the magic circle beneath them, leaving the four as Issei started to make his way towards the door.
"Although we haven't teamed up for the first time, I appreciate that you're helping me to save my brother." Issei turned to the blonde-haired prince of the academy with a smile.
"Natsu-kun is part of the Gremory household. Bound or not, he's our precious comrade. As a friend, I would gladly give my strength to save him as well." Kiba spoke in his truthfully in his words and Issei could feel some knightly aura surrounding him in the process.
"I'll help out as well." Koneko said with a blank tone.
All of them are all set and ready to go. There's no time to waste. They must reach the church before the ceremony could even finish.
With them all wearing determined looks, they departed from the school building and finally began their assault towards the church.
Back at the underground cavern... ...
Natsu had been sitting with his back leaned against the wall for quite some time. There was no word of Raynare or any of the other fallen angels who came to just talk to him though he can't be expecting any of that now. I mean, who would be on the right mind to just talk to a prisoner like him anyway? After all, they all just wanted his power and after that, he's thrown away. However, sitting around doesn't make him feel good at all. He's never been this laid-back before since he would do things that can help him occupied till the rest of the day. Things like sleeping, practicing and fighting are the ones that made him alive everyday and being locked around with nothing but patches of hay and a magic-sealing cuff.
It was not too long until someone finally went back to the cavern and he was surprised that it would be her again. He was hoping another one would come in her place but he'd rather chose her instead since he kinda remembered pummeling the other fallen angels with ease and that's saying something.
"Yo!" Came the casual greeting from the pinkette.
"Surprised to see you getting all that easy without considering the fact that you're imprisoned."
"What's wrong with that? Not all prisoners would have the same gloomy feeling, wallowing in depression of their past sins."
"Yours are a different matter than them." Her voice seemed heavy for some reason.
.
.
"Tell me, why do you desire power that much?" As if she was going to answer that anyway. But just he was about to skip his last question, she began to speak.
"I need power so that everyone who made fun of me will finally know my true power." She declared in a darkly tone.
"But why did you try to kill off, Issei? You know that he has that Sacred Gear you were fascinated about."
"He was a threat and an enemy to our existence... I didn't even consider taking it since it's not as useful as Asia's Twilight Healing."
"Then why did you have to trick him and pretended to be his girlfriend?" Raynare could feel the anger settling on the tone of his voice but she decided to amuse herself.
"Isn't it obvious? Humans are so very weak that in fact, we can manipulate their will with ease... Shouldn't you know that by now... since you were there when he was lying lifelessly on the ground." She mocked though she slightly smiled darkly after seeing his tightened fists in his form. However, Natsu remained his cool as he simply reverted back to his own usual behavior though he actually found something rather obvious to her nature.
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.
"You're afraid, don't you?" He suddenly spoke.
"What?"
"You're afraid because you feel like you are a useless tool once someone tried to throw you away and don't recognize you to be as a respected fallen angel, am I right? Isn't that the same reason of why you wanted to crave for power? In order for you to remain useful?" But that statement simply fueled her anger and it was not long before a spear of light came crashing almost near to the side of the pinkette's head as Raynare struck it in pure rage before looking at him in fury.
"Don't try me... I could end your life anytime as I see fit... The only reason that you are still breathing is because of your power inside you... Once I got a hold of that power, I will have no use for you." She threatened.
"See? The truth is just there... You're afraid of becoming weak. You're afraid that you might become inferior... Do you honestly think that being weak is a bad thing? Do you think that power alone is enough to make you useful to those above you? If you're trying yourself to look useful in front of their eyes then it would be just you making a fool out of yourself-"
"SHUT UP, HUMAN! A NORMAL HUMAN LIKE YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND! Once I get that power within you, I will be honored by many and everyone those who laughed at me will bow before me...! I will prove myself to Azazel-sama or Shemhaza-sama. All I need is power! You will never ever understand that, human." She speaks with venom in her voice however, Natsu could only put up a sad smile finally able to see through the fallen angel before him that she's just as helpless as other people who feared of becoming useless to those people- or in this case, beings far above her.
Her reasons of doing this is just her desperation to keep herself amused to those beings far above her. That same feeling has been contagious even back to the humans themselves. He never thought that it would be also a fixture to the supernatural beings who blended in with them in secret but seemed to similarly have the same dilemma as humans also do.
"I almost feel sorry for you..." He muttered but Raynare could never form up any arguments against him now that she finally rattled.
"I don't need your pity, human... Once this is all over, I'll be the strongest fallen angel and they will all recognize me!" She declared but Natsu never spoke afterwards and simply remained silent.
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It was not long until Dohnaseek came from the cavern's entrance though seemingly in a hurry as he began to inform something to her. Something urgent.
"Raynare... They're here." He spoke.
"Those devil brats... ... Send in the priests together with Freed... And this time, make it right." She spoke with hostility but the coated man didn't flinch as he simply shook his head before leaving until she finally turned her attention back to him with an evil smirk.
"It seems like I have to speed up the ceremony..."
Outside the church, Issei, Kiba and Koneko were positioning themselves on the nearby bushes as they tried to scan the area for any signs of enemies patrolling outside. So far, there's not a soul to be found wandering or even guarding the church as if they were letting them take the bait and ambush them from the inside. With Asia closing herself further behind Issei's back for protection, everyone narrowed their eyes in determination as Issei began to speak.
"What an intense killing atmosphere..."
"There's going to be a lot of rogue priests around here so be on your guard." Kiba warned.
"Seriously? I'm glad you came here with us." Issei breath a sigh of relief.
"Well, we're friends, aren't we? Natsu's the same for everyone in the club, plus I'm not overly fond of fallen angels or priests. You might say I despise them." His gaze seemed to narrow for a moment there which didn't go unnoticed by Issei but decided to keep it on his own since their top priority is saving his brother.
"Let's go." It was then Koneko decided to speak and not before long she casually walked towards the closed entrance of the church itself as the three followed suit.
"Oi! oi... What happened to the sneaking and stuff?"
"They probably knew that they were coming." Again with the stoic reply but she didn't stop there as she easily kicked the doors open, detaching them from their hinges before loudly falling from both sides though Asia felt a chill running through her spine after witnessing such a heavy fight like this and that Koneko is incredibly strong.
As the doors broke, they soon managed to find themselves on large hall with the traditional settings of the church though most of them were broken and desecrated by those people who had fallen from heaven. Asia was by far to be more affected at this sight, seeing that the house of worship was reduced into something like this. She never knew that these people would bear such hatred towards God.
After taking a walk towards the front, they soon stopped for a moment a figure soon appeared right before them though with Issei and Asia widening their eyes in disbelief after seeing the same person who tried to kill them the other day.
"Uuuhhhhhh, it's good to have a short reunion with you shitty devils though I hated the fact that all of you survived in my first encounter because none of the devils I killed never even got a day to tell their story... ... ... It's soooouuunds frustating now is iiiitttt?! So you see, I'm fucking pissssed offf! Fucking pissed off at you shithead devils for making me look like a stupid prick!"
His erratic and mad behavior have only made them raised their guard up in defense until a group of rogue priests wearing on cloaked robes appeared behind Freed as some sort of back-up, causing the three to take a step back as they were outnumbered by them.
"Shit, we're surrounded!" Issei said with caution as he inched himself closer to Asia to protect her.
"Hahahaha! This time around, you won't be able to get away... I'll be the one who will cut that shitty head of yours and offer it to the fallen angels." Freed laughed once more before looking straight to Asia with an evil expression.
"So the shitty-sister demon-lover has finally revealed her true colors, huh?! Oh, well there's truth that you are called witch by many, hihihi!"
"I don't care what people tells about me... The way you're doing this is wrong...!" Asia tried to speak.
"Ooooh, I don't want to hear that coming from a fellow heretic as well." He spat.
"Where's Natsu?!" Issei demanded.
"Hoh, you mean that devil-associating human... then he's in the underground ceremony hall down those stairs..." He pointed over behind him. "But you four won't be able to get down so it doesn't matter anyway... We'll kill you right here!"
Leaving those words, Issei and the others simply stood defiantly towards the priests before Issei began to shout.
"Let's go! Sacred Gear!"
"Die demons!" And with that, two sides soon clashed against each other.
Kiba used his insane speed as he easily dispatched a small group of priest trying to take them from both sides. Koneko simply used her strength as she picked up large object and swung it against them, thus sending them flying away with Issei still trying to understand what his power can do.
[Boost!]
The green orb situation above his palm simply glowed as a voice resounded throughout the hall before turning his attention towards Freed who also focused on him as well. It's time to end this once and for all.
"I'll be the one who will personally cut that head of your, demon!" Freed declared.
"As if you can!"
[Boost!]
His Sacred Gear is Twice Critical. It's something that will grant him enough power for a short amount of time. If he needed to deal as much damage as he could against the rogue priest, he needed to connect his fist together with the power of his promoted piece for a double boost.
"Haaaa!" While trying to swipe his blade of light towards him, Freed had to take a step back as another sword was aimed to him, shifting his attention to Kiba who made quick work of the priests together with Koneko's help in just a matter of seconds.
"Seriously? What weaklings I have on my side... Oh well, the more I kill the better!"
"You're totally out of yourself, you crazed bastard! Promotion Rook!" Issei said in anger before sprinting towards him recklessly. Freed tried to shoot him with his exorcist gun but the effects of the rook piece he chose in his promotion simply granted him complete defense against them, surprising him.
"Wha-"
"Take this, you fucking crazy priest asshole!" Shouting with all his might, he nailed his exposed right fist towards his face, sending him toppling over a few meter before crashing unto the front altar of the destroyed cross.
"This is for what you did to Natsu and Asia... ... That felt good!" However as the dust settled, Freed simply emerged from the crash as if that punch didn't faze him at all but they could see a light scratch on his cheek where his fist connected to.
"That's good... That's really good... I'm all excited! I guess, I'll have to get serious this time!" Shouting hysterically, he brought out two light swords from his coat before turning viciously towards them in mad rage as the three backed up before Asia who was applying some healing spell on each of them to remove their slight injuries from the fight.
"This is just getting started... Don't let your guard down" Kiba said.
"I know... Until I can save Natsu, I'll have to fight to the very end."
The ceremony was already starting and the remaining priests who weren't fighting from above simply attended and chanted their words in performing the ritual of the extraction of the pinkette's power from his body. Natsu was simply tied in chains who had a complicated expression before looking down towards them confusingly. With Raynare standing right in front of him, he could only watch as his supposed doom is approaching.
After being told about the effects of having his powers taken away from his body, Natsu never felt any fear inside his heart. Hearing the commotion upstairs with the help of his enhanced senses, he knew that Issei and the others are coming to save him.
But judging from the looks of the ceremony, it has already begun and it would be a matter of time till his power is taken away from him.
"What's wrong? Are you afraid of death?" Raynare spoke after noticing the troubled expression he was having at the moment.
"Not quite... I believe my friends are coming to save me so I don't need to worry."
"Hmph... You may sound like you are really dependent to them..."
"What's wrong in depending in your friends? It's more easy than just doing things by yourself..." He stated.
"That's what you humans believe... In this world, there are things where the beliefs of one's self is just an illusion. There are no such things as helping each other. Friends stabbed you in the back and take away everything from you without a shred of pity or care for your well-being... That's the reality of the world even to you." She spat.
"You say that because you never seen them or you regarded that 'help' as a source of weakness."
"Well of course it is... Depending on your friends? Why do you need such things when you can just swat them away on your own? You don't need them... Only the weak depends on something like that."
"You're wrong... All of us here are weak... There's no denying that you and I are all weak. That's why we rely on our friends in order to cover that weakness, guarding each other's back and putting your trust and faith in them as if they were real family... You can deny it all you want but everyone doesn't want to be lonely. That's just how beings like humans and other species have survived for long. We depended on each other, fought for each other, and cared for each other." He reasoned.
"Enough of this... If you really believe on something as delusional as that then prove me that you're right... But if you end up dying then you wasted your own breath against me..." She paused.
"Freed and the other priests are holding up your friends from above, Kalawarner, Mittelt and Dohnaseek are also taking down your master as well... Where are your friends now?" She dared.
"They'll come here... I'm sure of it."
"Heh, we'll see..."
..
..
But as the ceremony continues to progress of the extraction, Dohnaseek came from the entrance as he flew with his black wings towards the altar just behind Raynare who then turned her attention towards him, seeing that he's not on the same position that she ordered him to guard to.
"What are you doing here, Dohnaseek? Can't you see I'm in the middle of the ceremony?"
"The two girls are already disposed of... Their master is finally defeated." He revealed.
"Then, all those servants back up there-"
"Dead... Without a master, they won't be able to live. The only remaining one is that sister who joined along with them."
"Ah, Asia-chan... Well, I'll have the extraction of her Sacred Gear as well as soon as I complete this ceremony." After a moment, she turned towards the shocked pinkette who have heard of the news.
"Well, well well... It seems like your friends are not as what you believed to be after all... I guess this is what they call despair... Such a waste really." Raynare chuckled in delight as Natsu could only grit his teeth in frustration towards them.
There's no way for them to actually lose. He had seen Rias' powers and Akeno-senpai' as well. He knew Issei is likely to move forward even if the odds are against him. There has to be a mistake!
.
.
Feeling satisfied to the turn of events, Raynare simply breath a sigh of relief before looking towards Natsu with reassurance.
"Don't worry... Once all of this is over, I promise to end your suffering once and for all-"
*SHUNK* *SPURT* *GUSH*
A sound of piercing flesh soon rang in both of their ears as Natsu was left shocked in disbelief of seeing a medium-sized spear of light impaling Raynare from behind, who on the other hand widened her eyes in disbelief as a trickle of blood rushed out from her mouth before slowly looking back and only to find Dohnaseek piercing her left side of her abdomen with his spear of light.
"D-D-Dohnaseek- W-What is the meaning of this?!" Raynare managed to speak but the blood on her mouth simply prevented her from doing so.
"Apologies, Raynare but I don't take orders from you." He smirked before pulling out the spear as she instantly fell down on the ground, clutching her wound as blood slowly poured out on it. The fallen angels trembled in shock and fear as Raynare could only look in despair as she saw her hand dyed in blood, causing her to unable to reply while trying to get away from his as far as possible until a foot stuck itself on her stomach, giving large amounts of pain as her screams in agony resounded through the silent hall.
"Ever since, finding out this kid's power, I have to make a choice. His power is something more powerful than all the Sacred Gears I've seen in my lifetime..."
"W-Why did y-you-"
"Just shut up and die will you? We can't have you on our ranks... Seeing that you were sent by Azazel to observe the other boy. Kokabiel-sama just can't take any chances having a fallen angel associated with that Governor to join us so easily... But instead of killing you, we just had to use until you're finally expendable." After hearing that, Raynare could only tremble as her spirit was immediately crushed and her trust betrayed easily by her supposed allies.
"K-K-Kokabiel... ... Wha-" Another stomp onto her wound caused her to scream in pain as Dohnaseek smirked darkly towards her.
"Hmm... Kokabiel-sama isn't satisfied with the world as of now so he simply began on something that would finally ignite the flames of war between three factions... But I guess, you won't be able to live long enough to know all of it... You were a great tool, Raynare. You made Kokabiel so proud that he had to dispose you at the very end."
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At that time, he finally saw it... The despair on her eyes that soon followed by tears of betrayal as Raynare could not help but feel distraught and felt herself looming in despair as Dohnaseek laughed heartily at the sight, unaware that the pinkette had his face shadowed in expression.
"She was your comrade..." Natsu muttered.
"Huh?"
"She was your comrade, right?"
"Of course, she isn't... That girl is just as very easy to manipulate like what she did to manipulate that brother of yours... But it's more frustrating for her as well... After all, friends can be the deadly weapon. Destroying their trust on the end of the line and seeing them cry out in despair never gets old... It was just so priceless to see! Hahaha!" He laughed and not before long a grit on the pinkette's teeth was heard as he slowly lifted up his gaze towards him, finally showing his pure rage and anger.
"SO YOU LIKE STABBING YOUR COMRADES RIGHT ON THE BACK AND BETRAYING THEIR TRUST COMPLETELY?! IS THAT WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE?!" The tone of his voice is much more louder and filled with rage that even Raynare haven't seen in awhile.
"What's your deal with this, trash? Shouldn't you be more grateful that I've finally killed your nightmare?"
"That's true on some point but I just can't stand it seeing friends betrayed like this! ! !"
"Silence, once this is over, I'll also have no use for you, boy-"
"You. Fucking. Bastard. I'll surely burn you whole to the point that I won't get to see anything from you!"
"Hmph, talk all you want, you can't get out in these chai-" He stopped in mid-sentence as he saw the chains melting from his hands, flames have started to flicker around him, engulfing him once more in the sea of fire as Natsu shouted in deep anger until a large surge of fire energy was shot throughout the vicinity that soon shook the cavern while sending Dohnaseek away to the other side as the pinkette was finally able to break free from the chains.
..
..
Issei and the others have to hold themselves towards one of the chairs as the tremor was felt from underground, causing all both sides to stutter in surprise as Issei turned to look worriedly at the entrance that leads them from underground.
"What the hell? I'm sure the ceremony never involve shaking the ground or sort... Is this a new development?" Freed asked himself but not before long Issei tried to punch him out of the way as he retreated back a few meters until another group of priests surrounded both Kiba and Koneko, leaving him and Asia facing the lunatic priest warily.
"Oh, no one is going to save you now... No more of that human friend of yours and certainly I'll make sure I'll give you a good time, Asia-chan!" Freed smiled deviously.
"Shut up, you bastard!"
"Hohoho! Please wait in line, mister. Though I guess you won't be able to once I cut that head of yours."
.
.
The tide of the battle is turning in for the worse, his stamina was already depleting despite having the protection of the rook piece he had inside him. He needed more power. There's gotta be something that would give him power to defeat this guy.
If only he had more power then he would be-
A sensation was soon felt on his entire body. His Sacred Gear is beginning to follow through his will for power.
[Boost!]
More...
[Boost!]
I need more...!
[Boost!]
If I'm ever going to save my brother, I'll have to be stronger...!
If you're responding to my will then grant me power to defeat this prick!
[Boost!]
For the first time ever, he finally achieved four counts of pouring out his power. And also for the first time ever, his Sacred Gear soon began to change as his gauntlet began to cover his fingers and expanded itself, covering his left arm with protruding designs at the back. It soon began to glow in bright green light as his power began to increase once more.
[Explosion!]
Freed was surprised to see of the sudden change of his power he didn't mind at all as he recklessly charged towards him with his two blade of lights.
"No matter what power you have, you're still a shitty devil who needs to die!"
"As if I let you! Take this!" Easily shattering his blades, Freed was only met an intense sucker-punch to the face as he was easily sent flying away before colliding hard against the wall as blood gushed out from his mouth before slowly falling down and tried to stand up once more while clutching his insides due to the impact.
"N-No... i-it's can't end like this! I-If I'm going to be killed by a demon, I'll have to pull back for now! I'll curse you for eternity you shitty devils!" Pulling out an object from his coat, he soon threw a some sort of a flashbang that only engulfed the entire room in bright light before disappearing completely along with the priest.
"He got away, dammit!" Issei cursed.
"Now is not the time to be sitting around, let's get Natsu and get out of here." Kiba advised
But before they could even make their way towards the secret entrance, another group of priests began to emerging from the entrance with weapons at the ready. It seems like they don't want them getting any closer to Natsu.
"I don't have time to deal with you all! Give us back, Natsu!" As Issei was about to get himself to battle once more, a large surge of magical power was soon felt by the entire group as Kiba and Koneko widened their eyes in disbelief after feeling its immense pressure. Issei and Asia could feel it as well and all of them knew that the source of the pressure was undoubtedly located below them.
Dohnaseek had to regain his composure yet again as he slammed over to the wall, creating a miniature crater behind him due to the force of the wave that sent him away from the pinkette. He sprouted his wings before widening in shock as Natsu was seemingly engulfed in crimson flames, much more intensifying and provoking from the last time he saw it.
His hair turned crimson, his canines becoming more sharper than ever and his once black onyx eyes had turned crimson as well, personifying the terror of one monster that only he could describe just by looking at the aura he was currently emitting.
As if his eyes were playing him this time but somehow he was able to see the glimpse of a spectral giant red dragon behind his flames as it glared unto him with giant red orbs with large canines visible from its open snout.
It was then Natsu simply roared out towards the sky as an ear-piercing noise boomed through the cavern, easily vibrating through the walls and even going as far towards the outside as Issei and the others were left surprised at the roar that came out all of a sudden. Even Rias and Akeno were able to hear it as well and the only thing that went inside their mind as the cause of it was Natsu himself.
"Buchou... Is that-"
"Natsu..."
..
..
..
Flames spew everything out, causing destruction everywhere it touches as Natsu stood unmoving in the middle of the flames while continuously glaring at the fallen angel in pure anger.
"I thought you were just some normal human but I guess you're more than a valuable asset for us... I'll claim that power and I shall become the strongest fallen angel of all!" Dohnaseek declared before thrusting his own spear of light towards Natsu.
His eyes only widened in disbelief as the spear was burned away before it could even reach his face.
"What?!"
"I'll burn you!" It was then Natsu roared violently before instantly dashing towards him in blinding speeds before nailing him with a hard punch to his face that sent him flying again towards wall, kicking up dust as the man fell down on his knees before wiping out a patch of blood on his mouth and smirked.
"Interesting... You're interesting! That power is mine to take!" With glee on his voice, Dohnaseek unfurled his black wings and flew above before creating another spear of light, much bigger than the previous ones he was summoning in his first battle against the pinkette.
"Take this!" He shouted in defiance as he threw towards Natsu who still remained unmoving from his position before slowly lifting his hand and swatted it away easily as it was deflected with his bare hands that soon slammed to the side of the wall, shocking the man.
"I-Impossible! You... You're really are a monst-"
". . . .Fly. . . ." As fast the eye could see, Natsu immediately appeared right in front of him before slamming his right flame-coated fist towards his abdomen that sent him crashing once more, staggering desperately as blood gushed out from his mouth due to the strong impact and force of his punches.
"N-No.. I-I can't be defeated here... I'm Dohnaseek! The supreme fallen angel! I can't be defeated by the likes of you! I'll be the one who will bring your head to Kokabiel-sama!"
Ignoring his declarations, Natsu simply spun his arms in a circular fashion as Raynare was left shocked to see an immediately sudden shift of the pinkette's power. No, it wasn't depleted, it merely exceeded far more than he was currently displaying as the flames around him disappeared and compressed themselves to his hands as he began to chant his final move.
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art:-"
"Wait a moment! W-What are you doing?!"
..
..
"D-Dragonslayer?" Raynare managed to utter out in disbelief despite her injuries as she watched him perform a forbidden spell.
"I-If you're going to kill me, you'll stir the fallen angels right on your friends? Don't you understand the situation?! A mere human like you should not take the matters of the factions so casually!"
..
..
"Crimson Lotus, Exploding Flame Blade!"
As he spun his arms counter-clockwise, a whirling shot of exploding flames erupted from his hands, causing a massive torrent of flame that went straight to Dohnaseek that only engulfed him wholly for a second before emitting a powerful explosion that shook the entire cavern as debris fell from the ceiling that was also felt by the others upstairs.
.
.
Issei and the others began to feel the sudden crumbling of the ground floor as cracks formed beneath them, causing them to widen in shock as Kiba turned his attention towards Issei who could only fear of what's to come.
"Issei-kun... We have to get out of here... The church is crumbling!"
"Dangerous..." Koneko spoke.
"No! I can't leave yet! Natsu is still inside-"
"If we stayed here then all of us will be caught in the collapse together with them." Kiba warned before pointing over to the panicking priests before them.
"I can't leave yet! Not without Natsu-" He wasn't given the time until Koneko grabbed him forcefully and with Kiba carrying Asia respectively.
"I'm sorry... We're too late..."
"NO! HE'S STILL IN THERE! I HAVE TO RESCUE HIM!
However, it was useless, the church simply began to crumble and the four departed before they are caught within it. Issei could only watch in horror and in despair as his brother was simply crushed and buried in the collapsing underground path.
"DAAAAAAAAMMMMMNNNNN IIIIITTTTTTTTT!"
Meanwhile, Natsu stared furiously as the flames around had dissipated, probably used up after that one powerful secret move that he unknowingly performed just now. In front of him was nothing more of a destroyed path as several patches of black feathers remained within only to be burned with tiny embers at the aftermath of the battle.
Raynare simply laid there, astonished, shocked and scared at the display of power the pinkette was having.
It was then he started to glance towards her with a blank expression and she knew that the same thing would end to her, now that she was powerless and at the mercy of the human who fought like a monster earlier.
Her fear increased as each step he takes and it didn't take long until he was finally standing in front of him, looking down on her with a complicated expression. She wouldn't even dare to just face the terrifying human before her and could only tremble in fear as she closed her eyes for her imminent death.
However, as soon as she was about to accept her fate, she felt a light pat on her head as her eyes widened in shock before slowly looking up, only to see his battered face with a faint smile.
"I'm. . . .glad. . ."
Unfortunately, his strength was already used up and his vision was starting to darken as he fell limp to the ground with a loud thud just right in front of her until a massive tremor soon began to occur around them.
Raynare alerted herself as she turned around and saw the entire cave crumbling. Rocks and giant debris fell into the ground from the ceiling above them. The cause is probably the powerful secret move that Natsu had performed earlier. A powerful attack like that would do well more damage if displayed right outside.
Leaving that aside, she had to fly out of here as soon as she can before glancing back to the unconscious pinkette.
.
.
It took a couple of seconds for her to decide until she slung his arm over to her neck. The pain from the wound she had on her left side abdomen is still there but she ignored it. What matters most is getting out alive from this place. Sprouting her black wings behind her, she soared to the air, skillfully dodging and dashing forth into the falling debris until she made it to the exit and flew away from the crumbling church.
As soon as they got out, the church finally fell underground, causing another massive tremor that is powerful enough to be felt by bystanders from the vicinity.
The battle was over.
.
.
Descending safely down to the ground in a nearby tree, Raynare slowly rested the pinkette right before it, lifting his head slowly and leaned it against the trunk. She took a few moment to take a step back and observe the human who fought for her sake despite her being an enemy. With her right hand clutching over to her wound, she just stood there, speechless and unable to reply anything despite him being asleep.
...
"Why...? did you save me...?" She trailed off in thought. Her reply was merely answered in blank air as wind blew past before them as his salmon hair fluttered throughout the night.
.
.
It was then she summoned a ball of light from her hand and threw it up the night sky as a beacon before unfurling her wings and flew away from sight. Others have begun to notice the ball of light from the distance as they all tried to follow it. Both Issei's group and Rias' group eventually merged as they walked together towards the destination, only to be shocked to find the pinkette nestling against a tree trunk and it didn't take long for Issei to run towards him, hoping if he's alright.
Eventually, Natsu managed to open his eyes awake once again though only to be smothered to death by three people, mainly Akeno, Asia and Issei altogether.
"E-Everyone?"
"NATSUUUU~" They shouted in relief.
"Wha... What happened?" He muttered confusingly, unaware of what happened to him earlier.
Before anyone could reply him, Rias eventually made her way towards him with a relieved smile.
"I'm glad you're safe, Natsu."
"Buchou..."
.
.
A moment of reconciling to their reunion, Issei simply noticed something lacking within the pinkette.
"Hey, Natsu... Where's your scarf?" Said person looked down below his neck, only to be surprised to see his scarf not wrapped around him.
"I- I don't know... ..." He frowned in thought.
"I guess, it wasn't spared from the collapse."
"I think so..." But after a brief moment, his face turned in relief.
"Are you not sad? It's your precious scarf, after all." Issei asked worriedly but Natsu could only shook his head disapprovingly.
"I have my precious friends right here."
A couple of smiles went on to the group as they've finally able to rescue Natsu from the fallen angels. The battle against them has finally ended in the victory of the devils. Rias smiled underneath her breath from the sidelines only to catch a small black feather falling form the night sky before turning her attention to the skies in suspicion.
"Is there something wrong, Buchou?" Akeno asked with a complicated expression, seeing Rias thinking deep in thought about something.
"It's nothing, Akeno... ... Well then, let's go home, everyone!"
"Yes, Buchou..."
Three days later... ... (Hyoudou Residence.)
It's been three days since the battle between fallen angels and devils in the church has ended. Everyone returned to their normal lives and the usual routine of the devil work for Issei remains the same. Nothing seemed to change after that except for one little thing.
A knock was soon heard from Natsu's door as the pinkette rose up from his bed and slowly readjusted himself from his surroundings before standing up and gave a loud yawn to refresh himself in the wake of the morning.
"Natsu-san... Please wake up... We have school tomorrow." Asia called out from the other side of the door with an upbeat attitude.
"Coming..."
That's right.
Asia Argento has started to live in their house permanently, adopting her as their third child of the family. Although, they're not blood related along with the Hyoudou family, their bonds towards each other are the same and everyone seemed to agree on this decision, seeing that Asia immediately accepted the proposal without hesitation.
Nevertheless, this was a very good thing for her. Right now, there's a family who she could finally love and care, and friends that she would be able to hang out with. Her loneliness has finally ended and is on the path towards happiness. Natsu couldn't feel any better than he's already having right now. This is just the beginning of something else, there's a lot of hurdles that will be coming to their way but he's sure that they'll overcome it together.
..
..
After a mild bath for himself, Natsu changed into his school uniform and easily fixed himself as his other two family members have gone downstairs to eat. He really needed to start thinking about managing his time from sleeping and working to enhance his powers. Ever since the battle against the fallen angels, Buchou had made extra measures on how to develop our powers which will now start at training their endurance and stamina.
As he made himself downstairs, he saw both his mom and dad usually in their favorite spots on the table together with Asia and Issei who had been waiting for him to do breakfast.
"Natsu... You're late... That's so unusual of you." Their mom said with a displeased tone.
"Sorry, I guess I overslept."
"Seriously, ever since Asia-chan stayed over to our house, you've been quite doing the opposite."
"Ah, it's just this day... I promise to wake up again early..."
"I hope you'll get along with her too... Okay? And that also includes you, Issei."
"Yes, ma'm."
..
..
The family went on with their food and it didn't take a few minutes for them to finish as they all stood by the door as Natsu, Issei and Asia prepared themselves towards their school.
"So today's the contract, huh? Are you sure about this, Asia?" Issei turned over to the blonde-haired girl in worry.
"Yes... It's been on my mind ever since the fight with the fallen angels so... ... I finally decided... ... to become a devil."
"You won't be able to pray normally or even visit a church when you've done it... ... Buchou explained it a lot yesterday in order for to reconsider."
"I-It's fine, Issei-san... ... I'm content that I get to live with Natsu-san and you... Just by having a family like this is blessing to me."
Issei cannot argue with that. Natsu simply put up a faint smile before forgetting something in his room.
"Oh, wait a moment, I forgot my pen upstairs!" He hastily sprinted back to the house and went upstairs as he tried to search for his pen in the nearby drawer.
But as he was trying to get for it, a looming shadow obscured the sunlight in his window for a second before disappearing as Natsu turned towards it and decided to take a look around. Opening the window glass, he leaned his head sideways to see if there's anyone around but found nothing.
After a moment, something loomed above him as he turned to gaze at the bright sun and saw some sort of an object falling towards him. The angle of the light made it hard for him to identify the object until his eyes widened in surprise after seeing it in clear view.
It was his precious scaly scarf.
But- he was sure he dropped it back at the church.
"!"
A sudden realization came into him as he notice a small black feather falling down in front of him as he turned to gaze up again to the sky but saw nothing but clear skies and a bright sun.
He took a moment to sink in before a small smile crept on its way to his lips as he held his scarf affectionately before uttering a simply statement in regards to her.
"Thank you..."
A/N: And that's the end of the arc. What do you think? Although I know some of you would be disappointed that I let Raynare live but come on, we can always look forward to her canonical death in the LN or anime so try to rewatch it if you want her killed over and over again- that was a joke but guys seriously, it's fanfiction, at least we can see a different twist if she ever lives here. - - -
Sorry for the long chapter, I sorta combined two chapters in here (The epilogue of the arc itself.) Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be bound to go into the Riser arc. Now we have volume two coming. Natsu and Issei's powers have finally awakened but needed polishing and training and I also got plans for Natsu's modes of power so don't remind me on that. It'll take a lot of chapters for me to get there.
As for the poll, only three will be selected on the votes and surprisingly, Rossweisse is popular.. Didn't expect that. Akeno is a go, Kuroka is a go go.. hehe but that would take a few more chapters for her appearance. Next week, I'll posting another poll for Issei's harem the mentioned three are crossed out on this so don't expect me to add them again.
As usual, leave your comments and tell me what you think. :)
Thanks again for reading and see you on the next chapter.
- wiErD SpeCtrumz blacking out... ... ...
