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Chapter 7: The Cold Emperor
(Que Fairy Tail OP)
Team Natsu woke up as soon as the cavern started to shake. When the two fire slayers woke up, cuddled again by Cynthia and Happy's plan Lucy scurried away from him instead of kicking him like last time. Cynthia could tell she was liking it.
"Is it night yet?" exclaimed Natsu, jumping to his feet.
An intense beam of purple light struck down from the ceiling onto the Ice Shell. It was the same eerie moonlight that shined from moon yesterday, but this time it was concentrated by magic circles.
Cynthia was aghast. "I've never seen magic like this."
"We have to find out where that light is coming from." said Gray, "To the top."
"Aye." said Happy.
They ascended to the top of the mountain. As soon as they heard voices, they hid behind some rocks. Cloaked people gathered in a circle before the purple moonlight and chanted a spell.
"What are they doing?" wondered Cynthia.
"It's a ritual of the Belleeanese called the Moon Drip." Cynthia just remembered she didn't get Lira back to the Celestial realm. Lira continued, "So that's what they're doing. Sorry Gray, but that Ice Shell is not as invincible as you think. Moon energy is so powerful, it breaks any magical spell of any caliber."
"Idiots." hissed Gray, "They've never seen the wrath of Deliaura."
"Oh no." whimpered Happy.
"No wonder we were so stumped." said Lucy, "It was never a curse, it was the side effects of this ritual."
"There are asking for a beatdown." snarled Natsu, cracking his knuckles.
Lucy caught a scent of someone, and stopped Natsu with a quick blow to the face with her elbow. A man in white robes, iron plating, and an iron horned helm stepped into the open. Behind him were the two guys they saw in the cavern. Gray looked stump as though confused of how he recognized the leading stranger. When they spoke and the leader talked, Gray looked even more shocked.
"The time has almost come." said the Cold Emperor, "If you see those intruders again, kill them."
"They could've been villagers." guessed Sherry. "They're the only ones on the island."
"Then kill them." commanded the Emperor.
"Yes." replied his servants.
"Those fuckers." swore Natsu.
"How could they just casually destroy a village?!" hissed Lucy.
Gray looked ever more shocked as his eyes refused to blink. "No. That voice. That can't be you man. It just can't."
Natsu emerged from hiding and stood above everyone.
"You want the intruders?!" roared Natsu, breathing red fire into the air, "We're right here."
Lucy smacked her forehead. "For fuck's sake."
"Hey, I can I help out?" asked Lira, "I want to see you fight Lucy."
"You've gotta get out of here." said Cynthia, returning Lira to the Celestial realm.
"Wizards, huh?" said the short one, "The villagers must've gone to the Magic Council."
"That doesn't matter." said the Cold Emperor, "Go and eliminate the village."
The wizards were in shock. His minions hesitated but made their way down the temple to the village.
"Why you..." growled Natsu as he charged down the leader. Gray also took charge and had a more violent pace in his step. His hands clasped together and slammed them to the ground to send a quake of ice after the leader. The minions dodged out of the way, but the Cold Emperor made his ground and casted his own ice magic with a quake through the ground and collided and shattered with Gray's attack.
"Another ice wizard?!" exclaimed Cynthia and Happy.
"Tell me it isn't you." growled Gray, "Tell me that isn't you, Lyon."
'Gray knows this guy?!' thought Lucy.
When Natsu went near Lyon, he froze the air around Natsu and had him in a cage of ice. Happy grabbed Cynthia and flew her out of range. By reflex, Lucy dodged out of the way and found herself in a fall down the temple. If she couldn't help Gray and Natsu, she could definitely help the village with Cynthia.
As Lucy ran through the jungle, she heard Natsu's familiar cries. She went full sprint after him and found the Dragon Slayer in a block of ice with his head in the ground. Lucy grabbed Natsu's leg and pulled him out like a vegetable.
"Ha-ha." Natsu laughed, making that usual wide grin, "Thanks, Lucy."
"No problem." replied Lucy, smiling. She didn't know why she was smiling, "Wait, how did you get here?"
Natsu growled, "That punk Gray kicked me off and got the fight for himself."
"What!?" exclaimed Lucy, "Oh my god, you're both fucking idiots."
Natsu ignited his hand in red fire and pressed it to the ice around him. It had no effect like it was made of iron instead. Lucy knelt down and reached her hand to Natsu's.
"Here," said Lucy, joining her hand lit up in gold fire with Natsu's, "let me help."
Their flames reached out to each other and joined in a bright blue fire. As they pressed their hands against the ice, it cracked and melted like frost in summer's heat. Soon, was Natsu was free.
"Thanks, Lucy." said Natsu, looking at the top of the temple, "You go and protect the village. I'll catch up once I get to Gray."
Lucy didn't argue. "Okay."
When they tried to walk different paths, they were suddenly pulled back like rope. They just realized their hands were still held on together, and tightly at that. Lucy couldn't believe that Natsu held her hand like that, and Natsu the same. Tightly, yet tenderly. Lucy looked up to Natsu eye-to-eye and her began to beat faster. Neither could let each other go and they didn't know why.
Lucy reached a hand and held it to Natsu's cheek. Her eyes abandoned the tough act and resurrected a tender look Lucy almost forgot to put up.
"That guy, Lyon." said Lucy, "He used ice magic powerful enough to resist your flames. Please, be careful." Lucy drew herself closer till she could feel Natsu's breath. "Come back to me."
In response, Natsu rested his free hand on her shoulder. "I promise Lucy."
After that, Lucy and Natsu's hands had the "will" to let go and the two fire slayers went on their separate ways. They couldn't help their hearts from beating with a heavy tone as they drew farther away from each other.
"You were the one who killed Ur, so just admit it." said Lyon.
Lyon blasted Gray into a wall with active Maker ice magic of a spiked tail. Despite going through a stone wall, Gray got to his feet.
"Quit this all-knowing attitude." snapped Gray.
"Gray," said Lyon, "you could never beat me. We were always on two different levels of power. Whether you like or not, I'm resurrecting Deliaura so I can prove that I am superior to you and Ur."
"I won't let you." growled Gray.
"Ice Make: Eagle."
"Ice Make: Shield."
Gray put up a wall of ice to protect himself, but Lyon's projectiles flew around and struck Gray from all sides like metal clubs beating at him from all directions.
"Did you forgot about my active Maker magic?" said Lyon.
"Ice Make: Hammer."
"Ice Make: Gorilla."
Lyon countered Gray with a gorilla of ice that shattered the hammer.
"You still use two hands." said Lyon.
"That's what Ur taught us." said Gray.
"I'm the exception to that rule." said Lyon with a peculiar glare, "I've attained skill and power that has put me into an entirely higher state of being compared to you and Ur."
Gray grinded his teeth. "What are you getting at?"
Lyon smiled, amused. Suddenly, he let down his guard and spread his arms out.
"I'll show you." said Lyon, "I'm giving you a free shot. Hit me with all you have. It'll do nothing."
Gray gasped. "What?! Have you gone insane?!"
"You're so ignorant it's annoying." cried Lyon, a mad look in his eyes, "Go ahead. Strike me down. Do you want Deliaura to be imprisoned forever?"
Gray was getting ticked off. He clapped his hands together and mist flew in all directions.
"Ice Make: Geyser."
A geyser of ice erupted at Lyon's feet, masking him away. Gray wasn't done yet. He jumped into the air over Lyon for the finishing blow.
"Ice Make: Hammer."
Gray slammed down a hammer of ice onto the geyser like a hammer on a nail. The area exploded in a cold mist. Gray panted, having exhausted so much magic in those last two attacks.
"Really?" said the voice of Lyon, "I'm disappointed."
Gray was in disbelief. When the mist cleared, it revealed Lyon holding the hammer with one hand and a wicked smile on his face.
"Now I'll show you." said Lyon, his free hand creating - a black mist! "Ice Make: Dragon."
When Lyon created a dragon that rammed into Gray, it wasn't made of normal ice. The ice was darker than a starless knight and was colder than anything Gray had ever felt. Gray got to his feet, desperate to defeat Lyon.
"Ice Make: Lance."
Gray was in shock as Lyon just walked through the storm of ice lances that broke off on contact with his body. Lyon paused in his walk, glaring down at Gray with those confident eyes.
"What is this Lyon?!" exclaimed Gray.
"Like I said earlier." stated Lyon, "You and Ur are just below me as humans. You see, in my quest to defeat Deliaura, I discovered that it is the nature of humans to never overpower beings that are naturally more powerful than them. So, the answer was simple. I ascended beyond the limits known as humanity and have gained a power that has made an ultimate being. This black ice you see is one of the divine elements, powers of the gods that are unrivaled. In order to defeat Deliaura, I had to become an even higher being than it, and I have done that. I've gone passed humanity and I've entered the state of being that rises into the heavens."
Lyon clapped his hands together and they produced a black mist. Gray felt chills like no other in his entire life, and black frost grew on the ground.
"This power, Gray," announced Lyon, "is that of a god that I've made myself into. I am no Cold Emperor. I the Cold God."
A black aura of black mist surrounded Lyon. Gray couldn't believe the pressure of his power. He was entirely different than the Lyon he knew all those years ago. This Lyon was cruel and a maniac at that.
"You're talking nonsense, Lyon." roared Gray.
"You're still so blind, Gray," Lyon replied, "to the worlds of power between us. I'll smite you down like the human you are."
Gray prepared himself for whatever hit him, but his right arm had that itch again. It had that itch whenever Gray was in a certain danger where he needed "that" power. As always, Gray ignored it, but he would learn to regret it. Lyon puffed his cheeks as he filled his lungs.
"Cold God's Bellow."
Gray could do nothing as a blast of black ice sped towards him. His body riled with pain upon impact. When he hit the ground, Gray's body refused to move. Everything started to go black.
"You'll never beat me," echoed Lyon's voice, "as long as you stay human."
(Time-Skip)
The gates opened as soon as Natsu, carrying Gray, arrived at the village. Natsu went through with his usual big smile, but Lucy, Cynthia, and Happy screamed in shock.
"Natsu, stop." shouted Cynthia in a panic, "You're gonna fall-"
Too late. Natsu stepped onto the patch of grass and fell through. The fall wasn't long, but it ticked off Natsu and Gray like it was some kind of practical joke.
"Very funny." growled Natsu.
"Hey, you fell for it." said Happy.
Cynthia peered down the pit and yelled, "Natsu, don't move no matter what."
Too late again. Natsu activated the pressure plate and was left to the genius of Cynthia's trap. The wizards and villagers watched as Natsu and Gray were pummeled by all kinds of mechanisms. There were hammers, clubs, and all kinds of trap-related weaponry that bombarded Natsu.
"As always," said Lucy, "you're traps are just too good."
"I think they work excellently for punishment." added Virgo.
Cynthia responded with a nervous laugh. On the bright side, there were fourteen other duplicates in the area for the attacking wizards. When the trap stopped, they pulled them out, and the villagers took in Gray for medical care. Lucy was in disbelief at Gray's injuries. Like Natsu, he had that air around that told you he wouldn't lose.
"How did Gray lose to that masked guy?" Lucy wondered.
"He's a bit fuzzy on the details." said Natsu, "How come Lyon's lackeys haven't gotten here yet?"
"You know you have a point." said Lucy. She was actually amazed that Natsu was paying attention to the situation.
"Look up there." cried a villager, pointing to the sky. Above, they found their attackers on that rat they fought the other day. It was in flight by somehow spinning its tail, and it held a bucket of a pungent odor Lucy and Natsu could smell.
"What?!" exclaimed Happy, "But now Cynthia's traps won't work..."
He was interrupted by a high-pitched whimpering. Everyone glanced to Cynthia and felt an odd mood. She was clearly upset, but held back tears that were leaking onto her cheek.
"My traps," whimpered Cynthia, "won't work... Why?"
Lucy saw this once before, and it felt like a baby was crying and she couldn't help but try to calm her down.
"Cynthia, don't cry." comforted Lucy, "You're traps are always the best."
"I-I'm not." lied Cynthia, sniveling, "I-I'm not-not cry-crying."
The villagers felt compelled themselves to cheer up Cynthia, saying stuff like how fun it was to build her traps. The whole dread mood was devolved into a sad mood because of Cynthia. Suddenly, Lucy's reflexes moved Cynthia out of the way from a drop of that pungent jelly. It was acid.
When the villagers realized that bucket was full of acid, they went into a panic. The flying rat threw down the whole bucket of the acid, enough to dissolve the whole village. Lucy was about to get them in order, but surprisingly Natsu of all people took charge.
"I want everyone to get in the center of the village." shouted Natsu. For once, Natsu had a plan, and when Lucy caught on it was a damn good plan at that. She ran beside Natsu and charged fire into her feet. When Natsu flew into the air via Happy, Lucy rocketed with him. Her flames burned in her hands to charge one of Lucy's most devastating attacks.
"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame."
"Fire Demon's Scorching Nova."
The fire slayers launched two fireballs into the center of the falling acid. The shock of the explosion broke the acid's formation away from the enter and rained at the side. The villagers were safe in the center, surrounded by a ravine dissolved by the acid. Through the smoke, the three wizards under Lyon emerged and knocked over the chief's son's grave. Lucy felt Natsu's heat spike.
"Let me help you." groaned Gray. He had received consciousness, but he was in no condition to fight. Again, Natsu surprised Lucy with good thinking and common sense.
"You're in no condition." said Natsu.
"Don't take this-"
Natsu had no choice, but to knock Gray out by force. Lucy would've done the same, and was amazed Natsu did it first before she could. In the heat of things, Natsu really had a brain between those shoulders. The villagers took in Gray to recover.
The giant rat came soaring down. Lucy, Natsu, and Happy ducked, but as it sped off Lucy noticed a familiar echo. She turned around to see Cynthia on the claw of the rat not with eyes of sorrow, but anger. Lucy had no need to worry. Her thoughts came to reality as Cynthia brought the rat down to the ground.
"Oh great." said the short one, "He's gonna be ticked."
"I don't have any ticks." barked the humanoid.
Lucy cracked her knuckles, ready to beat down on the two below with Natsu. However, Natsu gave her a quick glance with a stern look.
"Could you keep out of this Lucy?" asked Natsu, "I want to pummel them myself."
Two against one? Lucy didn't like those odds. But the look in Natsu's eyes told her a hard truth that he was gonna win anyway. Lucy relaxed herself and allowed Natsu to fight them alone.
Natsu opened with a physical headbutt on the humanoid. By that first blow, the humanoid wasn't worth much in strength, and Natsu knew it. Next, he breathed fire on the second opponent, who proved far more versatile as he appeared unscathed with a casted force field.
'So that guy uses Anti-Wizard magic.' thought Lucy as she watched the fight, 'Even I have a problem with those. How will you handle this, Natsu?'
"I see." said the Anti-Wizard, as the humanoid go to his feet, "You're Salamander from Fairy Tail. We were once part of a guild ourselves known as Lamia Scale. I go by Yuka. Don't look down on us because Iron Rock Jura is a part of that guild, and he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints."
Natsu bursted out with a laugh. "Wow. You must have some bad luck then. If that's true, then there's no way you can win. If you manage to beat me, you got my guild mate, Lucy, up there, and she's a Wizard Saint."
The two wizards gasped in disbelief and looked to Lucy. On point, Lucy showed her badge for them to see with a demon's smirk.
"She's a Wizard Saint?!" whimpered the humanoid.
Without warning, Natsu blasted both of them with fire. While the humanoid caught on fire, Yuka remained untouched with his magic.
"Listen," growled Natsu, "I don't care what guild you're from. We came here to help the villagers you've been terrorizing. And that gives me plenty of reason to pummel you."
Yuka curled his lip. "Tobi, stay back. I'll take care of this one."
Natsu was a hit by a wave of magic. He responded with a few fire breaths, but Yuka merely deflected them away. Lucy thought Natsu was going to waste his magic trying again and again, but he paused. With her hearing, Lucy heard Natsu discover how Yuka's magic worked and already had a plan around it. Lucy learned that Natsu was an excellent adapter.
Natsu got in close, and Yuka summoned his wave. That's where Natsu wanted to be. He forced his whole body to try and go through the wave, but the force of it prevented him from landing a good punch. That gave Natsu at least the knowledge he can touch him, and he made a smile. Brute force was the only answer for this.
Natsu knew he could use his flames from the outside, and he knew how to use that advantage. His elbow let off a jet of fire much like how Lucy used her flames to launch into the air.
'Rocket-powered punch?' thought Lucy, 'Natsu, you're really aren't dumb.'
"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow."
With sheet brute force, Natsu punched through the vortex of magic and sent Yuka flying. He turned to his opponent, Tobi. The humanoid grew claws from his nails lined with a paralyzing poison. Natsu read everyone of Tobi's movements and dodged every swipe.
Lucy discovered a lot about Natsu just by watching him. Sure, he was reckless, but that was overshadowed by his adaption. His way of keeping track of his battle assets was also impressive, and expressed an intelligence for battle.
"Hey," said Natsu, gesturing to his head, "you got a little something there."
Tobi scratched his head with his nails and was instantly paralyzed.
"How?" whimpered Tobi.
"You're just real dumb." said Natsu.
Lucy had to hold in a laugh. If Natsu said you were dumb, you were really dumb. Natsu went over to the knocked over grave and fixed it back up.
"Don't worry, Bobo." said Natsu, "We'll find a way to fix your people. And we'll avenge your death."
That act of kindness sent an odd feeling through Lucy. He was reckless, but resourceful in battle. He was crude, but kind to his friends. And above all else, Natsu had a compassion for everyone that held no bounds. No wonder Natsu grew on Lucy so much. She may not have to be ashamed for her feelings towards him, at least not for long.
Yep, Lyon's a God Slayer. And Cynthia was about to show Sherry what happens when she gets mad. Stay in touch. Leave a review if you want.
