Chapter VI
Greetings! Welcome to the sixth chapter of Embodiment of Flame. I hope the wait was not too long for all of you. I also hope you all enjoyed the previous chapter, and that you enjoy this chapter. Be sure to review if you do. As usual, I would like to thank my coauthor Bakuto Masaki for all his help with the story so far and his continued aid with it. That aside, I believe it is time to move on to the reviewer responses.
The BadAss Writer: Don't worry, there are lemons, there'll be one in this chapter actually. Ah, yes. Orgies. You needn't worry, they will be present.
Nah, I'd rather see her get mangled to pieces or something. Or given to a bunch of Orcs.
Jalis: NaYu? You mean Natsu x Yukino? Of course that's present, along with Minerva and Chelia. Though I don't recognize the other two. I hope the plot is to your liking.
treeofsakuras: ? He already did. Thanks, that was I was aiming for.
FanFictionHunter: That we most certainly do.
Certainly!
TheWhiteTitan: It can be. But some characters take it too far, to an honestly infuriating degree.
correnhimself316: Ppffbbtt! It's coming my friend.
Well that does it for the reviewer responses. A rather nice length on this one. With that out of the way, it is time to begin the actual chapter, no?
WARNING: There is a lemon in this chapter. It will be marked, simply be aware.
Laki sat in Natsu's tent, across from the pink-haired Dragon Slayer, smiling happily before she realized how close Natsu was to her, causing her face to practically glow red.
Natsu raised an eyebrow as he saw her face. "You alright?" He then leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers.
Laki trembled as her blush increased, feeling her heart beating faster as her entire body began to heat up. She gulped and then slowly leaned her head up, causing their lips to touch lightly.
Natsu tensed slightly as he felt Laki's arms wrap around his shoulders.
"Please…" Laki muttered as she pulled away from him, her face deep red. "I want you Natsu…"
LEMON BEGINS HERE
Natsu nodded with a smile before leaning down, pressing his lips against hers. Wasting no time, his tongue reached out towards her mouth, though he found her teeth, clenched nervously, blocking his way. Pulling back slowly, he said warmly, "If you don't want me to, it's alright."
Laki frowned in embarrassment and shook her head. "Th – that's not it… it's just that it's… my first…"
Natsu widened his eyes subtly before smiling. "Alright then. Just let me handle everything, okay?"
Laki nodded with a smile before closing her eyes and lightly pursing her lips.
Natsu leaned forward once more, pressing his lips against hers, his tongue reaching out to her mouth, this time unobstructed and permitted into the space beyond her lips.
Laki trembled as she felt his tongue reach to hers, caressing and stroking along it. Her senses returning after a moment, she reached out herself and began entwining with Natsu, her movements slowly becoming more forceful as their tongues danced with each other.
As their tongues danced between their lips, Natsu reached a hand to the purplette's blouse, pressing a hand against one of the soft mounds on her chest before compressing it with his hand. Curling his fingers in as he squeezed on the doughy knoll, Laki pulled away with an impassioned moan as he began kneading and rolling her cushion in his hand, causing her breath to hasten and hitch with gasps and moans.
Natsu then began slowly unbuttoning his partner's blouse, the cloth falling to the floor and revealing her bosom held by a simple, dark purple bra. "It suits you," Natsu complimented as he pulled the clasp free, her bust swinging freely in front of him, one of which he immediately grabbed with his hand before wrapping his lips around the tip of the other, eliciting a loud groan of pleasure from the girl.
"Th – this feeling…" Laki mumbled weakly between gasps, "it's… aahhnn!" she shouted out as Natsu pinched and lightly bit down on her tips, sending shocks of ecstasy through her. After several more deep pants escape her lips, she looked at Natsu with hooded eyes, huffing weakly, "Please… stop teasing me…"
Natsu pulled away with a smile and nodded before putting a hand on her thigh and sliding his hand up, reaching for her dark purple panties, which had a considerable stain on them already, before pulling them away, a small trickle of her fluids sticking to the fabric.
Laki glanced down as the young man lowered his trousers, allowing his rod to stand thick and tall, surprising the purple-haired woman. "Th – that… will it… fit…?" she asked tremulously.
Natsu slipped his arms under her knees, lifting her legs up onto his shoulders, before smiling at her. "It'll be fine, okay? If it hurts too much, just tell me."
Laki nodded slowly as he inched his way forward, the end of his staff pressing against the soaking folds of her lower mouth. She trembled slightly as she felt the heat from his body press against her before he moved forward slowly, the lips of her entrance spreading as his mass filled her.
Natsu's movements slowed as he felt her shivers. "You okay, Laki?" he asked with concern.
Laki nodded silently as he pressed forward, stopping momentarily before pulling back some, his movements repeating in back and forth motions, each inward advancement pushing him deeper into her hole.
However, his motions stopped when he felt a faint impediment to his progress. His gaze moved to Laki, whom returned it with a nod. Adjusting her hips up slightly and pulling himself back slightly, Natsu then thrust forward, tearing through thin obstacle in his path.
Laki gasped with a silent shriek and her stiffed sharply as she felt pain shoot through her body like lightning as small trails of blood leaked from between her walls and his shaft. After a moment, she slackened and her gasps normalized to deep breaths.
"You ready?" Natsu asked, receiving a nod in return as his motions once again resumed, the depth of his thrusts increasing with each motion, forging deeper and deeper into her body.
Bursts of pain from the thrusts soon melted away to pleasure in her body as Laki heard the sounds of Natsu's movements and their juices mixing in her body. Her face turned bright red as she put her hands over it.
"Something wrong?" Natsu asked, his motions unceasing.
"Th – those sounds… they're so dirty…" Laki muttered in embarrassment.
Natsu merely smiled before shifting his body side to side slightly, stirring her walls and eliciting a loud gasp and moan of pleasure. "If you ask me, I think it sounds beautiful."
Laki's eyes widened as he pulled her hands aside. She then smiled as she saw his eyes staring down at her. 'In this moment… here… his eyes… it's like… they see… only me…' Her smile widened as her eyes hooded with pleasure, her hips beginning to move in time with Natsu's, back and forth, while her legs curled over his back, pulling him tightly against, pulling him deeper inside of her body with his thrusts.
Natsu smiled as her legs moved to his lower back before he reached down, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up close to him. Using their new position his advantage, he grasped his hands tightly around her bottom and began lifting her up and down as his thrusts increased in speed.
"Ah… hah… ah…" the girl panted loudly before moaning loudly, wrapping her arms around her lover's shoulders, pressing her lips against his as their tongues reached out and swiftly began dancing and battling for dominance. Her legs coiled around his waist tightly, pulling him in deeply, the sounds of their juices squirting about and their bodies smacking together filling the air, the only sounds the two heard beyond their own pants and gasps.
"It… it's so… tight…" Natsu groaned as her walls wrapped around him tightly with his thrusts, seeming to crush him. He trembled with his thrusts as her stiffened nipples brushed against his skin in their free-flowing movements, in time with his movements. Bending down, he wrapped his lips around one of the bright pink tips, sucking tightly.
Laki huffed and gasped out. "M – my head is… going white… it feels… s – so… amazing…"
Natsu winced slightly as he felt the walls of Laki's lower mouth tight around him greatly. His play on her breast continued as he flicked the tip with his tongue repeatedly before biting it lightly and tugging at it.
Laki threw her head back in a howl of ecstasy. "N – Na… Natsu… h – ha… har… harder!"
Natsu responded instantly to her request, lifting up her torso and slamming it down as his thrusts increased in forcefulness, the loud sound of their bodies colliding growing sharply.
Laki's voice turned to mere huffs and gasps as Natsu laid her on her back, moving with her and thrusting faster and harder than before until finally he pulled back and slammed deeply as his mast swelled before releasing a sudden burst inside. "Hhhaaauuu!" the purple-haired Dragon Slayer howled loudly as she felt Natsu fill her with warmth, her hole flooding with his thick semen as she tightened around him, squeezing more from him as her body trembled and her tongue fell from her mouth as her eyes rolled back. "I… I'm in… heaven…"
After several moments of release, the purple-haired young woman finally loosened her grip, slackening, breathing heavily with exhaustion.
Natsu released several huffs before pulling himself from her and flopping next to her. He looked at the young woman and smiled, the girl having fallen into unconsciousness immediately.
LEMON ENDS HERE
The next morning, Natsu covered Laki with a blanket as he affixed his clothing. 'Sorry to leave so early, but I've got something I need to do.'
He then sped out of the tent and made his way out of the makeshift camp and towards the temple.
Snickering to himself, he thought, 'I've got the perfect idea to put these jokers outta business.'
Inside the temple, within a large room with a throne at one end, Lyon snarled as he punched Toby, sending him flying across the room and into Yuka. "Useless! Both of you!"
Zalty then walked into the room and alerted, "We have a problem. Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet has arrived, so this ritual has to end tonight."
Lyon growled angrily. "I don't care who comes! I will NOT be defeated!"
However, the group's discussion was interrupted as the temple began to violently tremble before tilting.
"What the hell!?" Lyon exclaimed in confusion and irritation.
Inside the temple, Natsu ran and dashed around, destroying the different support pillars at the temple's bottom level. Grinning to himself he assessed his work. "Oh yeah! Now with this temple at an angle that weird light won't hit Deliora." He then looked up and smirked. "Alright, all that's left is ice-brain." Encasing himself in fire he leapt through the floors, up to the throne room.
In the throne room, Lyon frowned heavily before the ground next to him exploded in flames. He looked to the side with a bored expression as Natsu grinned at him. "Let me guess, here to defeat me?"
"You got it!" Natsu shouted. "I'm gonna kick your ass so Gray doesn't have to!"
"Then come and face your demise," Lyon challenged as he raised a hand that began emanating frozen mist.
Zalty snickered in amusement. 'Not bad.'
"Then get ready for a beat down Stripper Number Two!" Natsu shouted before charging.
Lyon hissed in derision. "You pest! Ice-Make: Eagle!" Multiple eagles made of ice emerged from a magic circle and soared towards Natsu.
Natsu smirked. "Easy!" He then took in a deep breath and shouted, "Fire Dragon Roar!" as he exhaled, sending a huge gout of flame flying at Lyon's eagles. However, to Natsu's confusion and shock, his flames completely dissipated and Lyon's eagles sped up suddenly, slamming into him with great force and sending him flying back. "What the hell?!" Natsu growled as he slid to a stop before charging at Lyon with a flame-encased fist. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" However, to Natsu's confusion, his own flames slammed into his face and exploded.
"Tch, fool. Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!" A giant, serpentine dragon made of ice appeared from a magic circle and charged at Natsu.
Natsu began to dodge it but the dragon suddenly sped up and hit him with immense power before he could evade it.
Natsu growled angrily. "Okay, you're really pissin' me off!
Lyon then turned to Zalty. "Zalty, that's enough. I can handle this fool on my own."
Zalty chuckled lightly. "Sorry, I just thought you'd want to expedite the process."
"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu shouted as a blast of flame shot at Lyon.
Lyon raised a hand and began shouting, "Ice-Make –!" however the blast hit him and slammed him against the wall before he could finish.
Zalty snickered in amusement. "You were saying?"
Lyon spat a small amount of blood before hissing in annoyance. "Carry on."
"So it's you!" Natsu shouted as he charged at the masked man.
However, as he charged, Lyon raised a hand. "Ice-Make: Eagle!" The eagles flew out at high speed and slammed into Natsu.
Natsu stopped him and turned to shoot flames at Lyon, only for his flames to dissipate before another set of eagles hit him.
"Give it up, you can't win. I will complete my ambition, to defeat Deliora. That's the only way I can surpass Ur, my teacher."
Natsu hissed in derision. "What a load of crap. Why don't you just fight Ur?"
"Because, you halfwit, she's dead. And Gray is the one who killed her."
"That's not what Gray told us."
Lyon chuckled proudly and chided, "Of course not. Murderers never admit to their crimes. It's the same with Gray."
Natsu growled and then argued, "I don't see how Gray killed her, from the sounds of it, she sacrificed herself to freeze Deliora."
"Which wouldn't have happened if Gray hadn't been so stupid!"
"It's in the past! I'm sure Gray feels far worse about it than you do, regardless of whether he's to blame or not. But I don't see how the actions of one person can be blamed on another. And if you refuse to see that, then I'll just have to beat it into you."
"You can barely keep yourself from getting hit. You think you can defeat us!?"
Natsu smirked. "You will be easy to beat, all you have is Ice-Make Magic. If I melt it or shatter it you're done for. The little masked freak over there is another issue entirely though…"
Lyon and Zalty both looked at Natsu annoyed.
Zalty looked up at Lyon and said, "I think he just complimented and insulted us at the same time."
Lyon put a hand to his forehead in exasperation. "I don't know what it is with these people but they give me a headache."
Natsu then added one more thing. "And besides all that, even if Gray is guilty of Ur's death, you're endangering the lives of an entire village for your own selfish pride. And if Gray is a murderer, then you're no better!"
Lyon's eyes widened in rage before he swept his hand in front of him and shouted, "You know nothing! Ice Make: Eagle!"
Natsu leapt into the air with blasts of flame, the eagles speeding up towards him. He narrowed his eyes and raised his hands before shooting flames upward, blasting himself down and destroying the eagles. "Heheh, I've got a plan now."
"Tch, overconfident punk."
Erza, Lucy, Laki, Flare, Sherry, Happy, and Gray made their way to the temple and, as they ran, Gray explained to them the reasoning behind Lyon's actions.
Erza looked at him incredulously and asked, "Are you serious? He truly believes that by defeating Deliora he will indirectly defeat Ur?"
Gray nodded in agreement. "Yeah, because Ur's dead he won't be able to challenge and defeat her directly. And that's a problem for him because he's always been obsessed with surpassing her, and he's mad that he won't get that chance now. So he thinks that by killing the creature she couldn't kill he'll indirectly beat her."
"That's absurd," Laki noted.
Gray nodded again. "Yeah, but there's still something that he doesn't understand yet."
"What?" Happy asked.
"Ur's alive." Gray grit his teeth as he remembered how his time with Ur.
A young Gray Fullbuster looked up from his activities, digging holes in the cold ground, to see Ur and a young Lyon Vastia approaching. Gray ignored them and returned to what he was doing.
Ur looked around at the rubble of the town. "How horrible." She then saw Gray nearby, digging graves for the deceased. She and Lyon walked up to Gray and Ur asked, "So, kid, need some help?"
Gray looked up at Ur and just continued digging.
Ur sighed and pointed to a shovel, "Hey, Lyon, start digging."
Lyon blinked and asked, "What?! Why me?!"
Ur narrowed her eyes and Lyon sighed.
After burying the village's deceased members, numbering all but Gray, Gray looked over two specific graves which were marked "Silver" and "Mika". Tightening his fists he swore, "I will never forgive Deliora for this. I'll get revenge."
Ur folded her arms and asked, "Oh? And just how do you plan on doing that."
Gray twitched an eyebrow. "Well… I… haven't… really thought about that part… yet…"
Smirking, Ur offered, "Learning how to use some magic first might not be a bad idea."
Gray looked up at Ur and asked, "Are you offering to teach me?"
Ur responded, "I'm offering you the chance to learn."
Gray thought for a moment and then nodded.
Ur nodded in return and the group, now made of three members, headed out.
Once they reached a high point in the snowy mountains, Ur explained to Gray, "I hope you're ready, my training's harsh."
Gray nodded assuredly. "Don't worry, I'm ready." He then widened his eyes as his face turned red. "Wh – wh – what are you doing?!"
Ur, who had stripped from her red shirt, beige coat, and black pants down a simple green bra and matching panties, looked at Gray with a smirk. "Training has begun now."
Gray looked from Ur to Lyon in disbelief, the white-haired child himself being in his boxers. "You people are crazy!"
Ur explained, "If you want to control the cold, you must first become one with it."
Gray gulped and reluctantly stripped down to his own boxers as their training began.
Nodding in satisfaction, Ur continued, "Good. Now for the basics, first is familiarizing yourself with the cold, then we move on to the magical practice that comes later."
As their training proceeded for a long period of time, Ur made mention of several basic rules of her magic, Ice-Make, the most important of which was, "Creation magic is the magic that allows the most freedom. So everyone, in order to be their strongest, must find their own form."
After training for some time, Ur decided to bring Gray and Lyon to the market with her to buy food.
As she bought a selection of goods, the shopkeeper mentioned to her, "Another student, hm?"
Ur nodded in agreement. "Yes, I need to pass my Ice-Make Magic on to the next generation."
The man nodded in thoughtful agreement but added, "Just don't forget about your own happiness from time to time."
As Ur continued shopping, Lyon asked, "Gray, your dream is to defeat Deliora, right?"
Gray looked at him puzzled and nodded. "Of course. What about you?"
Lyon looked at Ur intently and said, "My dream is to beat Ur."
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Really? Whether I can beat her or not doesn't really seem to matter if you ask me."
Lyon huffed in derision and then added, "Do you know why Ur took you under her wing with me? She saw that you were wrapped in darkness. At least… that's what she told me."
Gray tightened his fist and responded, "She doesn't need to worry about me. I'll drive away the darkness myself by defeating Deliora. Once I've got enough power I'll leave the Ice Queen." Gray suddenly fell over as Ur punched him on the head.
"I'd watch it with those metaphors kid. Next time it might not just be a punch," Ur warned with a smile.
Gray nodded as he held his throbbing head.
As the trio walked towards the outskirts of the city, Gray asked Ur, "When will I learn some powerful magic?"
Ur explained, "You already have. Once you find your own form of Creation Magic it can be as strong as you want."
"Whatever you say," Gray dismissed as he unconsciously stripped.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing in public!?" Ur scolded.
"Look what you made me do!" Gray blamed.
"Me!?"
On the way back to their shared cottage, Gray overheard a group of travelers talking about Deliora.
"Did you hear about that demon?" the first asked.
"Yeah, it's tearing through the countryside," answered the second.
"I know. And what's more, I heard it's nearby."
That caused Gray's body to tingle. 'If it's nearby then… I can fight it and kill it…' he thought.
That night, Gray was preparing a pack of items.
Lyon walked over to him and asked curiously, "What's all that stuff?"
Putting the pack on his back, Gray explained, "I'm going. To fight Deliora."
Ur widened her eyes and shouted, "That's insane! You'll only get killed out there!"
Gray turned to them with a determined expression. "You won't stop me."
In the present, the group ran towards the ruins when Lucy suddenly stopped and pointed. "H – hey! Look!"
They all saw that the ruins were tilted at a sharp angle.
"Natsu," Erza said plainly.
"Definitely Natsu," Laki concurred.
At that moment a large number of the priests who had been performing the Moon-Drip ritual jumped in front of them armed to stop them.
Gray narrowed his eyes and Lucy and the others prepared to fight them.
Laki grumbled in annoyance. "Really? Get out of here!"
Sherry then stepped out in front of the others. "Please, stop! These people are friends!"
One of the priests raised a sword and argued, "No! Anyone who interferes with Lord Reitei's plans is an enemy!"
Erza turned to Gray and ordered, "Go on ahead to the temple, we can handle them. You're the only one who can stop Lyon."
Gray nodded appreciatively and jumped over the attacking priests.
Several tried to stop him but Laki extended her arms forward as long trails of wood appeared from her arms which she swung up and then slammed down. "Wood Dragon Wing Attack!"
Gray ran past the priests, clenching his fists as more memories filled his mind.
In a nearby town, Deliora roared as it slid back from an attack.
Gray and Lyon were already unconscious from the course of the battle.
Gray managed to wake up some and looked to see Ur in front of him. He grit his teeth with anger.
Ur turned towards him with a warm smile. "Good, you're awake."
Gray looked down and his eyes widened in shock, from the knee down Ur's right leg was gone, replaced by a false replacement of ice.
Ur smiled and said, "Don't worry. I just lost it in the fight. This will do for now. Gray, I need you to take Lyon and run. Fighting Deliora while protecting the both of you simultaneously is difficult."
Gray then asked perplexed, "Why? Why did you come back for me?"
Ur thought for a moment. "Well… I was supposed to be searching for happiness but really… I'm not all that unhappy. Seeing my pupils grow is all the happiness I need. Gray, if Deliora is the one causing all of your darkness, then that's even more of a reason for me to fight it."
"No, Ur, don't!" Gray shouted frantically.
"I will take my happiness back by doing this, okay?"
Lyon woke up at that moment and saw Ur standing nearby, realizing what she was about to do, and shouted, "You can't! What about my dream?!"
Ur nodded and rebutted, "There are many wizards far stronger than I am to the west. So go there, and fight them."
Lyon grit his teeth in anger, demanding, "Don't lose!" Losing his own patience he then rushed forward, putting his hands in the formation for Iced Shell, running ahead as the spell charged, only to get frozen in place by Ur.
Ur took in a breath and crossed her arms in front of her, preparing to use Iced Shell.
Tearfully, Gray shouted, "No, Ur, don't do this!"
darkness."
Gray's eyes widened as the tears fell from his eyes stronger.
Ur then added as her body turned to ice, "Gray, after I've finished, tell Lyon that I am dead. I want you both to walk into your own future, but for Lyon, this will be impossible for as long as I am alive." Ur's body then dissipated, turning into the ice that formed a massive prison around Deliora.
Lyon's own ice prison broke and he fell to the ground, seeing the frozen Deliora ahead of him.
Gray curled his fists and then explained, "It's Ur. She… she died to seal Deliora."
Lyon's eyes widened insanely as he got up and slammed his fist into Gray's face. "You… it's your fault she's dead!"
Natsu dodged another shot from Lyon and snickered. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this."
However, just as Natsu was about to retaliate Gray burst through the door and shouted, "Lyon!"
Lyon looked shocked at Gray and then smirked. "So you've finally come."
Gray walked over to Natsu and stared Lyon down.
Natsu pointed at Gray and shouted, "Hey! Butt out! This is my fight!"
Gray looked back at Natsu coldly, then turned back to Lyon silently. He then ordered, "Lyon. Get out of here. Retreat and leave the island, now."
Lyon sneered and retorted, "And what if I refuse?"
Gray closed his eyes and sighed before spreading his legs to the side, and crossing his arms in front of him, his right over his left, with his left hand pointed up.
Lyon's eyes widened in shock. "Iced Shell!" He then calmed down some and chuckled. "You're bluffing. There's no way you'd do something like that. You're too selfish, Gray!"
Gray narrowed his eyes as a magic circle appeared at his feet and icy wind began swirling around the room.
Lyon looked around in shock while Zalty held onto his hat and said, "Well, guess that's my cue," before jumping down a hole nearby.
"Hey!" Natsu shouted as he fled. He then turned to Gray. "You can't be serious about this!"
Gray nodded and said, "I am. Unfortunately… it seems like this is the end. Since I can't force Lyon to leave… stopping him here and now is my only option… Natsu, get out of here, I don't want you to get caught in the blast!"
Natsu snarled and then reared back his fist and slammed it into Gray's face, sending him crashing into the wall. "You idiot! You can't just run away from your problems like this!"
Gray slid across the floor as Natsu punched him in the face. He then slowly stood up and scowled at Natsu. "What the hell do you think you're doing!? I'm the one who should defeat Lyon!"
Natsu argued, "You're just running away!"
However, their argument was put to an end as the temple began to shake again.
"Oh what now!?"
Outside the temple, Flare sent several of the priests flying before turning and gasping. "Everyone, look!"
The other mages turned as the temple righted itself.
"You can't be serious!" Lucy exclaimed.
Back inside the temple, Lyon laughed loudly. "Looks like Zalty's working quick."
Natsu growled angrily. "That masked freak… Gray!"
"What?" Gray asked, annoyed.
"I'm gonna go get that freaky guy. Don't do anything stupid. If you do, I'll kick your ass."
Gray merely snickered. "Yeah, don't worry."
Natsu then leapt down the hole Zalty fled into.
Gray asked suspiciously, "Lyon, what would you have done if my Iced Shell actually hit?"
Lyon answered confidently, "I would merely take the hit. I have many allies with the same dream as I."
Gray clenched his fists and explained, "Listen, Lyon. You should leave Deliora. There's something you don't know about it."
"And what might that be, Gray?"
"Ur is still alive."
Lyon stood silently for several moments and then asked, "Is that it?" Gray looked at Lyon puzzled before Lyon stuck out a hand and shouted, "Ice-Make: Panther!" A panther made of ice then burst out from Gray's back, causing pain to shoot through his body and for him to stumble back and hit the ground. "I'm already well aware of the fact Ur is still very much alive with the Iced Shell."
Gray, who was still pinned by the Ice-Make: Panther, widened his eyes. "Then why?! Why are you doing this?!"
"I've already explained it, Gray. To prove my power over Ur, to do what she could not." Lyon then pulled a hand back before it was enveloped in a wolf's head made of ice as he shouted, "Ice-Make: Wolf!" Lyon then rushed forward and launched an attack on Gray, punching him over and over with his ice-covered fist.
"Then you'll kill Ur?!"
"She's already as good as dead!" Lyon argued as he punched Gray in the abdomen again.
Gray stumbled back and then flexed his back, causing the Ice-Make: Panther to shatter, before he clenched his fists and reared back a hand before punching Lyon in the face, continuing the turn and then slamming Lyon into the far wall. Taking a heavy sigh, Gray said angrily, "I'm done trying to save you, Lyon."
Lyon stood up and wiped blood from his chin. "You were foolish for trying to in the first place."
Gray turned to Lyon and prepared a spell but stopped when Lyon put up a hand.
"We've both used up so much magic power that I'm certain you're as drained as I am."
"Are you suggesting we stop?" Gray asked suspiciously.
Lyon threw off his cape and raised his fists. "Not at all."
Gray caught his meaning and raised his fists as well before charging Lyon, throwing a wide punch at him from the left side.
Lyon smirked and ducked under it then jabbed Gray's left side, right in the ribs.
Gray shouted in pain before Lyon launched a barrage of punches before sending him tumbling away with a powerful hook to the jaw.
Natsu pursued Zalty as the short man ran wildly through the halls.
"Get back here dammit!" Natsu demanded as he fired off several blasts of flame at Zalty.
Zalty merely snickered in amusement, the flames disappearing. "As if I'll listen to that." He then threw the blue-green orb he held in his hand.
Natsu swung his flame-encased fist and smashed the orb. "Ice, huh? As if I'd really have problems against that."
Zalty chuckled in amusement. "Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that." He then waved a hand, causing the smashed orb to put itself back together and float up, smacking Natsu in the chin. "Tell me, do you like it? It's my magic. I used it to fix the temple."
"The hell!? What is that!?"
"I'll be nice and give you a little lesson. It's called Arc of Time, a magic so powerful and ancient that it was lost to history. Much like your own Dragon Slayer Magic."
"Arc of Time?" Natsu asked in confusion.
"Yes, my magic allows me to affect the time of an object. I can speed it up, slow it down, or even reverse it. Naturally it won't work on humans but such is the nature of magic."
Natsu growled before Zalty suddenly vanished. "Huh!? Where'd he go!? I'm tired of chasin' him around, I wanna fight!"
Lyon and Gray's battle continued, with Gray losing quite plainly as Lyon continued battering him with punches and kicks, stumbling him back greatly. "What a shame, your fists are as weak as your magic."
Gray growled and reared back a punch before Lyon hit him with a kick, sending him slamming into the wall hard. He grumbled as he slowly sat up, chuckling weakly. "What we're doing right now… kind reminds me of someone else I used to spar with when I was a kid…"
"This is the end!" Lyon howled as he lunged forward with a crazed grin.
Gray also lunged forward, only to get sent flying back once more by Lyon's punch.
'Get up!' a voice shouted in Gray's head as he hit the ground.
Young Gray and young Natsu had just finished a spar with one another, Gray turning out the victor with Natsu landing flat on his back in defeat.
"Come on, get up!" Natsu shouted.
"You're the one who needs to get up!" Gray shouted in irritation at Natsu's obvious lack of sense. "So you come on!"
Nearby, Makarov and a young Erza watched their spar intently as Flare sat on the ground next to them apprehensively.
"Sorry, but you lose," Gray argued as he turned around to leave.
"Hold on…" Natsu stammered weakly as he stood up unsteadily. "This fight's not near over, Gray…"
Gray looked at the pink-haired boy in shock.
Lyon huffed in exhaustion as he looked at Gray's slumped form. "… That settles it, you were no match for me after all."
"Hold on," Gray grumbled as Lyon turned to leave. "This fight's not over just yet," he argued as he raised his fists once more.
Lyon snarled in frustration. "I should've killed you when I had the chance!" he howled before the two charged at each other.
Their punches connected to each other's faces in unison before Gray's sent Lyon flying against the wall with a loud crash.
"You're gonna have to step up your game if you wanna beat me!" Gray declared.
Lyon growled and got up to throw more blows at Gray.
However, as Gray remembered all his fights with Natsu, he managed to get under Lyon's strikes over and over before grabbing him by the back of the shirt, spinning around counterclockwise and using all of the built up force to throw Lyon into a wall with such force that it sent dust and stone flying all around as Lyon slumped to the floor with a grunt.
Gray breathed heavily for a few moments before falling back in exhaustion.
Outside the temple, Lucy, Erza, Laki, Flare, Sherry, and Happy continued fighting the priests.
"Please, try to go easy on them!" Sherry begged as she knocked out another of the priests.
"Huh?" Lucy mumbled in confusion.
"They're not mages, they're just civilians!"
Lucy blinked in thought before widening her eyes. Lucy then nodded and pulled out one of her Celestial Spirit keys, threw it in the air, causing it to spin before grabbing it and shouting, "Open, Gate of the Giant Crab: Cancer!"
Through a magic circle and a burst of smoke a man with dark skin, black hair braided in red cornrows with ends resembling crab pincers, and thick lips who wore green-lensed sunglasses, a blue striped shirt, a dark pair of trousers with aquamarine stripes down the sides, a ring chain in his right pocket, a hairdresser's tool bag on his left side, gray boots, and a pair of red, crab-like scissors in each hand, he also had six large crab legs sticking out of his back.
Cancer then walked up beside Lucy and asked, "What would you like for me to do today, baby?"
Lucy pointed Cancer's key at the priests and shouted, "Take those guys out!"
Cancer turned and armed his scissors before taking out the priests with large numbers of slashes.
As the priests fell over the team gasped.
Back in the temple, Lyon stood up scowling. "You…you'll pay for that…" He aimed his hand forward and shouted, "Ice-Make: Eagle!" Eagles made of ice shot out of a magic circle and launched at Gray.
Gray hissed angrily and jumped to the side to avoid the shots and skid to the side. "Hey! This was supposed to be a no-magic fight!"
Lyon stood up with a smirk. "I never agreed to that…"
Gray narrowed his eyes and prepared to fight back despite his low mana reserves.
"Besides," Lyon began, "Deliora will be free soon."
Gray frowned and then smirked. "Well, don't think you'll be getting that far, you bastard."
"Why?" Lyon asked.
"Because, we've got a trump card on our side."
Lyon narrowed his eyes angrily.
"Natsu's strong. Strong enough that you jokers should be afraid of him. Trust me, the second you underestimate that guy is the second you lose."
Zalty walked into the cavern and watched as Deliora's prison continued to melt. "Heheh, at long last…"
"There you are!"
Zalty turned in surprise as Natsu charged at him with a flaming fist.
"I'll burn that grin off your face!" Natsu howled as he punched the ground where Zalty was standing, though the short man dodged it.
Zalty laughed as he landed on a ledge above the pink-haired teen. "Must've taken you a while to come up with that one. By the way, how did you manage to find me?"
"I followed my nose, that's all. For some reason you totally reek of lady's perfume."
Zalty raised an eyebrow before snickering. "While I'd love to stay and chat, I've got more important things to do. Like reviving Deliora."
"Just give it up, that thing's not coming back."
Zalty chuckled in amusement. "And why are you so sure about that?"
"Because Gray's gonna kick that ice guy's butt, and then I'm gonna kick yours!"
However, a beam of moonlight suddenly began shining down on Deliora.
"Huh!? How!? There's someone up there performing the ceremony!?"
"Just one person," Zalty explained, "but that's all that's needed. We've collected more than enough moonlight, it just needs to be given a little nudge, just like this."
Suddenly the ice around Deliora began cracking.
Natsu's eyes widened. "Okay, that's it! I'm gonna kick your butt and then take out the guy doing the ceremony!"
"Sorry, but it won't be that easy," Zalty retorted as he flicked a finger up, causing a circular piece of the stone ceiling to fall towards Natsu.
Natsu jumped out of the way before sliding to a stop. "Why you…!"
"Heheheh, sorry but it seems chasing after me was a mistake, Salamander. Better luck next time."
"Excellent work," Erza noted as she looked around at the defeated priests lying around her, their robes torn to pieces.
"Please, don't hurt them any further," Sherry asked.
"Why?" Lucy asked in mild annoyance.
An old woman walked up to the group. "You have defeated us, we won't fight back anymore, but at least hear us out."
Erza glanced at Sherry, whom nodded. Erza turned back to the old woman. "Very well, say your peace."
"We follow Lyon because he's our last hope for resolution."
Erza asked suspiciously, "What do you mean?"
"Our homes, our families, our friends, they were all destroyed by Deliora. The pain made it impossible to move on. But Lyon… he presented us with a way to move past it all. If we helped him to permanently kill Deliora, then we would gain the resolution we need to move on. Knowing that monster is still alive is terrifying. But if Lyon kills it we don't need to worry anymore."
Lucy turned to Sherry in disbelief. "Wait… so you too?"
Sherry nodded somberly. "Yes. In fact, I ran into Natsu only a few short years after its attack."
"I… I had no idea…"
Erza narrowed her eyes. "So you saw it fit to endanger the lives of those living in the village down there just so you can relieve yourself of emotional pain?"
The woman shook her head. "That was never our intention. Lyon never told us what it was doing. And by the time we figured it out it was too late."
Natsu snarled as Deliora's prison continued to melt. He then turned and charged at Zalty, throwing another flame-encased punch.
Zalty easily dodged before chortling. "Are you sure you want to do that? Use your fire magic here? It might make the ice around Deliora melt faster."
Natsu growled and spat out a blast of flames at the masked man. "Don't take me for a fool! If that ice could be melted by fire magic then you wouldn't have had to go through all the trouble to use the Moon Drip! Bluff all you want, but once I'm done with you I'm going to stop the Moon Drip and put an end to this crap."
However, the area began to shake violently.
Inside the temple, Gray looked around in confusion. "What's going on!?"
Lyon chuckled and then explained, "The Iced Shell has broken, and Deliora is now free!" Icy air began to swirl around him once more. "You and your friends can't stop me now! Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this moment, Gray? Since I saw you last I've been gathering knowledge and allies who will aid me. I was fortunate enough to discover this place, an island where you can collect the light of the moon, Galuna."
Gray narrowed his eyes. "So Natsu was telling the truth… it's not the spell that's thawing Deliora… it's the moon's light itself…"
Lyon sent more Ice-Make: Eagles flying at Gray. "It wasn't easy transporting Deliora from Brago! And the Moon Drip's taken three years!"
Gray put up a wall of ice to block the eagles as they soared towards him. "You've been wasting your time on this stupid plan for three years!?"
Lyon's eyes widened intensely. "Stupid!?" Energy began to surge around Lyon as he scowled with rage. "How dare you say that! You spent the last ten years in some stupid guild piddling your life away!"
Gray jumped to the side as a giant Ice-Make: Eagle crashed next to him. "Because I put my faith in what Ur told me!"
'In the western nations, there are lots of wizards who are more powerful than me.'
"So I went west, and eventually found my way to Fairy Tail. And she was right, the guild was so full of powerful wizards that I couldn't believe it. Master Makarov once told me that there may have been a way to undo the Iced Shell, but doing so would've been no different than killing Ur. I didn't know it at the time, but I'm sure he was talking about the Moon Drip." Gray's eyes then widened angrily. "After everything Ur did for us you'd kill her without giving it a second thought. You make me sick."
Lyon merely smirked madly. "Say what you will, I don't care. My entire life has led up to this moment. Our master is long dead. If we want to prove we have surpassed her, what can we do in her absence!?" He then raised his fist and shouted, "Ice-Make: Wolf!" before a wolf's head made of ice appeared on his fist. "Think Gray!" He then charged and started swinging at Gray. "There's only one answer! Deliora! I will surpass our master by defeating what she could not!"
"What!?" Gray shouted in disbelief as Lyon swung wildly. "I get that that's a pretty ambitious plan, but I can't stop thinking that you might have missed the point somewhere along the way! Ice-Make: Sword!" he shouted before a sword made of ice formed in his hand which he used to smash Lyon's Ice-Make: Wolf. "Someone as blind as you could never be better than Ur! Not in a hundred years! Wake up Lyon!" He then swung at Lyon's midsection, bisecting him. However, it turned out to be a mere copy of Lyon made of ice that shattered.
"Fooled you, didn't I!?" Lyon exclaimed as he appeared behind Gray and prepared another attack. "Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!"
However, Gray jumped above the tiger, put his hands together, and then shouted, "Ice-Make: Prison!" planting down a cage over Lyon's creation. He then stood atop the cage. "You see this Lyon? This is what you are."
"What…?" Lyon growled.
"A beast in a cage lashing out at a world he barely knows."
"Utter nonsense! I'll make quick work of that spell of yours!" Lyon challenged before his Ice-Make: Snow Tiger began banging and lashing out at the bars of the cage. However, his eyes widened when he realized his creation could not break the cage as Gray jumped down.
"Single handed spell casting is too unbalanced. Your creations will let you down when you need them the most." He then slammed his right fist into his open left palm as a magic circle appeared underneath him. "Ice-Make: Ice Cannon!" he howled as a giant cannon made of ice appeared in his grasp before firing a blast of energy at Lyon that exploded violently enough to blast a hole in the temple's wall. "Ur taught us that, remember?"
Lyon stumbled forward before collapsing onto the ground.
However, just as Gray prepared to celebrate his victory, the air was filled with a loud, ear-piercing howl that shook the very air around the temple.
Happy covered his ears in pain, as did the others. "My ears weren't ready for this!"
"That does not sound too promising," Erza muttered apprehensively.
"I think we're in trouble!" Laki grumbled in pain as she covered her ears.
In the underground cave, Natsu howled in pain as the area shook. "It's so loud!"
The ice around Deliora then smashed as the beast's head broke free from its prison.
"Yes it's free!" Zalty cheered.
"That sound…" Gray muttered in cold fear as Deliora's roars shook through the air, forcing to the surface memories of its attacks. "I could never forget that sound…" Gray clenched his fists angrily. 'They did it… they actually revived it. There's only one thing I can do now… Iced Shell.'
Erza looked up at the temple and shouted, "It is free! The demon is out!"
Lucy pointed to the temple, "But the Moon Drip isn't going on anymore!"
Erza clenched a fist. "Then that means it is finished. We have to get to temple and see how we can stop it!"
Erza and the others arrived in the temple as Deliora continued roaring.
"That sound is so creepy…" Lucy muttered.
"It was probably your stomach growling," Happy noted.
Lucy twitched an eyebrow. "You're not half as funny as you think you are."
Happy then turned and pointed at a magic circle on the floor. "Hey, that light! That's the Moon Drip!"
"Then somebody is still performing the ceremony up there," Erza stated before clenching her fists.
Okay, so…?" Laki asked.
"Which means they have not fully revived it yet, so we still have a chance to do something. Come on!"
Lucy raised an eyebrow and pointed down. "Deliora's below us."
"Putting a stop to the ceremony is our only hope!" Erza rebutted as she ran towards a set of stairs.
Natsu snarled as he stood opposite Zalty. "I'm wastin' my time with you… come on, let's finish this, right now!" However, Zalty's orb suddenly slammed into the side of his head at high speed.
"Ready when you are," Zalty taunted as the orb flew through the air. "Do your worst, little Salamander."
"Why you…" Natsu growled before Zalty sent the orb flying at him. Natsu easily smashed the orb with a flaming fist.
Zalty snickered and raised a hand, causing the orb to reform itself and then slam into Natsu's abdomen, sending him flying.
Natsu coughed violently from the strike. "Dammit… that magic of yours is pissing me off!"
"Perhaps I should show you what happens when I throw this crystal ball into the future?"
Natsu was then repeatedly struck by the flying orb, too fast to properly counteract it. He growled angrily before reaching for Decaforce. "Okay, that's it! If I can't beat you with my magic then I'll use this!"
Zalty laughed loudly. "Fool, my magic affects an object's time, it won't work!"
Natsu unsheathed Decaforce and charged at Zalty.
Zalty smirked and raised a hand but widened his eyes as Natsu charged before dodging to the side. "What the…?!"
Natsu snickered confidently. "What's wrong, gettin' cold feet?"
Zalty laughed. "Of course not!" 'This is absurd. His sword actually cut through my space-time bubble. How!?' Zalty then noticed a word on the side of Decaforce's blade, "Eisenmeteor." "Ah… so that explains it."
Natsu blinked in confusion. "What does what?"
"That sword, it's the famous Decaforce, the sword of Ten Powers from the Rave War fifty years ago."
Natsu blinked in thought. "… Nope, no clue what you're talkin' about."
"Fool."
"You know, that magic of yours is impressive and all, but I'd be more impressed if it worked on people."
"Ah, but that's the rub. It doesn't work on living, sentient beings. Since Ur turned herself into the ice around Deliora I couldn't just turn back the ice to its pre-frozen state, so that's why we used Moon-Drip."
Natsu narrowed his eyes. "Why are you guys goin' through all this trouble, huh? You're going through an awful lot of trouble to thaw out Deliora so Lyon can boost his ego. That's all good for him, but what about you guys?"
"I've only just recently joined this little project, so I can't speak for the motivations of the others."
"Okay, then what about you?"
"My, my, you certainly know how to get straight to the point." Zalty then laughed in amusement. "The Cold Emperor is an arrogant twit. He doesn't stand a chance against Deliora. That's where I come in."
"If he can't kill it, we're in major trouble! Unless you're gonna defeat it yourself."
"Don't be ridiculous," Zalty chided. "I wouldn't go through all this trouble just to kill Deliora. No… I want to control the demon. You see, there are spells that give the caster power over immortal monsters like this one here. With a single spell I'd become the most powerful man in the world because I'd have a demon at my beck and call!"
Natsu huffed in annoyance. "Geez, talk about a lame answer. I'm sorry I even asked."
Zalty looked at Natsu in confusion.
"That's what you're after?! You think just havin' a monster's gonna you tough? No way."
"I suppose you're too young right now, but one day you'll understand how important it is to have power on your side."
Natsu narrowed his eyes and then smirked. "Well that doesn't matter to me because I've already got plenty of power. I've got all of my friends at Fairy Tail behind me!" He then raised Decaforce and charged at Zalty.
"You really think your little sword can stop me!" Many of the orbs appeared in the air and flew at Natsu.
"I can't control time, but I can see the future!" Natsu shouted before spitting out a burst of flames that hit the orbs and exploded violently.
Zalty sneered and jumped up before Natsu burst from the smoke, right in front of him.
"And I see me kickin' your butt!" Natsu shouted as he swung down on Zalty, shattering his mask and sending him crashing into a rock below. "You lose!"
And there you have it. That concludes this chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it. If you did, be sure to post a review. If you were confused or unsure about anything, go ahead and post a review as well and I will do my best to address your concerns. If you did not enjoy it, post a review if you must, just keep it mature, though I would rather suggest you go and do something you actually enjoy instead. But with all that out of the way, I will see all of you in the next chapter, buh-bye!