I Don't Own Naruto or Fairy Tail!
Prophecy Rebirth - Chapter 15
Natsu and Lucy had a run-in with one of the members of Raven Trinity; Fukuro, a man who belonged to a group of elite assassins from an infamous Magic Guild, the Death Head Caucus. Even the Salamander had a very hard time dealing with the bird-like monster, mainly because Fukuro somehow found out Natsu's worst weakness; transportation. Thankfully, the Salamander had the help of Simon and Lucy, and they managed to defeat Fukuro altogether.
Fukuro was no match for the combined strength of Natsu, Simon, and a few of Lucy's Stellar Spirits. The combination of Natsu's flames and Taurus' battle-axe made a terrifying combo, and they almost chopped Fukuro's head when he tried to eat Simon to consume his Magical Power. Both Natsu and Lucy noticed that their already efficient teamwork had become much better since they started dating; they can operate to the point where they would be able to sense what the other was thinking, even in the midst of battle.
"The two of you make a great team, Natsu-san..." said Simon as he carried an injured Natsu on his back. "I didn't expect the two of you to take out one of the Trinity Raven so quickly."
Natsu grinned and nodded. "Lucy is much stronger than she looks, and together we can beat anybody!"
After the confrontation with the Raven Trinity, the group decided to meet down at the place where the left the boat. Aetherion will spontaneously fire soon, and they needed to get out of its range as soon as possible. Simon and telepathically explained to Millianna and Wally about their alliance with Fairy Tail, and from what he got back from them, Gray and Juvia was heading over to the dock. The Ice and Water Mage also managed to take out a member of the Trinity Raven, and Simon was getting increasingly impressed with the Fairy tail group.
"Lucy...you are getting heavier!" moaned out Happy as his tail struggled to carry Lucy down the tower.
Lucy glared up at the cat. "Shut up you baka-neko!"
Happy and Lucy made it down to the boat first with Natsu and Simon following just a few seconds after. The tide was so too strong, so the boat was still located where they left them. Lucy made her way to the boat and found the MP engine attached to the back of the boat. It was a similar function to the SE-Plug of the Magical Cars, and Lucy got ready to operate it as soon as the others arrive.
Natsu jumped on the boat and resisted the urge to fall over in motion sickness. "W-We need Naruto here..." muttered the Salamander as he rested his head on Lucy's lap. "H-He can use this spinning thing and run the boat really fast."
Lucy looked around for the others. "Where is everyone else?"
Simon sat on the side of the boat. "I know that Wally and Millianna will be coming with Gray and Juvia, but Sho has yet to contact me."
It was at this time, when Gray and Juvia appeared out of a small body of water near the boat. Wally and Millianna followed short after, and all of them had Juvia's water air locks on their heads. They walked over to the boat, and Lucy was glad to see that her friends were not hurt too badly. It was kind of to be expected, Gray was one of the strongest members of Fairy Tail, and Juvia was one of the Element 4, so they surely would be able to handle on assassin together.
Natsu smirked from Lucy's lap. "Hey frosty, what took you so long?!"
Gray smirked back and shook his head. "Not everyone has a flying cat, flame-brain."
The rest of the group climbed onto the boat and sighed when the relaxed in their seats. The last few hours felt like an eternity for most people present, and it was finally over. Millianna immediately snatched Happy from his seat at the front of the boat and hugged him to her chest, while softy chanting that the kitty will make her feel better. Wally sighed at his childhood friend and just leaned back against the side of the boat, he just wanted to relax.
Simon looked over at Gray calmly. "So the two of you also ran into one of the Trinity Raven?"
The Ice Mage nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, he was one of the strangest freaks I have ever seen..." said the young man thinking back at the Magical Rock star who tried to control Juvia with his Magic. Thankfully, Gray reacted fast and froze Juvia's body before the spell was complete. The man called Vidaldus Taka had the ability absorb water with his hair, but he was not very good at handling Gray's power. Juvia managed to send legions of water into the man's hair, and Gray froze all of it a few seconds after. In that brief moment, Juvia landed several powerful attacks on the man, and defeated him.
Lucy smiled. "But the two of you still won!"
Gray nodded and smiled back. "Yeah, Juvia's water magic along with my ice magic makes quite the powerful team." Juvia smiled and blushed at his words, which was something that only Lucy noticed.
Wally sat up with a sigh as he looked over at Simon. "Do you have any word from Sho, Simon?"
Gray smirked at the question. "Speak of the devil, he's right over there!" The group looked back at the base of the tower and saw Sho running towards their direction.
The tanned teenager sped down the tower as fast as he could, and he was glad that he made it in time for the others. Sho was still very worried about Erza, but he felt better knowing that Naruto was there with her. The older blond appeared more powerful than anyone Sho had ever seen, and he was confident that he would be able to protect Erza from Jellal.
Millianna smiled at the sight of the young man. "Hey Sho!"
Sho jumped into the boat, accidentally making Natsu even worse than before. "Thank Kami you are all still here." said the boy out of breath. "Nee-san and Naruto-san are still in the tower, they are going to confront Jellal right now!"
Lucy's eyes widened along with the others as she sat up taller. "What?!" cried the Celestial Mage. "Aetherion is going to fire anytime now!"
Gray grunted as he stood up. "We have to go get them!"
Simon shook his head. "No, if we go help them now we will only be a burden to them..." said the man as he held the group's attention. "I am not powerful enough to challenge Jellal, and you all have suffered some injuries due to your fights with Trinity Raven, we will only be liabilities if we go up there."
Millianna looked worried as she held Happy tightly. "Will Er-chan be alright, she might not make it out in time!"
The group fell silent for a little while before Natsu forced himself up with a determined look on his face. "Erza will be fine..." started the Dragon Slayer as he others looked at him in surprise. "Naruto is there with her, and he will never let anything happen to her." The others were still obviously skeptical and wondered if Natsu was being overly optimistic, as strong as Naruto was, he had to defeat Jellal and make it out of the tower within a few minutes.
"How are you so sure, Natsu?" asked Simon seriously.
The others looked back at Natsu and he just smirked. "I just know..." said the young man confidently. "The look in Naruto's eyes was the same as mine when I needed to rescue Lucy." Natsu held Lucy's hand as he said this, and made the girl blush at his words. "Naruto needs Erza, and he will do anything to save her." Natsu looked around the group with a smile on his face. "And based on what I know about Naruto, he will somehow become strong enough to do it!"
The others were a little shocked at the Salamander's words, especially Wally. "That is a pretty big gamble isn't it?" asked the edgy man. "Just hoping that he will somehow become stronger..."
Gray smiled and shook his head a little. "No, I have faith in the guy..." muttered the Ice Mage as he thought about the blond. "We haven't known him for long, but he is the most surprising guy I know, and I'm sure he will pull something out of his sleeves."
Lucy giggled and nodded, now feeling much better about the situation. "Yep, Naruto loves Erza too much to let anything happen to her!"
Simon and Erza's other childhood friends stared at the Fairy Tail group not really knowing what to think, but Simon smiled after a few seconds. 'Naruto must be one great man if they have so much faith in him...perhaps I should believe in him as well.' Simon cleared his throat and his expression shifted to one more serious. "Okay, we need to sail away now, we can only hope that they will meet up with is later!" said the man as he activated the MP Engine of the boat.
Sho looked outraged. "What!?" cried the young man loudly. "They need a boat too!"
Gray shook his head with a smirk. "No they don't, Naruto can walk on water."
Millianna looked at the Ice Mage in shock. "Really!?"
Lucy smiled and nodded. "Yeah...and he will join us later, along with Erza." softly said the blonde girl as she gazed up the tower.
The room at the top of the tower resembled some kind of throne for a strange king. Its lighting was very low, and the room's eerie atmosphere was only enhanced by the paintings of dark creatures on its walls. Several golden pillars decorated the room as a large lacrima stood proudly in the middle. The tiles on the floor were made out of black marble, and it reflected the room like a cloudy mirror because of the lack of light.
Jellal was sitting on his throne as he fiddled around with a chess board in front of him. "Game over so soon?"
Naruto and Erza walked into the room quietly and made their way toward Jellal in the throne. The Titania was even angrier at the sight of the decorated room, apparently it was not enough for Jellal that the slaves work to their deaths mining his tower, but he also had them make him a throne room. The kind boy she once had a small crush on no longer existed, the Jellal in front of her was the same as the dark cult followers who killed her parents and enslaved her.
Erza summoned one of her blades and held it in her right hand. "Is it so amusing?" asked the Titania with an edge in her voice. "Toying with people's lives?"
Jellal chuckled and stood up from his throne. "Indeed it is..." muttered the man darkly. "Life and death, after all, are the origin and focus of all emotions...in other words, nothing is more boring than simply living." Jellal removed the hood of his robe. "It's been a long time, Erza."
Erza stepped forward. "Jellal..."
The ruler of the tower raised his arms up proudly. "So what do you think...it took eight long years, but we finished the tower."
The Titania was about to lash out at the man for using the word we, but Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped her. "Only for it to be annihilated by the Aetherion in a few minutes?" asked the blond as he stared at the man who hurt his Erza so much before he smirked. "You are acting to nonchalant about it...are you just bluffing?"
Jellal gave Naruto a crazed smile. "No!" exclaimed the man excitedly. "Aetherion will descend upon this tower!"
Naruto smirked. "So everything is clear now..." muttered the blond as he stared into Jellal's eyes. "All we have to do is to destroy you in a few minutes and leave another few minutes to get out of here."
Jellal chuckled and shook his head. "You're wrong..." said the blue haired man as he crossed his arms. "You will die in this room, and Erza will be sacrificed for the revival of Zeref!" Erza growled at the man as she readied her blade. "This is your destiny!" Jellal chuckled as he looked at his two opponents. "Seven minutes...in seven minutes Aetherion will strike!"
Erza stepped forward. "No matter what happens, we will do everything we can to destroy you!" cried the Titania furiously. "Even if it means being destroyed by Aetherion!"
Jellal chuckled again and shook his head. "Destroy me?" asked the man teasingly. "As if that is possible!"
A ball of purple and red energy gathered in Jellal's hand, and it shot out many tendrils at Erza and Naruto. The Titania immediately reacted and cut through all of the tendrils with one horizontal slash of her blade. Wanting to continue her momentum, Erza rushed forward to attack Jellal. The man twisted his body and jumped back in order to dodge Erza's fluid and fast strikes. Jellal shot a beam of purple energy from his palm, and Erza jumped up to dodge.
"Haaa!" cried Erza as she slashed down her blade, using her falling motion to increase her power and speed. "Destroying you own tower, Jellal!?"
Jellal side stepped to the side, and Erza's blade only went through a chess board on a table. "One or two decorations don't matter..."
Erza growled and kept the pressure strong. "Sho and the others worked eight years for those decorations!"
The blue haired man sighed. "Will you stop complaining about everything I say...the important thing is that the R-System is complete!" Jellal gathered another ball of energy in his hand, but this time he crushed it in his palm. Several tendrils of Jellal's energy emerged from beneath Erza's feet, and they started to grab onto her.
Suddenly several blades of wind sliced though the energy tendrils effortlessly, and Naruto appeared beside Erza as he glared at Jellal. "You didn't forget about me, did you?" Jellal smirked as the blond rushed forward and delivered a hard punch to his face. Jellal recovered quickly and twisted his body to aim a kick at Naruto's midsection, but the blond managed to step to the side and dodged the kick completely. Naruto grabbed onto Jellal's leg and threw him to the side while he pointed his palm at the man.
"Futon: Daitopa!" A gale of wind blasted from Naruto's arm and sent Jellal into the large lacrima crystal in the middle of the room.
Erza took this chance and stomped a painful strike onto Jellal's chest, making him cough out in pain. "You can't beat us both, it is over for you." growled out the Titania as she pointed the sharp end of her blade to Jellal's forehead. "Now before I finish this...what is your true goal?!" Naruto walked over to the scene and stood behind Erza with his arms crossed. "The R-System is actually incomplete isn't it?!" Jellal looked a little apprehensive as he looked up at Erza. "Fairy Tail is the most powerful guild in Fiore, and its archives cover almost everything..." said the Titania as she thought back to her many hours of research in the guild. "It is true that the construction and design looks finished, but you do not have nearly enough Magical Power to activate it!"
Naruto looked enlightened but felt even more troubled. "How much Magical Power are we talking about here?"
The Titania maintained her gaze at Jellal. "Even if we gathered every single mage in Fiore it still wouldn't be enough..." said Erza was Naruto's eyes widened. "Now tell me, what your true goal is!?"
Jellal smirked and shook his head. "I don't have a goal of my own..." muttered the man as Erza grunted in annoyance. "I am just a doll controlled to resurrect Zeref."
It was Erza's turn to fell apprehensive. "What do you mean controlled?"
Jellal sighed as he closed his eyes. "I couldn't save myself, nor could any of my friends save me..." The man opened his eyes and looked up at Erza again. "Paradise...Freedom...they were both nowhere to be found...everything ended before it even began" The tower started to shake violently as the people in the room felt an enormous surge of Magical Power above them...it was the Aetherion. "I knew that it was impossible to finish the R-System, but with Zeref's control of me, I couldn't stop..." Jellal smiled up at Erza like he would when they were kids. "I am like a runaway train...you win Erza, you can stop me..."
Erza's mood suddenly changed. Her reality was flipped once she realized the possibility of Jellal being controlled by the most powerful mage to ever live, and that he never really wanted to betray his friends. Erza felt her blade move away from Jellal's face, and her body slump from her combat ready position...
Jellal smiled and began to reach up to Erza's face. "Erza..."
Suddenly, before Jellal's hand reached Erza's cheek, Naruto stepped on his hand and lifted Erza up. With a glare in his eyes, Naruto kicked Jellal away to the far side of the room and held Erza securely in his arms...
"Don't listen to him Erza-chan, he is just lying to you!"
Erza looked up at the blond, her mind still a pool of mixing emotions. "What do you mean?"
Naruto glared over at Jellal, who got back up on his feet and was looking over at him. "If he really is controlled by that Zeref guy, then I really don't think this plan will end so nonchalantly..." started Naruto as Erza continued to listen to him. "Always look underneath the underneath..."
Jellal started to chuckle from where he stood. "You are a smart man..."
Naruto sighed. "He was just trying to take advantage of the fact that you still treat him like a friend deep down, and he played the innocent card." said the blond as he spoke to Erza. "In the end, I am sure that one out of two scenarios will play out." Jellal smirked over at Naruto. "It is either that Aetherion will not fire at all, which seems unlikely, or something will happen in the tower when it is fired." Erza stood back up on her own feet and stared back at Jellal. "You did say that the R-System needs a gargantuan amount of Magical Power, and that is precisely what the Aetherion is!" Erza growled and cursed herself for almost falling for Jellal's ruse.
Jellal smiled and gave Naruto a few claps of applause. "You are right..." said the man as the tower shook more violently by the second.
The ceiling of the throne room started to crack and break, and soon it collapsed. A bright white light shown through the gapping opening on the ceiling, and the Magical Power was massively concentrated in the area. Aetherion was hovering high above the tower, and it was about to fire. Naruto held onto Erza's free hand and smiled at her, and she smiled back up at him showing that she was confident in him. It that point Aetherion blasted a large beam of pure Magical Power down at the tower, and everything was covered by a bright light...
Natsu and the others were almost thrown into the water because of the large tidal waves that shot towards them after the blast. Fortunately, Juvia was on board and she was able to use her own control of water to form an air bubble around the boat just under the waves. From where they were, everyone saw the large beacon of light that completely shrouded the Tower of Heaven. The ocean floor shook from the power of Aetherion, and the sound was deafening.
"Erza!" cried Gray as she stood up. "Naruto!"
Lucy held onto Natsu's arm as tears welled up in her eyes. "A-Are they?..." choked out the blonde as she shook. "I-It can't be!" Lucy turned and buried her face into Natsu's own trembling chest and wrapped her arms around him.
Natsu was gritting his teeth as he looked at the massive cloud of mist and debris. "No...They got out of there." said the Dragon Slayer as if trying to convince himself.
Happy stood on the edge of the boat with tears in his eyes. "Naruto...Erza!"
Millianna cried into Wally's chest as the latter, along with Simon and Sho looked at the tower with shock. The power of Aetherion hadn't been exaggerated at all, it was a beam of destruction that could wipe out an entire city with one blast. If they weren't in the ocean, the range of Aetherion surely would have swallowed them as well. Sho had tears flowing down his face as he shook in his seat, and Simon was doing the best he could to not turn the boat around.
"N-Nee-san..." whispered Sho in shock and anguish.
Juvia was sympathetic for the others and was sad, but not near as much as the others, so she had the most level headed mindset. The Water Mage looked back at the scene of destruction, and was the first to see that there was something in the blast zone. When the debris started to clear, it showed that Aetherion didn't really destroy everything. A tall tower, just as tall as the Paradise Tower stood proudly in the ocean, and it was made out of pure Lacrima Crystals.
Lucy held her hands to her mouth in shock. "C-Crystals?!"
Gray shook his head with a frown. "Magic Crystals...Lacrima!"
Happy hovered up a little. "Does this mean that Naruto and Erza are okay?"
Simon sighed. "I really don't know..."
Erza and Naruto looked on in shock as the tower they were standing in was replaced with a towering edifice of Lacrima. The throne room now resembled a goblet of crystals, and the dark sky was revealed to them from above. The Aetherion had destroyed the entire outer shell of the tower, and the Lacrima that was stored inside the tower had absorbed all of the Magical Power of the blast. Naruto was correct, Jellal wanted the Aetherion strike to happen to the tower, because he needed it to supply the mass Magical Power the R-System needed.
Jellal was laughing from where he stood with his arms in the air. "Behold!" cried the man in joy. "The true complete form of the R-System!"
The cold air of the night blew into the opened room and up the back of Naruto and Erza. "How did you control the council, someone must have persuaded them to fire the Aetherion?" asked Erza with an idea of who was behind it. "Was it Siegrain?"
"Of course it was me..." said a sudden voice from behind the two Fairy Tail Mages. Siegrain, Jellal's supposed twin, walked into the room still wearing his council men clothes. "Those old fools listened to me like obedient dogs, and thanks to them our plan will finally succeed!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the second blue haired man. "Who is this guy?"
Erza glared at the twins and held her blade tighter. "This is Siegrain, Jellal's older twin." said the woman as said twins smirked in response. "He is a member of the Magic Council, and he planned the attack of Aetherion."
The blond sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "He is not Jellal's twin." said Naruto clearly as Erza and the two blue haired men look over at him with surprise. "My Sharingan is not a set of ordinary eyes, and from what I can see I can tell that this Siegrain guy is just some sort of clone of Jellal." Erza's eyes widened as she looked back at Jellal and Siegrain, and noticed the smirk on their faces. "Siegrain is not a real human being, he is just an illusion of a sort."
Jellal sighed and smiled at Naruto. "If only you were on our side, you would have made a valuable ally."
Siegrain smirked at Erza and nodded. "It's true..." said the man as he crossed his arms. "I am a seed that Jellal planted in the council a few years ago, and the time when you attacked me at the Guild Master's meeting was not the first time we met." Siegrain walked beside Jellal, and to Erza's ever shock they merged into one being. "I am Jellal."
Erza's eyes widened as she stepped back. "A-A thought projection!" muttered the Titania with rage. "How many people have you deceived?!"
Jellal smirked and shook his head. "Did you enjoy your temporary freedom, Erza?" asked the man with a despicable voice. "Because it is time for you to be sacrificed for the resurrection of Zeref!" Erza glared at the man as Naruto cracked his knuckles. "My Magical Power is coming back, and I will finish this!" Jellal shot a blast of energy at his two enemies, and forced them back a few meters. There was deranged look on Jellal's face as he saw the angry expression on Erza's face, it made his victory even the more satisfying. "I will let the Lacrima, infused with the Magical Power of the Aetherion, fuse with your body, then your body with be broken down and Zeref's body will be reborn!"
Erza was about to Requip and engage Jellal into battle, but she was held back by Naruto. "Naruto, let go, we have to stop him!"
Naruto smiled and pulled Erza into a warm hug. "I know..." whispered the man softly as he gently pressed his lips on Erza's forehead. "But I want you to wait this one out." Erza immediately looked up at him as if she thought he had gone mad. "I know this sounds crazy, but I want to show you that you don't need to shoulder everything by yourself, and that I am able to be your pillar of strength."
The Titania stared into Naruto's eyes desperately. "He's gotten twice as strong as before since he merged back with Siegrain, you can't face him alone!"
Naruto just smiled and brushed his fingers through Erza's long hair. "I will be fine...trust me on this." The blond looked into Erza's eyes and caressed her cheeks. "I promise you I will be fine..." With that, Naruto planted one more kiss on Erza's forehead and turned to face Jellal. His face instantly turned serious and angry; he wanted to make Jellal pay for what he has done.
Jellal smirked with his arms on his hips. "So...you are going to fight me one on one?" asked the man with a mocking tone. "You do realize that you are just stalling the inevitable...no matter what, today Erza will die and Zeref will be revived!" announced Jellal proudly. "And you will die first!"
The blue haired man sped forward with his fist pulled back. Jellal unleashed a series of punches aimed at Naruto's face, but the blond easily dodged all of them with the help of his Sharingan. The two men were moving quite fast, and in one second the cleared the whole way to the other side of the tower. Naruto side stepped to one side and changed directions while backing away from Jellal, and the latter continued to relentless assault of heavy punches.
Naruto smirked. "Is this the best you can do?"
Jellal smirked and shook his head. "Don't get cocky!" exclaimed the man as he brought his palm up. "Die!"
A golden Magic Circle from in front of Jellal's hand, and shot out multiple golden beams at Naruto; Naruto used his Sharingan to predict the movements of the beams and narrowly dodged them by twisting his body around in mid-air. Immediately after landing on his feet, Naruto burst forward at blinding speeds and planted a powerful punch on Jellal's face, sending him backwards to the ground. Then Naruto's eyes suddenly widened when he felt Jellal's beams come back at him.
"AAHH!" cried out the blond as he was shot in the back by the several beams of magic.
Jellal smirked and quickly jumped to plant a knee in Naruto's stomach. "Just give up!"
Naruto opened his eyes and glared at Jellal. "Shut up!" The blond landed another punch at Jellal's face and sent him backwards again, but this time he did not stop there. Naruto sped forward and jumped above Jellal's flailing body; he stomped Jellal in midair and sent him crashing into the ground. But Jellal recovered much quicker than Naruto had anticipated. The blue haired man closed his right fist except for two fingers, and quickly swiped above him.
Naruto grunted as a blast of golden Magic Energy blasted him and sent him flailing backwards. The blond recovered his control over his momentum in mid-air and attached his feet to the side of the Lacrima wall. Using the wall as a spring board, Naruto kicked off and sent himself back at Jellal, and the two once again engaged in a session of close ranged combat...
From the sidelines, Erza stood and watched the fight closely. Naruto was clearly holding his own against Jellal, but it seemed that the blue haired man was gaining the upper hand. Erza really didn't want to let Naruto fight Jellal by himself, but she wanted to believe in what Naruto told her. It was true that she had been carrying a lot of baggage by herself, and Naruto wanted to help her. Erza believed in Naruto's power and had faith that he would be able to defeat Jellal.
But nevertheless, Siegrain was a member of the Ten Magic Saint without being at his full power, so the combined strength of Siegrain and Jellal must be much greater. Erza was getting worried about Naruto, and the moment Naruto needed help she would jump in and aid him...
'Come on, Naruto...'
Jellal fired a punch at Naruto, but the blond managed to block it with his forearm. The blue haired man continued his assault and kneed Naruto in the stomach, and when the blond doubled over, he slammed both his fists onto his back, sending him face first onto the ground. Naruto got up quickly, but he was immediately assaulted by a series of hard punches fired by Jellal. Naruto's head was being slammed from one direction to another, and he was being forced back by Jellal.
"Haha, is this the best you can do?" mocked Jellal as he kicked Naruto's chest.
Naruto regained his foot as he looked up at Jellal emotionlessly. The blond took a deep breath and closed his eyes; his fists lowered slowly as if he was trying to concentrate on something...
Jellal quickly sped forward again, landing punch after punch on Naruto. In the corner of his eyes, Jellal saw that Erza was on the verge of jumping into the fight, and he himself was ready to take her on, It would only take a few more seconds before Naruto would be too beaten up to continue, and after he killed the blond, Erza would be his for the taking. Jellal decided to have a few more seconds of fun, and continued to beat on Naruto abandon.
The blond was essentially Jellal's punching bag, his movement completely useless against the blue haired man's assault. Jellal landed punch after punch, and Naruto's body was moving like a rag doll. With one final kick, Jellal smashed his foot against Naruto's chin, sending him flipping backwards before crashing into the ground.
"Naruto!" cried Erza in shock as she was about to jump into the fight.
Suddenly, some chuckling was heard on the ground, and Jellal and Erza looked on in shock as Naruto got up to his feet with a smile on his face. Much to Erza's astonishment and Jellal's shock, Naruto's face was perfectly fine, he wasn't even bleeding anywhere. The blond simply got up and started to brush some dust off of his clothes. After minutes of vicious continuous assault, Naruto looked perfectly healthy and daisy fresh.
"Sorry about that...but I was quite surprised as well." started Naruto with a smirk on his face. "Surprised at how strong I've become.'
Jellal's eyes widened as he gripped his fists angrily at Naruto. "What?..."
Naruto chuckled again. "Your punches only tickle, like a tiny feather..." muttered Naruto as Erza stared on in shock.
Jellal was shaking in anger as he flared his Magical Power. "How dare you?!"
The blue haired man rushed forward, planning to continue his assault oh n Naruto, but this time his initial punch completely missed. Naruto appeared beside Jellal and caught his fist. "You are slow!" Naruto elbowed Jellal in the face and knee him in the stomach. Seeing that Jellal was bent over, Naruto kneed him under his forehead and punched his nose went his face was back up. Jellal cried out in pain as he was forced back, but he was silenced when Naruto kicked him in the chest, forcing the air out of his lungs.
Erza stared at Naruto in awe, he was completely outclassing Jellal...
"I noticed that you Magic Blasts are not as strong as they should be..." said Naruto as he walked up to the bleeding man. "Are you holding back to protect your precious tower?" The blond man vanished from sight before he appeared in front of Jellal and punches him hard in the face again, sending him flying into the far Lacrima wall of the tower. "Well then I know what to do about that!" Naruto formed several; hand signs and gathered his fire chakra. "Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu (Great Fire Dragon)!" A giant inferno, in the shape of a dragon's head blasted from Naruto's mouth, and it was heading straight at Jellal.
The blue haired man jumped away from the blast, but the inferno crashed into the wall of Lacrima and completely destroyed it. A large portion of the top of the tower was destroyed upon impact, and some parts of the power detached from the tower. The tower itself shook under the pressure of the blast and the loss of some of its mass. Jellal growled as he quickly stood back up and glared at Naruto with untamed rage.
"According to Natsu, we are good at destroying things." said Naruto with a smirk on his face. "We Fairy Tail Mages after all."
Jellal shook with rage as he flared his aura. "I am going to kill you!" cried the man in rage as he crossed his arms above his head. Magical Power started to gather around his arms as the shadows around the room seem to be drawn to Jellal. A black orb of energy started to gather on top of Jellal's arms, and it was rapidly growing in size. The black orb had tiny marks of white, making it look like a miniature star-filled night sky. The spin of the black orb caused the room to be filled with torrents of wind, and its sound was deafening.
Erza's eyes widened at the sight. "Naruto, you have to dodge that!" As the Titania spoke, a snake-like tattoo started to form from her hand to her shoulder. The red snake like pattern restricted Erza's movements and sucked away her Magical Power. Jellal had planted the spell of Erza when they were fighting earlier, and it was a clever move. The Titania tried to break free but it was not budging at all, and she was forced to stand still in the middle of the room.
Jellal smirked as he looked over at Naruto. "I was going to save that Snake Bind until later, but it might prove useful now!" Naruto and Erza looked at Jellal in shock as the latter aimed the blast at the Titania. "If you don't take this attack, it will obliterate Erza!"
"Altairis!" Jellal launch the orb at Erza, and Naruto immediately reacted and jumped in front of her...
"Naruto, get out of the way!" cried Erza as she tried to break free.
A Rasengan formed in Naruto's hand as he turned back a little. "I will be fine, Erza-chan." As the black orb neared Naruto, he pulled his Rasengan back. "Odama..." Naruto pushed his hand out and his Rasengan made contact with Jellal's attack. "Rasengan!" The Rasengan in Naruto's hand grew exponentially in size, and it was suddenly the same size as Jellal's attack. The blue chakra grinded against the Dark Magic as a huge shockwave pulsated from the point of impact.
The floor of Lacrima cracked under the pressure of the collision of power, and the side pillars were blown to pieces by the shockwave...
Naruto pushed his Odama Rasengan deeper against Jellal's attack, and smiled when he felt it give way. "HHAAA!" cried the blond as his attack completely tore through the Altairis.
Jellal growled in anger as his body glowed a golden aura. "You bastard!"
Naruto cracked his neck and flexed his muscles. "That's enough playing around, I am going to end this!"
Jellal rushed forward at blinding speeds. "I will end this!" The man placed his hand to the side and looked serious. "Meteor!" Jellal shot out with a streak of light, and Naruto barely dodged his initial attack. Jellal's speed was much greater than before, and he was zipping through the tight corners of the room with unbelievable momentum change. Jellal turned to the right and blasted towards Naruto at top speed, and he launch his fist out when he was close enough, but he missed...
Naruto disappeared with a yellow flash, and appeared right above Jellal. "Daitopa!" A wall of wind crushed Jellal from above and embedded him into the Lacrima floor. 'His speed is useless, I marked him already...'
Jellal forced himself up as his body experienced pain with every move. 'How is he so fast...I couldn't see the tiniest glimpse of movement before he struck me?' Jellal blasted off again with his Meteor, but this time he also fired several Magic Beams at Naruto. The beams twisted around the room and came towards Naruto from all directions. The beams collided in the middle, and when Naruto was about to jump up to dodge the blast, Jellal appeared above him. "Take this!" With a swipe of two fingers, Jellal fire a blast of golden energy at Naruto, but to his ever frustration, it hit the ground instead.
Naruto appeared above Jellal and grabbed his throat. "This is for making Erza-chan suffer!" The blond punched Jellal literally as hard as he could, and sent his body through the ground of the Lacrima tower. As Jellal fell one level after another, he was continuously attacked my Naruto. The blond kneed his chest, broke his collar bone, dislocated his left shoulder, almost smashed his hip, and broke his left hand. Jellal was running out of power, so there was only one thing left that he could do. He waited for Naruto to punch him again, when there was enough space between him and Naruto, he used his Meteor to fly back up to the top of the tower.
Naruto quickly followed, and appeared back on top with a flash of yellow...
Jellal was a bloody heap as he stood above of Naruto and Erza at the very top of the tower. "I will create a land of freedom!" started the man very loudly. "Zeref whispered to me in my pain and sorrow, he asked if it was true freedom I wanted!" For some reason Jellal's speech of freedom reminded Naruto about something about his past. "Zeref and I will create a land of freedom!" Jellal had a crazed look on his face as he used his right hand to draw Magic Circle in front of him. "The will to change the world is all it takes to change to course of history, why do you all choose to not understand!"
Erza requiped a blade to her hands and glared up at Jellal. "Abyss Break..." muttered the woman as Naruto looked at also. "Are you trying to destroy the whole tower?!"
"This time it will only take five years to build the tower..." mutter the man with a smirk. "Wait for me, Zeref!"
Just before Jellal could cast Abyss Break, Naruto appeared in front of him, looking straight into his eyes. "No one has the right to choose other people's future..." whispered the blond as he punched Jellal right in his stomach. "The land of freedom is just an escape, there is no hope for dreams..." A red moon and a spiral-masked man flashed before Naruto's eyes as he gazed down at the pained look on Jellal's face. "Follow your own dream, not orders from a ghost of the past!" Naruto slammed a Rasengan into Jellal's torso, and sent him down back to the tower as a spinning vortex.
Erza stared in shock as Jellal's body crashed back into the tower and formed a crater; it was over. 'He defeated Jellal...the battle I have been fighting for the last eight years is finally over...everyone is truly free now."
Naruto landed back down on the tower with his head down, he was afraid that his memories would start playing again and he would suffer from the headaches; it really was not a good time. The headache did not come, but Naruto suddenly remembered that he has been through a similar situation before. The red moon appeared in his mind again, and it looked the same as the eye of the Ten-tail monster he remembered a short while ago.
Shaking his head, Naruto looked back up and saw Erza smiling over at him. Naruto instantly ran towards Erza and wrapped his arms around her when he was close enough. Erza buried her face into Naruto's chest and held him close. The blond was a lot taller than what she was used to, but it still felt the same...
"Erza-chan..." whispered Naruto as he started to plant soft and gentle kissed on her head.
The Titania had never seen someone as special as Naruto before. The blond's strength was incredible, and Jellal was no match for him. Erza felt really safe in Naruto's arms, a luxury she had never felt except for the brief faded moments in her memories where her parents were still alive. Since Erza joined Fairy Tail she had built a very powerful image for herself, and she made herself believe that she could never appear to be weak. No matter what Erza had to be strong in order to protect herself, and she protected herself with her Armor and Magic, but that can all end with Naruto.
The blond man showed Erza that she could lean on him, and she doesn't have to shoulder everything by herself anymore. After a lifetime of living as a powerful and indestructible girl, Erza could finally relax and allow herself to rely on another person...
Erza smiled and looked up at Naruto proudly. "You are truly incredible..."
But before Naruto could speak again, a bright blue light broke through the ground and shot up. It was the same color as the Lacrima, and it gave off a very malicious aura. Naruto broke the hug to look the beam of light, and in a few seconds a few more pillars of light broke through the floor. The tower started to rumble as the Lacrima started to bend and crack from within.
"What is going on?!" asked Naruto as he looked around at the chaos.
Erza grunted with a frown. "It is the power of Aetherion...after absorbing so much power there is no way that the Lacrima would be stable for long!" cried the Titania as she held Naruto's hand. "The Magical Energy stored inside the tower is trying to escape, and there is nowhere for it to go!"
Naruto's eyes widened. "When the pressure builds up too much..." muttered the man as he looked at Erza. "The whole thing will explode!"
Erza looked very worried. "The blast will be gargantuan...with all the power of the Aetherion stored within it released at the same time, not only this tower, some parts as far as the mainland coastline will be destroyed as well."
The blond glared at the rumbling tower. "That means Natsu and the others will be caught in the blast as well!" muttered the man worried. "And even if we manage to get out of the tower in time, the blast will eventually over take us." Naruto punched a pile of Lacrima next to him. "Dammit!" cursed the young man. "We have to think of something!"
As Naruto was looking around, trying to think of a faster way to clear the distance, Erza already knew what could be done...
"Naruto..." whispered Erza as she held the sides of his face. "Thank you..."
Naruto's eyes widened when Erza suddenly kissed him on the lips, and his mind temporarily stalled as he focused on the emotions he felt at the moment. A shock of electricity shot down Naruto's spine as his lips were pressed against Erza's own. His fingers felt tingly when he gently touched her cheeks, and his eyes automatically closed so he could fully enjoy the kiss...
'It's my turn to save you, Naruto...' Erza remembered that Jellal said that he planned to merge her body with the Aetherion infused Lacrima, so based on that logic, she could merge with the Lacrima and direct the explosion somewhere else.
Erza had a determined expression on her face as she broke the kiss. "I love you, Naruto."
With that Erza pushed Naruto away and jumped into a bulging bubble of Lacrima, and her body sunk into it right away. Intense pain instantly coursed through her whole body as her skin was reacting to the Aetherion's power. The world around Erza turned silent, and she could no longer hear the chaos that was happening outside of the Lacrima, but she saw a frantic Naruto run towards her. Erza cried when Naruto started to pound on the bulging Lacrima, but couldn't break through. Jellal had programed the tower to merge with her body, so Naruto's arm could pass through the membrane.
'This was the only way...I'm sorry Naruto, but at least this way, you and the others will live on.'
Erza felt like she was floating inside a pond of water because of how weightless she felt, but when she opened her eyes she found that she was hovering in mid-air. The red haired beauty was wearing a beautiful blue dress that she had bought a few weeks ago. She always wanted to wear it, but there wasn't the situation. Erza looked around and saw that she was nowhere near the Tower of Heaven, instead she was back in Magnolia looking down at the Kardia Cathedral.
'I am dead?...' wondered Erza as she floated around like a feather. 'Is this...my funeral?'
True to Erza's thoughts, almost the entire Fairy Tail Guild gathered in the large cemetery behind the town Cathedral. Standing in front was the Master and Mirajane. Erza saw that her best friend had red and swollen eyes, indicating that she has been crying for a long time already. Erza felt guilty and wanted to cry at the sight, Mirajane had already lost a sister in Lisanna, and now she lost her best friend. Thankfully, Elfman was still there for Mirajane and he had his arms around his sister.
Gray, along with Team Shadow Gear was standing behind the Master, and they all had tears in their eyes. Cana was standing with her head down next to Gray, and she looked more sober than she had ever been. Cana was one of Erza's first friends in Fairy Tail, and even though they had grown apart in recent years, she was still extremely said that one of her dear friends had died. Macao had a comforting hand on Cana's shoulder, but the older man also looked disheveled and tired.
Then there was Natsu, who was shaking from where he stood as tears flowed from his eyes. The only thing holding the Dragon Slayer back from going to the forest and train till exhaustion was his crying girlfriend next to him. Lucy was crying just as much as Mirajane, and her shoulders were shaking as she looked down at the ground. Natsu wrapped his arms around Lucy and let the girl cry into his chest, knowing full well that crying will make her feel better.
Erza looked at the faces of everyone, and she cried as she gave silent goodbyes to each of them...but she couldn't find the most important person.
'Where is Naruto?...'
As if someone above was listening to her, Erza's surroundings suddenly warped, and when she looked around again, she was standing inside her own apartment at Fairy Hills. Everything was nice and tidy, and the tables didn't have a single speck of dust of them. All of her armor was placed in the same place she had left them, but it was clear that someone had been cleaning them. The bed was made and looked very tidy, and the curtains were open so the room was bright with daylight.
There was also a very distinct aroma of Ramen cooking on the stove, and Erza had a sad smile on her face when she saw Naruto standing in front of the stove cooking for himself...
The blond man looked fine in a plain white t-shirt, and black shorts. He had a blank expression on his face and his blond bangs were hiding his eyes from Erza. The red haired woman tried her best to hover behind Naruto and hugged him from behind. Erza really loved Naruto, and it broke her heart to leave him before their relationship could even begin. The woman cried harder when her arms passed through Naruto's body as if she was intangible, and she hugged her own chest to suppress the pain in her heart.
Naruto finished cooking his ramen and poured the noodles into a bowl. "Let's see if I got it right this time..." whispered the blond to himself as he turned around.
For the first time, Erza saw Naruto's eyes, and she felt her heart break more at the sight of his normally blue eyes looked blood-shot from crying...
Naruto sat down on the dinner table with the bowl of ramen and held a pair of chopsticks in his hand. "Itadakimasu..." muttered the man weakly as he started to eat his ramen. Erza sat down across from Naruto and cherished the sight of her Naruto eating, it was probably the last time she would see him. Every time Naruto ate ramen, he would have a very peculiar look of joy on his face, and Erza wanted to see that look one more time before he left forever.
Naruto placed some noodles in his mouth, but instead of having a look of joy on his face, some tears fell from his eyes. The man swallowed the noodles in his mouth and placed his chopsticks down...
Erza felt her own tears flowing again at the sight of Naruto crying...
"I-It's still d-different..." whispered Naruto as he closed his eyes. "How come I c-can't make it taste like y-your ramen..."
For the last three days Naruto had been trying to make the same ramen Erza had made for him before, but no matter how many times he tried, he couldn't find the same taste as before...
Naruto held his hands to his eyes as he cried and his shoulder started to shake along with his sobs. "Come back to me..." muttered the man softly. "I-I love you s-so much!"
"N-Naruto..." Erza sobbed herself as she hovered over to Naruto again. She tried to wrap his arms around Naruto, but no matter how many times she tried her arms would simple pass through his body. Erza wanted to do something to make Naruto feel better, but she couldn't do anything. More tears fell from Erza's eyes as her heart broke continuously. The man she loved was breaking down in front of her and there was nothing she could do to comfort him...
Suddenly, the apartment grew fade around Erza, and she quickly look back at Naruto, only to see that he was started to disappear as well. "No!" cried the red haired woman desperately to whoever was above. "Please, let me stay with him!" No matter how loud Erza cried, the scene before her did not stay, and Naruto was still fading from her eyes. "Naruto!" cried Erza as she tried to reach for his hand, but now it has faded to the point where she could no longer see it...
Naruto face was about to fade as well, but Erza heard one last phrase from him. "I need you..."
Erza slowly regained consciousness as if she had just finished sleeping for a long time, and her eyes slowly parted to see where she was. The first thing Erza saw was the large moon that was up in the sky, and the soft crashing ocean waves the filled her senses. When Erza looked up directly, she finally saw Naruto looking down at her with tears in his eyes. The scene in her apartment still very vivid in her mind, Erza shakily reached a hand up to Naruto...and she sobbed when her hand made contact with his face.
"N-Naruto..." choked out Erza as tears filled her eyes.
Naruto sank to his knees as Erza rested on his arms. "D-Don't ever do that again..." whispered the man softly. "Why would I-I want to l-live if you were g-gone?"
Erza sobbed harder as she pulled Naruto's head down, and their trembling lips met ever so slightly in the middle. 'I need you too...'
The End!
Finally the Tower of Heaven Arc is over!
Up next will be the Fighting Festival Arc, and the Oración Seis Arc, the latter being the one I am really excited to write.
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