Chapter 20: Igneel's Power
The three dragons were silent, as they were locked in a staredown the only sounds in the cathedral came from the lightning that was dancing around Laxus' shirtless figure. Natsu and Gajeel were still struggling to keep a steady breath following their previous assault on him that turned out to have been useless. Natsu lit his fists ablaze, while Gajeel transformed his skin into steel.
"Ready?" Natsu looked over to Gajeel. He grunted in response. At once the two charged at him, but before they were even halfway to him, he vanished. The two came to a sudden stop, skidding across the polished tile floor as they looked around for where he went.
"How can anyone be that fast?" Gajeel muttered to himself while he looked around the large room, instantly Laxus appeared behind him. Natsu noticed this.
"Gajeel, look out!" He shouted out as he did that he threw a fireball the size of a baseball at Laxus. It was far from his most powerful attack, but it was the best he could muster given how drained he was.
"Huh?" Gajeel whipped his head around to face the blonde lightning user who saw Natsu's attack coming from a mile away. He grunted as he disappeared once more the fireball flew past Gajeel's head half a second later.
"Where'd he go!" Natsu shouted out. Gajeel stayed silent once more his eyes danced around the large room.
"Salamander behind you!" He shouted, but he noticed too late, Natsu had no time to react to the large fist that smoked him in the face as he turned around. Natsu screamed out as he got electrocuted in the process. Laxus continued his beat down on Natsu with a swift knee to his already damaged midsection, Natsu fell to his knees hacking, and crying out as electricity flickered around him. Gajeel rushed at Laxus trying to stop him as he picked Natsu up by the back of his jacket with one the other one delivered a flurry of lightning punches to the helpless Natsu. Gajeel puffed out his cheeks and attacked Laxus with his self named 'Iron Dragon Roar.' Laxus again saw this attack coming and threw Natsu straight into Gajeel's attack. Gajeel watched in horror as his partner from this fight got sent flying into a large pillar from his attack. The pillar cracked and fell onto the limp flame user who screamed out in pain. Natsu struggled to get free, but it was no use. He was trapped. Laxus wasted no time making a charge at Gajeel who held his arms together creating a large metal shield to protect himself against Laxus' strong punch, which worked to an extent even though the punch hadn't made contact with him the electricity flowed through the metal. Gajeel cried out as he was electrocuted, his defenses lowered for only a second, but that was all Laxus needed. He puffed his chest and cheeks up similarly to how Natsu and Gajeel do it, and just like them a large blast of electricity shot from his mouth. Hitting Gajeel from point blank sending him packing. He landed on his back, the floor shattering under him his metal skin vanished as he convulsed on the ground.
"Hmph pathetic. Both of you are so weak, you bring our kind shame and humiliation. I will be doing this world a favor in disposing of you two." Laxus stated bluntly. Natsu wanted to shoot back with something clever, but the bottom line was he couldn't even move at the moment. Maybe Laxus was right, clearly they were no match from him. No he couldn't think about that, right now Lucy and the rest of his friends as well as the city needed him to beat Laxus. So that was what he was going to do, even if it killed him. He punched the ground below him cracking it.
"Shut up! The only person who brings shame to people like us is you! It doesn't matter how tough you are….As long as you view yourself as better than everyone else, and look down on the people who care about you, you are the real weak one!" Natsu planted both his hands on the ground and strained himself to get back up. The weight of the pillar kept him pinned down.
"If I'm the weak one...how come I'm the only one still on his feet?" Laxus asked dryly and disinterested. While Natsu was struggling to lift the large pillar off of him, Gajeel had sat up and let out a snort.
"Pathetic, you really are blind. You are so caught up in yourself and how strong you are you fail to see the strength others have. Even when they are far superior than you gihee!" With that he stood all the way up. Laxus huffed and didn't respond to Gajeel.
"He's right Laxus! You should take notes...It takes a strong man to knock someone down repeatedly, but it takes stronger men to stand back up repeatedly! Because like it or not, big guy…" Natsu started, finally getting himself free from the pillar.
"...You're just getting me fired up!" Natsu and Gajeel said at the same time, activating their powers once again. Laxus rolled his eyes at them.
"Cute words, but they mean nothing without the ability to back it up…."
"Then I guess it's time we stop talkin." Natsu smirked.
"Fine with me." Gajeel added. At once the two were ready for yet another round. This time instead of charging head first they played it smart. Gajeel punched the floor beneath him, and several metal columns burst from the ground circling around Laxus who stood there with his arms crossed disinterested like he had been the entire fight. While Gajeel did that Natsu ran at Laxus who clenched his fist letting it become swarmed by electricity, Natsu noticed this and slid under the punch Laxus sent his way, popping back up he shot at Laxus, using his flames to thrust him through the air. Natsu's shoulder struck Laxus in the chest, sending him backing into one. With another punch to the ground from Gajeel spikes shot out of the column Laxus had been pushed into, he winced in pain as the sharp metal pierced his large back. Natsu landed on the ground and charged up a very strong flaming punch that he delivered to Laxus' chest. The punch left a large purple bruise with burns around it. Gajeel had commanded the columns to retreat back into the ground as soon as he saw Natsu's punch, so Laxus had also been sent several feet through the air. Making eye contact the two nodded. Taking deep breaths they charged up their attacks to combine them one more time. They released the blasts from their mouths both directed at the airborne Laxus who was unable to avoid it. The two blasts connected and they exploded on impact with Laxus, who plummeted to the ground. Natsu was ready though he sprung forward running towards where Laxus was going to fall, his feet becoming engulfed with his flames, he leapt in the air and right before Laxus made contact with the ground he was redirected through the air thanks to Natsu's powerful kick. He was heading towards Gajeel who was waiting with a large metal baseball bat. He swung with as much strength as he could, Laxus was once more sent flying in a different direction. He flew right into the stairs that he had been sitting at prior to this fight.
"That's it….That's all I had left…." Natsu muttered as he fell to his knees panting. He couldn't even find the strength to stand anymore, Gajeel wasn't in any better shape. He bent over panting, struggling to stay on his feet just like Natsu he had used up pretty much all the power he had left. Unfortunately their worst fear became a reality, from where Laxus was laying on the stairs a skin crawling laughter filled the room.
"I-Impossible…" Gajeel stuttered, but it wasn't as impossible as they had thought, because Laxus sat up as if nothing had just happened, as if he couldn't even feel the large bruise on his chest or the holes in his back.
"What is….he made out of?" Natsu pondered. Laxus stood all the way up chuckling slightly, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles.
"Was that the best you can do?...Like I said before you are pathetically weak…." The room soon filled with electricity. Laxus' voice sounded a lot deeper than before, almost like he was growling.
"My turn…" Laxus growled. The electricity in the room picked up, causing Natsu, and Gajeel to cry out as they were being electrocuted, and Laxus hadn't even lifted a finger yet. The pain was so intense that they didn't even notice Laxus seem to grow in size or his eyes become completely white. They didn't notice his scream as he released his power causing the strength of his electricity to amplify, but just as soon as it had started it ended. The two were writhing in pain on the ground, their breathing heavy as the smell of burnt flesh filled the room, smoke emanating off them. Natsu glanced over at Laxus and was gobsmacked when he saw his large arms. Gajeel had noticed it as well, the only way they could describe his arms right now was scaly. Like a reptile, like Natsu's scarf, Laxus' arms were covered in scales. Sitting up they both grimace in pain, but look at each other baffled.
"Behold...the true strength of a dragon...this is my DRAGON FORCE!" Laxus' voice boomed, intimidating the two of them. The immense power that radiated off Laxus was enough for anyone to be brought to their knees. Laxus was strong before for sure, but now...it was ungodly. Faster than they could even blink Laxus had moved from the stairs to right in front of Natsu who was still in a sitting position on the ground. Natsu had no time to register what was happening until he was laying face first on the ground, with blood trickling down his face from just above his eyebrow where Laxus had punched him. Gajeel had just seen Natsu go down before he himself had faced a similar situation. The two laid face first on the ground completely out of it. Laxus was so much stronger, and faster they couldn't even stand up, every time they tried they were quickly put back down. Laxus disappearing and reappearing quicker than they could blink. Punch after punch, kick after kick, lightning blast after painful lightning blast, Natsu and Gajeel were nothing more than ragdolls forced to take Laxus' full power assault, unable to do anything to protect themselves. He was barely using any effort, this was nothing more than a game to him at this point as if to see which one of his punching bags would break first. They were ants that he had trapped under a magnifying glass, powerless to stop their inevitable deaths. The only question was how much more punishment could they go through.
"Can't say this is the way I thought I would die…." Natsu muttered as he struggled to his hands and knees only to receive a powerful kick to his side making him collapse again.
"You can say that again...side by side with a fairy…how lame…" Gajeel added, as Laxus stomped down onto his head. Natsu smirked at Gajeel's joke, but it quickly faded as Laxus picked him up and chucked him across the room, he landed with a disgusting thud, a very audible crack informed him that some bone had just broken, but he was in so much pain already that he couldn't pinpoint which bone, if he had to guess it was in his arm. He closed his eyes, wincing at the pain. Right now all he could think about was the others, were Mira and the others successful in turning everyone back to normal? Had Lucy been turned to stone, was she still awake sitting by the window waiting for him to come home? Or was she fast asleep unaware of what was occurring. The thoughts filled him with a deep sadness, would he even get to see her face again after this? Was there even an 'after this,' or was this it, this is where he died. Unable to find the person who murdered his father, unable to play with his cat again, unable to see his friends smiling faces, unable to start a stupid argument with Gray. Tears dripped down his bloody, and swollen face. His eyes shot open as he heard a feminine voice he looked over to the doorway where a new figure stood, she was wearing a long sleeved orange dress and black leggings, her short wavy blue hair tied up with a hairband. Oh no.
"PLEASE STOP!" She yelled over at Laxus who was currently hovering over Gajeel.
"LEVY? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Natsu yelled, Laxus turned his head to the short girl as did Gajeel, she stood there in shock looking at her friend.
"I'm trying to help you!" She pleaded turning to face him, water filling her eyes.
"Don't worry about it, you need to leave!" Natsu commanded her as he urged himself to get up, but as it turns out the bone he had broken was in his left leg, because he couldn't put any pressure down on it without it hurting. Laxus glared at her, his anger rising. If a human was standing here, right here in front of him that means his plan had failed, Evergreen, Bickslow and Freed had failed. He needed to take his anger out on someone, sure the two weaklings were good punching bags, but he was bored and needed someone else to inflict pain on. Unlucky for Levy that was her, as Natsu limped over to her, she ran up to him to support him on his feet, but before she reached him Laxus thrust his fist in the air a bolt of lightning shooting from it directed at the bluenette who stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide open in fear. Natsu saw this and sped up his hobble to her but unfortunately his leg gave in and he collapsed.
"LEVY!" She shut her eyes tightly preparing for the very painful death that sped towards her.
5 Minutes Earlier:
Levy was sitting in her bed, her body stiff as a board. It felt like every single part of her body needed to crack, unlike Lucy she remembered what happened, she remembered the video. The feeling of her body becoming cold stone. Rolling out of her bed she heard her back pop, and stretched more cracking and popping sounds escaped her body. She looked outside and saw that it was pitch black a stark contrast to how it was when she settled in her bedroom earlier. Her parents house was a small one, but in a great location she was right across the Kardia Cathedral which she loved looking at. The architecture was stunning as was the way it seemed to glow in the sunlight, but right now as her eyes landed on the structure illuminated by streetlights she could see smoke pouring out from the doorway and windows.
"Oh no!" She quickly threw on her shoes and ran out of her room. Even though nobody was in the living room the television was still playing nothing but static. She ran past it into the snowy outdoors, the cold air immediately making her regret not grabbing a jacket and she continued running towards the cathedral that grew closer and closer. The smell of something burning filled her nostrils, she wrinkled her nose at the gross smell. There were also sounds of explosions, Clanging metal, and a strange buzzing. Peaking through the window she was not prepared for what awaited her.
"Natsu?" She asked out loud as she saw her pink haired friend fighting Laxus with a strange looking black haired guy with piercings all over. From what it looked like they were winning, she watched in awe as Natsu elegantly delivered a strong kick that sent Laxus into metal guy's large baseball bat. She let out an internal cheer as she watched the person who was responsible for her turning into stone get his comeuppance. Natsu fell to a seating position while the piercing boy bent over, both looking exhausted. Her heart then immediately took a nose dive as she watched Laxus stand back up, she moved away from the building as electricity not only filled the room they were in but covered the entire building. Even though she was outside she could hear the screams of Natsu, and the other one. The electricity died down and she returned to the window, her eyes bulging as she saw Laxus who now had scales covering his arms, the next few minutes went by in a blur as she watched in absolute horror while Laxus brutalized the two of them. She watched as he picked Natsu up effortlessly and threw him across the room, that was the last straw she needed to do something, anything. What would Lucy say if Natsu died, and Levy just stood by watching. She ran toward the large doors and pushed them open, as Laxus was about to bring his large boot down onto the black haired one she opened her mouth.
"PLEASE STOP!" She yelled at Laxus who whipped his head in her direction.
"LEVY? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" She heard Natsu's voice yell at her from his position on the ground. She looked over to him, but she wished she hadn't from the outside he didn't look anywhere near as bad as he did up close. She felt her eyes tear up as she looked at her friend in his current state.
"I'm trying to help you!" She answered calmly.
"Don't worry about it, you need to leave!" He replied and struggled to get up, Levy noticed his leg was definitely broken and ran to help support him as he stumbled over to her. She didn't even notice Laxus shooting a bolt of lightning at her she stopped in her tracks immediately, watching on in horror as it grew closer to her.
"LEVY!" As she heard Natsu scream out her name her eyes shut tightly awaiting it to strike her. Natsu stumbled trying to get back up to his feet to push her out of the way, but he couldn't, his leg was nothing more than dead weight at the moment. He watched in abstract horror as the lightning bolt was less than a second away from sending his friend to the afterlife. He needed to do something, but he couldn't. Just before it hit her though Gajeel had jumped in front of her and took the blast for her, Natsu wasn't sure he believed Gajeel fell to the ground completely unconscious. Levy hesitantly opened her eyes when she noticed she hadn't been electrocuted yet. Blinking a few times she smelled something burning near her so she looked down and saw that the black haired guy from before had jumped in front of her. He saved her life.
"Gajeel!" Natsu yelled as he noticed he wasn't moving. Laxus's face darkened, obviously annoyed he wasn't successful in hitting his target. Levy crouched down to the guy who's name was apparently Gajeel, and felt for a pulse. Thankfully there was one, but it was feint.
"Hmph, what a fool...That was useless you both will still die." Laxus muttered threatenly. Natsu glared, his fists clenched. He struggled up to his feet one last time, looking down at his right arm that had the bandage wrapping around it. It was his last chance.
"Levy...Take Gajeel. Bring him to Fairy Tail." He commanded her, his voice darker than usual. Levy looked up from Gajeel's body.
"B-but…"
"LEVY GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Natsu snapped before she could even argue. She had never seen this side of her friend before it was terrifying. Deciding it was better not to argue with him she wrapped Gajeel's arm around her neck and struggled to support his weight, but she needed to get him help or he might die, spurred on by this she turned to the doors. Laxus growled.
"Oh no you don't." He stated he rushed at her, but ran into a wall of flames courtesy of Natsu, who had punched the ground summoning his power into a large wall of fire behind him.
"You won't lay a finger on her." He growled darkly sloppily stood back up making sure to put as little pressure on his broken leg as he could.
"WHY, YOU PEST!" Laxus screamed at him. Natsu didn't back down.
"I get that a lot. Now come on big guy, your fight is not with her, it's with me, so…." Holding out his hand and flames shot out of his fingertips in the shape of letters. Laxus glared at him as he stood across from Natsu whose flames formed the word come on. Natsu then clenched his fist allowing his entire forearm to swell up in flames.
"You will pay for this!" Laxus shouted the ultimate cliché at him. Natsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Igneel...please I need your help…" He muttered, with his nail he sliced a small hole into his bandages. The instant he did this action his arm began to burn hotter than he thought imaginable, he winced in pain as the tattoo of the black dragon underneath began to glow. Instantly dark black and red flames shot from his arm, Natsu cried out as the pain was unbearable even for him, clutching his arm with his other hand he willed himself to control the flames, but he couldn't. The immense heat from the flames was unbearable for both him and Laxus who had backed up slightly afraid of the raw power of the flames. Shaking away his nerves he enveloped his own fist with as much electrical power as he could, but it was nowhere near Natsu in terms of strength. He charged at Natsu who still struggled to control the flames that was burning his arm, he got himself in a striking position unable to move out of the way of Laxus' punch he swung as Laxus brought his fist down onto him, their fists connected and instantly Natsu's flames ate away at Laxus' attack putting it out before sending Laxus flying with a large explosion of black and red flames. Laxus flew through two columns before falling to the ground unconscious. Natsu, however, was also sent backwards. The explosion was so strong it caused the building they were in to collapse. Natsu blacked out as the building around him fell apart. The last thing he said before fading into the darkness was:
"Thanks dad...I owe ya one…"
Erza, Gray and Mira were running through the city towards the sound of the explosion, Mira still couldn't believe her eyes, the Cathedral was completely destroyed. Levy stopped in her tracks when she felt the ground began to shake and heard the loud explosion that wasn't too far behind them. She couldn't pay it any mind though she needed to make sure Gajeel got to safety. When Gray, Erza, and Mira arrived at the place of the former cathedral they were absolutely shocked.
"It's...just a pile of rubble!" Gray yelled in surprise as he began looking around for what caused this.
"How did this happen? Did one of the bombs go off?" Erza asked, but Mira was silent and she hastily looked around the rubble.
"No...It was Natsu...He was fighting Laxus!" She stated running over she started digging, surely he still had to be here.
"No way….That flame brain! He got carried away!" Gray muttered annoyed, but began helping Mira dig through the rubble.
"Whatever this was, it wasn't Natsu's faut. If anyone is to blame it is Laxus! Now hurry and dig! He must be here." After a few minutes they were able to find not only Natsu, but Laxus as well. Erza, and Mira dragged Laxus back to the guild, while Gray carried Natsu muttering about how he always overdid things.
Lucy burst through the doors of the infirmary in an utter panic. Her breath ragged and unsteady since she sprinted straight to the guild after she received Gray's text about Natsu being hurt.
"Where is he! Is he okay?!" She shouted in an absolute panic. Levy, who was by Gajeel's bedside, looked up at her.
"Shh! He is okay Lu, he just needs some rest...He'll be fine, the most major injury he has is that broken leg, but that will be good as new in no time!" Levy sounded surprisingly chipper considering the state of Natsu who laid still on the bed, his breathing was slow and steady, His face was all bloody, and swollen, he was covered in dirt and grime, and soot. It was hard to see how he was going to be okay after this, he looked like the embodiment of death. Lucy couldn't take his eyes off him as she plopped in the chair next to his bed, taking his hand into her own she felt tears drip down her face.
"Oh Natsu….Please be alright…." She whispered and leaned down and kissed his forehead, Levy sent her a knowing smirk.
"Like you're one to talk." Lucy quipped as she nodded her hand to Levy's hand that was holding Gajeel's, the blue haired girl blushed a deep shade of red.
"It's not like that I swear! I don't even know him! I just want him to be okay so I can thank him…" She rambled before looking at the black haired boy.
"He saved my life, the least I could do is make sure he was okay…." Lucy giggled at her friend. She looked down at the salmon haired boy she had grown up with, the one she couldn't imagine life without, and as he laid here completely battered and broken she leaned her head onto his chest, she could feel his heart beating which not only told her he was alive, and was going to be okay, but also lulled her into sleep.
Chapter 21: The Adventures of Natsu, Lucy and Asuka!