Here we are boys. The climactic end to this battle. I'm going to do a little third-person omniscient for the battle. No reason to limit myself to one point of view. Sorry in advance if it sucks. I've lost a lot of confidence in my battle scene writing. I have zero idea if it's any good or not, but I tried my best!
Also, I want to apologise for the extended wait. after my vacation I could have gotten this up last Monday, but I hadn't worked on it at all and didn't want to try and shit it out for an update.
Enjoy!
At the same time that The Olympians clashed with Fairy Tail at the peak of that mountain, the world itself went on without them. Word had spread thorough Fiore that Magnolia had been destroyed, and now everyone was horrified that they would be next. Of course none of them would be, but that wasn't the point. It was the fear that kept them panicking.
Of course, none of that mattered though.
Far away from the mountain, in a place travelled by so few that barely anyone knew it's location, a man walked along hallowed halls. The only sound that accompanied him as his own feet against the floor, but that didn't bother Hades at all.
As the man moved towards his destination, he became acutely aware what he was about to do. He knew that by doing this, he'd be proceeding as planned.
Maybe not the way Zeus planned, but that wasn't his concern.
Reaching his destination, Hades opened the large metal door in front of him. The locks disengaged and opened up to reveal a dark room, a small hum greeting him as he entered. Smirking, Hades crossed his arms at the scene before him.
"Let's get to work."
The scene atop Mt. Olympus was one straight out of mythology. Both Neptune and Jupiter stood facing Drake and his friends, no one speaking a word. The wind that whipped around the mountain tore at them viciously, nearly tearing them from the peak if they weren't careful. Despite the sheer numbers on his side, Drake knew that neither of these men could be underestimated. If they did, they would all pay for it. Looking down, Drake looked at his arms. Dragon Force was nearly engulfing him, his arms looking more like the beefy limbs of an actual dragon then a man. But even then, it probably wouldn't be enough. They'd need to do their absolute best, and in time to stop them before they blasted themselves to stop them.
"Neptune," Jupiter said, earning the mans attention. "Aim to kill. We have no other option."
"Whatever happened to not wanting to kill?" Drake demanded. Jupiter regarded him coldly.
"I don't want to," he said. "But if I have to, I will. You cannot be allowed to succeed."
"Funny," Drake said. "I was thinking the same thing about you. You guys! Aim for the broadcast tower. They're not our biggest aim right now."
"I'll kill any of you before I let you reach it," Jupiter said as he raised his arms. "Sky, respond to my cry! I need your strength! Clamate in caelum!" The sky thundered angrily, as if responding to his words. The clouds began to circle the the peak of the mountain, turning dark and thundering even louder. Rain began to pelt the mountain, drenching the peak in a thin sheet of frigid water.
"Come," Jupiter said, "We will settle this right here, right now!"
With this, the storm boomed.
The rain turned sideways in an instant and raged towards the group, which sent them all flying away from each other to avoid getting hit together. They could feel the rain slicing open their skin wherever it hit them, but none of them paid it any mind. Not unless it got too bad. Raising his arms, Drake gathered magic in his arms as Ultear aimed her arms ahead of him. He reached the icy slide she made and slid right for Jupiter and Neptune as his arms glowed with magic, but Jupiter aimed his own arms at him and blasted lightning directly at him.
Rina came forward from the side and intercepted the blast just before it hit Drake, taking the hit and flying gracefully over his head as he continued to fly towards Jupiter. Jumping from the ice, Drake reared back and blasted pure poison from his hands. The attack snaked towards Jupiter, who regarded it coldly before he blasted it apart with lightning and then flew towards Drake, punching him in the stomach. The attack had been so quick, so sudden, that even knowing he was coming wasn't enough for Drake. Growling, Simon requipped into his Lightning Emperor Armour and blasted forth to block the follow up attack that would have sent Drake flying off of the mountain. As he did so Michael and Keita appeared behind, light and shadow collected in their forms. The blast sent Jupiter stumbling, and before he could even turn to counter the two men Neptune appeared and slashed at both with his trident, cutting up their backs.
As the three men landed Steph blasted into view and an explosion went off around Neptune. The man shrugged it off easily aimed his trident at her, each prong shooting out a torrent of water. Steph fell back as Kumi launched herself forward, her anti-magic bands cutting the water attack short. Nami blitzed past the catlike woman and sliced through the ground with her sword, the slice she created racing towards Neptune. He prepared to jump and avoid it, but vines grabbed at him from the ground, and an air pocket surrounded him. The vines didn't stop him, and he managed to avoid the attack. As Neptune sailed into the air, he suddenly disappeared and reappeared in a flash of light, having been teleported by Juno. As he reappeared, Kyoko summoned countless magic circles that blasted countless different spells at him all at once. The man parried the first few with the trident, but they soon overwhelmed him and he became consumed by the blasts. As the smoke plumed out, many rushed past it towards the tower broadcasting the signal.
Before they could get there, Ultear was thrown into their path by Jupiter, fidgeting as her body was racked by spasms. The Lord of the Sky landed with a thunderous boom, aimed his staff at the group.
"Fulgur Inspiratione!" He shouted, pure white lightning blasting out of the staff. It raced towards them, but Rina once again intercepted it and prevented it from striking. Jupiter growled at the girl, having grown tired of her endless interception.
"Seems I must deal with you first," he hissed, raising his hands. The winds responded to his will, blasting towards Rina and overtaking her immediately. She was thrown into the air in a swirl of wind, the rain tearing at her endlessly. Her screams clearly enraged the children, but Jupiter paid it no mind. He wasn't interested in whatever they're problem with it was. They wanted this. They continued to make this hard on him. He would do what he had to.
As Rina's bloody form fell through the sky. Simon made his way through the sky to catch her. As he did, he was blasted by lightning to his back and he fell to the ground in spasms as well. Blake got himself in between the next volley of lightning and the others, blocking it with a thick sheet of plasma. Jupiter snorted.
"Ah," he said. "The turncoat." Blake's face was coated in rage, but his voice was steady.
"I suppose I should thank you, Jupiter." He said flatly, plasma engulfing his form. "Without you, I never would have found my true home!" The man burst forth, and Jupiter blasted him with lightning. The attacks bounced off of him uselessly, and Jupiter growled. He should have known better. Lightning was plasma. To think he could overpower Blake that easily was foolhardy.
As this happened, Neptune fought viciously with Drake, Nami and Elise. The three attacked him endlessly with their hands and weapons, but the man blocked every single attack with ease. Backing up, Elise's arms began to grow scales, and her face grew hardened.
"Finally wanted to use Dragon Force, huh?!" Drake asked as he continued to pummel away at Neptune.
"Shut up, Cyanide Breath!" She retaliated, striking loudly at the trident. "Some of us don't need it all the time!" Despite the mood, Drake managed a laugh. As the three kept Neptune busy, Katsuchi and Tetsu moved in for the broadcast tower behind him. Sensing their presence, water exploding out from Neptune and forced his assailants back. Using the time he'd bought himself, he launched himself at Katsuchi and Tetsu, who were already ready for them to appear.
"Iron God's Bellow!" Tetsu's attacks engulfed Neptune, who had no way to dodge it. Katsuchi grinned and made his way to the tower, but he was a fool for thinking Neptune was already done. He emerged from the attack scarred, but alive. He threw his trident and it embedded itself in the earth mere inches from Katsuchi before exploding outwards with more water. The current engulfed Katsuchi and Tetsu, washing them away quickly. Standing, Neptune aimed his trident at everyone and blasted another torrent of water at them, but this time it was stopped by Akio, who threw a blizzard at it to prevent it from going anywhere. In that brief moment, Neptune came forward and aimed to impale him with the trident. Taro pushed his friend out of the way, before wrapping himself in a sphere of air and bounding up to avoid the attack himself.
Hades watched the battle with vague interest over the lacrima vision, slightly irritated by the fact that none of these children had destroyed the broadcast tower yet. Was it really that hard? They just had to hit it with one good attack.
"How are things going, Lord Hades?" Hades turned and saw a man approaching him. The man had jet black hair and eyes just like him, wrapped in a cloak of the same colour and carrying a scythe.
"Ah, Thanatos." He said as he resumed watching the fight. "How have things been down here?"
"About the usual," Thanatos replied as he walked up and watched the battle himself.
"How is our star prisoner?" Hades asked with a smirk as Jupiter got punched in the face by Drake, before Simon laid into him with a rifle.
"She's about the usual," Thanatos said. "She hasn't responded to her real name in months, and she'd gotten most of the saying down. We've broken her mind completely." Hades smirked at this.
"That's very good," he said. "We're progressing on schedule. Same cannot be said for Zeus and Poseidon here, though." Thanatos hummed at this, clearly bothered by something.
"Do you think they've figured out your betrayal, sir?"
"Of course they have," Hades replied flatly. "I haven't showed to help them yet, and the situation is so damn dire! If they really think I haven't betrayed them yet, they're even stupider than I thought they were."
"So what do we do?" Hades laughed at this question as Neptune was punched in the face by Tetsu, whose arm was encased in iron.
"We wait," he replied. "The kids might need a little push though, if you know what I mean." Thanatos smirked at this.
"A push, huh?" He asked. "I assume that means we use the girl to help them."
"Obviously," Hades replied flatly. "Go, get her ready. I want to watch Jupiter's face as his plan fails. As his own weapon ends him."
Drake watched as Jupiter and Neptune were forced back again, neither even coming close to letting them to the broadcast tower. This was bad. Despite doing their best to show a front of energy, a lot of them were very hurt. Some had trouble moving still. If Jupiter or Neptune landed too good a hit, things could go bad.
Not only that, but some of them had already hit the dirt. Ultear and Rina had both been taken out of the battle, and various others were injured from the area of effect spells both men kept setting off. Even worse though, was Tristan had been down since the battle began. Without Divine Territory helping them, they were in very bad condition.
"Winter?" Drake asked warily, hoping she had not joined those who had hit the dirt.
"Yeah?" She asked weakly from behind him.
"How much magic can you muster?"
"Not much, why?" Drake gritted his teeth at this. Tristan was their only hope. Without Divine Territory, they couldn't hope to win this.
"Can you get Tristan to regain consciousness?" He asked. "We need control of this area, and now."
"Not gonna happen," Jupiter's voice came. In the blink of an eye the man appeared in their midst, grabbing Winter by the arm. Her shrieks as she was electrocuted made Drake's ears ring, but he wasn't able to retaliate before Jupiter sent out a shockwave around himself to do the same to everyone else. He hit the ground hard, not able to move as the electricity caused his muscles to spasm.
"I grow tired of this foolish resistance," Jupiter said. Drake managed to turn his head and watch as the man walked away, right towards where END was struggling to gain control of the body.
"Stay away from her!" He shouted.
"I will not," Jupiter said. "I am finished with this. I will finish this, and all of you if I have to. Neptune, guard the broadcast tower." Drake grit his teeth. He couldn't let this happen. Not now. Pushing, proving, he forced his body to stand and glared angrily at Neptune, who watched him with a guarded expression. As he pushed himself up, Drake's ears picked something up. Something he had not expected to hear. He smirked, knowing what he had to do.
Roaring angrily, Drake pushed forward towards the man.
Neptune easily smacked him down with his trident, Drake hitting the ground. He tried to get up again, but Neptune put a foot on his back and stopped him from doing so.
"I will not let you get to the tower," he said.
"Move!"Drake roared, trying to resist the grin on his face. "I'll kill you."
"I won't move. Not for you, or any of your friends. I'll-!"
BOOM!
In the blink of an eye, Neptune was pushed backwards by an explosive force. He was sent right into the broadcast tower, which exploded as he hit it and crumbled into debris. Smiling, Drake turned.
END stood, her whole body now encased with dark flames. She had a fidgety look on her face but, as the tower fell, her face contorted into rage. Another horn grew on her head to match the other, and her other eye also became blackened out by pure red anger.
"END," he breathed. The woman took a shaky breath and flexed her fingers, looking down at them warily.
"My power," she breathed it a shaky voice. "It's returned to me somehow."
"Great timing," he replied with a weak laugh. The woman regarded herself more until the debris of the broadcast tower exploded outwards, Neptune and Jupiter getting to their feet.
"No..." Jupiter hissed angrily. "There's no way you fought off Athena's mind spell! How did you do it?!"
"My power has returned to me," END replied. "The power you stole from me has come to me in my moment of need. You will pay for what you did to me." Jupiter growled angrily.
"Hades, you motherfucker!" He roared, the sky booming in response. "What have you done?! How could you betray us like this?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?! SHOW YOURSELF!"
"Your called will go unanswered," END replied, her rage now rippling into her voice. "The dark man has chosen his side. And I have as well. You will control me no longer, and you will do no more harm to her!"
In the blink of an eye, END disappeared.
She reappeared next to Neptune and Jupiter, driving her fist into Neptune's side.
The man went flying as an explosive force nearly threw him and everyone else off of the mountain. Looking up, Drake watched as END grabbed Neptune before he fell off the mountain, and soared high into the sky with him. Another massive explosion went off, and Drake watched as what looked like a shooting star fell through the sky towards the sea.
"Holy shit..." Elise whispered from behind me.
"You've got that right," Simon managed. Drake had to agree. In only a few short seconds, END had defeated Neptune. Well, presumably. He wasn't fond of the idea that the God of the Sea was currently en route to exactly that, but he didn't have time to dwell on it as END shot back to the mountain. She landed gracefully and squared off against Jupiter as he stood too, eyeing her angrily.
"We could have done it," he breathed angrily. "We could have saved the world. We could have done it!"
"I don't give a shit what you think we could have done," END replied flatly. "The only thing I care about in this world is Nashi Dragneel. And you caused her a lot of pain. I'll kill you for that."
"Do you care not for the world she inhabits?!" Jupiter shouted. "Without this world, Nashi Dragneel means nothing! She will die like a dog, just like everyone else when the King rises! What don't you understand about that?!"
"I understand it just fine," END said. She stretched her arms out, and they glowed with power. "I will save the world and Nashi. And I'll do it without the help of those who mean to do her harm. That means you, old man."
At this, the final battle began.
An explosive force shot out of END's arms, a massive gout of dark fire that barrelled straight at Jupiter. The man raised his arms, and an equally massive charge of lightning leaving them. The two attacks impacted, and Drake could swear he'd gone deaf as the explosion sounded off. The impact blinded him, and he could not see the battle for a moment or two. As his vision returned, all he could see were red and white streaks flying around the sky near Mt Olympus.
"She's keeping up with him," Damien breathed in disbelief.
"Of course she is," Drake replied. "That's why they wanted her in the first place."
Jupiter reappeared, holding his staff at the ready. With blinding speed he caught END by the throat, and lightning struck her from the sky. The pure brute force of the spell nearly knocked everyone off the mountain for the umpteenth time, and Drake watched as the attack faded.
END retaliated by driving her thumbs into Jupiter's eyes and blasting him with magic.
The man cried in pain and dropped her, both of them dropping slightly before he recovered. His eyes had been destroyed, Drake could tell. All that remained was black sockets.
"How dare you.." He hissed angrily.
"You started this," END hissed, her eyes showing zero remorse for her savage actions. "I'll kill you, tear you apart limb by limb. I will exact revenge tenfold for the things you've done to my dear Nashi!" END bolted for Jupiter and tackled him into the ground, rearing back and slamming a fist into his chest. Drake heard cracking, but END did not stop. She punched and punched as Jupiter cried for her to stop. She reared her right arm back, fiery talons exposed. In one swift strike she cut of Jupiter's right arm, tossing it aside. She tried to do the same to his left, but he growled and shoved her off with a massive explosion of lightning. Growling, the blinded, now one armed man exploded with lightning and used the wind to get to his feet.
"Hephaestus!" He shouted to the sky, but Drake knew the man was using telepathy. "Fire the satellite! Kill us all! Do it now!" Drake's stomach dropped. If that satellite fired, they would all die no matter what.
"END!" He cried out.
"I heard him," she responded evenly. With unparalleled speed, END went forth with her fist coated in flames. Jupiter was ready for her, blocking it with his leg. It cracked in that blow, but it held strong against END.
The sky began to glow.
END turned and kicked Jupiter in the stomach, forcing him backwards. Flames gathered in her palms and erupted into a fireball that consumed him, but the flames died away as the winds forced them out. Jupiter crackled with magic power, aiming his staff at END. The sky responded to this action, striking END directly with bolts of lightning half a dozen times. She did not back away.
The sky grew brighter.
END jumped and grabbed Jupiter by the collar of his robes, and he burst into flames. Jupiter laughed back at her, grabbing her as well. Electricity coursed through her body, so much so that her skin began to char slightly. Who was going to win this?
The sky grew so bright Drake could keep his eyes open no longer.
"END!" He shouted, all other avenues of escape cut off. He had to hope for a miracle.
As the group of friends cowered in hopes of somehow surviving the blast, Jupiter cackled inside the murky red flames that consumed his body.
"You may have killed me, but you've killed all your friends and your precious Nashi too!" He shouted. "How does it feel to lose?!"
"I haven't lost!" END shouted despite the charring of her face. "Until my body refuses to respond and I lose Nashi, I'll fight until I can't anymore! You've done enough hurt to her! Killed her once! I will not allow it again! No one will ever hurt her again!"
With this, the might demon descended from Zeref gathered strength in her arms. She backed off just long enough to get her fist under Jupiter's chin, and with a mighty punch she sent him high into the sky. She swiftly gathered herself and gathered her hands, magic power growing there. The light was the satellite was unbearable, but END paid it no mind.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Demon Fire Supernova!"
An unrivalled force of fire magic erupted from END's outstretched palms, creating a sun in the dark night sky. The supernova roared towards Jupiter and collided with him violently.
But it did not consume him.
The attack gathered strength and speed even as it consumed it's opponent, roaring into the sky like a volcanic eruption. It carried Jupiter high into the sky, so far now that it really did look like a star in the night sky.
And then, END's attack collided with the satellite.
Drake heard a massive explosion and flinched, preparing for the worst.
Nothing came.
Gathering his courage, he lifted his head to look. Neptune and Jupiter were both gone, disappearing from the mountain. All around them flames and bit of debris fell from the sky, metallic in nature.
And ahead of all of them, END stood. Charred, beaten, but still very much alive. Drake watched her warily, no sure what to say. Had she beaten them? Were they safe?
Was the nightmare over?
"...Drake." END's voice was raspy and shaky. She was hurt, that much was true. Shaking off his shock and getting to his feet, Drake limped towards her.
"You did it," he breathed. "You saved us all." The closer he got, he could hear just how hard END was struggling to stay upright. Her breaths were laboured, and her body shaking.
"M-My power is fading..." She breathed, turning to face him weakly. "I'll return to her shortly...Please hear my plea."
"Your plea?" Drake asked. "END, it's over. We saved Nashi. We just have to find a way to restore her memories and-"
"You haven't saved her." Drake's eyes widened and his stomach dropped.
"W-What?" He asked weakly, barely even registering the others standing up behind him.
"She is still in danger," END replied, the demonic features draining from the left half of her body, revealing Luna's normal brown eyes, albeit silvery and unfocused. "She hasn't been saved yet."
With this, she began to collapse.
Drake rushed to catch her, gently lowering himself to better support her. He cupped her face with his hand so she could focus on him, but she could barely manage that.
"Don't you dare die on me," he hissed, voice cracking.
"I won't allow that," she hissed, the right side of her mouth twitching into a smile.
"What did you mean?" He asked weakly, the others gathering around them. "How have we not saved Nashi yet?" END's strength waned even more, the demonic features now fading from her right as well.
"Tall, dark walls..." She breathed. "Chains cold as ice...I see and feel but cannot help her."
"What do you mean?" Drake urged. Tears leaked out of END's eye, the only part of her still demonic looking.
"She is in so much pain..." She coughed. "I can't help her...So much pain, so much fear..."
"END!" Drake shouted. "What are you talking about?! Where is Nashi?!" As the angry red hue faded into the center of Luna's eye, it focused on Drake.
"Free her," she breathed. "Please. Free Nashi from this Purgatory."
With this, the last breath END could manage was snuffed out, and Luna's body finally succumbed to it's wounds and fell unconscious. Winter rushed forward to heal her without another word, but Drake was stuck staring at her unfocused eyes. What Purgatory? What the hell was she talking about? Was it some sort of prison?
So..." Elise began. "What the hell do we do now?"
"No matter how hard he thought, Drake did not have an answer for her.
And this concludes the second half of The Olympian arc! I can't help but feel I didn't write a good fight, but I don't want to drag this on. Please let me know what you think, and how it could have been better! Also, let me know what you think END was talking about! I'm curious as to your juicy theories.
I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!
Chapter 342: Fate Worse Than Death