Chapter 21
'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.
NinjaFang1331:Thank you very much.
Unlimited Fic Works: Navis is a great ship, but I want to use Zevis in this story, maybe a future story will have Navis. Thanks for the review.
Aadam Karim-Lodhi: I like your suggestion of the relationship between Mavis and Natsu, as for his knowledge of Zeref, let's just say not yet. I haven't exactly decided on how strong Natsu would be compared to Gildarts but it will be close at the very least, maybe higher, but that will wait until I bring the big man into the story. As for his ageing, I will see exactly how I want to dive into it once the Tenrou arc comes around or after that. Glad you liked the scythe.
mauricio11: Hope I didn't disappoint in the fight. Natsu isn't completely done with Bickslow at the moment ut at the end of this chapter more pressing matter needs his attention so I will revisit the topic a bit later on.
Vincent blames: Sorry for the long wait my friend, here is the next chapter.
-In Kardia Cathedral-
"I guess you have the same question as I do. Who is the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail? Eh Mystogan?" Laxus asked with a grin as the masked man materialised inside the mist.
"You should not underestimate the power Erza holds," Mystogan calmly replied.
"She might have some admirable power, but compared to us she is still weak," Laxus said with a cocky smirk. If it wasn't for Mystogan achieving S-Class rank the year after him he wouldn't have even recognised the Mystogan ass a powerful foe.
"If you think she is weak you are either blind or ignorant, whichever it might be you are still forgetting about a certain member that dwarfs both of us in terms of power," Mystogan said in his calm and even tone.
"That guy isn't a wizard, he's a monster, but he isn't even here so it's just you and me," Laxus said with his grin still present on his face as lighting stated crackling around him.
"I will agree on you with that at the very least," Mystogan replied with a sigh as he moved his right hand to one of the staves on his back. Mystogan had to dodge a bolt of lightning that came for his head. As he rolled out of the way he pulled a staff from his back and swiped it in an arc towards Laxus. A blue wave of energy was emitted from the staff but Laxus jumped up high to avoid the attack.
"Seems like your reflexes are sharp there Mystogan, or should I say…" Laxus said with a smirk as he landed before his smirk turned malicious at the end. He couldn't finish his thought because he had to lean backwards to avoid the staff that Mystogan had jabbed at him. Quickly retreating to a safe distance Laxus' grin grew.
"Seems like I struck a nerve, normally you are so calm and collected," Laxus commented as he coated his fist with lightning.
"Tell me, how do you know about that?" Mystogan asked as he jammed the staff in his hand into the floor while reaching for another one.
"How about I tell you if you defeat me," Laxus said before he dashed forward and calling out "Lightning Fist". Mystogan grabbed a staff from his back and met Laxus' fist with the staff. "Pulsing Wind" Mystogan called out as a blast of air originated from the staff he used to block Laxus' attack.
"That's the spirit, it wouldn't really mean that much if I defeat you when you are acting all angry and not thinking," Laxus said with a laugh. "Lightning Rain" Laxus called out as he raised his hand and brought it back down causing multiple bolts of lightning to rush down to Mystogan's location.
"Light and Dark Resonate: Conflicting Shield" Mystogan called out as he stabbed the staff he had in the ground and pulling two more from his back and crossed them above his head. A barrier that was swirling with light and dark magic formed above him and blocked the 'Lightning Rain'.
"Let's dance," Laxus said as he saw Mystogan making his way around him. "Lightning Body" Laxus called out and transformed into a bolt of lightning and zipped to the other side of Mystogan. Mystogan stabbed his staves into the ground and pulled the last one from his back.
"Heat Wave" Mystogan called out and swiped the staff in front of the lightning Laxus. Waves of fire sprouted from the staff and followed Laxus. "Crashing Bolt" Laxus called out as he slammed into the ground where Mystogan was moments before.
"Good idea to dodge that, but where did all your staves go?" Laxus taunted as he saw Mystogan had stabbed all of hi staved into the ground and now he didn't have any left.
"Seems like you are a bit slow Laxus," Mystogan said as he held his hand on top of one another with each index and middle finger pointing at the opposite elbow. "Pentagram Circle: Downfall of the Elements" Mystogan said as each staff he stabbed into the ground began glowing a colour that represented an element. Blue water, red fire, bright yellow light, dark purple dark and light green air.
Laxus' eyes widened as he silently cursed himself for not noticing Mystogan planting all of his staves around him in a pattern. Each of the glowing staves shot a beam of energy of their respective colour towards one another before the entire area between all of them was bombarded with a combination of light, dark, water, fire and air magic.
"I guess I underestimated you, should have known you wouldn't waste any movements," Laxus said with a chuckle from within the dust cloud that was a result of the attack. As the dust cleared Laxus could be seen with cuts in his shirt and his cape had flown off and a few bruises on his body.
"Observation is one of the most important aspects of a battle," Mystogan said as all five of his staves flew back to his hands. He planted each staff into the ground in front of him and looked back at Laxus with a levelled gaze.
"Allow me to return the favour," Laxus said as he chanted "Lightning Body" and appeared in front of Mystogan with his fist cocked back and a malicious grin on his face.
"Too slow," Mystogan said as he called out his spell "Five Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song". Five magic circles of varying sizes formed above Laxus as a beam of light purple light shone down on him.
"Is that what you think?" Laxus asked as a yellow magic circle formed beneath Mystogan and sparks began to dance on the ground at the mysterious mage's feet. "Rising Thunder" Laxus called out with a laugh as Mystogan's attack came down on him while a mass of lightning exploded from the ground beneath Mystogan.
'How is it that he became so strong?' Mystogan questioned himself as he felt the pain running through his body thanks to Laxus' attack. "The dark waves bind you, Dark Water's Binding" Mystogan called out as two of his staves started glowing and black watery tendrils erupted from the ground around Laxus.
"Now who's the slow one," Laxus called out from behind Mystogan in his 'Lightning Body'. "Lightning Fist" Laxus called out as he slammed a lightning covered fist into Mystogan's back. He was surprised when Mystogan evaporated into mist.
"Not as slow as you thought," Mystogan said as he appeared on the other side of the room.
"You know that 'Mist Double' is quite annoying, but I can deal with them without much trouble," Laxus said with a smirk.
"Do you think I can only create one double, you are sorely mistaken," Mystogan said as he called out "Mist Double" before a mist veil covered the area. Laxus released a pulse of magic that quickly cleared the mist only to be met by six Mystogans.
"I said that I can deal with your doubles without much trouble, and a few more makes no difference," Laxus said. "Voltage Overload" Laxus called out as multiple bolts of electricity exploded from his body, hitting all of the Mystogans around him. A pained grunt confirmed that he also connected with the real Mystogan.
"Seems like I'm the winner," Laxus said with a grin as he slowly walked towards Mystogan who was crouching over. "Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction! Raging Bolt" Laxus called out as he closed in on Mystogan and a large bolt of lightning descended down on Mystogan.
"Re-quip: Lightning Empress Armour", "Fire Dragon Wing Attack", two spells were heard being called out as the bolt of lightning descended on Fairy Tail's most elusive mage. A combination of a long spear with a very large blade and a decorated circle resembling a shield and two whips made of fire intercepted the bolt and dispersed it.
Erza was dressed in gold and light blue armour consisting of a breastplate decorated with golden trims, a thin plate surrounding her neck, pauldrons are composed of two plates one over the other, with the top ones each sporting a prominent protrusion, gauntlets covering her arms and a decorated cloth hanging down from the breastplate. Haru and Erza stood at the entrance of Kardia Cathedral with their hard gazes focused on the lightning mage.
"It's over Laxus, surrender now and your punishment might be lessened," Erza said as she pointed her spear at him. Mystogan looked behind him and his eyes fell on Erza. 'This isn't good, even though the blows I traded with Laxus hadn't decided the outcome of this battle yet, a mind in turmoil always leads to a swift defeat. I'll have to be extra cautious around her' Mystogan thought.
-With Bickslow-
Bickslow couldn't understand why he was still alive. He saw the look of rage and felt the killing intent coming of the monster of a man that was in front of him. One moment he was seeing the silhouette of a demon that was moments away from ending his life, and then he left something coming down next to him with so much force that his entire world became one massive cloud of dust.
"If you don't answer my question without resistance, the next breath you take will be your last," a voice as cold as death itself sounded from above him. He could feel the cold stone of the building roof on his back but they felt as warm as Haru's flames compared to that voice.
"Where did you obtain those souls," the voice demanded as two glowing purple eyes pierced through the cloud of dust. The dust cleared but that did little to reveal any noticeable features of the demon standing over him except for those violent purple eyes.
"What is your deal with my babies anyway?" Bickslow choked out in a high pitched voice that surprised him. He never felt this weak before in his life, not even when that happened.
"Death Dragon's Forbidden Art: Soul Rend" the demon's voice sounded as the world of dust was replaced by a swirling mass of purple and grey. Bickslow could feel his own soul being pulled at. 'What is this monster trying to do, steal my soul?' Bickslow thought in a panic.
Moments before his soul was completely ripped from his body the pained screams from his babies could be heard. Bickslow's eyes widened in panic as he felt the control he had over his babies lessen and disappear. The mass of purple and grey energy dissipated to reveal a pink-haired man dressed in black and grey standing over him with five glowing souls hovering above his hand. This was the same man he faced in battle moments ago, the same man he met at Shirotsume Town. This was 'Death Walker'.
"No, give them back," Bickslow shouted with desperation in his voice as he saw his babies being taken away from him. 'I can't fail them like this,' Bickslow thought.
"The souls of the dead are not yours to toy with. After I aid these souls in moving on to the afterlife I will deal with you," Natsu said in an icy cold voice as he slammed his scythe into the ground next to Bickslow.
"Si, deevdru di marfedelom nif vi donoap ekess wer afterlife ekess origato nomenoi sepa ssifisv," Natsu chanted in a language Bickslow never heard before as a swirling portal of grey black and purple opened up in front of him.
"No you can't do take them away, I still need to fulfil my promise to them," Bickslow shouted in desperation. He didn't know what the portal was or exactly where it led, but he knew there it was somewhere that souls go to rest judging by the insane amounts of souls he could sense coming from within.
"No, we don't want to go," the voices of Bickslow's babies sounded from the glowing souls in Natsu's hands. A frown formed on Natsu's face as he heard this, normally souls don't oppose one who takes them to the afterlife.
"For what reason would you not want to pass on from this life?" Natsu asked the souls as he narrowed his eyes.
"D-don't know…" the souls replied in confusion.
"If you don't give me the reason as to why these souls are unaware of why they wish to stay and the reason as to why you kept them in this plane I will send your soul to damnation for interfering with the souls of the dead," Natsu said with anger in his voice as he turned to Bickslow.
"That isn't something I want to talk about," Bickslow said in a soft tone as he looked to the side, avoiding Natsu's gaze. Bickslow's eyes widened as he felt a sharp blade at his throat.
"That was not a question," Natsu said as he allowed his magical power to run wild around him. The rubble from the side of the building that was sliced off started to rise and a black and grey cloud formed above them while purple lightning-like sparks struck from the cloud.
"All right, all right," Bickslow quickly said in a terrified voice as he lifted his hands up in defeat. As Natsu reigned his power back in Bickslow let out a sigh and looked down at his feet.
"It was twelve years ago, I was part of an orphanage in a small town. We were six kids there in total with me being the oldest. We were all very close, like brothers and sister. One day I woke up to find the entire place burning. I tried to find the other kids but…" Bickslow said but trailed off as tears fell from his face.
"Big bro…" one of the souls said in a timid voice. Bickslow's head snapped up and stared directly at the souls still in Natsu's hand.
"Do you remember anything?" Natsu asked the soul while still keeping her piercing gaze on Bickslow.
"Yes… No… I don't know…" the souls said with confusion filling its voice. A frown formed on Natsu's face once again.
"Continue," Natsu said to Bickslow.
"Uhm…" Bickslow tried to start again but couldn't find his voice, tears brimming in his eyes as he looked at the souls with a look of loss and defeat.
"Continue," Natsu said in a more stern voice.
"Sorry. I tried to find them but I was too late… They were still alive but barely," Bickslow said after taking a deep breath to calm down a bit while dropping his eyes to his hands.
"That was when I got my magic… I cried out their names… Jack, Shelly, Kate, Marty and little Gina," Bickslow said in a weak voice. As he said each name Natsu saw the souls flash a bit brighter for a second. A sympathetic look wormed its way into his eyes.
"They told me that they didn't want to leave me, they told me that they wanted to go on all the adventures we planned. That was when five of Gina's tiki totems started levitating. One totem went to each kid and rested down on their chests…When this happened I had Gina in my arms, she smiled up at me… it was such a weak smile yet so innocent and pure, she said 'Your eyes are glowing green, it's so pretty'. That was the last words my little family said…" Bickslow continued as a sob shook him.
Bickslow was surprised when he felt a gentle hand resting on his shoulder and even more surprised when he saw the woman he was fighting giving him a sympathetic look. Natsu wasn't surprised by Ultear's appearance since he was aware that she was listening to the story the entire time. The thing that was bothering him though was that while Bickslow was telling his story about lost siblings Natsu felt some sort of familiarity with the subject and even if he was wearing a neutral expression his mind was racing in an attempt to figure out exactly why he was feeling some familiarity with no answers, unfortunately.
"That was when they passed on, but I still heard their voices, it took me a good hour before I realised it wasn't just in my head and their voices came from the tiki totems. From there I began experimenting with my magic. I never tried to take someone else's soul, just playing around with my siblings… even though they changed a bit they were still there with me," Bickslow said with a nostalgic smile on his face but the sorrow and pain from retelling his past still present.
Ultear turned her gaze at Natsu with a look that asked, 'This is your call, and I'll accept whatever you decide'. Natsu gave her a quick smile before he turned a hard gaze towards the souls in his hand.
"I will allow you to make a decision here and now, but know that if you don't enter the afterlife now your souls will be bound to his for eternity," Natsu said.
"We want to stay with big bro," The souls all said in unison without hesitation. Natsu moved his other hand towards the portal he opened and closed it by absorbing its energy. A light purple glow emanated around his hand as he brought his hands together.
"Si, deevdru di marfedelom shala nomenoi sepa ekess reside mrith nomeno munthrek, origato astahi qe bound ihk tiselaiw," Natsu said in the same language he used before he opened the portal. The light purple glow fused with the greenish glow of the souls and Bickslow was covered in the same glow. A howl of pain erupted from Bickslow as he fell to the ground and curled up in agony.
"What's happening to him?" Ultear asked in a curious tone.
"He is feeling the pain these souls went through. His soul will be eternally liked to theirs after this if he survives," Natsu said as he kept his gaze on Bickslow.
"He can die from this?" Ultear asked. She didn't care that much for the survival of this man, the only reason she felt some sympathy for him is because she could relate to him losing his family as a child.
"If his soul is too weak and his resolve falters the pain will overcome him and he will die," Natsu confirmed. Natsu stood there without moving and Ultear didn't see any reason to go somewhere else. She wasn't a stranger to pained screams considering what she did for most her life.
The pained screams from Bickslow started to lessen and eventually fade away. He was now on his hack and looking up at the sky.
"Please tell me that I'm seeing things and that isn't a dark comet looking thing falling towards us," Bickslow said in a hoarse voice. Natsu and Ultear looked up to indeed see a mass of darkness magic falling towards them.
Natsu quickly pulled Ultear close to him before picked up his scythe and as the comet-like thing approached he hooked whatever was in the middle and redirected it to crash into the building instead of hitting all of them and levelling the entire structure.
-At Kardia Cathedral-
"Punishment, I'm just playing a game here Erza," Laxus laughed at Erza's threat.
"You forced the entire guild to fight one another as if they were enemies," Erza shouted enraged. She pulled her spear back as light blue lightning began gathering around the part that looked like a shield.
"If that is how they fight enemies, then no wonder the guild is seen as weak," Laxus said gaining a more serious persona.
"They are not weak, they know what is right unlike you," Erza shouted before thrusting her spear forwards while calling out "Lightning Beam". A beam of blue lightning rushed towards Laxus.
"Maybe I'll let you guys in on a little secret," Laxus said with a smirk as the lightning approached him. While his statement slightly confused the three mages he was facing his next action utterly surprised them, one more than the rest.
Once the lightning reached him Laxus opened his mouth and inhaled. The beam of lightning made its way towards Laxus' open mount and he ate it.
"No way…" Erza said in shock.
"That can't be," Haru said in disbelief.
"Things just got a whole lot worse," Mystogan said as he readied his staves.
"Are you afraid of this power, are you going to turn tail and run or are you going to face me to see just how strong I truly am. This is the level of strength Fairy Tail should reach if the leadership was better" Laxus said with a cocky smirk.
"You are a Dragon Slayer, and you never said anything?" Haru asked in anger as his blood started boiling as his rage built up. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist" Haru called out as he sprinted at Laxus with a fire coated fist.
"Where are the Dragons?" Haru shouted as he threw a fire encased fist at Laxus. "Lightning Dragon Iron Hammer" Laxus called out as he slammed a lightning engulfed fist into the ground. Before Haru could land his punch a torrent of lightning exploded from the ground and engulfed the Fire Dragon Slayer.
"I wasn't raised by a Dragon kid," Laxus said without any malicious intent in his voice or even any aggression. It was just a simple statement. His tone, however, went unnoticed by Erza as she only saw Haru being engulfed in lightning before calling out "Flame Empress Sword". The spear in her hand disappeared and was replaced by a large dark red sword with a sliver of black in the middle and an orange handguard.
"Flame Wave" Erza called out as she sent a wave of fire towards the Lightning encased Haru. A slurping noise came from where Erza sent the fire before they heard Haru's voice call out "Fire Dragon Roar". A vortex of fire rushed towards Laxus who quickly activated his 'Lightning Body' to dodge the attack.
"Let me show you a real Dragon Roar," Laxus said as he reared back and gathered a mass of lightning in his mouth. "Lightning Dragon Roar" Laxus called out as a massive torrent of lightning exploded from his mouth and sped towards Haru and Erza. "Three Layered Magic Circle: Mirror Water" Mystogan called out, creating three magic circles that were close together in front of Haru and Erza.
As soon as Laxus' lightning attack connected with Mystogan's magic circles they tilted upwards a bit and released the massive torrent of lightning into the roof of the cathedral.
"Smart not to return that attack right back at me," Laxus said with a smirk.
"Striking an enemy with an attack that would only fuel their power is an undesirable outcome," Mystogan said in a quiet tone as he held two staves out in front of him, one glowing green and the other blue. "Wild Winds and Violent Waves: Typhoon" Mystogan called out his attack. From the two staves in his hands, a devastating vortex of wind and water rushed towards Laxus.
"Lightning Dragon Breakdown Fist" Laxus called out in response to Mystogan's attack. He gathered a large amount of lightning around one fist before extending his arm forward in a punching motion. A massive fist completely composed of lightning crashed into the typhoon. In the battle of power, neither attack gave away.
"Fire Dragon Roar" Haru called out and added his own firepower to the mix, aiding Mystogan. As Laxus' attack was being pushed back he let out an enraged roar and increasing the output of his attack even more, once again causing a power struggle without a winner.
"Re-quip: Morning Star Armour" Erza called out as a golden light surrounded her. Once the light died down it revealed Erza in a plain white one-piece suit with a pair of matching metal arm guards and large bolded knee guards over a pair of high heel armoured greaves. The pauldrons and waist guard are composed of an orange and yellow leather-like material. The pauldrons have a wing-like appearance and white wings protruding from the centre of the shoulder guard. Erza's hair is styled in tangled buns on top of her head and she wears a silver choker with a reddish-pink gem, completing the armour.
"Photon Slicer" Erza called out as she brought the two swords together lengthwise and pointing the tips towards Laxus. From the swords, a blast of energy emitted and combined with the power Haru and Mystogan were putting in their attacks they managed to overcome Laxus' attack.
A massive cloud of dust exploded from where Laxus once stood ass the three attacks made it to him. An angered and pained shout came from within the cloud. Haru had a smile on his face while Erza had a relieved expression. Even though no one could see it Mystogan had a serious expression and his muscles tensed, ready for Laxus' next attack. He knew their combined attack wasn't enough to defeat the Lightning Dragon Slayer.
"Freed vs Mira: Mira wins, Bickslow vs unknown: unknown wins," Erza read the runes that appeared above the spot where the dust cloud was.
"That means it's just Laxus left. Wow, he is tough I thought that attack would have sealed the deal," Haru said getting ready for the next attack that the lightning mage will cast.
"So those weaklings were defeated. Seems like if you want something done you have to do it yourself," Laxus said as a pulse of magic originated from within the dust cloud. Mystogan, Erza and Haru's eyes all widened at the power Laxus was emitting. As the dust was blown away by the power Laxus emitted they saw his appearance changed.
Laxus' muscles were large as well as his stature, a scaly pattern was present arms and shoulders and his shirt was missing. The most concerning thing though were his eyes that were pure white.
"Thunder Palace" Laxus roared. Bolts of lightning erupted from his body and destroyed everything in their path as thy shot into the sky. The bolts of lightning filled the lacrima orbs that were placed in the sky all around the town of Magnolia.
"Now old man, unless you hand over the guild, or these weaklings manage to defeat me, the entire town will feel my wrath. I'll be generous and give you thirty minutes," Laxus roared out. His voice carried all over the town with all the mages hearing it and understanding the message while the townspeople dismissed the shout as Fairy Tail enjoying another brawl and one of their rowdiest members going a bit too far with their fun.
"Laxus this is going too far," Erza shouted as she summoned swords around her and sending them towards him. Laxus however simply slapped the swords away, taking no damage thanks to his draconic scales. "Lightning Dragon Eclectic Field" Laxus called out and slammed both his palms on the ground. Mystogan was the only one who was able to react quickly enough to dodge the initial hit of the attack.
Erza and Haru were engulfed by the field of electricity that surged through the ground. As the lightning surged through their bodies they let out screams of pain. Erza quickly called out "Re-quip: Lightning Empress Armour" to use the resistance she gained to lightning while wearing that armour to minimize the damage she received.
"Haru," Mystogan called out to the Fire Dragon Slayer as he held a red glowing staff in his hand. "Heat Wave" Mystogan called out as he swiped the staff, sending a wave of fire towards him. Haru smiled weakly as he opened his mouth and inhaled the wonderful fire, feeling the power return to his body.
"Thanks for the meal," Haru smiled at Mystogan before turning to Laxus. "Fire Dragon Sword Horn" Haru called out as he covered himself in fire and launching towards Laxus.
"Erza, please go and get other mages to deal with the 'Thunder Palace'. The safety of the townspeople should take priority. I'll come aid you once things are looking better here," Mystogan instructed the red-haired knight.
"Stay alive and beat him," Erza said with a nod before running out of the cathedral. As Mystogan returned his attention to Laxus and Haru his shock and fear entered his eyes as he saw Laxus lifting his hand into the air as Haru approached the man. "Lightning Dragon Elbow" Laxus called out and smashed his lightning-covered elbow into Haru's back moment before he made contact.
"Lightning Dragon Roar" Laxus called out and launched a close-ranged roar at Haru. Mystogan wasn't in a position to help the down mage and feared for his safety. Mystogan felt something rushing past him before the area was covered in dust once again, this time due to Laxus' roar.
"Seems like there's nothing left of him," Laxus said as the dust cleared and revealed a charred crater where there once was a Fire Dragon Slayer.
"Don't get your hopes up Sparky," A new voice said from one of the upper balconies of the cathedral. Both S-Class mages looked to where the voice came from and saw Haru being held by his belt by none other than Gajeel.
'This might be good. If they can deal with Laxus then I can aid in the defence of the citizens of Magnolia,' Mystogan thought as he looked at the three Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail.
"I will leave this to you Dragon Slayer, I will aid Erza in dealing with 'Thunder Palace', as a parting gift Haru," Mystogan said as he sent another 'Heat Wave' at him to top him up on magic energy. With one last look at the three Dragon Slayers Mystogan turned to mist and disappeared.
-Earlier with Natsu-
Natsu looked at the spot where he redirected the two newcomers to. There he saw a dark-coloured demonic creature who soon began to emit a purple glow and turned into the man with green hair he saw in Shirotsume Town. The other was a white-haired woman with demonic wings and a demonic tail dressed in a revealing one-piece suit.
"Freed," the demonic woman shouted out as she brought a fist down on the man with considerable strength. A shockwave cleared all the gathered dust and small debris as the woman's hand stopped just short of the man's face. After a moment the demonic woman sat back and a light pink glow surrounded her before Mira appeared from after the glow dissipated.
"Why didn't you finish me off?" Freed asked in confusion.
"Because this battle is meaningless," Mira said in a sad tone as she got off of Freed and sat on her knees next to the downed man.
"Spare me your false pity Mira, just finish me off," Freed said in a defeated tone.
"I won't do that, we are both members of Fairy Tail and that means we work together, we celebrate together and we grow together," Mira said in a soft kind voice.
"You're wrong, Laxus is my only true ally," Freed said in desperation.
"It doesn't have to be that way. Look it's perfectly fine to have that one person you trust above all but that doesn't mean you have to shut out the rest of us, we're all part of something bigger, we're all a family," Mira said in her soft caring tone. Ultear looked up to Natsu and smiled as she thought about how much she trusts him.
"If you just reach out, I promise there will always be someone for you and once you see that connection, you'll never forget it's there. You're surrounded by people who care for you," Mira said as a tear formed in her eye.
"I never wanted it to come to this," Freed revealed as he failed to hold back his tears.
"I know," Mira said with a smile.
"Trust is a delicate and fragile thing, for most, once it's broken it will take years to repair. You are lucky to have people like her in your life. For her to forgive so easily after you made an error as grave as this just shows you how much the members of Fairy Tail cares for one another. My advice, don't go throwing it away for someone else's ideals, get a voice of your own first," Natsu said, making his presence known to the tow members of Fairy Tail.
The unexpected voice surprised the two mages as they thought they were alone. When they turned to see who it was they saw a pink-haired man dressed in dark coloured clothes, wielding pitch-black scythe with a purple aura in one hand and a beautiful purple-haired woman being held by his other hand.
"Oh, 'Death Walker', Ultear, I see you had a nice walk," Mira said with a giggle as she saw the two mages. Then a look of confusion filled her eyes as she saw Bickslow with his eyes closed behind them.
"He's alive, I had some personal matter to discuss with him," Natsu said in a voice that didn't invite further questions. Suddenly multiple bolts of lightning shot out of the cathedral in the middle of the town and filled lacrima orbs that were in the sky and surrounding the town.
"Now old man, unless you hand over the guild, or these weaklings manage to defeat me, the entire town will feel my wrath. I'll be generous and give you thirty minutes," a voice boomed over the entire area. Freed and Mira's eyes widened as they recognised the voice. Natsu, however, gained a frown as he felt the power in those lacrima.
"What are those lacrima for?" Natsu asked in a deathly silent voice.
"No, it can't be. Why would he go this far?" Freed asked himself, ignoring Natsu's question. Mira was concerned with the distressed tone she heard from Freed and laid a gentle hand on him.
"Freed, please tell us what those lacrima are for," Mira asked. She heard both men's questions and thought it would be best if she asked Freed what the Lacrima was for in a gentle way instead of having 'Death Walker' ask in a more aggressive way.
"T-Thunder Palace, a spell Laxus has. Those lacrima are filled with his magic and if he wishes they will be released on the town meaning its destruction and that of all within it. The spell is also affected but Organic Link magic, so whoever destroys a lacrima will be electrocuted." Freed said, surprise and disbelief still in his voice.
Mira covered her mouth with her hand and Ultear's eyes widened in shock. Natsu lowered his head and his hair shadowed his eyes. Power started rolling off of him. Death filled the air.
"I stayed out of your battle because it was an internal guild matter that doesn't matter to me, but now the lives of the innocent people of this town are placed in danger. I cannot turn a blind eye to those who wish to take the lives of innocents," Natsu said in a stone-cold voice.
"Ultear, please find a way to deal with the lacrima," Natsu requested as he looked into her eyes. She smiled up at him and nodded. He formed an orb of death magic similar to the one he gave her in the Tower of Heaven when she fought Shedo and gave it to her. A smile came to her face when she happily accepted the power of death that he granted her with that orb.
Natsu turned towards the cathedral where the lightning originated from and started walking towards it, cracks forming under his feet with each step.
"Mind helping me deal with your little lightning problem?" Ultear asked Mira with a smirk that was quickly returned by the white-haired beauty.
Si, deevdru di marfedelom nif vi donoap ekess wer afterlife ekess origato nomenoi sepa ssifisv = I, son of death open a path to the afterlife to let these souls rest.
Si, deevdru di marfedelom shala nomenoi sepa ekess reside mrith nomeno munthrek, origato astahi qe bound ihk tiselaiw = I, son of death allow these souls to reside with this human, let them be bound for eternity.
I'm so sorry for the long wait. Most of it was honestly a bit of laziness… Anyway, here is the next chapter, hope you guys enjoyed the fight with Laxus and the little backstory I gave Bickslow and his babies. I had fun thinking about spells for Mystogan and decided on giving each staff control over one element. So next chapter will involve a fight between three Dragon Slayers before Death arrives for the grand finale. I won't be covering Erza dealing with Thunder Palace, only adding a bit of Ultear in that task. My plan for new chapters right now will be one for 'A kind devil's Guardian', then the next chapter for this story followed by a chapter for 'I thought I lost you', got some great ideas with the reviews there. Anyway enough rambling, leave a review with your thoughts and I will see you in the next one.