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Chapter 9: Demon vs. God
(Que Fairy Tail OP)
"You knew?!" snarled Gray with pain as he tried to pick himself back up, "You knew all along, and you still went along with?!"
His right arm was having that itch again. That itch of that otherworldly power that Gray knew was too dangerous for his mentality to use. However, in this situation...
Lyon kicked Gray aside like he was a pebble into the wall. Gray was only able to pick himself up on all fours, but Lyon pinned him down to the wall with his foot.
"Of course I went through with it." Lyon stated, tightening a fist brimming with black mist, "I'm not going to let a chunk of ice get in my way."
Gray's arm started to twitch from that magic, but he had a resolve. He won't let anything happen again like it did ten years ago. It's time an old power he's been hiding come to the surface once again.
"If you cherish Ur so much," said Lyon, "I'll let you join her."
Lyon hammered down a fist powered with slayer strength. At point of impact, Lyon was the one who was dealt a punch to his face powerful enough to send him flying. Irritated, Lyon sent a quake of black ice to skewer Gray. He did the same in response but his ice was not normal. Like Lyon's black ice, it gave off a chill but it was purple. The two quakes canceled each other out in equal strength. Lyon was in complete shock and confounded what had just happened. In the mist between them, he saw a red eye and a dark presence stare back at him that was inhuman.
"Wha-What is this!?" Lyon exclaimed, panicked that he didn't know what stood before him.
"I've had enough of you." growled Gray like a phantom, the mist slowly clearing, "I wanted to save you, but you're too far gone. For what you've done, I am going to pulverize you with everything I've got."
Lyon's eyes went wide. Before stood Gray changed. His hair spiked, his right eye shined red, and the entire right side of his body was in jet black skin. The air around him gave a cold that struck at the very soul. Lyon bit his lip and pulled himself together. Nothing can stand before the Cold God.
"I don't care what magic you use." Lyon shouted, "Cold God's Bellow."
"Ice Demon's Rage."
Lyon again was shocked at Gray responded with his own breath attack of purple ice and overtook Lyon's bellow. Lyon managed to dodge and gain his bearings. As he looked at Gray, Lyon could feel the inhuman nature reeking off of him. He was barely human.
Lyon smiled. "You hypocrite. Apparently I wasn't the first to discover the truth of defeating Deliora."
Gray blinked in pure speed and punched Lyon straight in the gut. The force was equal to a ballistic shell, and Lyon was sent in a corkscrew motion into the wall.
"You couldn't be more blind." roared Gray, "This isn't a power to defeat Deliora. It is a power - to push forward into the future. All that you've been doing is wasting three years after this stupid dream."
"Stupid?!" exclaimed Lyon, black chill winds blowing at his wake like an aura, "How dare you say that?! You've spent the last ten years in some foolish guild wasting your life away."
Lyon created a giant black eagle of ice with even its eyes showing its murderous intent. Gray prepared his right fist and it brimmed with a demon's cold heart.
"Ice Demon's Zeroth Destruction Fist."
Gray punched it with a gauntlet of solid purple ice that shattered the black eagle. Lyon was in disbelief that his divine ice was being overwhelmed by something so unholy.
"I joined a guild because I put my faith in what Ur told me." said Gray, "After everything that Ur did for us, you would kill her without a second thought. You - make me sick!"
Gray breathed demon ice at Lyon out of pure rage. Lyon was so caught off guard, his only choice was to tank it with a cross guard. His sleeves were ripped to bruised skin.
"Our master is long dead." said Lyon, swiping at Gray with a fist with a black lion's head, "We both have surpassed the likes of her by ascending passed human limitations."
Lyon let out a gasp when Gray caught Lyon's fist. Demon ice grew over the divine ice of the lion head on Lyon's hand and shattered it.
"I don't think of myself as a superior being." growled Gray, making a fist, "There's no such thing as ascending humanity. You abandoned it. Someone like that can never be better than Ur, no matter what they think they are."
Gray punched Lyon in the jaw. "He" shattered in a sculpture of black ice. That was a clone. Gray's senses picked Lyon up behind him.
"Fooled you!" Lyon cried, "Cold God's Ymir War Wolf."
Lyon created a giant black ice wolf that pounced over Gray, but he wasn't worried. In the blink of an eye, Gray had jumped over the ice beast and clapped his hands together.
"Ice Make: Prison."
Gray trapped the ice wolf in a cage of demon ice, and stood over it. Lyon flicked his wrist to control it, but the beast couldn't break the bars.
"This is what you are." stated Gray, "A beast lashing out of a cage he barely knows. Single-handed spell casting is too unbalanced. No matter what you are and how much you try, using a single hand won't get you anywhere."
Lyon stood there speechless. Gray clapped his hands together in his Maker stance, creating a purple mist that blew off like an aura. His hands moved in a certain position and the purple ice formed into a bow. The arrow however wasn't just ice but the pure demon magic that coursed through him. The magic passed down by his father in his last moments.
'Remember, son.' Gray reminisced, 'This power isn't for you to seek vengeance. Use this power to carve your future. I know you'll make me proud, Gray.'
"Sorry it's taken a while for me to get it, Dad." said Gray, then he drew the arrow back that shined like a purple star, "Ice Demon's Zeroth Destruction Bow."
Gray let loose the arrow and it zipped at super-sonic speeds. Lyon cried out in agony, and a light enveloped the room. The arrow pierced through the temple and made its way to the shore where it exploded in a geyser of demon ice for all to see on the island. As the dust cleared, Gray found Lyon on his knees with a hanging jaw, but still alive. The demon skin receded back to its mark, and Gray hid it away with normal ice magic.
"That's what Ur taught us, remember?" said Gray.
When he moved, Gray's wound shot pain through him. The sheer cold of his Demon Slayer magic stopped the bleeding and saved his organs, but the damage was still there. Even as Gray applied a bit of frost to cover it, it was a miracle he could still move. Suddenly, the temple started to shake and the whole island shook at the roar of Deliora.
"GODDAMMIT, MY EARS." cried Lucy, covering her slayer, sensitive ears.
"IT'S SO LOUD." yelled Natsu, also covering his ears.
"Yes." said Zalti, "The demon has awakened."
The iced shell shattered and Deliora breathed the air of the world again. Its eyes glowed a sinister red that pierced through everyone's hearts. Lucy could tell there was no mind to it unlike Lullabye. It only had an instinct for destruction.
"Come on, Lucy." said Natsu, "Let's put a stop to this-"
Both Lucy and Natsu were smacked across the face by a flying crystal ball manipulated by Zalti.
"Try all you want." said Zalti, "My Arc of Time makes your powers obsolete."
Lucy hissed behind her teeth from the irritating pain in her cheek. When they fought this guy, he kept on reversing time on the crystal ball. It was irritating no matter how many times they destroyed it, it still came back.
"Natsu," said Lucy, "you rush him. I'll keep that ball distracted."
"That's a plan I can get behind." replied Natsu, igniting red fire on his fists.
As Natsu charged down Zalti, Lucy kept an eye on the crystal ball. It came soaring toward Natsu. Lucy leaped at it with greater speed with a flaming fist. However at point of impact, the crystal ball suddenly stopped and zipped up Lucy's chin. The ball sped up through time and hit Lucy and Natsu simultaneously.
"That really wasn't a bad plan." commended Zalti, "If this any other magic, you would've won. But the Arc of Time can't be defeated like so."
After more blows, Lucy found herself dug into the stone. The demon above struggled to release its legs from the ice. Beside her, Natsu groaned as he got to his feet.
"Impressive." said Natsu, "But I'd be more impressed if your magic can't affect people."
"That's the rough." said Zalti, "My magic can't affect living people."
Lucy couldn't believe it that Natsu was getting information on the guy. Zalti was engrossed in the thought he had already won over them, and Natsu was using that to his advantage to get some intel. Not even Lucy had that kind of intuition.
'Coincidence or not,' thought Lucy, 'Natsu, you're amazing.'
"Let me ask you something." said Natsu, "What are you getting out of all of this?"
Zalti laughed. "That God Slayer is a fool if he thinks he can defeat Deliora. I, on the otherhand, seek to control the demon. With Deliora at my side, I'll be the most powerful man in the world."
"Really, that's what you're going for?" responded Natsu with disappointment, "That's lame."
'...Or maybe not.' thought Lucy with a sigh.
"Well, you're young." said Zalti, "In the future, you'll understand that power is everything."
Lucy's body moved on its own at cue, and the slayers cupped fire in their hands. The air heated up in the wake of their flames.
"I've got a lot of power on my side anyway." roared Natsu, "That power is my Dragon Slayer magic, but even more are Lucy and all my friends of Fairy Tail at my side."
Lucy's heart skipped a beat when Natsu mentioned her name than anyone else of Fairy Tail. Her face made a grin that rivaled Natsu's.
"Don't let your cockiness get the best of you." said Zalti has he made the ceiling fall on top of them and sent a hail of crystal balls.
"It's time we put a stop to you." roared Natsu/Lucy.
"Fire Demon's Rage."
Lucy covered Natsu with a mighty breath of golden fire that engulfed all the debris and the crystal ball jumping through time. Natsu soared through the cover of the golden fire and his red flames roaring in his fist.
"I may not control time," said Natsu, "but I can see the future. I see sending you flying. Fire Dragon's Iron Fist."
Natsu appeared through the golden flames and punched Zalti so hard he flew off into a corkscrew into a rock below. With him gone, all that was left was Deliora. Natsu and Lucy picked up a familiar scent and found Gray looking at the puddle that was once the iced shell.
"What are you doing here?" said Natsu. "Forget it. The only thing to do is to beat Deliora."
Someone crawled on the ground. It was Lyon beaten so bad he couldn't move his legs. The fact that Gray defeated a slayer surprised Lucy. He mumbled something about finally beating Ur, but they all knew Lyon was in no condition to fight.
"You've caused enough trouble." said Gray, "I'll clean the mess you've made by sealing the demon away with iced shell."
Gray took that same stance for iced shell. Lucy couldn't let him do this for two reasons. One, she would not let Gray just sacrifice himself like that after all they've been through. They're a team after all, and Fairy Tail wouldn't be the same without any of them. Two, it was the scent of the demon. Just from scent, Lucy could tell the extent of the demon's life force, and it was nowhere near that of Lullabye. It was just an empty husk.
Before Gray could even conjure up any of those icy winds, Lucy knocked him down to the ground and pinned him down with her foot. She gestured Natsu to go ahead and fight Deliora. She had full confidence in him.
"Really?" said Natsu, with a big grin on his face, "Alright. Thanks, Lucy."
"What are you doing?!" snapped Gray, unable to resist Lucy's strength.
"As if I'm going to let one of my guild mates off the hook like that." replied Lucy.
Natsu stood on the tallest flat rock and prepared his fists with dragon fire. Deliora swung down a fist brimming with green energy and aimed for Natsu.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist."
The two powers collided in a fantastic show of energy lashing all around the cavern. The contest was already decided. Deliora's hand cracked and soon his entire body shattered like he was made of clay. The demon of destruction was nothing more than a pile of dead skin on the floor of the cavern.
"Jeez, I didn't know I was that strong." muttered Natsu, checking his hand.
"That can't be." gasped Lyon, "Deliora was already dead. For ten years, Ur was gradually depleting the demon's life force. That was just its final breaths."
Gray was crying tears and almost broke down into a whimper. Lucy was a bit taken back; she half-believed the ice wizard couldn't cry. He hid his face by clutching his head.
"You saved me again, Ur." mumbled Gray, his voice breaking down, "Thank you."
Gray picked up his former rival from the ground and carried him on his shoulder. Lucy and Natsu were sure that Lyon wasn't going to be a problem anymore with Deliora gone. Natsu cheered, thinking he killed the demon in one-shot, but it was short-lived when Erza made her presence made. Lucy had to admit, those empty eyes of death that Erza gave off were enough to make her eyes widen, but not enough to overcome the barriers she had built over the years. Cynthia looked like she was going to collapse into pieces just being under Erza's gaze. It made sense since the S-Class quest was her idea in the first place. Lucy will let Erza do what she will to Cynthia, but Erza won't be expecting the will for punishment from Lucy.
Long story short, the villagers were actual demons. The Moon Drip ceremony had affected their memories to make them think they were human originally. When Erza agreed to destroying the moon for the elder, Lucy's respect for her almost dropped a little because Lucy was the only sane person in the guild. Natsu was more than happy to lend his power for the effort. However, Erza was a lot smarter than that. The purple moon was actually an Ethernano shell that had formed from the Moon Drip ceremony. She knew that these villagers were actually a village of demons, which would explain why they never went to the temple since it was a holy place. It took some explaining, but as soon as the Ethernano shell disintegrated their memories soon returned. And the elder's son, Bobo, was revealed to be alive as he was the only one to remember their origins.
Cynthia was sort of happy for Lucy that a village of demons existed. As a Demon Slayer, she would fit right in. But Lucy shrugged off the concept entirely; it's not like Lucy was raised by a demon like Natsu was by a dragon. Besides, Lucy already had a family and that was Fairy Tail.
"By the way Cynthia," asked Lucy, as they made their way to the guild hall just down the street, "how did you defeat that Sherry girl."
Cynthia glanced back at Lucy that put shivers through her. Her eyes were filled with an empty cold and a silent rage. In this entire world, that side Cynthia was one of the only things that made Lucy shake up like Natsu to Erza.
"She called me short." Cynthia said flatly.
"Right." said Lucy with a nervous tone, then switched the subject, "What Zodiac did you get from the job?"
Cynthia pulled out a new golden key from her pocket of Celestial keys. "It's Sagittarius, the Centaur."
"Neat." responded Lucy with a smile, "I heard he's powerful."
"Yeah, but he can't replace cute Plu." said Cynthia as she summoned the dog spirit and cuddled it in her arms.
As they continued down the street, they noticed that the people of Magnolia were giving them looks of pity. They were so quiet in their chatter that not even the slayers could pick up what they said.
"Why is everyone staring at us?" wondered Natsu.
"It isn't the good kind of staring." added Happy.
They got to the end of the street and looked ahead only to meet a dreadful sight. The guild hall had been utterly destroyed. Large pillars of iron had pierced through the hall at all sides like it was a pincushion. Lucy and Cynthia were speechless, and the others were in the same or grinded teeth in rage.
"Our guild." growled Natsu, shaking head-to-toe in rage, "Someone did this to our home. Who did this?!"
Lucy and Cynthia had never seen anything like this in their travels in Northern Ishgar. The iron magic that must've been used was on a whole other level than what they've seen from other wizards.
"It was Phantom." answered a familiar, innocent voice. They turned around to find Mira, almost at the point of tears.
Going straight into the arc with Phantom Lord. I've replaced one of the Element Four with an OC, and changed Juvia's character just a little bit. Stay in touch. Please leave a review.
