I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited or followed this story since I updated it, and for getting this story up to over 450 favorites and 450 followers!
Write Your Wrongs: Well to each their own, but keep in mind that the time-skip did serve a purpose in the original series. And there are going to be some changes I doubt many people would expect in this story. You'll see what I mean soon enough.
PrinceKaz09: Well the overall plot of Fairy Tail was pretty solid, but I do make room for a number of changes so it's not just copying and pasting the original story line word for word. I do have plenty of original ideas for the story as well.
Prometo: I appreciate the feedback. I can see what you're saying about Luke replacing Natsu in the beginning of the story, but aside from the rocky start, I did think that the premise itself would catch the attention of a lot of readers. Though just to be clear, it wasn't another Laxus story, it was the same one that happened in the Battle of Fairy Tail, it just happened earlier. I have been told about that part with introducing Happy and Lisanna twice, I've been meaning to go back and fix that. I did try to exploit some character dynamics to give a sense of originality in a few parts, like Lucy and Cana or Luke and Gray in the second chapter. I realize that the Lullaby thing not being solved with teamwork might be kind of off putting, but it was meant to show just how powerful Luke really is, the same with Luke's battle with Erza. I'm glad to see you think Luke is interesting, and I agree with what you say about Cana. I also appreciate that you're being mature about the ships. If you don't like the ones I include here that's fine, everyone has their own set of opinions about these things. I understand what you're saying about not wanting the guild to get disbanded after Tartaros, and I will say that having the 100 Year Quest take place during the one year timeskip is a pretty interesting idea. However, I do have my own plans for what happens during the timeskip, so you'll have to wait and see how it pans out.
Majikss: I know it's kind of a slow starter, but after the first few chapters I really found my stride with the story.
Ltbutterfly287: That was the height Luke was at before he left to train for a year and a half, so I think it's safe to say that he changed after that.
Ltbutterfly287: Trust me, I have plans regarding the supposed "death" of Mira. Also having someone get killed instead of just a mission failing gives it more impact, and the guilt of it that he feels is a part of his character arc.
Gruntled Baki: Agree to disagree.
Aedwards179: Look I get that it was a bit of a rocky start, but read beyond just the introduction before you decide that. Though I will admit, having a character return during the Phantom Lord arc isn't a bad idea.
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The battle for the future continued raging on multiple fronts throughout Crocus, though there was plenty of drama to be had on numerous fronts as well.
For example, having found Erza and Jellal in the ruins of Crocus, a furious Milliana stated her vow to kill Jellal for everything he did in the Tower of Heaven, despite Erza's protests of her being wrong in her course of action. Suddenly though, the group was approached by Ultear, who went on to explain to a confused Milliana that she was the one responsible for possessing Jellal, the death of Simon, and everything that occured during their childhoods, claiming that she was evil at heart. She went on to tell them to focus on the enemy at hand and took her leave of the scene, leaving both Jellal and Milliana to question the madness of everything that had taken place, while Kagura sheathed her sword from where she stood in her own hiding palace near the scene. Ultear on the other hand managed to get away from the group, and once she was alone, she fell to her knees, recalling how she was prepared to take the life of an innocent, and began to question her own morality.
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Meanwhile, with the mid-air battle…
"Sounds to me like it's finally kicking in. About freaking time too." Salamander breathed a sigh as he watched Natsu's rampage against him finally begin to die down "Finally get it yet? I'm you and you're me, and that means you're gonna turn into me. We saw Back to the Future, you know what I'm talking about. You might as well just accept it kid, before things get an uglier than they have to."
'But it can't be…' Natsu ceased his relentless series of denial-driven attacks and now stood in a stupor on the back of Atlas Flame 'But the scent… the fire stuff… But he can't just-'
"Why the hell are you just sitting there now?"
Natsu's gaze snapped up just in time to see Luke blitz onto the scene, his Dragon Force surging with electricity and magic power and lightning gathering above them "Luke, what… what are you doing?!"
"What else, we're in the middle of trying to save the world! Now stand back or you'll get caught in the blast!"
"The lightning user speaks the truth nephew, I won't allow you to be put in harm's way by such a thing." so Atlas Flame flew a short distance away from Motherglare and Salamander, with Natsu still riding on his back "Go!"
"Right! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Indra's Wrath: DIVINE THUNDERCLAP!" Luke used one hand to guide the lightning down from above to strike both Salamander and Mothglare, and lit up the night sky with the explosion that followed, during which Luke cast a glance over to where Natsu remained on top of Atlas Flame 'I guess he finally got it out of his system. Not a surprise, raging in denial can only get you so far. I would know from experience. But that future isn't going to come to pass, not so long as I have a say in it. As long as Natsu has a group of people like Fairy Tail watching his back, he'll never go down that same path. If he starts to, then we'll pull him back off of that path no matter what it takes.'
"You always know how to entertain don't you?" the smoke cleared to reveal Salamander left with numerous burns across his body, but otherwise still in fighting shape, and he spat out some blood as he shot a glare at Luke "Then again when it comes to you, that always goes hand in hand with pissing me off."
"I'm aiming to do a lot more than that. You're gonna pay for what you've done, and I'm going to make sure of that, no matter what it takes."
"Actions talk a lot louder than words you know." Salamander spat out some more blood and took a look at the wounds across his body, then shot a smirk at Luke "You're definitely a hell of a lot more of a fight for me than I thought you were gonna be. Not gonna be enough though, I've come way too far to just lie down and give up now, so I think it's about time for me to pick up the pace and get serious."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that it's time for me to show you what I've garnered from seven years in a living hell, toiling away in agony and suffering… and the power I've awakened by discovering the truth about myself, and my destiny!" Salamander's entire body was suddenly encased in an aura of crimson-colored flames, the sheer force being enough to blow Luke off of Motherglare's back and into the open skies.
'Shit!' thinking quick, Luke managed to stop his descent with a series of small concentrated bursts of electricity, and quickly propelled himself so that he landed on the back of Atlas Flame next to Natsu "Hey listen, I know the whole evil future self things is a lot to take in, but I get the feeling I'm gonna need your help for this one."
"I…I won't do it…" Natsu slowly pulled himself back to his feet and got into a stance "I won't turn into him… I can't…"
"Good enough for me." Luke glanced over at the pillar of crimson light where Salamander stood on the back of Motherglare, lightning up the night sky in crimson until it began to condense itself and subside 'This is insane, his magic power is unlike anything I've ever felt before. You'd better be ready, we're about to be in for the fight of our lives. Go ahead and fill up while you can, we'll need the strength."
"Got it. Get ready Uncle, time for me to stay true to my word!" so Natsu crouched down and started eating off a large amount of flames from Atlas Flame's back, causing a golden aura of flames to envelop him as he entered his own Dragon Force "Now I've got one hell of a fire raging in my belly."
"Normally your bragging ends with you getting curb stomped, but right now all I can say is to put it to good use. Like right now." Luke braced himself for what came next.
"Fire Dragon… SCATTER BLAZE!" from within the crimson, a barrage of flames burst out in every direction, resulting in a series of explosions raining down across the city.
"Natsu!"
"I'm on it!" Natsu didn't waste any time as he launched himself into the air, eating as many of the flames as he could, causing his Dragon Force to surge even higher, though even he wasn't able to reach too many of them before they struck their targets, and then the crimson column turned into a sphere and began hurtling towards them, the force of which sent him hurtling back through the air, only to be caught by Atlas Flame.
'He's got much magic power concentrated into that sphere. I don't know if I'd be able to stop it, but it's not like I have many other options. Gotta take a chance on it. If you wanna get serious, then I'm going to do the same! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Indra's Wrath: ROARING THUNDER!" Luke gritted his teeth, and with one arm he fired an enormous blast of pure lightning into the crimson sphere, resulting in a collision that sent out a massive series of shockwaves, though his lightning was quickly pushed back by the sphere, and it came close to engulfing him, until…
"Thunder Dragon Surge Cannon!" a burst of multi-colored energy flashed onto the scene, and then joined in the struggle right next to Luke with a blue-colored blast of electricity, pushing back the crimson sphere, and the light dissipated to reveal God Serena standing before him, and he shot Luke a smirk "I would do a dramatic pose for my heroic entrance, but I'm a little bit too preoccupied at the moment."
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Meanwhile, on the ground below…
Concurrently, throughout the city of Crocus, different groups of mages from various guilds from across Fiore battled against the minions of Motherglare, struggling against the sheer numbers of them. The Dragon Slayers weren't doing much better, even with the likes of Sting and Rogue both teaming up to double team their dragons. Cobra in particular was straining against the Rock Dragon, his strength slowly waning and his attacks doing little damage.
All the while, Ultear continued to mule over the fact that the sins of her past hadn't been erased, and that she was still a human who was dark at heart.
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Meanwhile, with the wayward heroines…
"Come on keep moving, we can't waste any time!" Cana and Lucy continued making their way through the rubble, the former tightly clutching at the notebook in her hand "We gotta find the others, they have to know about this before-"
"Look out!" Lucy threw Cana to the ground right before a blast of magic energy could pierce the two of them "You okay?"
"Part of me wants to say yes. Then I opened my eyes." Cana jerked a thumb to where a large group of Motherglare's minions.
"Oh god, they're everywhere…"
"I hate to admit it, but I don't think we can deal with this many, unless…" Cana tried to reach for her cards, with Lucy reaching for her keys, but the minions all fired simultaneous blasts of magic energy at them, until…
"STORM FORCE!" a massive burst of wind swept through the scene, blowing away the magic beams and ripping through the minions, resulting in them going up in explosions.
"What the-" Cana and Lucy opened their eyes and found themselves suspended in mid air and wrapped in red hair, only to look down and see who their savior was "Huh, one of those times I'm actually happy to see him."
"I live to make a dramatic entrance." Bolt gave a shrug as he morphed Shatterstorm from its trident form into a small dagger "You guys okay?"
"Well we're not dead so I'm gonna call that a win."
"Good enough for me."
"So um, when exactly did you get the hair magic?" Lucy asked as she and Cana were set back on the ground.
"That's not mine, I picked up a little bit of backup on the way here." Bolt jerked a thumb over at where Flare was poking her head around a corner, which immediately earned a comical scream of terror from Lucy "Yeah apparently she gets kick out of scaring the shit out of people. I can kind of relate to that."
"...Okay then, thanks for the save, gonna go ahead and run!" and then Lucy took off through the wreckage without another word.
"Yep, she's got the stuff for it too." Bolt glanced over at Cana as the two of them quickly took off after Lucy "So you wanna give me the details on what the two of you have been up to since you met the Jiraiya of dragons?"
"A lot more than you think." Cana told him flatly "You're never gonna believe what we found in the rubble…"
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On other fronts, Laxus had rushed to the aid of Mira and Wendy and helped them in their fight against Zirconis, and with Levy and Kinana helping to evacuate the townspeople, those on other parts of the battlefield continued to find themselves struggling against the dragons, as well as the smaller hatchlings. During all of this, Happy flew through the chaos and eventually managed to find Romeo, Macao and Wakaba, though the group rejected the offer for help, claiming that they were fine to continue the fight on their own like everyone else.
All the while, Ultear remained alone on the ground amongst the ruins of the city, and she came to a conclusion: that she no longer deserved to live.
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Meanwhile, with a certain group of stragglers…
"Water Slicer!" Juvia wasted no time in ripping through the minion of Motherglare in front of her with a barrage of water slicers, only to find herself surrounded by several more that fired a series of simultaneous beams of magic energy at her 'No!'
"Mountain Dragon Terra Dome! Molten Spears!" a large dome of earth suddenly formed around Juvia, followed by a barrage of earth spears ripping through each of the minions before detonating, taking the minions with them. The dome then subsided and the smoke cleared away to reveal Noah standing before her, his Exceed Quake clinging onto his shoulder "You're not dead right?"
"R-Right."
"Good enough for me."
"Noah! Juvia!" this was when Meldy came running onto the scene and was promptly pulled into a tight hug by Noah.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine, but I lost track of Ultear awhile back. You haven't seen her have you?"
"I was with her until a little while ago, I think she was heading for where I could smell Jellal and a few others. That was the last I could pick up from her. I think we've got other things to worry about at the moment."
"What do you-" Meldy was cut off by another minion firing a beam of magic energy towards the three of them.
"Stand back! Mountain Dragon-"
"Ice Make: Shield!" a large wall of ice suddenly materialized in front of the group and was able to deflect the blast, courtesy of Gray as he and Lyon arrived on the scene, the former grabbing hold of Juvia and Meldy and pulling them to the ground, and latter encasing the minion in a thick layer of ice "You gotta stay focused, we're in a fucking war zone right now!"
"Right, because up until now we thought it was a goddamn picnic. I'm not a fucking idiot, do I look like Salamander to you?"
"Fair enough. So are you guys okay?"
"We're not dead."
"Good enough for me."
'Oh my…' Juvia on the other hand was feeling a bit distracted, mainly due to something that had her red in the face 'I can still feel the warmth of Gray's hand on my tushie…'
"Hey Juvia, listen for a second." Gray crouched down next to her "There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about for awhile."
"R-Really?" Juvia bolted upright and composed herself to the best of her ability, which wasn't all that much "Whatever that something is, I'm ready to here it."
"I'm pretty sure now is probably the worst time to tell it, but it's probably the only chance I'm gonna get without everybody else from the guild jumping down my throat about it."
"Alone or surrounded by everyone, it doesn't matter. I'm more than ready to here it whenever you're ready to say it. Could this be the moment I've always dreamed of? Has the moment come at last where he confesses his love to me? Oh my goodness, what can I say?'
"GET THE FUCK DOWN!" Noah suddenly blitzed in front of the two of them and promptly threw them to the ground, summoning a wall of earth to protect them from the blast, only to whip around and see three more blasts closing in on them from numerous directions 'Shit, there's no time to-'
"Look out!" Meldy didn't hesitate to push Noah out of the way, leaving him to hit the ground with a thud and then look back in horror… as one magic beam struck her straight through the chest, and then several more all closing in on her simultaneously, piercing through her chest multiple times… and then the last one pierced right through her skull, leaving her body to hit the ground with a soft thud, Noah and everyone else looking on in horror.
"MELDY!"
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At the same time, members of Quatro Cerberus were continuing their fight against a large group of Motherglare's minions, only for this to come screeching to a halt when a few of them got impaled by one of them.
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Unfortunately, all wasn't exactly well on other fronts either.
"WAKABA!" Macao was left to look on in horror at the sight of Wakaba being struck down by one of the minions, and then he looked over to see Romeo being cornered by a large group of minions amongst the rubble "Get the hell away from my son!" he tried to rush to the aid of his son, only to find the way being barred off by a group of them, one of them smacking him to the ground using its tail and the rest moving to fire on him, until…
"Sand Rebellion!" a large wave of sand suddenly appeared in front of Macao ad sent the minions staggering backwards, courtesy of Max as he appeared on the scene, and he cast a quick glance over at Macao "Get moving, your kid needs you!" that was all he got to say before one of the minions' tail sliced his head clean off with a beam of magic energy
"Max!" Macao looked on in horror for a second, but quickly turned his attention back to trying to get to Romeo… only to get there just in time to see him get pierced through the chest by a beam of magic energy "ROMEO!"
"Dad…" Romeo spat out some blood as he slowly lifted his head off the ground and gave Macao a small smile "You gotta run… hurry and help the others…" and then he got blasted through the skull.
"ROMEO!"
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As other battles continued raging throughout Crocus, with mages fighting and struggling (and some of them even dying) against the minions of Motherglare, Laxus continued fighting Zirconis in front of the Eclipse Gate with a series of relentless attacks, but none of them were able to make him budge, at least until he finally landed a spell that went through. Unfortunately, all this did was anger Zirconis and he tried to devour Wendy, but Laxus moved in front of her to shield her from his charge.
During this, Sting and Rogue, as well as Gajeel and Cobra, continued their fights against their own dragons, but all of the dragons throughout the city seemed to be gaining the upper hand on their foes.
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Meanwhile, with the battle in the skies…
"Thunder Dragon Surge Cannon!" a burst of multi-colored energy flashed onto the scene, and then joined in the struggle right next to Luke with a blue-colored blast of electricity, pushing back the crimson sphere, and the light dissipated to reveal God Serena standing before him, and he shot Luke a smirk "I would do a dramatic pose for my heroic entrance, but I'm a little bit too preoccupied at the moment."
"Personally I find it a good change of pace, and frankly I don't have the time or patience for any of your antics right now." Luke told him flatly "But you're not wrong. To be completely honest, I'm not sure I can beat this bastard on my own."
"Oh yeah that was pretty obvious, the same goes for the reason why."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that whether you realize it or not, you've been letting your anger cloud your focus, and you chose to go into battle without your sword because of it. If anything, your anger led you to give yourself a handicap." he was met with silence "Look, I know what he did to your girl, or to another version of her. But you have to keep your composure at all times, losing your cool for even a moment can lead to defeat or death."
"...Yeah. I got that now."
"He ain't wrong you know." the crimson sphere subsided enough to reveal Salamander standing before the two of them, revealing Salamander standing before them, only his features had grown more demonic in appearance, his body being covered in black dragon scales "But rage does a lot of good for a fight too, lord knows it's done a lot of wonders for me."
"What… What the hell is this?"
"Short version, a new power I awakened when I finally let go of any attachments I still had to my human self. This is the real power I was talking about earlier. Don't worry, you're about to get a good look at it up close and personal!" Salamander's body surged with crimson flames as he once again launched himself forward.
"Looks like it's time."
"No doubt about it." God Serena gave a smirk as he spiked his own magic power, his sclera turning dark blue and his irises shrinking and turning pure white "But then again, it's nothing that the Man of Eight Dragons and his prized student can't handle."
"For everyone's sake, let's hope you're right. I'll do whatever it takes to bring this guy down, and I've got a promise to keep after all. Now let's do this."
"Agreed. Tempest Dragon Spiral Cyclone!"
"Lightning Dragon SURGE!" the two of them charged simultaneous blasts of wind and lightning and unleashed them both in a combine attack.
"Don't count on something like that being enough to even scratch me as I am now. Fire Dragon Scorching SHOWER!" Salamander blocked both of their attacks and unleashed a burst of magic energy that subsequently sent out a rapid barrage of small fire blasts in every direction, forcing Luke and God Serena to retreat across the skies, keeping themselves propelled in mid air via small concentrated bursts of electricity.
"Dammit, he took that like it was nothing."
"No doubt he's living up to his talk about how strong he is. I think we're gonna have to get more creative now." God Serena cast a quick glance over at Luke as he spiked his magic aura "Now I'm thinking we should go with a combined attack that's more up our alley."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning the same element, we'll combine lightning spells and form them into one much more powerful attack."
"In that case I'm way ahead of you."
"Good, now let's do this. Thunder Dragon SURGE CANNON!"
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Indra's Wrath: ROARING THUNDER!" the two of them went on to unleash their most powerful lightning-based attacks, both spells combining into one and hurtling towards Salamander at blinding speeds.
"Fire Dragon WING ATTACK!" Salamander didn't waste any time in charging towards the attacks with both of his arms coated in crimson flames, and despite meeting a fair amount of resistance, he managed to push through the lightning spells and struck Luke and God Serena dead on, sending both of them hurtling backwards.
God Serena managed to stop himself with a burst of magic energy propelling him back into the air, and he looked over to see Luke get sent crashing to the ground "Oh sure, take a timeout and leave me to do the fighting for you."
"About time he did too, frankly he was starting to get on my nerves." Salamander just rolled his eyes as he charged at God Serena with a barrage of fire-enhanced punches "Seriously, people like him just don't know when the fuck to give up. There's only one way this is gonna end, and it's with him and everyone else going up in flames."
"If you thought he was ever gonna give up then you're an even bigger fool than I thought you were. Sea King Dragon Scales!" God Serena coated his body in a set of blue-colored dragon scales as he began trading even blows with Salamander "Luke is the kind of person that won't quit for as long as he can draw breath, and the same goes for everyone else that's fighting down there right now."
"That probably ain't gonna last for too much longer. You saw him, even as pissed as he is he was bleeding out all over the place. Buying more time ain't gonna do him any good. A few good shots here and there are all I'll need to put him down like a fucking dog!"
"And just like that I'm proven right, you are a fool! Sea King Dragon ROAR!" God Serena was quick to breath out an enormous stream of water to counter Salamander's flames.
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Still lying amongst the rubble, Ultear was left to reminisce about the life she had led up to that point. Gray had given her a chance at life following their battle on Tenrou Island, which she took with Crime Sorciere as a means of repenting for her sins, though she felt that she hadn't actually changed, and thus deserved to die. She recalled her teenage years in Grimoire Heart, when she had once asked Hades about a spell known as the Arc of Time, but Hades had warned her not to use it, claiming that it would be able to turn back time, albeit at the cost of hers. In short, using the spell would cost her her life.
However, now was the time in which Ultear elected to cast the spell, willing to sacrifice her own life to save the world and everyone else, and activated the Last Ages. Aiming to take the world at least back to when the Eclipse Gate was opened, she cast the spell and readily took the recoil that came with it. She thought back to the happiness that she experienced throughout her life, which she thought was unjustly given to her. Once the smell had concluded, Ultear glanced over to the clock tower nearby… only to be shocked when she realized that she had only been able to turn back time by a single minute. Wondering if such was truly the worth of her life, Ultear finally collapsed, believing she was unable to save anyone.
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Now to see the results of the Last Ages…
"Ice Make: Shield!" a large wall of ice suddenly materialized in front of Noah and the others and was able to deflect the blast coming at them, courtesy of Gray as he and Lyon arrived on the scene, the former grabbing hold of Juvia and Meldy and pulling them to the ground, and latter encasing the minion in a thick layer of ice "You gotta stay focused, we're in a fucking war zone right now!"
"Right, because up until now we thought it was a goddamn picnic." Noah shot him a dry look full of annoyance "I'm not a fucking idiot, do I look like Salamander to you?"
"Fair enough. So are you guys okay?"
"We're not dead."
"Good enough for me."
'Oh my…' Juvia on the other hand was feeling a bit distracted, mainly due to something that had her red in the face 'I can still feel the warmth of Gray's hand on my tushie…'
"Hey Juvia, listen for a second." Gray crouched down next to her "There's something I've been wanting to- Wait a second."
"Okay, what the fuck just happened?" Noah shared a look with the others.
"I… think I died." Meldy glanced at Noah with uncertainty "But… was it a dream?"
"Pretty sure you don't dream about something like that."
"Okay seriously, this is just creeping me the fuck out." Gray muttered "I totally saw it…"
"I did as well, some of the dragon's hatchlings climbed over the rubble." Juvia was instantly met with a few of Motherglare's minions bursting out from the rubble and preparing to fire on them with beams of magic energy.
"Juvia get back!" Gray moved in front of her and prepared to cast an ice spell.
"Mountain Dragon Terra Dome!" Noah wasted no time in encasing the minions in a dome made of earth, resulting in an explosion going off inside it, and when the dome subsided the minions were left as nothing but scorched heaps that quickly evaporated "Beauty of the Terra Dome, no magic gets in or out."
"Yeah that's cool and all, but what the hell is going on?" Gray looked over at the others "That was exactly what we just saw. We knew it was going to happen, but how?"
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Meanwhile, with other stragglers…
"Dammit, this ain't good." Rocker, one of the members of Quatro Cerberus, glanced over at the others as he shot back a minion with his magic rifle "These things are too hot to handle, we gotta get the hell out of here!"
"There's no way in hell we're doing that." Bacchus shot a look at him "I still the guys from Fairy Tail a few rounds of drinks to- Wait a second."
"What? Wait, didn't this just happen?"
"Yeah we were fighting them and… oh shit, one of them popped up behind you!"
"Wait what?!" Rocker whipped around just in time to see a minion close in on him, but he shot it back with his rifle… only for another to appear before him "Shit!"
"Get back!" Bacchus didn't hesitate to leap into the fray to shove Rocker out of the way… just in time to get stabbed through the chest, leaving the members of Quatro Cerberus to look on in horror as their ace fell to the ground.
"BACCHUS!"
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Unfortunately, all wasn't exactly well on other fronts either.
"WAKABA!" Macao was left to look on in horror at the sight of Wakaba being struck down by one of the minions, and then he looked over to see Romeo being cornered by a large group of minions amongst the rubble "Get the hell away from my son!" he tried to rush to the aid of his son, only to find the way being barred off by a group of them, one of them smacking him to the ground using its tail and the rest moving to fire on him, and then a thought occurred to him 'But didn't this just.'
"Sand Wall!" a large wall of sand suddenly formed around him, courtesy of Max as he appeared on the scene, only to pause and share a look with Macao "Didn't this just…"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Thought so. If I used my Sand Rebellion to attack, I would've been wide open to get my head ripped off. Get going, your kid needs you!"
"Right!" Macao didn't waste a moment as he ripped through the minions in front of him to try and get to Romeo, which he did… just in time to shield him with his body and get a blast right through his chest.
"Dad!" Romeo was left to look on in horror as Macao hit the ground, and then he saw more of the minions close in on him, until…
"Sand Rebellion!" a large wave of sand suddenly appeared in front of the two of them and sent the minions staggering backwards, courtesy of Max as he appeared before them "Come on it's dangerous to stay here, we gotta move!"
"No… I can't…" Macao slowly looked up at them as blood poured from his wound "You gotta go… and keep my boy safe…"
"Macao… I'm sorry." Max fought back his tears as he grabbed Romeo and dragged him away from the scene right before a blast struck, leaving Macao to scream in pain.
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Thanks to Ultear's actions, people all over the world were able to get a glimpse one minute into their future, but much like a dream, it was quick to slip from their memories, leaving behind a faintly eerie sensation for those that would experience it first hand. As miraculous as it was, this phenomenon went largely unnoticed. However, for many of the wizards and mages doing battle, that one minute they were able to peer into the future, that minute was worth a lifetime. For many of them, though not all of them, it made the difference between life and death. It was such a brief time, but that one minute was enough to buy countless years for humanity, and secure its future.
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Meanwhile, with the battle in the skies…
"Okay, what the fuck just happened?" Salamander paused in the middle of preparing a spell and glanced over to see Luke hurtling towards the ground 'I'm pretty sure I just did this. It's like time just got fucked up in some way. Did something screw with the Eclipse Gate?'
"You should keep your head in the fight! Blizzard Dragon CRYO SWORD! God Serena held out a hand and formed a sword made out of ice, and in an instant he slashed Salamander across the torso, leaving blood pouring from his side "And for the record, once Luke starts doing that himself you're as good as dead."
"Then he's already fucked. You know as well as I do that he's too soft to really kill anyone. He'd never go through with it, no matter how pissed he might be.
"You just killed a version of the woman he loves, if you think he's gonna let you walk away after that then you're living in a fantasy."
"Not like it's gonna matter, he ain't gonna get the chance!" and so the two of them charged at each other once again.
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Meanwhile, back on the ground…
"Come on, we've gotta- Wait a second." Lucy and Cana stopped in their tracks, Bolt screeching to a halt next to them "Didn't we just…"
"Yeah we did, then we turned that corner and we got jumped by about a dozen of those things, and I got blasted through the eyes." Bolt took a glance around a corner and found a dozen or so minions gathering in the area "I'm thinking we go straight instead, espeically given whose scent I'm picking up."
"What do you mean, who is it?" asked Cana.
"It's Mila Kunis, who the fuck do you think I'm talking about?" Bolt promptly slung Cana over his shoulder and flew off without another word "Come on, we're going to track him down before he goes on the war path again."
"Hey wait, what about me?" Lucy called after them.
"Head over to the Gate and tell the others about what you found, and make sure to keep your keys out this time!"
"...Okay then."
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Meanwhile, at a certain crash site…
'Great, a perfect landing…' Luke spat out a considerable amount of blood as he slowly pulled himself out of the rubble and shook off the disorientation he was feeling 'And I'm pretty sure I'm gonna end up with some internal bleeding before the night is out.'
"Shit, you know things are bad when you're the one getting trounced."
Luke glanced up up to see Bolt and Cana drop to the ground in front of him "Not like I haven't been trying to avoid that."
"And look where it got you." Cana pointed out dryly, then her gaze softened "That bastard from the future is giving you more trouble than you thought huh?"
"He's definitely a lot stronger than I thought he'd be. Not like I was doing a ton of thinking to begin with." Luke paused, then breathed a sigh as he hung his head "God Serena is right, and I hate it when he's right. I was so overwhelmed by my own anger that I let it cloud my focus, and he's been using that against me this whole time."
"...We're talking about a future version of Natsu right?"
"I think we've already established that he's nothing like the Natsu we know." Luke slowly pulled himself back to his feet as he wiped away the blood from his face "Now that I'm finally thinking clearly again, I know what I have to do. The only chance I have to beat him is to use my trump card. I'm gonna break out Dual Element Dragon Force. I can't waste any more time or let him mess with my head anymore. I'm going back up there and I'm gonna end this now. I won't let anyone else die because of him."
"Figured you'd say that. Just to be safe though." Bolt held up Shatterstorm in its dagger form and fired a quick blast of lightning at Luke, engulfing him in a field of electricity, only for it to quickly subside "Figured a little pick me up wouldn't hurt."
"No arguments here, thanks Bolt. You guys better get somewhere safe, the fight to come is gonna get ugly."
"So you're going huh?"
"You surprised?"
"Nope, I never doubted it for a second." Bolt caught Luke in a fist bump, then a quick hug "Just make sure that you come back alive."
"Believe me, I have no intention of leaving you guys now. Though I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need a ride up there."
"Before that, there's one more thing." Cana finally spoke up as she stepped towards Luke and held something out to him: his sword "I know you wanted me to hold onto this, but…"
"But now I think I need it more than ever." Luke gently took the sword from her hands and then promptly strapped it to his back "Thanks for keeping it safe."
"I took this with me like you said to, but I also promised myself that I was gonna see you get it back. I guess part of me figured if that happened, then it would be enough for me to know that I'll get to see you again."
"You don't have to worry about that, I don't plan on dying when I know that I still have people I want to protect." Luke gave her a small smile, then his face fell slightly "But still, if we make it through this…"
"You mean when we make it through this."
"Right, when we make it through this, there's a few things that I've been wanting to talk to you about for awhile now."
"I think I'd be willing to listen. And no matter how this is going to end tonight, this whole ride, this incredible adventure that the two of us have been on together over the years, I wouldn't change it for the world, not a single bit of it."
"Neither would I. I…" he was cut off by Cana grabbing him by the front of his shirt and pulling him in for a gentle kiss, which he returned for a moment, before then both broke away.
"Now go do what you do best." and then she took off running in the opposite direction.
"...Okay no time to process that, I've got a future to protect." and so as he shook that off for the time being, he turned to Bolt "Let's go."
"Way ahead of you." so Bolt sprouted his wings, grabbed Luke by the shoulders, and then the two of them took off into the skies "And on the way, let me give you the short version of what your future girlfriend told me about the Eclipse Gate."
"Something good?"
"Assuming it actually pans out, it might be the only chance we have to send the dragons back to where they came from."
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At the palace in front of the Eclipse Gate, Wendy and Laxus continued their their battle against Zirconics while Princess Hisui watched, refusing to leave the site. This was when Lucy returned to the scene with the diary once held by the woman from the future, which she then read out loud to everyone, revealing that if they destroyed the Eclipse Gate in the present, then that would be able to prevent anyone in the future from using it, ensuring that the Dragon Slayer from the future wouldn't be able to use it to travel back in time. Though there were doubts about whether or not this plan would work, the group decided to give it a shot, given that they didn't have any other options.
With that in mind, Lucy and Yukino banded together and summoned all 12 Zodiac Spirits to launch a combined assault on the gate. However, this proved fruitless, given that the gate was made of an alloy highly resistant to magic. Despite this, Lucy still refused to give up.
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Meanwhile, with the battle in the skies…
'Looks like someone is finally losing his cool.' God Serena broke away as Salamander began to unleash another wave of crimson flames in his rage 'Though putting aside his obvious temper control issues, he's obviously not someone to mess around with. Assuming Luke doesn't show up to settle the score, I'm going to have to get serious.' he was about to move in to attack again, only to pause when he noticed something and gave a smirk 'Judging by the scent, I'd say that just came to pass.'
Sure enough, there was a flash of lightning, and then Luke blitzed onto the scene, his body now covered in blue and gold dragon scales, with his sword in hand "Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to take a minute to get myself together, both physically and mentally."
"And get some backup." Bolt dropped down next to him "Assuming that you're actually gonna need me for more than just a way to recharge yourself. Doubt you will though."
"You're probably right about that, Dual Element Dragon Force and my sword are all I need to end this once and for all. That being said though, I wouldn't mind you guys playing a part in this too."
"Meaning what exactly?" asked God Serena.
"Meaning that you guys and Natsu keep the fire dragon as far back as you can, I'm gonna keep pushing him away so he can't eat any fire or recharge himself."
"Seems to me like you're finally using your head again."
"It's the only way I'd be able to win a fight like this."
"So now you're going with strategy? Way to make things boring." the crimson flames once again subsided to reveal Salamander looking a mixture of pissed and annoyed "Doesn't matter the kind of plan you're going for, it's not gonna work on me. Frankly I'm tired of screwing around with you, I'm taking you out here and now."
"Go ahead and try it."
"As if you had to ask." the two of them surged with magic power and propelled themselves out into the open skies above Crocus, red and black mixing with blue and gold in a brilliant display for all to see "Fire Dragon TALON! WING ATTACK! SWORD HORN! FIRE DRAGON BLAZING RAMPAGE!" Salamander was the first one to make his move with a barrage of fire-enhanced attacks, consisting of punches, kicks and ending with an enormous barrage of waves of flames that he sent hurtling towards Luke at blinding speeds.
Using his newly enhanced strength and speed, Luke wasted no time in dodging and weaving through the oncoming barrage of fire-based attacks, and whichever ones he couldn't dodge he deflected with his sword, at least until he got to the edge of the city and the fire attacks began to die down slightly "You got your fill in yet? Good, because now it's my turn." and then his own magic power began spiking, enveloping him in an aura of blue and gold.
"Like hell it is! I'm nowhere close to being done yet! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Hidden Fire Form: Flame Lotus: PHOENIX SWORD!" his rage growing, Salamander surrounded his entire body with crimson flames and propelled himself toward Luke at blinding speeds, the force of the impact sending him hurtling across the skies above Crocus "So much for backing up all that talk about-"
"Lightning Sea King Dragon TALON!" Luke suddenly blitzed in front of Salamander, his lower body enveloped in blue and gold energy, and then he dealt Salamander a solid roundhouse kick to the chest that sent him hurtling backwards, though he quickly recovered and the two of them began trading a rapid series of even blows.
"Fire Dragon IRON FIST!" the rapid clash came to an end when Salamander coated one arm in flames and tried to launch himself forward.
"Dragon Sword Style: Thunderclap STRIKE! Lightning Sea King Dragon JAW!" Luke was able to weave around Salamander's strike, then ran him through with his sword and unleashed a powerful surge of electricity from the blade, followed by a brutal smash attack over the head that sent him hurtling across the skies and sending shockwaves throughout the city from the sheer force.
'How did he-?!'
"I'm not done with you yet! Dragon Sword Stye: Falling STORM!" Luke retreated back a short distance, his sword held above his head as the blade began surging with energy, and then he pointed it downwards and fired an enormous rain of waves of magic energy, blasting Salamander as he tried to pick himself up and bombarding him with magic energy, causing him to scream in pain as he was engulfed in the explosion that followed.
"God fucking dammit!" Fire Dragon SWORD HORN!" losing his cool, Salamander coated himself in flames and launched himself through what was left of the Falling Storm onslaught and propelled himself into the air, leading to the two of them once again blitzing across the skies to try and get an edge over one another, eventually devolving back into trading even elbows with one another, eventually the two of them breaking away and preparing simultaneous attacks to match one another "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Flame Lotus: EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!"
"Advanced Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Indra's Wrath: STORMING THUNDER!" the two attacks collided, the sheer force of which created an enormous explosion that could be seen for miles around, eventually sending both of them hurtling towards the ground with a ver audible crash. A few moments passed before Luke spat out some blood and slowly picked himself up off the ground, with Salamander doing the same "I'm not backing down… not until I make sure you don't kill anyone else."
"Good luck with that… I'm not going anywhere until I take care of my business here."
"The business of destroying the world, and if you do that then what will happen to the Natsu of this time?"
"At some point he and I are gonna merge into one, the way that fires do when they overlap with each other."
"Your next mistake is thinking I'm going to let that happen. You're not taking away the future for anyone else."
"That's what you don't get, if Acnologia lives then there isn't going to be a future. That's why I came here in the first place, I came here to take back our world!"
"You came to take it for yourself."
"Think whatever you want, I know what I'm doing, and you of all people should know that when I set my mind to something, nothing is gonna make me back down."
"Not even Lisanna or Happy?" that was enough to make Salamander freeze in his place "You really think you can just come back and let them get slaughtered without a second thought? If there's any shred of decency or humanity left in you, then you know that they'd never let you go through with something like this."
"...You're right. They wouldn't." Salamander gritted his teeth and wiped away a single tear that fell down his face "Doesn't matter anyway. They're both dead."
"Not today, right now they're still alive and like everyone else, what you're doing is making them suffer because of your own twisted agenda."
"It doesn't make a difference. I know what's going to happen." Salamander glanced around at the carnage unfolding throughout the city, then turned back to Luke "You know after all this shit went down in my time, I managed to find Happy and Lisanna, and the three of us went on the run to survive. I did everything I could to keep them safe, because they were the only real reason I had to keep going… but it didn't matter. They died anyway about a year later."
"And you weren't able to do anything about it?"
"...I should've been able to." Salamander looked up to see Atlas Flame and Motherglare continue to battle in the skies above "I let my guard down for a second, and then he killed them. About a year from now."
"I see." Luke glanced over at him as his gaze turned even harder "In case it didn't occur to you, in the time we're in now both Happy and Lisanna are alive and well."
"You think I don't know that? But it doesn't matter, because when they died, the verison of me that would waste time caring about others died with them. I lost the only real connection I had left to my human side… and it led me to awaken the power that you see now. With their death, a new me was born: the true me, who discovered my destiny."
"So you can just pretend that they never meant anything to you?"
"In some way, they still do. After all the pain and suffering I've seen and endured, I know for a fact that the only way things can move forward is through destruction! Fire Dragon SWORD HORN!" Salamander engulfed body in crimson flames as he launched himself forward.
"Dragon Sword Style: Storm Hammer!" Luke thrusted his sword into the ground and released a wave of blue and gold energy that stopped Salamander's charge and pushed him back a fair distance, and then he went on the offensive with a swift barrage of punches, kicks and slashes of his sword "Lightning Sea King Dragon IRON FIST!" he ended his assault with his arms being coated in blue and gold energy and slugging Salamander straight across his face.
"Fire Dragon FLAME ELBOW! IRON FIST!" Salamander recovered and managed to rocket his fist (coated in flames) forward with a burst of fire from his elbow, nailing Luke straight in the gut and sending him hurtling across the ruins of Crocus "Fire Dragon SWORD HORN!" and then he charged in to land a fire-enhanced headbutt.
"Dragon Sword Style: STORM WAVE! IRON FIST!" Luke thrusted his sword into the air and unleashed a wave of blue and gold energy to stop Salamander's charge, his entire body surging with gold and blue energy 'I still don't know for sure how long I can maintain this form before my body gives out, I think it's time to end this. Dragon Sword Style: Storming Blade DANCE!" he blitzed towards Salamander and dealt him a rapid barrage of slashes from his sword that sent him hurtling high into the air, with Luke unleashing a burst of energy to propel himself upwards and chase after him.
'This is bad, his attacks are hitting me like a fucking truck. Seems like he's done playing nice. I'd better get a pickmeup from Atlas Flame so I can recover.' Salamander began propelling himself into the air towards where Atlas Flame and Motherglare were continuing their clash, only to be stopped by a sudden burst of lightning from in front of him "What the fuck?!"
"Forget it asshole, you're not getting up there. Excalibur: STRIKE OF ASCALON!" Bolt was quick to dive down towards Salamander with Shatterstorm changed into its broadsword form, and he unleashed a massive surge of lightning that struck Salamander dead on and sent him spiralling back towards the ground.
"FUCK!" Salamander stopped himself in mid air just in time to see Luke hurtling towards him with his sword pointed at him "You ain't getting the drop on me! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Flame Lotus: FIRE DRAGON FIST!" he whipped around as Luke charged towards him and subsequently unleashed a rapid barrage of fire-enhanced punches, sending flames hurtling towards Luke at blinding speed.
"Dragon Sword Style: FALLING STORM!" much to his surprise however, Luke was able to dodge and blitz around the oncoming barrage of flaming punches and fire an enormous rain of waves of magic energy from the blade of his sword, cancelling out the flaming punches as well as giving him the chance to charge through the onslaught towards Salamander with his fist coated in electricity "Lightning Dragon IRON FIST!"
"Fire Dragon IRON FIST!" Salamander met Luke's attack with one of his own, both of their fists colliding and sending out an enormous series of shockwaves that ripped through the city for everyone to feel, followed by the two of them breaking away from each other and taking refuge on opposing towers loverlooking the city.
"You know the more you talk, the more I realize you're full of it." Luke spat out some blood to the side and levelled his glare on Salamander "If you think the only hope that people have can come through destruction, then it's not real hope. All you're doing is making people suffer for your own twisted gain."
"Does it look like I give a damn?! It's the price that I've gotta pay to make sure that my future comes to pass! You think everyone can live in lands of sunshine and rainbows without a care in the world, just like I used to, but it can't be like that! There's no such thing as real happy endings in a world like this!"
"That's where you're wrong, it does exist, for people that are willing to fight for it! Sure it won't be perfect, but it's better than whatever your twisted dreams will bring about! So I'm going to keep fighting until my dying breath, to protect everyone I hold dear and their futures, to keep them safe from people like you!"
"You're nothing but a pathetic idealist! You think you can change the world through words and fists, just like I used to believe! But I've seen the hell that is reality, your goals can never come to fruition! Fire Dragon TALON! BRILLIANT FLAME!" Salamander charged at Luke in mid air with a fire-enhanced kick, and then moved to hurl a giant ball of flames at him.
"Dragon Sword Style: STORM SLASH!" Luke managed to maneuver around the Talon with ease and deflected the Brilliant Flame using the blade of his sword, which he then coated in magic energy as he spun around and dealt Salamander a brutal slash along his face and torso, sending him staggering backwards as he spat out a fair amount of blood, but Luke wasn't done yet he channeled more magic energy into his sword and rushed forward.
"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" losing his cool even further, Salamander breathed out an enormous stream of crimson flames, resulting in a massive series of explosions in front of him.
"Dragon Sword Style: STORMBREAKER!" Luke didn't hesitate to charge over the wave of explosions as he blitzed towards Salamander and landed behind him, then unleashed a series of blue and gold slashes at Salamander's back before he was able to react, engulfing him in another powerful explosion, but Luke wasn't finished as he concentrated more magic energy in his sword before unleashing another barrage of slashes, bombarding Salamander with one brutal wave of destructive energy after another, causing him to scream in agony "This is for all of the people in this time that died because of your twisted ambitions! And this one… This one is for the Cana of the future! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Indra's Warth: STORM PUNISHER!" he raised one hand above his head and generated a sphere of swirling blue and gold magic energy, which he then hurled forward, enveloping Salamander in yet another explosion and causing him to scream in pain and agony.
The explosion died down after a moment, and then Salamander stumbled out, his body covered in intense burns and dried blood, and he spat out a fair amount of blood himself "Say what you like… it ain't gonna change a thing… I'm doing what I gotta do… to make sure that my destiny becomes a reality!"
"I've had way more than enough your twisted ideals to last a lifetime!" Luke let out a snarl as his body surged with electricity, his eyes blazing with a mix of determination and anger "Of course I know the world we live in isn't perfect, but it becomes what people make of it. You don't get to make that decision for everyone else!"
"SHUT UP!" Salamander let out a primal roar as his body surged with crimson flames once more, and he shot forward in a rage.
"Lightning Sea King Dragon TALON!" Luke maneuvered his way around Salamander's charge with ease, his leg coated in blue and gold, and dealt him a brutal roundhouse kick to the torso that sent him hurtling backwards and crashing through several ruined buildings closer to the center of the city.
"ENOUGH! DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ART: FLAME LOTUS: EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!" losing his cool even further, Salamander breathed out an enormous stream of crimson flames, then followed up with a spiralling torrent of flames that he sent hurtling forward in a blind rage.
"Dragon Sword Style: HURRICANE ASSAULT!" Luke maneuvered his way through the oncoming torrent of flames and dealt Salamander a roundhouse kick to the face, then spread two fingers along the blade of his sword, unleashing a sudden burst of energy that sent Salamander flying backwards, though Luke wasn't done and continued to bombard him with a swift and brutal series of attacks, eventually breaking off and leaving him hunched over in pain, which Luke took as the chance to spike his magical aura as he shot forward.
"DIE JUST FUCKING DIE!" Salamander channeled as much energy as he could into one fist and tried to strike Luke, only for his attack to be swatted aside with ease, sending a ripple effect of flames hurtling throughout the surrounding area, decimating it further.
"I'm not dying today. Not when I still have people to protect. Lightning Sea King Dragon IRON FIST!" Luke dealt Salamander a magic-enhanced fist straight to the gut, sending his own magic energy into Salamander's body and sending him hurtling backwards at full speed, and then he blitzed forward to catch up with him with his sword pointed downwards "Dragon Sword Style: HURRICANE BURST!" he sent more magic energy into Salamander's body, which subsequently released a brilliant burst of blue and gold and creating a titanic explosion that ravaged a good chunk of the city, or what was left of it, sending Salamander's charred form hurtling high into the skies above Crocus.
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Meanwhile, in the skies above the city…
"Now that's what I like to see." God Serena gave a smirk as he watched Salamander get hurled high into the air, charred and covered in blood "This is what happens when he finally decides to cut loose and stop holding back. This kid is a force to be reckoned with."
"It's more than just him holding back. This is what happens when Luke gets pissed off. It's not easy to do, but it's a hell of a sight when it happens." Bolt glanced back to where Natsu lay on top of Atlas Flame's back "Not that he has much reaction to that."
"I'm guessing that's partially due to the shock of the whole ordeal."
"Or the fact that his future self came back in time to destroy the world."
"Fair enough. That won't be a problem for too much longer by the looks of it." they turned their glance to where Motherglare flew down to take Salamander onto her back "I think this fight is about to come to a close, and it's gonna be a good one."
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Meanwhile, a little distance away…
"Come on… hurry…" Salamander slowly struggled to pull himself back to his feet atop the back of Motherglare, flying towards where Atlas Flame was charging at them, both of them hovering a short distance away from the palace… and the Eclipse Gate "Just a little closer… I need the fire to… get my strength and-"
"Not gonna happen."
Salamander whipped around to find Luke standing behind him on Motherglare's back, his body surging with magic energy and his eyes blazing with determination "No… not yet…"
"It's over. And let me tell you this for good measure." Luke sheathed his sword as he stuck both hands out in front of him, pulsating with blue and gold energy "I don't know for sure what's going to happen today, tomorrow or even a year from now, and I don't care. It's not going to change one thing that I recoginze with every fiber of my being: I'm going to keep fighting with every ounce of strength I have, to protect my home! My family! And this is for them, and for everyone! Advanced Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Indra's Wrath: STORM CANNON!" using all of the magic power he was able to muster, Luke fired forward a massive two-handed blast of gold and blue energy, engulfing Salamander in it at point blank range, while he pushed the blast as far and as hard as he was able to.
Salamander could only scream in utter pain and agony as he was sent hurtling towards the ground by the blast at a tremendous speed, leaving him to be engulfed in the absolutely massive wave of magic energy that followed, lightning up the night skies throughout Crocus.
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Meanwhile, on the ground in front of the gate…
"Lucy! Everyone!" it was around this time that Cana finally made her way back over to the group in front of the palace, just in time to see Lucy and Yukino attacking the gate with their Celestial Spirits once again, and she caught Lucy as she began to fall to the ground "No luck with the gate huh?"
"Not as of yet…" Lucy was left panting slightly from the fatigue she was feeling "We've been giving it everything we have, and we haven't even put a scratch on it. There's gotta be something we can do to destroy it."
"We might have one thing." Cana pulled up her sleeve and looked at the markings on her arm "I bet a shot from Fairy Glitter would be able to do some serious damage to it."
"You sure it's gonna work?"
"It's not like we have another solution that's just gonna fall out of the sky." it was then that a faint glow enveloped the area, and the group looked up to see a blue and gold light hurtling down towards them "Or maybe it will. New plan guys, get the hell away from the gate!" and that was enough to prompt everyone to take off running away from the scene as fast as they could, before the blast hit the ground and resulted in a massive explosion.
Once the blast subsided and the smoke began to clear, Hisui was the first one to pick herself up off the ground, and she and Arcadios looked ahead in awe to see what lay before them… that being the charred form of Mothglare and Salamander lying sprawled out on the ground, amidst the rubble of what was left of the now destroyed Eclipse Gate.
"Oh god, my head…" Cana let out a groan as she picked herself up amidst the rubble, with Lucy doing the same, and her eyes widened at what and who she saw "Luke…"
Sure enough, Luke was standing amidst the rubble and wreckage, looking over the charred form of Salamander, and he let out a roar of triumph… or he tried to, but it just turned into a series of hacking coughs, and then he began to stumble 'My throat is on fire… and so is everything that isn't numb… everything is spinning…' and then he stared to fall back, only to be caught by a pair of arms, and he looked up to see Cana looking down at him "Cana…"
"Easy big shot, it's over now." Cana gave Luke a small smile as she helped gently lower him to the ground.
"Are you… okay?"
"I'm not the one that's bleeding like a freaking fountain."
"True…" Luke let out a weak chuckle, then winced from the pain "So then… what's going to happen now…?"
"Assuming that what my future self said in her notebook pans out, then destroying the gate in the present means that it can't be used in the future. That means Salamander can't use it to come back to this time, and all of the dragons oughta disappear."
"But what if… it doesn't-" Luke was cut off when Motherglare's unconscious form was suddenly enveloped in a golden glow "Nevermind then…"
"I think I know what that means." this was when Bolt flew down onto the scene, with God Serena and Natsu trailing right behind him "Considering Atlas Flame just up and vanished, I think the dragons are being sent back to their own time."
"Good… then it's finally over…"
"No, this can't be happening!" Zirconis was glowing as well, though he was less inclined to accept the turn of events and tried to pounce on the group "All of you are nothing but a bunch of stupid humans! There's no way you'd be able to defeat me!"
"Please forgive me for all of this…" despite the hostility being shown, Hisui didn't hesitate to step forward.
"You're getting a lot of points for bravery Princess." Bolt held out Shatterstrom to stop her in her tracks "Not a lot for practicality though."
"Please allow me to say this." Hisui took a breath, then looked up at Zirconis "The gateway that connected our two times was created as a result of my decree, which means that I and I alone am to blame for throwing your time into disarray. Your kind lived 400 years in the past, and humans live in the present day. This is why we never fated to have conflict with each other. But I was foolish enough to interfere, and for that I am truly sorry."
"Huh…" Zirconis halted his advance and glared at Hisui intently "Tell me something human, just who are you?"
"My name is Hisui E. Fiore."
"Hisui huh?"
"In the language of my ancestors it translates to Jade, the same as your color."
"The same as me you say?"
"Yes it is, so please allow me to call you the Jade Dragon."
"The Jade Dragon huh? You know that does have a nice ring to it." Zirconis gave a smirk, but it quickly disappeared when he was enveloped in a golden light "Hey wait, what the hell is happening? I just got tricked by a stupid human? NO!" then the light disappeared, and him along with it.
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All throughout the city of Crocus, the dragons and the hatchlings began to disappear, and the surviving mages were quick to rejoice. However, the other Dragon Slayers were not satisfied with their victory, given that none of them were actually able to defeat a dragon. On the other hand, Sting and Rogue acknowledged that none of the dragons they fougth were anywhere near the power of Acnologia, but they were still glad their comrades were safe.
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Meanwhile, in front of the Eclipse Gate (or what's left of it)…
"So I guess this is it…" Natsu cast a quick glance over towards Atlas Flame "We couldn't have done this without you. Thanks a ton for the help Uncle."
"And I will never forget you Natsu Dragneel… my nephew." Atlas Flame gave Natsu a small smile, and then he disappeared in a brilliant golden light.
"So that's it then… It's over…"
"Not yet…" Luke slowly tried to pull himself to his feet, though he quickly fell back to his knees and spat out some blood "Not just yet…"
"Take it easy." Cana slowly helped Luke to his feet "The fight's over, you don't have to keep driving yourself into the ground. Not that me saying it is going to make a difference."
"The fight's done… but there's something I need to say." Luke moved to use his sword as a crutch, only to fall again, but this time another person helped him up "Natsu…"
"Come on, I'll take you to him." knowing where to go, Natsu helped Luke walk a short distance forward: to where Salamander lay among the rubble and wreckage.
"Thanks." Luke slowly removed Natsu's arm from around his neck and looked down towards the unmoving form of Salamander.
"So this is it…" Salamander glanced up at the two of them as his body began glowing "I guess I lost…"
"You did. And you were wrong about something else." Luke levelled a glare at him with all of the anger he was able to muster "It doesn't matter what you say, because I know Natsu all too well, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that he'll never turn into you. Not so long as I'm alive to prevent it."
"...The demon slayer." Salamander lifted his head to meet Luke and Natsu at eye level "That's what you gotta keep an eye out for, if you want that to pan out."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Natsu let out a snarl.
"Figures you didn't hear any of this, but I told it to Luke a little while ago. The biggest reason why I'm like what you see now is because of Happy and Lisanna… the day that I lose both of them forever." that made Natsu freeze in his place "The day I lose them, that's the day that I lose the only real connection I had left… to the human part of me. It awakened the part of me that was born to destroy… the reason I was born… my true destiny."
"That's not going to happen." Luke's gaze hardened further "So long as I'm alive, I'll never let him turn into you."
"If you're so sure about that… then put your money where your mouth is…" Salamander raised his head a bit more to look both of them dead in the eye "A year from now… Happy and Lisanna both… you gotta keep them safe, whatever it takes…"
"From who?"
"From the Demon Slayer… You have to beware… the Demon Slayer…" and on that mysterious note, Salamander was finally enveloped in the golden light, and he vanished from sight and from their time period, never to be seen again.
'Beware the Demon Slayer…' Luke didn't say anything, he and Natsu just glanced at each other in silence 'I think it's safe to say we've got more work to do.'
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Meanwhile, with the other time traveller…
'What… Where am I…?' Cana slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying on the grass in a golden plain, nothing but gorgeous blue skies in front of her 'All of that… was it nothing but a dream…?' she slowly pulled herself to her feet and looked around, finding nothing but golden grass for miles "So what do I do now?"
"Frankly, I think that's gonna be up to you."
Cana froze at the sound of that voice, then slowly turned around, and her eyes widened at who she was seeing "Luke…"
Sure enough, Luke was standing before her, with Bolt by his side and a large group of shadowy figures standing behind him, and he gave a small smile as he held out a hand "Here I thought that I was the one who kept you waiting… kind of a funny role reversal when you think about it. But come on, everyone is waiting for you."
Cana didn't respond for a moment, though tears began streaming down her face, and after a moment she rushed towards Luke and tackled him to the ground in a tight hug "I didn't… I never wanted to keep you waiting…"
"Well we don't have to wait anymore. We've got all the time in the world, now, so let's make the most of it." Luke gently pulled Cana to her feet and caught her in a tight embrace, and then he led her towards the group behind him.
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Meanwhile, back in the present…
'Beware the Demon Slayer…' Luke didn't say anything, he and Natsu just glanced at each other in silence 'I think it's safe to say we've got more work to do.'
"Hey."
Luke turned around and found Cana standing before him, tears streaming down her face "Hey, are you alright?"
"Yeah yeah, I just…" Cana trailed off as she pulled Luke into a tight hug, both of them sinking to their knees amidst the debris.
"You gonna yell at me again… say I'm an idiot for being so reckless and pushing myself way too hard?"
"No, not now… but there is one thing I want to say."
"Yeah?"
"...Thank you."
A/N:
Well here it is everyone, it took way longer than is should've, but the battle for the fate of the world against the horde of dragons and an evil time travelling Dragon Slayer has finally come to an end. Seriously, I'm honestly ashamed of myself for taking as long as I did to finish this one. I don't really have an excuse other than life and other stories getting in the way of it. But I'm going to see this through to the end one way or another, that's a promise. On that note, this is where the battle ends, but there is going to be one more chapter after this, a brief epilogue that goes over the aftermath of the battle, so look forward to that coming out soon.
On a more somber note, I should make it clear that a good number of characters are dead, despite Ultear's actions. As much as I love her critical role in ending the battle for the future, I thought that having characters actually die here would make the whole thing even more impactful. So on that note, let us pay respects to the fallen characters: Macao, Wakaba, Bacchus, and the various mages, Rune Knights and soldiers that gave their lives in the battle. They'll get the proper respect they deserve in the epilogue of the arc, so expect that very soon.