Chapter 6
'Thinking' – thoughts
"Speaking" – speech
'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking
"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are property of Hiro Masima.
Amanny: I assume you mean Ultear, and to answer that she will still be involved with Grimoire Heart for certain reasons that will still be explored.
Ssj shadow: For me the first actual opponent in the Fairy Tail story with a reasonable threat level is Jose of Phantom Lord so that is when there will be more difficulty in battles. Hope you agree or understand where I'm coming from in that regard.
-With Gray and Lucy in the tunnel-
"What did you call me 'Ice Freak'?" an annoyed red-haired man of average height asked. He had dark green eyes and spiky red hair. He wore an open white vest with a red shirt underneath, light brown baggy pants and black sandals. His Fairy Tail mark can be seen on his left bicep.
"Come on Haru it was your fault that we fell through the floor," Lucy said while dusting herself off. They heard a muffled sound of someone attempting to speak. When they turned to where the muffled sounds were coming and saw the bottom half of a blue cat.
"Happy," Haru shouted and quickly made his way to his little buddy and pulled him out of the rubble.
"Are you okay little buddy?" Haru asked the blue cat. The cat had a green knapsack around its neck and a green Fairy Tail mark on its back.
"I nearly suffocated," Happy exclaimed. The little blue cat then grew a pair of angel-like wings and flew to sit on top of Haru's head.
"Where are we?" Lucy asked. All they could see in the dark tunnel was a dim light shining from above, which was the hole they fell through, as well as another dim light coming from one end of the tunnel.
"I have no idea. Let's explore," Haru happily shouted and with an "Aye" from happy he started to walk towards the end of the tunnel that had the dim light illuminating it.
"This is serious, how will we complete the mission if we are stuck here?" Gray called out to the red-haired man who instantly stopped in his tracks. Haru turned around and for a second he had a thoughtful look on his face.
"Well, I can't think of anything and by exploring we will find some way out," Haru said after only a second of thinking before continuing on to the light source.
"I guess we have no choice but to follow him," Gray begrudgingly said before heading after Haru who was nearly out of sight.
"Hey, don't leave me here," Lucy shrieked before quickly running after the two boys.
After a minute of walking, Haru emerged into a large open room.
"Wow, hey guys what is that?" Haru asked as he came to a halt and looked at something that was still out of view of Lucy and Gray.
"What, something wrong?" Gray asked as he walked up to Haru. As the group walked into the cavern their eyes grew wide, Lucy and Haru because of the giant monster that was encased in ice and Gray for a much more personal reason.
"That's impossible… It's Deliora… How… How could this happen… Why is it here? What the hell is it doing on Galuna Island?" Gray asked in a mixture of terror and anger as he walked closer to the frozen demon before crouching over in anger and despair.
"You've seen this thing before?" Haru asked in a worried tone.
"Gray calm down, take a deep breath," Lucy said in a calming tone. The two mages were worried about Gray's unusual reaction. Gray shakily stood upright and looked up at the demon.
"Now can you tell us about it?" Lucy asked in a soft tone once Gray seemed to have calmed down a bit.
"That's Deliora, the demon of Destruction. But why is it here, it doesn't make any sense," Gray replied getting angrier once again. Lucy heard footsteps echoing on the walls of one of the tunnels and quickly informed her guildmates to find cover.
"The voices seemed to come from here," Yuka said as he walked into the cavern followed by a lean-built, mildly muscular young man of average height with distinctive animal features. He has a pair of canine ears sitting on his head, a small dark nose and a lower face which is coloured differently from the rest of his body giving him a dog-like appearance. He has shoulder-length straight brown hair and large round eyes with black pupils, he has a tattoo on his right bicep. He only wears a pair of long blue trousers and brown shoes, a black belt to keep his pants up and a dog collar around his neck.
"So Toby have you been exposed to the moon drip, with that animal ears of yours?" Yuka asked Toby while they walked.
"I already told you they are a fashion statement you jerk," Toby shouted back.
"Calm down, I was only teasing," Yuka replied.
'Moon drip, where have I heard that before. And it seems like the dark-haired guy from Fairy Tail has some connection to Deliora, and not a good one at that,' Natsu thought to himself while he listened in on the conversation from the shadows.
"Yuka, Toby something terrible has happened," a pink-haired girl said as she walked into the cavern.
"What now Sherry?" Yuka asked.
"It seems like there are intruders on the Island. My poor Angelica was attacked by someone," Sherry replied.
"Intruders, so it was voices we heard. That might be troublesome," Yuka said as Sherry joined them in front of Deliora.
"I see you are marvelling the view of the demon Deliora," a male voice was heard coming from one of the tunnels.
"Zalty where were you, the 'Cold Emperor' is looking for you," Yuka said after he saw who it was.
"My apologies, I was just strolling around the tunnels and heard voices so I came to see what was going on, seems like it was only you," Zalty replied.
"The 'Cold Emperor' demanded your presence, so in the name of 'Love' I will take you to him," Sherry said.
"Don't you think it would be more beneficial to find those intruders you mentioned, I can't believe that the cold Emperor would be pleased if someone were to interrupt the ritual," Zalty inquired.
"Yes, we must find them before the moon's first light," Sherry said in a voice that made her sound like she was in a trance.
"Agreed, and since they have seen Deliora we can't allow them to live," Yuka said which got a growl of agreement from Toby.
"We will give them the gift of eternal rest… we'll give them 'Love'," Sherry said and held her hand in front of her as if she was praying.
"You're talking about death right?" Toby asked.
"Let's get moving, time is running short," Zalty said and with that, the group left the area.
'That pink-haired girl has some problems with love. I will put my faith in Ultear to ensure that no one is killed until I have finished with things here, now I just need to wait for the Fairy Tail mages to leave,' Natsu thought.
"This job is getting quite complicated with this 'Cold Emperor' guy," Haru said once the coast was clear.
"I wonder if that moon drip thing they mentioned has any connection to the curse affecting the village," Lucy wondered out loud.
"Deliora… I still don't understand what anyone would want with it and how they were even able to find it," Gray said.
"Was it hidden somewhere?" Lucy asked.
"It was sealed away on the Northern Continent in a glacier. A decade ago this immortal demon ravaged Isvar, countless people lost their lives, including my master Ur. She sacrificed everything to seal it away. I don't know if it has anything to do with the curse but it doesn't belong here. This 'Cold Emperor' will regret the day he was born if he tarnishes Ur's legacy," Gray said angrily and let his magic flow out of him chilling the surrounding area.
'Hmm, so the dark-haired guy was one of the students Ultear mentioned. His attitude doesn't imply that he was seen as a son by Ur which confirms my theory that Ur didn't replace Ultear. I need to revive her soon so that I can get the entire story,' Natsu thought as he continued to observe the mages.
"Let me go at it, I'm not afraid of no stupid demon," Haru said as he lit his hand on fire. He was quickly sucker-punched by Gray that sent him to the ground.
"Why did you hit me Gray," Haru asked in anger while rubbing his cheek before quieting down once he saw the rage in Gray's eyes.
"I don't want you or your flames near that ice, if Deliora is free we won't stand a chance against it," Gray said in an angry tone.
"You think a bit of fire will melt that huge chunk of ice?" Haru asked to which Gray only lowered his head and muttering a barely audible "No".
Gray began to explain how Ur cast a spell called 'Iced Shell' and how the ice can't be melted.
"We got to go and stop those guys," Haru said and started making his way to the tunnel that Toby, Sherry, Yuka and Zalty disappeared into.
"Hold up, we can't just go running blindly through the tunnels," Lucy raised her concern.
"No need to worry, I'll just follow my nose," Haru said as he continued to walk. This gained a confused look from Lucy but Gray just shrugged his shoulders before making his way to Haru.
"Haru's Dragon Slayer Magic enhances his sense of smell," Happy told Lucy before flying over and sat on top of Haru's head. Lucy quickly ran to them, not wanting to be left behind.
'Good now that they are gone I can get started,' Natsu thought as he emerged from the shadows. He walked to a spot in front of the frozen demon and sat down in a meditative position.
"Navnikic di wer loex, confn ekess ve vur nurchiili wer stoth shafaer nomeno sepa. Shala nomeno sepa ekess huena tenamalo zhin wer tirnlgi di wer waphir vur wilnilg asta thatheo," Natsu chanted in the ancient language of the Dragons.
This translates to "Spirits of the dead, come to me and undo the lock on this soul. Allow this soul to once again walk the fields of the living and fulfil their destiny."
A swirling portal of purple, grey and black began to grow behind Natsu. From the portal a massive draconic head with six short curved horns that curled out of the side of the head with smaller spikes on them, a nose that ended in a small horn and eyes of violent purple appeared. The eerie purple glow that came from its maw changed the colour of the room slightly.
"My son, you have called upon the powers of the afterlife to aid you in freeing a soul trapped," Draco Mortem, the Death Dragon God and adoptive father of Natsu, said in a deep draconic voice that echoed from the walls.
"Dad," Natsu said with a smile, happy to see his father again.
"I am proud of the man you have become my son and for the deeds you have done in the name of Death you have gained favours, are you prepared to use one of these favours?" Draco asked Natsu, already knowing the answer but the ritual required him to ask anyway.
"I am prepared to turn in one of the favours bestowed upon me," Natsu responded following the ritual.
"Then I, Draco Mortem, Death Dragon God, bestow the powers over a soul on you, Natsu Dragneel, Death Dragon God Slayer and Heir to my throne," Draco declared before breathing out an eerie purple mist that was filled with specs of grey and black. Natsu took a deep breath and inhaled the mist completely.
"Good luck my son, for the trials that await you will be hard but I know you will overcome them," Draco said before retreating into the portal. Once the gigantic Dragonhead was gone the portal shrunk until it completely disappeared.
"Thanks, Dad," Natsu said before closing his eyes Natsu began to concentrate, he visualised the two separate souls that are in the ice, one being Ur, the ice, and the other being Deliora. Taking a deep breath Natsu cast the new spell that was implanted into his memory from when he inhaled the mist from Draco.
"Death Dragon God's Forbidden Sacred Art: Extraction of Lost Souls" Natsu called out. Numerous purple balls of energy began to form all around the cavern. These balls of energy radiated grey and black energy as they floated in the cavern. The orbs then moved to the icy prison of the demon Deliora and completely encased it.
'I hope Ultear manages to keep everyone away from this cavern. This spell seems to drain my energy at an alarming rate, so if trouble comes before I complete the spell there will be trouble,' Natsu thought as he continued to concentrate on preforming the spell.
-With Ultear disguised as Zalty-
"I have arrived 'Cold Emperor', forgive me I was strolling around the tunnels to ensure no one was there. I heard intruders were spotted and I wanted to ensure that there was no one that would stop your grand plan," Zalty said as he walked into the throne room followed by Toby, Sherry and Yuka.
"The sun is nearly down, get ready to perform the ritual," the 'Cold Emperor' ordered as he stood up from his throne and made his way to the stairs that led to the top of the temple. 'How much time do you need Natsu?' Ultear thought.
The group made their way to the top of the temple where a group of robed people were standing.
"' Cold Emperor', we are ready to start the ritual," one of the robed people informed them as they emerged from the temple.
"Good. How long before Deliora is released?" the 'Cold Emperor' asked.
"It should be done either today or tomorrow," Sherry informed.
Zalty looked around the area and spotted a blue tail behind one of the boulders at the edge of the temple roof. 'It seems like a distraction has presented itself,' Ultear mentally smirked.
"' Cold Emperor' I will go search for the intruders, the chanting gives me a headache and I am not needed here to perform the ritual itself," Zalty said to the 'Cold Emperor with a little bow.
"Very well, but do not venture too far, once Deliora is awakened I want everyone to see my magnificence once I defeat it," the 'Cold Emperor' replied, dismissing Zalty. Zalty moved to the staircase with a last look at the area where he saw the blue tail before disappearing into the shadows of the staircase.
"I want you three to go and destroy the village, since they are the only other inhabitants of this Island it must be them who were the intruders. They have interfered in my plans and for that, they must be punished," the 'Cold Emperor' ordered his three most loyal subordinates.
"I have had enough of this sneaking around, we are the intruders, not the villagers," the group heard a shout coming from behind them. When they turned around they saw a red-haired man standing on a boulder and spewing flames into the night sky.
"That mark, they are from Fairy Tail," Sherry commented once she saw the Fairy Tail guild mark on Haru's bicep.
"Don't worry about them, go eradicate the village, they dared stand in my way so they are my enemy," the 'Cold Emperor' said.
"Stop this ceremony right now," Gray shouted as he ran towards the 'Cold Emperor's' group quickly followed by Haru. "Ice-Make: Floor" Gray yelled out as he jumped into the air before slamming his hands on the ground. Ice spread across the floor towards his foes.
The 'Cold Emperor' slammed one of his hands on the ground and without a word ice shot towards Gray's attack. The two attacks collided in the middle of the two groups and both got destroyed.
"Lyon, how could you. Do you have any idea what you are doing?" Gray asked with an angry tone of voice.
"Oh Gray, it's been quite a while hasn't it?" the 'Cold Emperor' or Lyon replied.
"An acquaintance of yours 'Cold Emperor'?" Yuka asked.
"Do as you were ordered. I can handle the intruders myself," Lyon informed his subordinates. They obeyed and quickly made their way towards the stairs, passing Zalty without realising he was still there.
"Haru, Lucy and Happy you go save the villagers. I will deal with Lyon," Gray said before turning towards his fellow student of Ur.
"You think I will allow them to get past me?" Lyon asked as he dropped into a battle stance. "Ice Male: Eagle" Lyon shouted out and formed a flock of icy eagles that flew towards Haru, Lucy and Happy. "Ice-Make: Shield" a flower-like shield manifested itself in front of the three mages, protecting them from the icy attack.
"Go now, I will be fine," Gray yelled. The other three Fairy Tail mages gave him a nod and ran to the stairs to stop the destruction of the village. Zalty made sure he wasn't spotted by the Fairy Tail mages and as soon as they were out of sight he sneaked to a vantage point where he will be able to interfere with the ritual as he pleased and cause damage that would be seen as collateral as to not raise suspicion.
"I see you still don't understand the value of allies in a fight, Gray," Lyon said as he saw the Fairy Tail mages disappear from view.
"Cut the superiority act, Lyon. We aren't Ur's students anymore," Gray replied.
"I am well aware of that fact," Lyon said as he took off his mask and revealed his blueish silver hair, most of which are spiky strands that jut upwards on top of his head, except for some which are kept pointing down and partially cover the upper left part of his face. He has slanted eyes with dark round pupils and small linear dark eyebrows.
"Our beloved teacher is no longer of this world," Lyon continued.
"Are you really going to destroy our master's legacy by releasing that monster?" Gray asked angrily.
"Don't fool yourself, you are the one who killed our master when you didn't head our warnings, if only you would have listened to us and didn't go after Deliora she would still be alive," Lyon said shocking Gray.
"How dare you speak her name," Lyon shouted and blasted Gray with a beam of ice. Gray flew into a nearby boulder.
"Lyon…" Gray said as he got up. It was clear that he was shaken from the accusation Lyon made and the attack hat hurt him.
"Don't tell me the guilt is finally getting to you. Don't interfere, whether you like it or not Deliora is being revived," Lyon threatened.
"I won't let you," Gray declared with defiance in his voice and eyes.
"Just like old-time then, but I must warn you, I have gotten much stronger," Lyon boasted before calling out "Ice-Make: Eagle" spawning icy eagles from his extended hand and sending them towards Gray.
Gray placed his right fist into his left palm and called out "Ice-Make: Shield". The shield that formed blocked some of the eagles but most of them flew past the shield and turned in on Gray and struck him. Zalty took this chance to do some damage to the ritual site that could be seen as collateral. He brought out his crystal ball and sent it flying. It collided with one of the cloaked cultists that were preforming the ritual knocking them out before zapping back to Zalty's hand and out of sight.
"My dynamic Ice-Make magic far surpasses your static Ice-Make magic," Lyon boasted with a cocky attitude.
Gray slammed his fist into his palm once again and called out his next attack, "Ice-Make: Hammer". A large hammer made of ice formed above Lyon and fell down towards him. "Ice-Make: Ape" Lyon countered creating a giant ice ape that took the attack for him. Both icy constructs shattered and Zalty once again took the chance to take out another cloaked cultist.
While Gray and Lyon traded blows and arguing about how Lyon's one-handed Ice-Make magic is unrefined and unstable while Gray's two-handed Ice-Make magic is subpar to the apparent superior one-handed form. Zalty took every chance he could to take out once cultist after another.
"Ice-Make: Geyser" Gray called out one of his most powerful spells and encased Lyon in ice. Lyon however easily managed to break the ice apart shocking Gray.
"Nothing has changed, I was always the superior student," Lyon said before raising his hand and calling out his most powerful attack, "Ice-Make: Snow Dragon". A serpentine ice dragon came out of the ground and crashed into Gray sending him flying. Zalty took this last attack as his opportunity to knock the last cultist unconscious.
"I will surpass Ur by defeating Deliora, the one thing she couldn't vanquish. My dream of surpassing her will finally become reality," Lyon said with an insane glint in his eyes.
"You want to free that thing that destroyed our youth just to prove how strong you are? Please you can't do this," Gray begged.
"That was exactly what we said to you on that fateful day, but did you listen. I can't stand you even saying her name in my presence. Begone," Lyon shouted in anger and released multiple attacks on Gray without his being able to protect himself, sending him flying off the temple. Zalty used this chance to move back to the stairs unnoticed.
"I see you went a little overboard with your battle 'Cold Emperor'," Zalty said as he emerged from the stairs acting like he just arrived and indicating to the unconscious cultists.
"This will delay the revival of Deliora. Ensure they are ready for tomorrow," Lyon simple said, gesturing to the cultists before heading back to his throne room since the ritual can't continue tonight.
"Of course 'Cold Emperor'," Zalty replied with a small bow. Once Lyon was out of sight Zalty let out an annoyed sigh and transformed back into Ultear. 'I hope this was enough time Natsu,' she thought before glancing at the cultists and scoffing.
Ultear made her way back down to Deliora's cavern since she wanted to see how Natsu was doing. "I hope he is doing fine… Not that I care about him, no, just that he is reviving my mother, yes that…' Ultear thought as her cheeks heated up into a blush when she thought about Natsu.
As she neared the cavern she was surprised not to see the regular blue glow coming from the cavern and instead she saw a purple glow. She slowly moved forward keeping to the shadows. As she peeked in she saw that it was only Natsu in the cavern and it looked like he was meditating. The ice around Deliora was shining the same purple that illuminated the cavern.
"Coming to check up on me?" Natsu asked keeping his eyes closed and not moving from his position. 'How does he always know when I'm here?' Ultear mentally asked herself.
"I have my ways, and before you ask, no, I can't read your mind," Natsu said shocking Ultear that he knew what she was thinking.
"How long will this take?" Ultear asked opting not to try and get him to tell her how he knew she was there.
"Still a long way to go, It's hard to pull the fragments of a soul together that was scattered around the vast oceans of the world. But I should be done by tomorrow night," Natsu said. It was when he said this that Ultear looked down at the base of the icy prison and saw that the gentle streams were also coloured purple.
"You mean the parts that we already melted had some of my mother soul in them?" Ultear asked feeling guilt at helping the lunatic Lyon basically kill her mother.
"You were not aware that she could be saved so don't beat yourself up," Natsu said with a soothing tone to his voice.
"Is there anything I can do to help," Ultear asked. She genuinely wanted to help but she wasn't sure what she could possibly do.
"All I ask of you is that no one disturbs me and please ensure that the idiot that believes he can defeat the demon of Destruction doesn't end up killing anyone," Natsu requested.
"I'll do my best," Ultear replied and leaned down next to him. She hovered with her face almost touching his and just admired his facial features, scar and all.
"You going to stare at me all night or are you going to prevent any life from being taken today?" Natsu asked with a sly grin forming on his face. Ultear recoiled at him knowing she was staring and was happy he had his eyes closed and couldn't see her blush.
"Good luck out there and stay safe," Natsu said with a serious tone. Ultear was about to leave but for a reason unbeknownst to her she leaned done once again but this time she placed a soft kiss on Natsu's cheek.
"Please bring my mother back," Ultear whispered to Natsu before standing up and making her way out of the cavern. Natsu lifted his and touched the place Ultear kissed him and smiled before dropping his hand and concentrating on his task once again.
As Ultear made her way out of the Temple she saw and unconscious Gray lying on the ground. 'I guess this is what he meant by not letting anyone die tonight,' Ultear thought. She used some basic telepathy magic to pick Gray up and moved him through the forest towards the village.
-In the village with Lucy and Haru-
"Where are those freaks, we have been waiting for ages," Haru complained. Haru, Lucy and Happy had arrived at the village out of breath but prepared for battle only to find that the Demonoid villagers were peacefully enjoying the night time. The curse of Galuna Island caused its inhabitants to transform into demons when the purple moon rose in the sky. They had been waiting for so long that it must have been midnight at this point. They then heard someone calling out from the other side of the village walls.
"Whose there?" Lucy called but there was no answer. She looked at Haru with a questioning gaze but he just shrugged his shoulders.
"Happy can you fly up and see if it is those weirdoes at the gates please?" Haru asked the blue cat. Happy took off with an "Aye". After a few seconds, Happy came speeding down with a wild look on his face.
"It's Gray and he is hurt," Happy said with worry filling his voice.
"Quick, open the gates and get some medical supplies," Lucy called out. One of the Demonoid villagers ran to one of the huts to get supplies while Haru and Lucy rushed out the now open gates to retrieve Gray.
'Good they will treat him, now the only thing left is for me to stick around here to ensure no one dies. I wonder where the three stooges are,' Ultear thought while hiding in a nearby tree that overlooked the village. While Gray was being treated by the village healer another villager looked up into the sky.
"What is that?" the villager called out while pointing up into the night sky.
"Is that a giant flying rat?" Lucy asked in complete disbelief. I the night sky was the unmistakable silhouette of a giant rat with three small figures on its back, holding a large bucket and flying by using its tail as a propeller.
'I guess that answers that. But what is in that bucket that the disgusting rat is carrying. Seriously, what is wrong with that girl, love-obsessed and she has a giant pet rat, just weird,' Ultear shivered at the thought of the rat in maid uniform.
Ultear saw a drop of the content of the large bucket falling down to the tree she was in as the rat flew over her position. The green jelly-like substance fell on one of the nearby branches and much to Ultear's horror she realised the jelly was very deadly and corrosive as the branch was vaporised as soon as it came in contact with the jelly.
'Those idiots have a massive bucket filled with this stuff?' Ultear thought in disbelief. Ultear saw the rat swing the bucket and threw the entirety of the content in an arc that would cover the whole village. Screams of terror erupted from the village as they also saw what a drop could do before the bucket was emptied.
"Everyone to the centre of the village," Haru's call could be heard by Ultear and as she looked to where the shout came from she saw the red-haired man being carried into the air by a blue-winged cat. "Fire Dragon: Brilliant Flame" Haru called out and ignited both his hands on fire and once he brought them together he threw the massive ball up into the air.
'He wants to vaporise some of the jelly so that the villagers don't get hit. But the power he has won't quite fit the bill,' Ultear realised. "Flash Forward" Ultear called out and sent the orb she kept on her at all times towards the jelly. The orb split into numerous copies of itself, representing all 'possible futures' the orb had.
The lightshow created by Haru's fire spell prevented anyone from seeing Ultear's spell but the combined power of the two attacks managed to disperse the jelly blob leaving the centre of the village untouched but everything surrounding the area where the villagers were corroded away.
'All the villagers are safe, good. Wait since when have I cared about others… What are you doing to me, Natsu?' Ultear thought to herself reflecting on how for the first time in her life she was actually worried about collateral damage. 'I don't know how but it seems like you brought out some of the humanity that I locked away for years. You are one special guy Natsu,' Ultear had a mental conversation with herself.
"The 'Cold Emperor' ordered us to eradicate the village and its people. We were trying to show mercy by making your deaths quick and painless, but since that didn't work we will have to resort to bloodshed," Sherry said as she walked over to the group of villagers and mages. Flanking her on either side was Toby and Yuka with her pet rat, Angelica standing tall behind them.
"You ready?" Haru asked his guildmate while settling into his fighting stance.
"Yeah, I'll just let the villager know to go find shelter and to take Gray with them," Lucy replied and quickly walked over to where the villagers were huddled up and where Gray was still lying unconscious.
"Please take care of our friend and find shelter," Lucy asked the nearest villager.
"Sure thing Miss Lucy. All right let's go," the villager called out while picking up Gray and leading the rest of the villagers to a safe location.
"We are not leaving until every person in this village is dead, Angelica," Sherry said before mounting her rat which took off with its tail propeller and flew over Haru's head in the direction of the villagers.
"We're not going to let you get away with this," Lucy yelled as she grabbed hold of one of the rat's hind claws. She was carried away and all that Ultear could see is that the rat fell out of the sky some way off.
"I'll go and check on her," Happy said as he summoned his wings and flew off. This left Haru to deal with Toby and Yuka. "The blond should be able to handle the 'Love' girl so I will stay here to assist the pink-haired boy,' Ultear decided, still hiding in her vantage point.
Haru dashed forward and delivered a devastating head-butt to Toby and as he flipped called out, "Fire Dragon's Roar" and spew out a massive amount of fire at Yuka. As the flames began to thin out however Yuka seemed to be untouched and a blue bubble was surrounding him, redirecting the remaining flames around him.
"Toby, you stay back. You don't need to get involved, I will deal with this pest myself," Yuka said to his partner. He extended his hand towards Natsu with his palm facing to the side and called out "Wave". A blue energy came out of his hand and sped towards Haru. The sudden attack caught him off guard and he tumbled away from the debris of the attack hitting the ground around his feet.
Haru retaliated with a quick "Fire Dragon's Roar" that was once again countered by Yuka's Wave barrier.
"The wave energy that pulses from my hand defuses all types of magic, which means none of your spells can hit me," Yuka boasted about his seemingly impenetrable defences.
'Anti-wizard magic, a wise choice. Sadly there is a flaw in his thought process,' Ultear thought as she spectated the battle.
Haru dashed forward with a call of "Fire Dragon Iron Fist" but as he tried to punch Yuka his attack was deflected by the wave barrier into the ground causing a large amount of rocks and pebbles to shoot in all direction due to the power behind the blow. Ultear used this gap to send her orb barrelling into Yuka's stomach so that it would seem like it was one of the rocks from Haru's attacks' impact.
Yuka was sent tumbling back due to the force of Ultear's attack. Toby took this chance to strike, deciding that he can easily land a hit on Haru since he was distracted. "Paralysis Claw: Mega Jellyfish" Toby called out as his fingernails elongated, turning them sharp and green.
Ultear saw that Haru was preoccupied with Yuka and advanced the time of the rocks under Toby's feet, turning them into dust and causing Toby to fall over, landing on his claws and paralysing himself. "That should help the pink-haired Fairy out. Now I should probably see if the blond is still alive. This guy's power far surpasses Yuka's so he will be fine on his own from here on,' Ultear thought as she quickly and stealthily made her way to where she saw the rat crash.
As Ultear neared the location she believed the battle would take place at she saw Sherry on a giant rock doll chasing Lucy around. 'What the?' Ultear tried to make sense of the scene but just couldn't.
Thinking quickly Ultear advanced the time of the rocks that made up the doll's legs causing it to stumble and nearly miss Lucy as it brought its hands down. Lucy tumbled back towards a cliff edge due to the tremor the falling doll caused. The cliff edge crumbled under the weight of the doll causing it, Lucy and Sherry to tumble down into the ocean below.
Lucy broke the surface of the water and got a brilliant idea. "Open Gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius" Lucy called out as she pulled out the key and put the front end into the water.
A mini water tornado spurted from the water and once the water fell back into the ocean it revealed a beautiful mermaid with a long blue fishtail, light blue hair that reached her waist, a large bust and deep blue eyes. She wore a dark blue bikini top and a pair of golden armlets and bracelets on each arm. She has a headband, three piercings on her tail and a golden belt around her waist and light blue crystal earrings. Finally, she has a dark blue tattoo of the Aquarius zodiac sign right under her collarbone. She wields an urn that acts as the basis of her water magic.
"Marionette attack" Sherry called out as she extended her hand towards Aquarius.
"You are now under my command. I already told you, my marionette attack can take control of any spirit you can summon, might as well send her back," Sherry said to Aquarius then turning to Lucy to taunt her while giving her a victorious smirk.
"No, Aquarius is still my ace in the hole," Lucy replied and stared at Sherry in defiance.
"Aquarius, get rid of this stupid girl once and for all," Sherry commanded the Water Bearer.
"I was already planning on it," Aquarius said angrily before gathering up streams of water in her urn. As she swung her urn a massive tidal wave formed and crashed onto the beaches of Galuna Island.
"Good job Aquarius… Wait not me too," Sherry said before letting out a terrified shriek as the water consumed not only Lucy but her as well. After the initial impact, the water built up into a massive water cyclone. The poor girls were spinning much to Aquarius' and Ultear's amusement.
'I guess I am not needed here then,' Ultear thought as she struggled to keep in her laughter. She was about to leave and return to Natsu when she saw Aquarius looking directly at her. The two was in a little stare off for a few seconds before Aquarius shrugged and vanished back to the Celestial Spirit World.
The last thing Ultear heard was the petty squabbled of the two dizzy girls as she decided to make her way back to the temple. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the giant rat jump high into the air, presumably to squash Lucy. Ultear turned around only to see ablur of red and silver dashing inform of the rat and the next thing she knew none other than Erza 'Titania' Scarlet was standing there in front of the defeated rat.
'I honestly don't know if I should interfere here. On the one hand, they are guildmates so the blond girl's life shouldn't be in danger but on the other hand, this is the 'Titania' we're talking about,' Ultear pondered her question for a while, making sure she stayed out of view.
Ultear missed the conversation the two women on the beach had but when she returned her attention back she saw Erza holding a sword towards Lucy. She was prepared to interfere but waited to see how this played out. The meeting she, Erza and Natsu had at the council meeting showed her that the mighty 'Titania' is all too ready to threaten someone at sword point.
"The three of you have betrayed Master Makarov, you will be lucky to come out of his punishment with your lives," Erza threatened with a dark glare in her eyes. Ultear decided that the blond will be safe for the time being. Erza was a sucker for rules and thus she won't touch the three mages until Makarov has dealt with them, meaning Ultear can leave here and not fear that she would let Natsu down by allowing someone to die.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I focused on Ultear and her movements in this chapter because all Natsu is doing currently is performing a very complicated spell and let's be honest it would be quite boring if I try and write and few thousand words on what he is doing. Thank you to all who participated in the poll I have some really fun ideas for a story that I will release after one of my current ones end. So the next chapter will probably cover Ur's revival and the events leading up to that. I will see you next time.