The Regal Key
===Chapter 10===
Almighty Clash
"Open the Gate of the Celestial King!"
Power flowed around Lucy like a gale as she lifted the key high above her head. Narpuding and Kurohebi launched attacks, but they didn't strike her, shielded by the golden winds. The sky began to darken, stars appearing in its inky surface.
In that darkness a form began to emerge, almost like a second sky within that shy. It was the king's cloak, and with the sound of a thunderclap, he threw it back to reveal his mighty armoured body floating behind Lucy.
"This is bad!" Narpuding cried.
"Big moustache!" Kurohebi mumbled.
"For the first time in eons, I return to the mortal plain to fight!" The king announced, his regal voice booming across the landscape. Beneath him, Lucy was visibly straining, trying to keep his portal open. It was so hard, but for most people it would have been utterly impossible. "I predict that at your current level, you can only keep me here for one minute."
"One minute!?" Kurohebi exclaimed, seemingly jubilant. "All we have to do is hang on for one-"
"Urano Metria!" Said spell was Lucy's ultimate, a spell that drained her in an instant. For the king, it was his weakest spell and he cast it twice, once with each hand at the two dark mages before him. They could only look on with amazement as they were pulverised by the titanic celestial magic spell.
"One minute was more than enough. Twenty seconds is plenty for a king to spend executing criminals."
"King! Please, my friends are in danger!" Lucy cried, struggling with the magic. "On board that flying ship! Hurry!"
The king looked up at the Corvus in the darkened sky, smoke bellowing from the hole Natsu had opened in its flank. There was a sudden pulse of magical power and the king was engulfed by a blazing ball of magical energy. The Corvus forsook the heavy Jupiter cannon, but it still had its own arsenal. However, the assault hadn't even scratched the king. He didn't even look annoyed by it. He was only thinking about how he could attack the ship without killing Lucy's friends. His spells were generally capable of obliterating large areas, after all.
He grinned, noticing a pillar of magic erupt from the ship's prow. Maybe he didn't have to do anything at all.
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The pillar was Gajeel's roar, burrowing out of the Corvus' hull. Ivan was carried with it, but he wasn't beaten yet. He landed on the ship's top, watching as Gajeel ascended from the hole on Lily's wings. He saw the sky in its darkness and turned sharply to see the king in the distance.
"No! She has done it!" He shouted angrily.
"Ivan!" Gajeel was only fixated on one thing – beating the ever-loving crap out of the man who'd hurt Levy. "Secret Slayer Art: Karma Demon: Iron God Sword!"
Gajeel's blade passed right through Ivan and gouged another wound into the ship. A damn illusion! Ivan was behind him, a torrent of Shikagamis slicing into Gajeel's iron skin as he whirled around to shield Lily.
"Oi!" Lily protested.
"You keep me in the air, I'll take the hits!" Gajeel retorted, shrugging off the concern. Still, he was on his last legs. He was badly hurt from the torture, bleeding from a dozen places. But in his smaller form, Lily was vulnerable to damage, so Gajeel had no choice.
"You are within the reach of my illusions, Gajeel-chan! What can you hope to do?" Ivan's mocking voice radiated from everywhere and nowhere, dozens of images of him now surrounding Gajeel. "I will punish you with the ultimate release of the grave! Less than you deserve, but my time is now limited. Die, Gajeel-chan!"
The Kurogane took a brief moment to hope that Levy had fled the ship as they planned and began to draw on his shadow power. His skin became metallic and his hair whipped through ethereal winds.
"I'm sure I'll hit you if I blow up the entire damn ship!"
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"Levy, the exit is this way!" Happy cried.
"No! I forgot that we have to get that girl off of the ship! She was unconscious and might die if it crashes!" Happy could not be more amazed. To call him optimistic was a hell of an understatement, but to concern one's self with saving their recent torturer… Levy had a goodness inside her that few could match.
Suddenly, the door at the end of the corridor flew open and Lyria surged towards them, her damaged face alight with wild fury. Tendrils of her hair reached down the corridor, but rebounded as Levy quickly wrote the word 'Guard' before her.
"Not now! We have to get off this ship before it crashes!" Levy snapped. "We have an exit, so follow us!"
"You Fairies…," Lyria hissed. "I killed my own comrades in order to have a chance to kill you. You think I'll stop now!?"
"You killed your own nakama?" Levy gasped.
"Because you defeated them. Their blood is on your hands."
"No," Levy whispered. She hadn't thought that would happen! She had simply been trying to defend herself! No! She couldn't blame herself for this woman's actions. Even now, insanity danced in her eyes. There could be no reasoning with her. "Lyria. I am getting you off of this ship, even if you'd rather stay and die."
"Die!" Countless tendrils of hair stormed down the corridor.
"Solid Script: Shrapnel!" The metallic word splintered and fractured as its name suggested, creating a cyclone of metal not dissimilar to Gajeel's roar. It met the hair and cut it into a thousand strands. Lyria shrieked in surprise as her hair was ruined. "Oh, just shut up. Solid Script: Inferno!"
Happy watched with joy as Levy's spell took out the dark mage in a fiery blaze. He didn't think the girl was so strong! But as he watched, Levy fell to her knees and slammed into the floor. She was badly hurt and just used up all of her magic. Happy grabbed the two girls and began to carry them out on his wings despite how hard it was. It was his turn to be the hero.
"Go team little blue things!"
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"Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar!" A moment after Happy left the ship, Gajeel struck downwards. The vortex of magical power obliterated the front half of the Corvus, utterly defeating Ivan as he was caught in the blast and also creating a whirlpool in the lake far below.
"Still got it," Gajeel said weakly with a lazy grin, on the verge of passing out.
"The ship!" Lily shouted. Gajeel instantly saw what he meant. Through the hollowed out core he could see what he assumed to be the reactor, an enormous magical crystal, about to explode under the damage wrought upon it. It would take out them as well as Levy and Happy in the blast radius, and there wasn't a thing they could do to stop it.
"Heavenly Obliteration!" Magical circles encompassed what remained of the Corvus and in a flash of golden light, the entire ship simply ceased to be. Gajeel caught a glimpse of the King vanishing after being held in this world for a total of a hundred and fifty seconds.
"Not bad, Bunny girl!" Now, that just left…
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"Fist of the Fire Dragon!"
"Fist of the Fire Dragon!"
Punch. Punch. Kick. Punch. The battle wore on, blow for blow. It was ridiculously even, with neither side being able to gain an advantage.
"Damn you!" Natsu shouted. "Stop using dad's magic!"
"It's MY magic!" Alexander screamed. "This is my birthright! I am as much Igneel as that overgrown reptile!"
"No." Natsu was firm, resolute. "Dad is a loving, caring person who taught me to cherish my nakama. You, you are nothing more than an imposter from another world."
"Before, I stole his power, but now, this is mine! Allow me to show you what my lacryma can do!" Alexander's torso and arms began to bulge as he activated dragon force in the manner of second-generation slayers. "This overwhelming might is my identity! I shall obliterate anything that stands in my way!"
Natsu smirked, recalling Laxus. "I heard something like that before. You're just like him, hung up on birthright and identities. Who cares who you are? I only care for your actions. You've hurt my nakama. You kidnapped Lucy and Levy, tortured them to assist you in killing my dad and led Raven Tail to obliterate us." Natsu was raging with power now, lightning crackling within his fire. "All because you think that you're special? I'll show you my identity… the identity of Fairy Tail!"
"Yes," Alexander glowered. "Show me your might, spawn of Igneel! Fire Dragon's Demolition Fist!"
Alexander laughed as the area around Natsu disappeared in a titanic explosion. Nothing could withstand that.
"Thunder-Flame Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu surged out of the explosion like an arrow, slamming into Alexander and dragging him across the ground.
"Thunder-Flame Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Thunder-Flame Dragon's Wingbeat!"
"Thunder-Flame Dragon's Talon!"
"Thunder-Flame Dragon's Crimson Lotus Exploding Blade!"
"Thunder-Flame Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"
"And the finisher! Thunder-Flame Dragon's Roar!" Nearby, Erutan watched as Alexander was defeated with a satisfied smirk. If there was one thing he'd learnt, the Salamander's power had no limits. Emotions could unlock magical power, and he'd never seen another human being do it so effortlessly. That was Natsu's true strength.
He looked forward to a chance to test that again in the future.
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Erutan stood before two simple crosses in the earth, his head bowed. He heard footsteps approach, and judging by their weight, it was Redfox's girl.
"What?" He asked gently.
"Um… I'm sorry about your friends," Levy said quietly.
"Don't be. They were fools who weren't going to learn any better." He glanced over at her. She was covered in bandages, as were Natsu and Gajeel. Trying to make either slow down though, was an impossibility. It had been a few hours since the battle had ended. "You're being very kind seeing as the state that you're in."
"Not really, I just feel bad that this was my fault."
"God damn it, Fairy. They were trying to capture you for extensive torture and you merely beat them off. I watched as that sick bastard gave the order to kill them and that sick bitch followed it through. None of this is your fault."
"You don't have to turn yourself in, though."
"I do. I have to pay the time for my crimes."
"We'll put in a good word for you, try to lessen the sentence," Levy asserted. To her surprise, Erutan laughed out loud.
"Jeez, Fairy! For someone so wordy, I bet you can't even spell grudge! You even come to me alone, knowing how strong I am, and you're not scared in the slightest. How do you find forgiveness so easily?"
"I don't know," Levy mumbled, embarrassed. "People deserve second chances. I've seen it before. Enemies who have turned their lives around. Laxus and the Raijinshuu. Juvia. Totomaru. Cobra."
"Jeez, Shorty. Being diplomatic?" They both looked around as Gajeel strode up, looking vaguely like a mummy. Erutan watched with amusement as the girl went bright pink with embarrassment. She had clearly thought that they were alone. "She's also talking about me. A slayer in an evil guild who attacked Fairy Tail. Sound familiar?"
"Now, you are surrounded by your nakama. Do you think I could have that someday?" Erutan asked wistfully.
Gajeel grinned and pounded a fist into Erutan's shoulder. "I don't think, I know." As his fist withdrew, it could be seen that he'd stamped Fairy Tail's guild logo onto the Earth dragon. He looked down, uncomprehending. "You helped to save our nakama. You serve your time. When you get out, you'll have all the nakama you'll ever need and all the pointless brawls to serve your desires! Gihihi!"
"Ah!" Levy squealed happily. "You'll be our fifth slayer! That's so cool! Wendy will want to meet you!"
Erutan looked at the two beaming faces before him, his own expression of surprise twisting as his eyes began to water. Tears leaked faster and faster and he fell to his knees and sobbed.
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"Come on, Luce! I want to fight him!"
"Natsu, I am tired. Please leave me alone." Lucy sighed and stretched. At least her clothes had returned to normal. It'd have been embarrassing to go around dressed like a queen. She was also the only member of her party not hurt. Summoning the King seemed to heal her to some degree.
"But I'm bored! Happy and Lily aren't back with the Rune Knights to arrest these assholes yet!" He gestured to where the battered and bloodied forms of Ivan, Alexander and Lyria were tied to a tree.
"This will not stand!" Ivan shouted, and Natsu smacked him in the head. "Ow! Is this how you treat prisoners!?"
Natsu got in his face, eyes full of anger. "You tortured Gajeel and Levy. I don't particularly care for Chromedome, but what you did is beyond forgiveness. You betray the guild, abandon your father and son, plot our downfall and hurt our nakama!"
"My guild-"
"Is toast," Natsu grinned. "I imagine that Erza and Laxus will be tearing it apart right about now."
"You cannot do this!"
"Our guild is invincible. You will never take us down. We have Gramps, Gildartz, Erza, Mira, Laxus, and did you see that?" He jerked a thumb at Lucy. "Our new strongest mage. I'm not even sure if Gildartz could take out that ship in one shot! Hihi!"
"Hey now!" Lucy protested, deathly afraid of being press-ganged into fighting Gildartz.
"I don't care how long it takes, I will have my revenge!" Ivan swore. Beside him, Alexander growled in agreement. Cold blue eyes locked onto Natsu.
"And we'll be waiting," Natsu promised.
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"Show me!" Levy sang, hopping and skipping around Lucy. After the Rune Knights had arrested the dark mages and they'd undergone about a day's worth of questioning, they were on their way home, walking through a forest.
Levy's eyes sparkled as she was shown the key. "It's so pretty!"
"It's made of metal, right?" Gajeel pondered.
"Don't you dare!" Lucy shrieked at him, grabbing the key back.
"Yay! Lu-chan's the strongest celestial mage in four hundred years! The strongest in the entire guild!"
"Would everyone stop saying that!? It's not like I can use it for long!" Lucy huffed. "I'm still not as strong as the S-class mages!"
"But you're in the same league," Lily offered. "I bet you could beat this big lunk!"
"Like hell! You and me, Bunny-girl! Right here, right now!" Gajeel demanded.
"N-no… that's okay…"
"Yeah, I wanna fight first!" Natsu agreed vigorously. Lucy looked back and forth fearfully. How had this ended up like this?
"Tell you what," Lily suggested. "You two fight, winner gets Lucy."
"Deal!" Natsu and Gajeel began to wrestle with one another and Lucy gave the black exceed a grateful smile. That would hold for a little while. She turned back to see Levy still gawking.
"Levy-chan, this hero worship is getting tiring."
"But… you're so amazing!" Levy blushed. "I'm so jealous!"
"Didn't you take out three dark mages by yourself?"
"Well… not at the same time…"
"Maybe you should spend less time looking up at your guildmates and more time looking at how amazing you are," Lucy advised.
"I agree," Lily confirmed. "Anyone who's survived this long with Gajeel as a boyfriend is impressive!"
"Oi, I heard that you damn cat!" Gajeel shouted from the background scuffle.
"But I didn't really get to use him much," Lucy admitted. "It seems rare that I'm going to find a foe worthy of summoning him again. Well, he is the King; I shouldn't be using him like some sort of servant. It's a different relationship."
A large golden seal appeared beneath the group. With a few cries of surprise they disappeared in a flash of golden light and were transported to the celestial world.
"Give us some warning!" Lucy shouted as she tried to extricate herself from the tangle of bodies. She stopped in her rant, looking up at all of the spirits she owned, the King presiding over them.
"Welcome, Old Friends! Let us celebrate after a hard battle!" He declared. He'd expected cheering, but the Fairy Tail mages were in a huddle.
"So, doing the maths, if we stay for three hours, that's about three days lost," Levy mumbled. "I'm already seven years and three months younger than I should be. I don't want to lose any more time."
"Agreed," Natsu grumbled, before brightening. "Let's eat!"
To their amazement, the thirteen spirits knelt. Well, the serpents amongst them lowered their heads and Aquarius wouldn't have even if she had knees, but they knelt.
"Guys! That's not necessary!" Lucy cried.
"Our queen is so sexy!" Taurus declared, hearts in his eyes.
"A splendid queen indeed," Capricorn said rather more politely.
"She's alright," Aquarius huffed.
"Sorry for embarrassing you!" Aries cried.
"Is it a punishment for calling you princess?" Virgo, of course.
"I'll give you a cut fit for royalty-ebi!"
"Moshi-moshi, a great queen, you might say!"
"It's so good to be back with everyone, thanks to my queen," Ophiuchus stated happily.
"You guys," Lucy whispered with tears in her eyes. The King responded with a big grin, sweeping his cloak back to reveal the dining hall behind them. "Let us eat and feast and celebrate! And you two!" Natsu and Gajeel quailed under the sudden attention. "Would you like to test my might?"
I wanted to finish this chapter, but I think that I'll have to put off my final bits for the next one.
BTW, my A key is sticking, so please cut me some slack on any typos. -.-