Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!
Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon
Chapter 86
Natsu smirked at the expressionless Byro. "Ya know, if you gave Gildarts a run for his money and now I beat you, then it's like I've beaten Gildarts, too!"
Ash sweatdropped as she looked pitifully at Natsu with glowing orange eyes. "I'm not quite sure it works like that, Natsu."
"Too hopeful," Sky breathed.
Byro snorted at Natsu's comment. "You will be eliminated." At these words, Kanaloa shot large quantities of ink from his mouth at Natsu, Ash, and Sky. The three leapt away as the ink hit the ground, melting the hard rock like acid.
Ash gulped. "That shit's dangerous."
"Be careful, Natsu!" Happy cried.
"Yeah, I've got it," Natsu replied. "You all just stay back, alright? Don't get hit. This crap will melt you easy." He leapt high just as another jet of ink shot towards him. He lit his fist on fire as he descended down upon Kanaloa. "FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!" he cried as he punched Kanaloa's head.
However, Kanaloa's entire body was far too elastic and absorbed the blow as if it were nothing. The large octopus shot out with one of its tentacles and slapped Natsu away. The Dragon Slayer crashed into a stone wall with a thud.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried.
Natsu barely had time to shake off the hit before another tentacle whipped towards him. However, Sky scooped him up with her solid upper body just before the tentacle crashed into the wall and broke it apart. "Thanks, Sky. I owe you one," he said as he took a deep breath. "FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" he shouted as a pillar of fire erupted from his mouth.
Kanaloa countered the attack with a massive spray of ink. Fire and ink sprayed out in all directions.
Ash ran around the octopus, dodging the ink and flames that rained down. "Keep him distracted, Natsu," she muttered to herself with a grin. Her forearms and hands became fire as she leapt at Kanaloa's face. With its attention elsewhere, it barely noticed the girl. "Take this, you giant squid!" she shouted while unleashing a fiery punch that caught Kanaloa square in the eye. The large octopus roared in pain as ink was sprayed about wildly. Its tentacles thrashed about in all directions.
One of the tentacles was close to descending upon Coco and Dan. However, the young knight was still unconscious and the young girl seemed too distracted and wasn't noticing the approaching tentacle. Lucy, however, did notice. With a gasp, she ran towards Coco. "Coco!" she cried, trying to alert the girl. As if awakening from a daze, Coco sharply inhaled before looking up. Even with her speed, she wouldn't be able to dodge. With a lunge, Lucy tackled Coco to the ground before the tentacle could hit her. The two girls rolled along the ground before hitting their heads on a back wall.
Lucy rubbed her head. "Damn, that hurt," she murmured before looking over to Coco. "You okay?"
Coco sat up and rubbed a bruise that had already appeared on her head. "Y…Yeah." She then gasped. "Dan!"
"It's okay," Lucy said with a smile. "Just take a look."
Coco turned and was surprised to see Dan unharmed, slung over the broad shoulder of Natsu.
"Hey, stupid octopus!" Natsu roared in agitation. "Can't you at least tell ally from enemy? Geez!"
"They're on your side," Sky breathed as she landed on the ground.
"So despicable," Ash spat.
"Yeah!" Lucy cried as she leapt to her feet. "Coco and Dan are your own platoon members!"
Byro glared down at the Fairy Tail members. "As proud members of the Legion Platoon, they are prepared to sacrifice their lives in the name of this holy war," he said coldly.
Ash clenched her fists as memories flooded her mind; memories of her and Sky in Jarvan's care where they were treated as tools that were considered dispensable. Her fiery hair grew in size. "You ugly, shit faced, son of a bitch," she hissed. "Aren't they your friends?! How can you treat them like their lives are meaningless?! You don't own them!"
"She's right!" Lucy agreed. "Coco's life doesn't belong to you or Zentopia or anyone else but her!"
Byro seemed unfazed by the girls' words. "You are without cause and therefore are in no position to talk. There are many more lives at stake in this holy war than you people realize."
"And it's probably because of you!" Ash shouted at Byro. She could feel white hot rage flowing through her. "You clearly could care less about humanity. You look down on people and feel nothing if they die!"
"Enough," Byro said calmly as Kanaloa lashed out with its tentacles. One pushed Ash into a wall, one knocked Sky away, and one slammed Natsu into the ground.
"Freaking heavy!" Natsu rasped as an incredible weight pushed down on his chest. But no matter how hard he pushed he couldn't free himself.
Ash coughed, but each breath was agony. "Damn it. I got careless."
"Sister!" Sky cried as she joined the wind and rushed to her sister's side. She tugged on her sister and began to pull her free.
Kanaloa looked between Natsu and the twins before focusing its attention on Natsu. It then sprayed a stream of ink from its mouth.
Before the ink could land, a torrent of water intercepted the attack and held it back. Natsu looked over his shoulder to see Aquarius holding out her urn and sending water out to protect Natsu. Lucy was kneeling behind her, Aquarius's Celestial Key dipped into a puddle. "That was close."
"This'll neutralize the poison effects of that ink," Aquarius smirked confidently.
"Great timing, Aquarius!" Lucy complimented.
"And you're screwing with me right? Because I know you didn't just summon me from a stupid tiny puddle!" Aquarius barked at her.
"But that's all there was," Lucy laughed nervously.
"I'll take it," Natsu grinned. "Thanks, Lucy. You too, Aquarius."
Sky finally freed Ash, rushed her towards the group, and then sped towards Natsu. She grabbed hold and pulled on Natsu's body, pulling him free and carrying him to safety. "Got you."
"You rock, Sky!" Natsu said. "Can you bring me up high?"
Sky tilted her head cutely. "Why?"
"Just trust me."
She nodded. "Right." She carried Natsu up into the air and dropped him atop a rock face. "Now what?"
Natsu looked down to the rest of the group. Ash could barely move from the pain. Lucy was being harassed by Aquarius; something about learning to summon more than one Spirit at a time so that she could work with Scorpio. He sighed as he returned his attention to Kanaloa. "Well it's just you and me, I guess."
"We can do it," Sky breathed.
Natsu snickered. "Hell yeah we can! Let's do it!"
"Right."
"So do you think you can get that giant octopus's mouth open?"
She hummed. "I can try."
"I like that attitude! You got this!"
Sky smiled before the rest of her body disappeared into the wind. A sudden gust then barreled into Kanaloa's mouth, bouncing around at a rapid pace and expanding between its lips to force its mouth open wider and wider.
Natsu saw his opening and leapt down while taking a deep breath. "Nice one! Now FIRE DRAGON…!"
However, before he could release his attack, one of Kanaloa's tentacles wrapped around his waist tightly and whipped him about. It was then that his stomach betrayed him and his motion sickness kicked in. His body went limp as he tried to control the urge to vomit.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried.
"You're kidding, right?" Ash groaned. "How is that transportation?"
"I'm coming," Sky breathed through the wind. She rushed to Natsu and turned her upper body solid to help him. However, Kanaloa expected this and quickly lashed out with a tentacle. Its attack hit the mark and with a cry of pain, Sky was sent crashing into a building.
"Sky!" Ash cried before coughing from the pain in her chest.
"How naïve of you," Byro said as he looked at Natsu. "Kanaloa is a veteran warrior as well. Such childish and cowardly tactics would never work. Victory is assuredly ours. Now Kanaloa, retrieve the clock piece."
"You can't do that!" Lucy called out, earning a glance from Byro. "My father gave me that clock hand! It belongs to me, so return it!"
"Why are you people even trying to steal the clock pieces anyway?" Michelle asked.
"'Steal'?" Byro repeated. "I prefer 'oversee'."
"Meaning what?" Ash coughed.
Byro lifted the clock hand in his grasp. "The clock in question is known as the Infinity Clock. The Archbishop of Zentopia tasked us with retrieving it."
"Infinity Clock?" Lucy breathed.
"Why would the Archbishop of Zentopia want something like that?" Michelle asked rhetorically.
However, her question sparked Byro to think back on the conversation he had with the Archbishop. "You wish to know?" he asked.
FLASHBACK
"Time ticks forward, toward inevitable chaos."
The Archbishop's strange words stirred in Byro's mind as he bowed before the man he vowed to serve.
The Archbishop leaned forward in his bed. "Do you understand what this means?"
"If I'm not mistaken, that is the line that continuously repeats within your dreams," Byro answered without lifting his head. "However, I haven't the slightest idea of what it could mean."
The Archbishop sighed. "It is said that once every 100 years, the Infinity Clock releases the magic power it has accumulated and begins to function. And if all six scattered clock pieces are brought back together while it remains active…" The Archbishop paused.
"What happens?"
The Archbishop's glare darkened as the candles in his bedchambers cast ominous shadows across his face. "The clock will begin to tick and will eventually usher in the end of the world."
"It can't be," Byro breathed.
"According to the cardinals, a wizard guild is looking for the scattered pieces of the Infinity Clock. We are the only ones who can stop them, Byro. In other words…you could call this the 'purpose' we have been given." He inched further forward still. "Raise your head." Byro did as he was told and the Archbishop met his gaze. "This is no mere skirmish. This is a holy war, Byro."
FLASHBACK END
"So you're saying that if all the clock pieces are gathered together, the world will end?" Ash asked as she slowly rose to her feet, an arm clutching her chest.
"The 'inevitable chaos'," Sky breathed as she stood from the rubble of the building. Her clothes were torn and cuts covered her body. Blood trickled slowly down her forehead.
"So that's what it means," Lucy realized.
"Things just got way more serious!" Happy cried in a panic.
"So you understand now?" Byro asked. "This is not meant to be kept by the likes of a mere wizard guild."
"It's true that if we let one little slip-up happen, the world will be in trouble," Michelle said.
"I don't buy it," Natsu huffed from Kanaloa's tentacle.
"What was that?" Byro asked slowly.
"So gathering all the clock pieces together will make something bad happen, right?" Natsu asked. "So then isn't the answer to the problem not to gather them at all?"
"True," Happy agreed. "Besides, do we really want Zentopia to hold the fate of the world in its hands?"
"Hey, that's right!" Lucy exclaimed. "You don't even know how to use the thing, right?"
"So if Zentopia messes up, we're all royally screwed!" Ash spat.
Byro gasped, but quickly recovered his emotionless mask. "Our teachings are not mistaken. And it is impossible for the Archbishop to be wrong."
"That's not true," Michelle said softly. Her gaze was on the ground and she seemed a little sad, or perhaps distracted by something else that was on her mind. "Everyone makes mistakes. It's the whole reason why this world is filled with an unquenchable thirst for violence. Everyone knows that."
"Michelle," Lucy whispered in awe of her words.
"You guys sure do use a lot of nice words, but you're definitely up to something," Natsu said. "There's no doubt about it! And if it's not you, then it's definitely that Archbishop guy!" He began to shake his fists. "Let me at him! I'll beat some sense into him!"
"Such blasphemy!" Byro roared in yet another strange show of emotion. "Kanaloa!" Kanaloa responded to his call by shaking the tentacle that held Natsu until the Dragon Slayer's motion sickness once again kicked in.
"Natsu!" Lucy called out with worry.
"Now you understand the point of the holy war, yet you would still oppose us in ensuring the safekeeping of such a powerful tool?" Byro asked sternly.
Lucy clenched her fists. "Honestly, I don't really get it. I don't get all of this stuff about the end of the world. It's way over my head, I guess. All I really care about is keeping my dad's memento safe. So we're taking back that clock hand as well as the rest of the parts!" She pointed at Byro. "We're going to gather them all!"
"Such sinful drivel," Byro muttered as Kanaloa lashed out at the Fairy Tail wizards with its tentacles.
The group ran back to give themselves as much distance as possible. Lucy turned as she ran, pointing one of her Zodiac keys at the large octopus. "OPEN! GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL! TAURUS!"
In a flash of golden light, Taurus soared towards Kanaloa, his large axe drawn back. With a loud moo he swung his axe at the incoming tentacles over and over again. Large pieces of tentacle crashed to the ground and blood poured from the wounds. Taurus also targeted the tentacle holding Natsu, freeing the immobile Dragon Slayer. "How do you like my moooooves, Lucy?" the large bull asked.
Lucy pumped her fist. "Great work, Taurus!"
"Now how about a smoooooooooch as a reward?" the large bull asked with hearts for eyes.
"Not happening," Lucy refused quickly.
Natsu stood proudly atop the severed tentacle and flames danced around him. "I'm back in action!" he roared. "And now it's payback time, times a hundred!"
Happy summoned his wings and flew to Natsu. He picked him up and raised him high into the air. "Aye sir!"
Lucy smiled as she whipped out her Fleuve d'étoiles. "Okay!" She lashed out with the magic whip. The whip wrapped around Kanaloa tightly.
Sky grimaced but still disappeared into the wind. "I'll help too," she breathed. A torrent of strong wind began to surround Kanaloa, pushing into its sides and its head.
"What?" Byro asked as he witnessed his partner being tightly constricted.
"Now, Natsu!" Lucy cried.
"Here we go, Happy!" Natsu shouted.
"MAX SPEED!" Happy called out as his wins glowed green. He descended swiftly towards the immobile Kanaloa.
Flames engulfed Natsu's right fist as Happy chucked him. He spun in the air as he rocketed forward. "Add to that some FIRE DRAGON SWORD HORN!" he bellowed as he crashed headfirst into Kanaloa's face. The large octopus was forcibly pushed back and, no matter how hard she tried to hold on, Lucy's grip on her Fleuve d'étoiles was lost as she fell forward into the dirt.
And as soon as Lucy's grip was lost, Kanaloa was sent rolling back until it crashed forcefully into a rock wall. Byro had leapt to safety beforehand and was now staring at his unconscious partner. "So they worked in harmony to offset Kanaloa's flexibility and narrow their focus." His eyes narrowed at Natsu who was standing triumphantly on top of one of Kanaloa's tentacles. "Is this what wizard guilds…no…Fairy Tail wizards are truly capable of?"
Natsu leapt down and pointed at Byro. "Alright then! Now I think it's about time you gave back what you stole from Lucy."
Byro leapt from his spot to meet Natsu on an even field. "The time draws near. As we speak, the rest of the scattered clock pieces are likely on their way here. I'll have to eradicate you before they're all gathered in one place."
Natsu snickered as embers rose into the air all around him. "Bring it on, then!"
"He's still following us."
Jet and Droy were peering over their shoulders. Samuel had been following the group ever since they had left with the clock piece yet kept a distance between them.
"He's stubborn," Panther Lily grumbled under his breath.
Gajeel tsked and stopped to turn. The clock piece was still in his grip under his arm. "This is a pain. Make him leave, Lily."
"Like I could," Panther Lily retorted.
Samuel stopped upon seeing the group stop. "I'm not following you. I'm merely observing, nothing more."
"Just so we're clear, you can forget about taking this clock piece! You can't have it!" Levy shouted.
Samuel turned slightly and adjusted the large glasses on his face. "According to my calculations, I don't need to be the one to retrieve it."
"What does that mean?" Panther Lily asked.
Samuel narrowed his eyes. "I can't say with certainty, but…" He paused to look at Panther Lily. "Do you have a moment, brother?"
Panther Lily shrugged his small shoulders and walked forward.
"Careful, Lily. It could be a trap," Jet warned.
"I'll be fine. Just stay there," Panther Lily replied.
Samuel began walking a bit further away and up some rocks to give more distance and Panther Lily still followed. Once Samuel was satisfied, he stopped.
Panther Lily plopped down on a rock and crossed his small arms. "So what did you want to talk about?"
Samuel looked out at the sky. "While I am a member of the Legion Platoon, I can't deny that I am also an Exceed. Even a musclebrain like you knows that our sense of time is different from that of humans, correct?"
A tick mark appeared on Panther Lily's head. "Are you trying to pick another fight?"
"Calm down and hear me out," Samuel said with a small smile, but the smile quickly faded. "Something's been bothering me ever since I deciphered Key of the Starry Heavens, precisely because of our unique sense of time. So just to be safe, there's something I need to tell you."
Panther Lily stood up. "What would that be?"
Samuel looked towards Panther Lily. "There's still something hidden in that book."
Panther Lily was shocked. "What?"
"As a member of the Legion Platoon, I will fulfill my duty. However, it's just like Edolas; no one knows what course this holy war will take. No one, brother."
Panther Lily put a paw to his chin. 'Something else is hidden within those pages? But…what could it possibly be?'
Over at the Fairy Tail guild hall, Bisca and Asuka were sitting on a stump outside. Asuka had Key of the Starry Heavens in her small hands as she read it, her tiny feet swinging slightly back and forth. Bisca watched her with a silent smile.
"There are my girls," Alzack said as he walked over.
Bisca turned and smiled at him over her shoulder. "Hey, honey."
Alzack leaned over. "What're you reading?"
"She's reading Key of the Starry Heavens," Bisca replied while turning back to Asuka.
"Oh, that's the book she borrowed from the cathedral's library to try and help the guild, right?" Alzack recalled.
Suddenly, Asuka made a confused sound. "What's up, sweety?" Bisca asked.
Asuka closed the book. "That's how it ends?" she asked.
"That was the last page, yes," Bisca answered.
"Is something wrong?" Alzack inquired.
Asuka pouted and shook her head. "I hate this book."
"What? You hate it? But why?" Bisca asked.
Asuka looked at the cover and the small girl painted on the front. "It's got a really weird story."
Inside of the Fairy Tail guild hall, the sound of a metal serving plate and wooden beer mugs hitting the floor caused everyone to turn. Kinana had fallen to her knees as her head hung.
"Kinana! What's wrong?" Wakaba asked in concern.
"Are you okay?" Reedus asked as he kneeled down behind her.
"It's close," she said softly. "It's close!"
"What are you saying?" Reedus asked.
Suddenly, a bright, oozing, glowing purple appeared on Kinana's hands and began to creep up her forearms. Smoke appeared beneath her palms as if the floor were melting from a strange heat. "The end…is within our grasp…," she said with an oddly malicious tone. Her eyes widened as she stared at the floor. "I can hear it…" Her head then whipped up. "I hear…!" And then she fell forward, unconscious.
Macao was quickly beside her and scooped her into his arms. Wakaba puffed on his cigar. "Another one of her fits, huh? How long has it been since the last one?"
"Where's the old master?" Macao asked.
"He's getting healed up in East Forest," Wakaba replied.
"Just great," Macao grumbled. "Now of all times…"
"A…Archbishop! What in the world are you doing?" one of the ministers cried. He had gone to check on the Archbishop who was still bedridden, but was shocked to see the old man standing among thousands of tall candlesticks. He was currently rearranging some of them. "This isn't good for your health!"
"It's close," the Archbishop said, his voice rough as it echoed in the bedchamber. "It's close. Time ticks forward…toward inevitable chaos…" He turned to the minister, a crazed expression on his smirking face. Dark shadows were cast across his wild eyes. "The end will begin! The end!" he laughed.
