AN: In this chapter, we will tell what has been happening during the previous fights.
And another thing, today is a special day of celebration because today Disney turns 100 years old. It's amazing how much that company and its movies have influenced the lives of so many people, myself included.
I just wanted to say that, so let's get back to the story.
Natsu and Happy were stunned when they discovered the guild master's mysterious power.
"A… A phoenix slayer? Does that mean you kill phoenixes?" asked Natsu.
"But phoenixes are supposed to be a myth. A legend." said Happy.
"My dear friend, don't you know that all legends are based on a forgotten truth? It's almost like with dragons before Tartaros." said Dumbleldus with a smile.
"That's true." began Natsu, since, during his search for Igneel, everyone kept telling him that dragons didn't exist or that they were the stuff of children's stories. "But how did you get that magic? Did a phoenix teach it to you, or is it the stuff of a lacrima?"
"Neither one nor the other. I simply found a book hidden in the pile one day and there I found the story of phoenix slayer magic. The rest is history." said Dumbleldus.
"It's like what happened to Sherria." said Happy remembering the sky god slayer of Lamia Scale.
"Now then, are you going to stand there and do nothing?" asked Dumbleldus without losing his smile.
"Of course not, I've come to kick your ass!" said Natsu before charging towards him.
"Natsu, wait!" yelled Happy trying to stop his friend.
When he met him halfway, Natsu jumped towards him as he wrapped his fist in fire.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" shouted Natsu directing his fist at him.
It was then that Dumbleldus' fist was also covered in fire.
"Fire Phoenix's Claw!" shouted Dumbleldus slamming his fist into the dragon slayer's fist.
Both remained neutral for a few seconds before Natsu was sent flying backwards, but Happy managed to catch him in mid-flight.
"Thanks, buddy." Natsu said with a smile.
"Natsu, have you forgotten that your fire doesn't affect it at all?" asked Happy.
"Agh. Yeah, damn." said Natsu.
"Well, you've made your move, now it's my turn. Fire Phoenix's Screech!" shouted Dumbleldus shooting a torrent of fire from his mouth.
Happy used his flying ability to draw the two of them away from the enemy attack.
"How are we going to fight him if he's immune to your fire?" asked Happy.
"I have an idea. Happy, throw me at him," said Natsu.
"Aye, sir." said Happy before swooping back towards the phoenix slayer and releasing Natsu in mid-flight.
As he continued his trajectory, Natsu's body became completely engulfed in fire.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" shouted Natsu heading towards his opponent.
"That attack again? You're getting predictable" said Dumbleldus putting his arms in X position to block the attack.
However, the moment Natsu's fire went out, he caused a jet of fire to shoot out of his elbow.
"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!" shouted Natsu using the jet of fire to propel his fist towards the phoenix slayer's face, managing to knock him back. "Yeah! How about that, Happy? I got him back!"
"Very clever. I'll give you that. I guess that means I'll have to take you seriously." said Dumbleldus with a grin.
"That's right! I'm not like anyone else!" said Natsu enthusiastically.
"We'll soon find out." began Dumbleldus before suddenly disappearing, taking the fire dragon slayer by surprise who looked around frantically before Dumbleldus appeared in front of him with a leg engulfed in fire. "Fire Phoenix's Heel!" shouted Dumbleldus before giving him a powerful kick that sent him flying until he impacted against the wall.
"Natsu!" exclaimed Happy with concern before flying to where his friend was. "Are you okay?"
"Ugh. Yeah, I am." said Natsu getting up with a groan.
"I told you you'd regret finding me. I'll give you a chance to be able to leave still alive." said Dumbleldus.
"No way! I've never run away from combat and I don't intend to now! Fire Dragon's Roar!" shouted Natsu shooting a torrent of fire from his mouth.
"Fire Phoenix's Tornado!" shouted Dumbleldus causing a tornado of fire to form around him.
When Natsu's attack hit the tornado, he seemed to be devoured and soon after, the tornado headed straight for Natsu, who, with Happy's help, was able to dodge the attack.
However, they didn't count on the fact that, in mid-flight, Dumbleldus appeared in front of them with a pair of fiery wings.
"Fire Phoenix's Wing Attack!" shouted Dumbleldus hitting them both with his wings of fire and sending them to the ground.
Soon after, Natsu rose from the ground with a groan.
"As long as you possess the fire of a dragon, you cannot harm my phoenix fire." said Dumbleldus.
"He's right, Natsu. We can't defeat it." said Happy.
"I don't think so. My fire may not affect him, but my blows will. Fire Dragon's Shots!" shouted Natsu shooting fireballs from his hands.
Dumbleldus dodged all the balls by moving so fast he was a blur and then, he appeared in front of Natsu.
"You're doing the exact opposite of what you just said." began Dumbleldus before wrapping his fist in fire. "Fire Phoenix's Claw!" shouted Dumbleldus directing his fist towards him, but then, Natsu somersaulted forward to dodge the attack.
But it didn't end there, as Natsu engulfed his foot in fire.
"Fire Dragon's Claw!" shouted Natsu managing to hit him in the head.
Even though he was unaffected by the fire, he could feel the force of the kick.
With a slight groan, he raised his head to push the fire dragon slayer away from him.
Dumbleldus stood up as he rubbed the affected area of his head.
"Wow. I admit I felt that." said Dumbleldus.
"How about that now? Even if I can't burn you, I can beat you up with my own fists." said Natsu slamming his fist into his palm.
"Mmm. Smart strategy coming from someone who doesn't usually use strategies. I guess it's time to end this." said Dumbleldus.
"Exactly. It's the end for you." said Natsu.
"I think you're wrong. It's the end… for you." said Dumbleldus before suddenly disappearing.
Natsu became alert as he looked around for his opponent when he suddenly felt a fiery punch, being pushed to the side.
Natsu tried to find him, but then he felt another fiery punch that pushed him to the side and then another and another and another and another.
For a while, Dumbleldus moved from side to side so fast that it was impossible to see him and used that to hit Natsu from all sides without him having time to defend himself.
That's when Dumbleldus appeared in the air above Natsu.
"Fire Phoenix's Tornado!" shouted Dumbleldus shooting a tornado downwards that hit Natsu directly, causing a huge explosion.
"Natsu!" shouted Happy with extreme concern.
By the time the smoke cleared, it revealed Natsu lying on the ground and groaning in pain.
Managing to lift his head, he saw Dumbleldus landing softly on the ground in front of him.
"I congratulate you. Of all the suicides who have dared to stand against me, you have lasted the longest against me." said Dumbleldus with a smile.
"I… still… don't give up." said Natsu trying to get up even though he was groaning from the effort and pain, managing only to sit up.
"And you're still willing to fight. You're an interesting fellow. However, here's the final point for you." began Dumbleldus wrapping his fist in fire. "If it's any consolation, I'll be sure to remember you, Natsu Dragneel. Fire Phoenix's Claw!" shouted Dumbleldus directing his fist at him.
Natsu braced himself to take the blow, hoping he could withstand it long enough to live.
However, before he could reach him, a hand stopped the attack completely, catching the phoenix slayer's fist in the process.
"What?" asked Dumbleldus when he and Natsu saw that Rimuru had parried the attack with ease.
"Looks like I made it in time." said Rimuru before shoving the phoenix slayer away from him.
"Lord Rimuru!" exclaimed Natsu and Happy surprised to see him.
"Warning. The person in front of you possesses a power level almost close to that of a Demon Lord." said Raphael.
"I guessed as much." thought Rimuru. "Tell me, Natsu, is that the dark guild master?" asked Rimuru.
"Yes, that's him." said Natsu.
"And not only that, but he's also a phoenix slayer." said Happy.
That made Rimuru's eyes widen in shock.
"A phoenix slayer? Wait a minute, come to think of it, wasn't there an anime in my home world about a phoenix taking on a dragon? No. That doesn't matter now." thought Rimuru shaking his head before turning it to look at the fire dragon slayer with a smile. "You've held up well so far, Natsu. Let me take care of the rest."
"Heh. That's fine. Whatever you say, sir." said Natsu with a toothy grin.
"Wait a minute. Rimuru? You wouldn't, by any chance, happen to be the Demon Lord, Rimuru Tempest, would you?" asked Dumbleldus.
"Well, yes. What's up with that?" asked Rimuru.
Dumbleldus's eyes widened in shock for a moment before he burst out laughing for a while.
"Unbelievable. I didn't expect things to go this way." said Dumbleldus stopping laughing.
"What do you mean?" asked Rimuru.
"You see, Lord Rimuru. My guild and I had a simple goal, to become the strongest in Earthland so we could rule it as we pleased and to do that, we managed to create a spell that would increase our power" said Dumbleldus.
"Is that what the spell was for that time?" asked Happy remembering the magic circle in that room.
"That's right, but as you may recall, your meddling upset everything and resulted in us all ending up in this world." said Dumbleldus.
"If that spell was altered, how come you and yours possess a greater than normal amount of magical power?" asked Rimuru.
"Huhuhu. That question is easily answered. When we came to this world, I didn't know what we were going to do until we managed to get a… little help." said Dumbleldus.
"Help? What kind of help?" asked Natsu.
"I'm sorry, but I was told not to tell you." said Dumbleldus.
"I think I have a slight suspicion of who helped them." thought Rimuru remembering a certain duo from previous events.
"Thanks to that help, we got all the necessary information from this world, such as the organization of the powerful Demon Lords. At that moment I understood that, if we ended up in this world, it had been for a reason, so we decided to continue our Earthland plan here." said Dumbleldus.
"You mean you want to rule this world?" asked Natsu.
"I see it very complicated considering the Demon Lords." said Happy.
"And Veldora." thought Rimuru knowing how strong his sworn friend was.
"We thought so too until we were told about the mystical staff." said Dumbleldus.
"Staff? What staff?" asked Natsu.
"That staff." began Dumbleldus pointing behind him, where they saw that, on the wall, there was some sort of golden cocoon with the staff inside. "It turns out that that staff has the ability to increase the magical power of those who possess it by great amounts. With this new power we have obtained, we will bring all the Demon Lord of this world to their knees and they will obey only us." said Dumbleldus with a crazed grin.
"Is that why you attacked my city? Because I, a Demon Lord, was the leader?" asked Rimuru.
"Yes, but it was also to try to take down the Fairy Tail meddlers after we found out you were taking them in." said Dumbleldus.
Natsu growled in rage at the knowledge that he attacked a city full of innocents just because they were there.
"After that, we sensed that they would be the first to come at us, but I didn't expect that among them was Rimuru Tempest himself. Do you know what that means? That if I kill you, I will demonstrate my power before the other Demon Lords and they will have no choice but to become my vassals." said Dumbleldus with a demented grin.
"If you think I'm going to fall to a guy like you, you're wrong." said Rimuru.
"You think so? We'll check it out right away. Fire Phoenix's Screech!" shouted Dumbleldus shooting a torrent of fire from his mouth that impacted directly on the human slime.
Natsu and Happy were left worried as they thought he had been burned or something, but then, their worry turned to surprise when they saw Rimuru emerge from the flames completely unharmed.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not affected by the fire at all." said Rimuru.
"He's not affected by fire?" asked Natsu in surprise.
"In that case, he has the upper hand in the fight." said Happy.
"Well, well, well. It was certainly to be expected from a Demon Lord. In that case…" began Dumbleldus before enveloping his body in an aura of fire.
"What is he doing?" asked Natsu in confusion.
"He's turned his fire into pure magic. Which means I'm no longer immune to his attacks." said Rimuru.
"Warning. The guild master has increased his magical power." said Raphael.
"What will you do now, Demon Lord?" asked Dumbleldus.
"Simple." began Rimuru before unsheathing his katana. "This." said Rimuru before disappearing and reappearing the next instant in front of him.
Before Dumbleldus could react, Rimuru inflicted a massive slash across his chest that sent him reeling back as he screamed in pain.
"Yes! Way to go!" said Natsu cheering the human slime on.
Suddenly, the cries of pain eventually turned to laughter.
"What's so funny?" asked Rimuru.
"Oh, you think that would kill me?" asked Dumbleldus before pulling his hands away from his wound to show that flames covered his wound and when they dissipated, the wound was completely gone, much to the surprise of the others.
"H-Has it healed?" asked Happy.
"Don't you know that? Phoenixes were famous for their healing abilities. Which means that no matter what you do to me. My power will heal any wound." said Dumbleldus with a cocky grin.
"Quick healing, eh? Well, in that case, let's see what your limit is." said Rimuru before launching a wave of water that traveled so fast that Dumbleldus couldn't stop it from cutting off an arm.
Shortly after that, however, flames covered the wound and another new arm emerged from it.
"He's grown another one!" said Natsu in shock.
"Yes, you see it not only heals wounds, but regenerates me completely. Now, I think the time has come for me to make my move." began Dumbleldus before disappearing and reappearing in front of the human slime as a tail of fire erupted from his butt. "Fire Phoenix's Tail!" shouted Dumbleldus somersaulting to slam his tail into the human slime, but he moved out of the way in time.
Rimuru then shot a black lightning from his hand that struck Dumbleldus, pushing him backwards, but the flames covered his wounds and healed them before creating his wings of fire.
"Fire Phoenix's Scorching Feathers!" shouted Dumbleldus shooting several feathers of fire from the wings that shot towards the human slime.
Rimuru dodged to the side to avoid them, but the feathers kept up with him, so he pulled a pair of wings from his back and took flight quickly while dodging the feathers that followed his path regardless of his speed and rapid changes of direction.
Even though he was immune to fire, due to what the phoenix slayer did earlier, his flames were now pure magic, which meant he was no longer immune to them.
Turning around, Rimuru shot several icicles of ice from his hands that impacted the feathers, neutralizing them in the process.
As Rimuru stood with the feathers, Dumbleldus created a fireball between his hands.
"Fire Phoenix's Bomb!" shouted Dumbleldus throwing the fireball at him.
Even though Rimuru's back was turned, he was able to predict the incoming ball and raised his arm as a shield.
When the fireball hit him, there was a huge explosion and as the smoke cleared, it was seen that the arm Rimuru used to block the attack was covered in scales.
"Just know that I have many aces up my sleeve." said Rimuru before shooting out a torrent of black fire from his hands, but Dumbleldus pulled out his wings of fire and quickly took flight to dodge the attack.
Then, Dumbleldus flew towards Rimuru as his outstretched fingered hands were covered in fire.
"Fire Phoenix's Picks!" shouted Dumbleldus launching fast and consecutive nailing blows at the human slime, but Rimuru swung his katana at full speed, managing to block the attacks.
Both the fiery hands and the katana moved so fast that he was barely visible aside from the small sparks caused by the collisions.
Soon after, the two disappeared and were nowhere to be seen.
However, shock waves could be seen occurring in various parts in the air.
Needless to say, Natsu and Happy were impressed by the power of the two.
"Unbelievable. They're going so fast I can't see them." said Happy.
"This is the power of a Demon Lord?" asked Natsu with wide eyes of amazement.
That's when both powerful opponents appeared in a stalemate, with Dumbleldus' fire-wrapped hand thrusting against Rimuru's katana that was also thrusting.
"Do you really think you can make the Demon Lords kneel before you?" asked Rimuru.
"I don't think so. I believe it and the fact that I am almost on par with you shows how powerful I am." said Dumbleldus.
"You are very wrong if you believe that." said Rimuru.
"Allow me to prove you wrong." began Dumbleldus as he created in his other hand a spear of fire. "Fire Phoenix's Spear!" shouted Dumbleldus striking Rimuru with the spear, sending him flying backwards before he stopped.
Dumbleldus covered his hands with fire once more and prepared to fly at full speed towards the human slime, but Rimuru moved faster and put away his katana before creating a ball of black fire in his hand while creating a ball of black lightning in the other.
Combining both balls, he created a ball of fire and black lightning and the moment he stretched his hands towards him, the ball became a beam of both elements.
Dumbleldus's eyes widened in horror and before he could do anything, the beam completely engulfed him before there was an explosion so large that it shattered part of the wall, revealing the outside.
When the smoke cleared, the phoenix slayer was nowhere to be seen.
"I-is it over?" asked Happy.
"I can't smell him anywhere and I don't sense his magical power. Rimuru is finished with him." said Natsu.
Rimuru landed on the ground and put away his wings.
For an instant, he thought he was done with him, but then…
"Warning. Warning." said Raphael in alert.
Hearing that, he knew something very bad was going to happen, so he braced himself for whatever was going to happen.
The next moment, laughter filled the room.
A laugh familiar to everyone.
"No... It can't be." said Natsu getting up from the floor with wide eyes of horror.
It was then, looking forward, that they saw a large flame occur and it seemed that the laughter came from it.
When the flame disappeared, it revealed Dumbleldus completely unharmed.
Not only that, but his arms, legs and both sides of his face were set on fire.
"Now that was a deadly attack." said Dumbleldus.
"No way! How are you alive again?!" asked Natsu in shock.
"So your power doesn't just allow you to heal and regenerate, right?" asked Rimuru.
"No. You see, the phoenix was very famous for rising from its ashes. At first, I couldn't reach that point of my magic due to the not-so-high level I had. However, thanks to the staff, I was able to reach that level and now it doesn't matter if you ever kill me, because, just like the phoenix, I will rise from my ashes again and again." said Dumbleldus.
"He's become immortal!" exclaimed Happy urgently.
"Now, it's time to get this over with at once." began Dumbleldus before raising his hand to create a huge spear of fire. "Fire Phoenix's Spear!" shouted Dumbleldus hurling the spear at incalculable speed.
Rimuru managed to dodge it, but the spear moved so fast that it ended up cutting some hairs.
"It has become faster and stronger than before." thought Rimuru.
"Warning. The subject's magical power has increased even more than before." said Raphael.
Before he could think of anything else, Dumbleldus appeared in front of him with his fist wrapped in fire.
"Fire Phoenix's Claw!" shouted Dumbleldus trying to hit him, but Rimuru raised his arm, which had been covered in scales, to protect himself and although he succeeded, he couldn't avoid being pushed back.
After that, Rimuru shot several of thousands of icicles towards him, but Dumbleldus began to puff out his cheeks.
"Fire Phoenix's Screech!" shouted Dumbleldus shooting a torrent of fire from his mouth that took out all the icicles as he continued his path towards Rimuru, but he took out his wings and took flight to dodge the attack.
Rimuru proceeded to shoot multiple black lightnings, but Dumbleldus disappeared before the lightnings hit him and appeared in less than a second in front of him with his wings of fire and his hands engulfed in fire.
"Fire Phoenix's Picks!" shouted Dumbleldus launching several strikes in quick succession, but Rimuru managed to draw his katana and block the attacks.
Finally, after one last clash, they repelled each other.
"You know? As a reward for getting me to this point, let me show you my greatest attack. PHOENIX SLAYER'S SECRET ARTS!" shouted Dumbleldus as his wings of fire grew extremely large until their wingspan covered the entire room and then, the two wings merged into one larger one that blended with his right arm. "HEAVENLY WING OF THE EMPEROR KING!" shouted Dumbleldus swinging his arm in a swing, swinging the wing like a sword at an abnormal speed despite its size.
Rimuru was about to move, block or whatever, but the giant wing moved at great speed and the end result was…
That it ended up cut in half, much to the horror of Natsu and Happy.
Not only that, but a second later, Rimuru's body exploded.
Natsu and Happy's eyes widened in horror at the sight.
When the smoke from the explosion cleared, Rimuru was nowhere to be seen.
"L-Lord Rimuru?" asked Happy in horror.
Natsu was just as horrified, as he couldn't smell him or feel if power anywhere.
"HAHAHAHA. Yes! I finished off a Demon Lord! That proves my power is absolute! HAHAHAHA." said Dumbleldus laughing madly at his victory.
As the phoenix slayer laughed like a madman, Natsu lowered his head, covering his eyes with the shadow of his hair as he remembered all that Rimuru did for him and his friends.
They were just strangers in another world they didn't know and despite that, he took them in and made them welcome in the city as if they were more of them.
It was like what Makarov, the master of Fairy Tail used to do with them when they joined the guild.
He couldn't believe that someone like that had disappeared for someone like him.
He was heartbroken, but he was also furious.
Furious at the guy who finished him off and was enjoying his death.
"Now, I'll get the word out about this! Bring on the other Demon Lords! I'll finish them all off and rule this world!" exclaimed Dumbleldus before suddenly a sudden light caught him by surprise. "Huh?" asked Dumbleldus in confusion before looking down, only to be taken aback when he saw Natsu engulfed in a blaze of pure red.
"You… You… How dare you laugh at the death of a friend of mine?" asked Natsu before raising his head to show an expression of pure fury. "I WILL KILL YOU! Fire Dragon King's Roar!" shouted Natsu shooting a huge torrent of red fire from his mouth that hit the phoenix slayer directly as it continued on its way, opening an even bigger hole in the wall.
Soon after, Dumbleldus could be seen kneeling on the ground with wounds that were healing with his flames.
"I-Impossible. I wasn't supposed to be affected by his fire. Where did he get that power from?" asked Dumbleldus before being totally shocked when he saw Natsu create a huge sphere of red fire above his head.
"Fire Dragon King's Brilliant Flame!" shouted Natsu throwing the fire sphere.
Acting quickly, Dumbleldus created a huge sphere of fire.
"Fire Phoenix's Bomb!!" shouted Dumbleldus throwing his fire sphere against Natsu's, creating a huge explosion that affected the ceiling, destroying it completely, leaving the sun to illuminate the place.
Due to the explosion, Dumbleldus, with his arms raised as a shield, was sent a couple of meters backwards, but landed on his feet.
Despite having avoided being hit by the attack, the explosion gave him a wound that was quickly healed.
"I don't know how you got so strong, but you won't do anything to me with my fast regeneration." said Dumbleldus.
"Then I just have to hit you faster than you can heal." began Natsu before lunging towards him with his fists engulfed in red fire. "Fire Dragon King's Destruction Fist!" shouted Natsu beginning to strike the phoenix slayer in a fast and uninterrupted manner.
Despite his increased speed, Dumbleldus was able to dodge most of the blows, but those that managed to hit him caused him a lot of pain that was immediately healed just before he received another blow.
Dumbleldus began to get annoyed at that.
"Fire Phoenix's Tornado!" shouted Dumbleldus creating a huge tornado of fire that forced Natsu back and when the tornado was undone, Dumbleldus pulled out his wings of fire. "Fire Phoenix's Scorching Feathers!" shouted Dumbleldus shooting a hundred feathers of fire.
"Fire Dragon King's Purgatory!" shouted Natsu releasing a massive amount of red flames from his body that disintegrated the fire feathers.
"What?" asked Dumbleldus in surprise.
"Fire Dragon King's Destruction Fist!" shouted Natsu taking advantage of that moment to approach him and hit him with a fist wrapped in red fire, causing a huge explosion that sent the phoenix slayer flying, but with his wings, he was able to regain his balance while his flames healed the wounds.
"Grrr. You're starting to wear me out already." began Dumbleldus before flying straight at him. "Fire Phoenix's Wing Attack!" shouted Dumbleldus spinning to strike Natsu with his wings, but he swung back to dodge it, but in the next instant, Dumbleldus appeared in front of him with his leg engulfed in fire. "Fire Phoenix's Heel!" shouted Dumbleldus kicking the fire dragon slayer upwards and a second later, Dumbleldus appeared above him. "Fire Phoenix's Picks!" shouted Dumbleldus striking him with his hands wrapped in fire in a swift and uninterrupted manner and, with a final blow, sent him crashing to the ground.
"Natsu!" shouted Happy worried for his friend.
"Let's see if this will keep you standing for a while." said Dumbleldus as smoke covered the impact zone.
"Fire Dragon King's Roar!" shouted Natsu shooting through the smoke a huge blast of fire that hit the phoenix slayer and reached high into the sky.
Soon after, Dumbleldus landed on the ground panting slightly as his flames healed his wounds.
"Don't you realize? I've killed a Demon Lord! A mere dragon isn't going to be able to take me and my power!" said Dumbleldus.
"I don't care! Even if you get cured of everything, I'll still beat the crap out of you until I die!" declared Natsu.
"You want to die, then be my guest! Fire Phoenix's Spear!" shouted Dumbleldus creating a fire spear which he then threw towards him, but Natsu quickly dodged to the side to dodge it.
However, the second later, Dumbleldus appeared in front of him with his tail of fire.
"Fire Phoenix's Tail!" shouted Dumbleldus somersaulting to hit Natsu with his tail, impacting him on the ground.
After that, it flew away from him.
"I will do you honor by killing you with the same technique I defeated your friend with! PHOENIX SLAYER'S SECRET ARTS!" shouted Dumbleldus as his wings of fire grew extremely large until their wingspan covered the entire room and then, the two wings merged into one larger wing that blended with his right arm. "HEAVENLY WING OF THE EMPEROR KING!" shouted Dumbleldus swinging his arm in a vertical swing, swinging the wing like a sword at an abnormal speed despite its size.
The giant wing impacted where Natsu was standing, producing an explosion so large that the entire pyramid shook, which everyone noticed.
When all the smoke cleared, it was seen that the impact area was completely shattered and there was no trace of Natsu anywhere.
"No…" said Happy falling to his knees as he saw his friend disappear.
"Hahaha. Even the dragons' power can't compare to mine. That just goes to show… Huh?" asked Dumbleldus noticing a movement among the rubble.
It was then that something emerged from a crack and revealed to be Rimuru in his slime form.
Shortly after, he ejected Natsu from within him who had returned to normal.
"Phew. That was a close call." said Rimuru with a sigh.
"Lord Rimuru?!" asked Natsu standing up with a start.
"Lord Rimuru!" shouted Happy tremendously surprised.
In the next instant, Natsu grabbed the slime and hugged him tightly.
"You're alive! You don't know how happy I am about that!" said Natsu.
"Hehe. I'm sorry for scaring you like that." said Rimuru before separating from the dragon slayer and returning to his human form.
"I don't understand. We saw how it exploded." said Natsu.
"Well, let's just say that guy isn't the only one with a super regeneration." said Rimuru pointing a thumb at the phoenix slayer.
"But we couldn't sense it anywhere." said Happy.
"I'm sorry for that. My intention was to fake my death and catch him by surprise to finish him off quickly, but I didn't expect Natsu to unleash all that power. You really impressed me." said Rimuru with a smile.
"Hehe. It's nothing." said Natsu with a toothy grin as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Anyway, if you don't mind, I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible." said Rimuru turning around to look at the phoenix slayer.
"All yours, buddy." said Natsu backing away.
"Aye, sir." said Happy backing away.
Dumbleldus was in complete shock, as the Demon Lord he was supposed to have killed was now alive and in front of him.
Anger and frustration filled his insides and he clenched his teeth and fists tightly, but then, he turned his frustration into pure madness and gave the human slime a smile.
"You know what? I don't care how you survived. If you're alive, then I'll just have to kill you again." said Dumbleldus.
"That's not going to be possible." said Rimuru.
"Oh yeah? And why is that?" asked Dumbleldus.
"Because you've already lost." said Rimuru with a smile.
That made Dumbleldus grit his teeth again in frustration.
"That's for you to believe. Fire Phoenix's Scorching Feathers!" shouted Dumbleldus shooting millions of fire feathers from his wings.
However, before they reached the human slime.
"Beelzebub!" shouted Rimuru creating a vortex in his hand that devoured all the feathers without trouble, much to the phoenix slayer's surprise.
"What?" asked Dumbleldus.
"I told you, you've already lost." said Rimuru before snapping his fingers, causing a magical barrier to form around the human slime and the phoenix slayer.
"Huh? What did you do?" asked Dumbleldus.
"I simply erected a barrier as a precaution. That way, you won't be able to run away," said Rimuru.
"Grrr. The only one who will run away is you! Fire Phoenix's Screech!" shouted Dumbleldus shooting a huge torrent of fire from his mouth.
"That won't do you any good. Beelzebub!" shouted Rimuru creating a vortex in his hand that swallowed the attack whole.
"EH?!" shouted Dumbleldus as he saw his attack being easily neutralized.
"If you're just going to do that, then this will be easier for me." said Rimuru before appearing in less than a second in front of the phoenix slayer and beginning to punch him repeatedly in the face and body.
Despite his flames healing his wounds, Rimuru's movements were immensely faster than his healing, so he was slowly taking a lot of wounds.
With an axe kick, Rimuru sent Dumbleldus crashing to the ground.
When he landed, he saw him get up with a groan as the flames were healing his wounds.
"Do you think with such simple attacks you'll be able to handle my healing factor! I'm going to…!" began Dumbleldus stretching out his arm to launch another attack, but Rimuru appeared in front of him with his katana wrapped in black fire and slashed his arm with a slash.
Dumbleldus let out a cry of pain as he recoiled and it was then that he was horrified to notice something in the area of his severed arm.
"W-What? Why won't it regenerate?!" asked Dumbleldus seeing that at the spot where his arm was slashed there was a black flame and his arm hadn't returned as usual.
"Those black flames prevent you from being able to regenerate by destroying what regenerates the moment it does." said Rimuru.
Dumbleldus was horrified that he had a way to counteract his extreme regeneration.
"W-Wait! W-We can talk about it! I'm sure we can come to an agreement." said Dumbleldus with a grin of despair.
"Tsk. What a coward." said Natsu.
"Yeah, you can tell he's scared." said Happy.
"Are you talking to me about agreements when you attacked my city?" asked Rimuru as a huge aura manifested around him, startling everyone. "If you think I'm going to let you go, you're wrong."
It was then that his fear turned to madness.
"Go ahead! Kill me! I'll rise from my ashes and then, I'll make sure you're dead too!" exclaimed Dumbleldus with pure madness.
"It's true that, with your resurrection ability, it doesn't matter how many times I kill you. Therefore, I will give you a complete death." began Rimuru stretching his arm towards him. "I won't only destroy your body, but also your soul. When that happens, you will no longer be able to regenerate. You will be destroyed forever."
That made Dumbleldus look completely horrified.
"No... No. NO." began Dumbleldus trying to run away, but Rimuru used his other hand to shoot a spider thread that wrapped around his legs, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. "P-Please! Somebody help me!" shouted Dumbleldus as he tried to crawl away from the human slime.
"Take it all back! Beelzebub!" shouted Rimuru generating a vortex from his hand that enveloped the phoenix slayer.
Dumbleldus was left screaming in horror as he disintegrated until, at last, he was completely devoured.
By the time Rimuru stopped the attack, there was nothing left of him.
After seeing that the battle was over, Rimuru snapped his fingers, causing the barrier to disappear.
Natsu and Happy stood on the side with wide eyes at the outcome of the fight.
"So it's over then, he's not going to be resurrected?" asked Natsu.
"No. Rest assured, he will never be reborn again." said Rimuru turning to look at him.
"You are truly strong, Lord Rimuru." said Happy.
"I know." said Rimuru.
"Wait, we have to go get the others. I'm sure they're having trouble with the other guild members." said Natsu.
"That won't be necessary. I can feel that all of them have been eliminated and the others are fine." said Rimuru.
"Phew. That's a relief." said Happy.
"Now all that's left to deal with is the staff that gave them their power boost. Where could it be now?" asked Rimuru seeing the room completely destroyed because of the fight.
"Oh, you mean this?" asked Happy holding up the two halves of the staff that was now shattered.
"How did it end up like this?" asked Rimuru.
"When Natsu let out his roar in fire dragon king mode, he destroyed the wall he was on, so the staff was destroyed too." said Happy.
"Well, at least, this way, no one will ever be able to use it again. Anyway, let's not stay here too long. Let's go back home." said Rimuru.
"Yes! It's time for a party!" declared Natsu with a raised fist and a toothy grin.
"Aye, sir!" shouted Happy with equal excitement.
Rimuru couldn't help but chuckle a little at the fire dragon slayer's personality.