CH28: Man Fights God

Zancrow darted out of the way of the bulldozing out of control Ankhseram who was now possessing Laxus' body. He collided with the stone bricks and shook the entire shrine once he made impact.

"Damn. He's not messing around." Zancrow said concerned.

The god emerged from the rubble and looked irked. Ankhseram merely extended his hand towards the Flame God Slayer and he went soaring back. Zancrow recovered in midair and took aim at the possessed Laxus.

"Flame God, Chaos Sphere!"

The attack zeroed in on its target landing a direct hit. Rock was blown everywhere due to the massive explosion but Zancrow was not prepared for what he saw next. When the smoke cleared, all he saw was an untouched Ankhseram. There was not a scratch on his body and he looked bored now.

"I landed a direct hit! How is there not even a mark on you?"

"Did you really think that I would be affected by magic power that I provide. You, Ferrous, Shelia, Olga, all of you would be powerless if it were not for me."

"You mean there are others besides us two?"

"It doesn't really matter. In a few short days, the age of man will be over. I will be the absolute ruler of the world. And you, Zancrow, are already dead."

Ankhseram motioned his arm in a similar fashion to master Hades when he conjured up his Amaterasu formula. A spellbinding circle appeared beneath Zancrow and he was paralyzed.

"What is this? …I… can't MOVE!"

"Exactly. Now perish."

Ankhseram's holy eyes glowed brighter and a cleansing light overpowered Zancrow within the circle. A massive explosion soon followed and Zancrow's body flew and hit the ceiling hard before falling to the floor with a massive CRASH. Zancrow was bruised, battered, but alive.

"Impressive. I'm surprised you survived. I'm even more impressed that your body is still in one piece. Perhaps it's because you share my power. It grants a certain level of resistance to my divine attacks. But alas, not even your God Slaying kind can stand up to me. You're weak. Your title is all talk, and when it comes down to it, you could never slay a god."

Ankhseram extended both his arms on either side and conjured up yet another magic circle around himself on the ground. Then he conjured up a magic circle in each hand as well. All the enchantments were spinning as if it were the instrument to humanities extinction. The whole shrine began to shake and the walls ancient runes began to glow a dim purple.

"Unless a miracle occurs in your favor, you, and all of your comrades will die on this very day."

…

Ferrous was at the foot of Ankhseram's throne. He looked worse for wear. He was no longer in his iron form and he had several bruises on his arms. His clothes were scorched and shredded but still he looked confident in the face of adversity. Opposing him were Natsu, Gajeel, and Erza, who also looked battered, exhausted, but refused to leave a job unfinished.

Then the shrine began to shake. The runes on the pillars and walls all began to glow a faint purple and the Fairy Tail wizards could feel the intense magic power emanating above them.

"Erza, go help out Zancrow. He could be in trouble. Me and Gajeel will finish off Ferrous."

Erza was hesitant to leave but the more the shrine shook, the more worried she became about the Flame God Slayer. She nodded and headed up the stairs that Zancrow took to the very top of the shrine.

"Ferrous! What going on?" Natsu asked.

The Iron God Slayer began to laugh uncontrollably and when he calmed down, he pointed at both the Dragon Slayers.

"This marks the beginning of your end. The ritual was completed. Your friend Laxus is gone. And my master Ankhseram now walks among us. Together, we will remake the world anew. We will bring about, the age of the gods!"

At that last remark both Natsu and Gajeel charged at Ferrous, eager to shut him up.

…

Zancrow was repelled by Ankhseram's magic barrier. No way was he going to let Ankhseram annihilate the world without a fight. But what could he do? Any attempt to break the barrier resulted in Zancrow getting launched back several yards.

"My attacks have not had any luck breaking through his divine barrier. If I don't stop him soon…"

Zancrow looked around him as the shrine was consumed with purple light. The runes, they seemed to be radiating magic power that reacts to Ankhseram's. If he could somehow tap into that same power, he might stand a chance at stopping him.

But there was no time to experiment. Zancrow needed a solution now. A crazy idea just occurred to him. He got on all fours and began to ignite his fists and feet with his divine flames. He had to make this attack count. His fire couldn't touch the god, so he would have to break through his barrier using his own body as a battering ram.

"Flame God Boosters!"

Zancrow shot towards Ankhseram with incredible speed. He was closing in on his target. Twenty meters, ten meters... BOOM!

Zancrow shot through the barrier with major discomfort and he socked Ankhseram right in his jaw knocking him back a couple meters. He ended up on the ground dumbfounded at what had happened. Immediately the runes purple glow dissipated and the magic circles shattered now that the wielder's focus had been compromised.

"I…did it." Zancrow said relieved.

(BAM)

Zancrow's body felt immense pain as he felt Ankhseram's foot collide with his stomach. The God Slayer was sent into a wall and he fell on the floor after.

"It would seem I have underestimated the power you God Slayers possess. I promise you, I won't make that same mistake again."

Ankhseram charged up a sphere of purple light in his right hand. The power of a god, aimed directly at Zancrow.

"As soon as I obliterate you, I will resume humanities countdown to extinction. Your efforts meant nothing to anyone."

Zancrow glared at Ankhseram. Was he really going to die here? He had survived a dark wizard, the breath of a literal dragon, and Titania's violent mood swings. Was he really going to die at the hands of someone he was supposedly trained to takedown?

"Farewell."

Ankhseram let loose his devastating attack. Zancrow glared at the attack, facing death head on with no fear, only regrets. He never apologized to Erza. He still had a score to settle with Salamander. Meredy would kick his ass if he died now. And Flare was probably in his house right now making a mess. He couldn't punch out without resolving all these issues.

(BOOM)

Zancrow could feel the impact of the explosion, the immense power and radiating light, it was all too overwhelming. But it never hit him, so what did it collide with instead? He focused intensely at the bright light and at the center was a feminine figure with bright red hair.

'Erza.' He thought surprised.

She had dawned on her Adamantine armor and was doing her best to deflect the blast with her shield. But this was not the Jupiter Cannon from Phantom Lord. This was the power of a god. Little by little, her armor shattered. First her shield, then her shoulders, followed by her chest, legs, and half of her helmet. Erza screamed in pain as the last of Ankhseram's attack hit her full force.

The blast sent her into a stone pillar which she broke through easily and skidded across the floor like a flat rock skipping across a pond. When she finally came to a stop, she looked like hell. Zancrow saw her beautiful white skin covered in burns. Her stomach was all scratched up due to the skidding she endured, and pieces of her own armor were embedded all throughout her body. Blood streamed down from her eye sockets and her mouth was dripping the red fluid as well.

Zancrow couldn't move. Erza just sacrificed herself for him. But why? What had he ever done for her that deserved such compassion?

"ERZA!" Zancrow looked towards the stairs and saw Lucy, a topless Cana, Wendy, and Carla all running towards the half dead wizard.

"Don't worry Erza, you're going to make it!" Lucy exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

"Everyone get back." Wendy quickly enveloped Erza with her healing barrier and she immediately saw her body spit out some of the broken shards of Adamantine. "Her breathing is stable, but this barrier is the only thing keeping her alive."

"Do what you can for her." Cana said. Well deal with Ankhseram.

"How curious. You all talk as if your friend is going to be all right. But truth be told, you will all share her fate."

Ankhseram was preparing another magic attack. This time the purple orb was double the size of the one which was intended for Zancrow. It pulsed with evil radiance and filled the room with magic vibrations. The female wizards all looked so helpless. But they stood their ground. Cana had her cards in hand, Lucy had her Scorpio key out, and Carla stood her ground next to her owner Wendy, eager to protect her.

"There is no place for you amongst the gods."

Zancrow…Was FURIOUS. He could no longer endure the deity's taunting. First he sends his minions to break into their guildhall, then he kidnaps and possesses his comrade Laxus, but most of all, he almost killed Erza.

"YOU BASTARD!" Zancrow pounded his fist into the stone floor multiple times cracking it each time he did it. He was weak. Nothing he had done thus far had done anything to the immortal god. He needed to get stronger.

Zancrow became enveloped with unusual flames. These were not manifested through magic, these seemed to be generated from his pure rage. A sudden explosion of power surged from the God Slayer capturing Ankhseram's attention. Zancrow kept amplifying his power in hopes to start something. Around him started to form a crater, and the more power he put out, the deeper it became.

"No matter how much you power up, you will never be a match for me. Only a god can harm another god."

Zancrow knew he was right.

"I know. That means, I'm going to have to steal some of your power."

Ankhseram looked puzzled. Take his power? How? Zancrow charged up to the point where he finally had a glow of black light surrounding him. It was like a dark fog enveloping itself around a light source. At the same time, some of the ancient runes all throughout the shrine were lighting up, just like when Ankhseram was utilizing them. This time they glowed a dark purple, almost as if they were responding to the God Slayer's will to surpass a god.

Ankhseram looked stunned. Only he should be able to conjure up the rune's powers but apparently that wasn't the case anymore.

"This is the beginning of your end. You're going down." Zancrow exhaled, getting all the air out of his lungs before he took in the biggest breath of his life. He started sucking the air like a vacuum. One would think he was feasting on an inferno the way he treated this scenario now. What was he consuming? Certainly not the oxygen. Then what could it be? Ankhseram's calm composure was all but gone when he saw purple light being sucked from the runes, and going straight into Zancrow.

"NO!" Ankhseram conjured up a divine orb and launched it at the God Slayer but it was too late. The shrines ancient power was now at Zancrow's fingertips. When he could not inhale anymore, he swallowed and smirked.

"HAAAAAAAAAA…" Zancrow let loose his battle cry and took his power to the next tier. In one blinding motion, a pillar of black light expanded around Zancrow almost like a barrier and consumed him. Ankhseram's attack wasn't too far behind. It hit Zancrow's "barrier" and caused a massive explosion.

(BOOM)

The top floor of the shrine was almost leveled. The girls were protecting Erza from any wandering debris making its way towards them while Ankhseram stared curiously at the last location he saw Zancrow. Smoke and ash was all he could see for almost a minute. Then the God Slayer emerged.

"This can't be…"

Lucy couldn't help but notice the god's uneasiness. Then she saw him. Zancrow was completely enveloped in a black aura that radiated like the glow of a lacrima. On top of that, pulses of purple lightning were phasing in and out like a small thunderstorm. His arms were covered in strange tattoos similar to those on Laxus' body. Then she saw the real kicker. Zancrow's eyes were white like that of a god.

"Zan…crow." Lucy saw that Erza was conscious and staring at the God Slayer in worry. "What has happened to you?"

"He has accessed the God Force." Ankhseram for once looked angry. To think that a taste of his full power could be possessed by a mere mortal, inconceivable.

Zancrow began to laugh. He had done it. He could feel it, the power of a god flowing through his body. Dragon Slayers had the Dragon Force, and he had… what did Ankhseram call it?

"…This is …GOD FORCE."

Zancrow looked at Erza who seemed to be uneasy about his new form. Then he glared daggers at Ankhseram.

"You hurt her. And I'll be damned if I let you get away with it."