A/N: Episode 255.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX: STEEL

Torafuzar was sent to the ground as Tempester and Fenris watched. "Levy! Get ahold of yourself! Levy!" Gajeel shouted as he shook her awake. Levy opens her eyes. "You gave me air, didn't you? Do it again!"

"Again..." Levy repeats in her head as she recalled what had happened. Her cheeks then became tinted pink. She began to wave her hands. "I... I didn't... I just shared my air with you..."

"Whatever! Just do it now!" Gajeel instructed as Natsu, Akame, Zack, Lucy, Hana, and Juvia were all still floating unconscious. "Give some to Salamander and the others, too!"

"I can't! I'm out of air... and besides, you just happened to be nearby, so I shared all of it with you..." Levy said.

"Don't space out! I'm talkin' Magic! Make some air!" Gajeel exclaimed as Levy blinked before she turned red.

"That's right. I should've used Air Magic from the beginning... How embarrassing..." Levy thinks to herself. "Solid Script! Air!"

The word 'Air' soon appeared as both Levy and Gajeel breathed into the bubble. "Sorry!" Levy apologized.

"Air?!" Torafuzar questioned.

"Take care of Salamander and the others!" Gajeel informed.

"Right!" Levy agreed.

"You saved me, Levy." Gajeel said, making Levy smile.

Gajeel charged forward at Torafuzar as their fists met. Gajeel sent a kick towards Torafuzar who dodged it and sent a punch to Gajeel who dodged and charged forward. Levy watched him as she swam over to Natsu.

Gajeel then sent a back kick towards Torafuzar before flipping around and sending a punch at him and attacking him again. He gets into Iron Shadow Dragon Mode, punching Torafuzar's chest as his eyes widened upon seeing Torafuzar had hardened his body, breaking his armor.

Gajeel grabs onto his wrist, screaming in pain as his Iron Shadow Dragon Mode deactivated.

"I can change my body's solidity. I, Torafuzar, boast the strongest defensive power of all Ten Demon Gates. Your iron can't break me." Torafuzar claimed.

"M-My hand..." Gajeel muttered.

"Covering your skin in iron apparently slowed the absorption of the water's toxicity, but now it seems the poison has spread throughout your body." Torafuzar said, grabbing onto Gajeel. "Time's up. Soon, the poison will have spread through everyone, murdering all who are submerged here."

"I can produce air, but this water contains carbon. If we keep absorbing it..." Levy thought.

Gajeel was struggling to break free from Torafuzar's grip. "This is your limit." Torafuzar said.

"Gajeel!" Levy thinks to herself in worry as her air bubble dispersed as a memory appeared in Gajeel's mind.

The Magic Council...

"You again, Gajeel of Phantom Lord? Good grief. How many times has it been this year?" Org asked as Gajeel stood in front of the Council members in which Gajeel only grinned.

Soon after, Gajeel was walking through the halls of the Council.

"Wait, Gajeel."

"You again?" Gajeel asked.

COUNCIL MEMBER / ELDER BELNO.

"I've told you again and again, but you should leave Phantom." Belno replied.

"I'm sick of hearin' it. Mind your own business." Gajeel told her.

"Phantom's recent movements are intolerable. At this rate..." Belno trailed off.

"Hey, old hag. Are you givin' orders to Gajeel, the Iron Dragon Slayer?" Gajeel questioned.

"I'll say it as many times as I have to. I've seen plenty of youngsters like you, and all of them have been lonely at heart." Belno answered.

Gajeel turned around. "Why, you..."

"I'm not telling you to live on the straight and narrow. But find a way to live that has meaning." Belno said.

Gajeel began laughing, turning towards her. "Oh, I got meaning! I'm goin' to war next. Against those Fairy ass-wipes." He claimed.

Gajeel was sitting in the Fairy Tail guild hall, alone at a table.

"This is definitely the one we want! This, right here!" Natsu was holding up a job request.

"Look, Natsu! How many times do I have to tell you?" Lucy asked.

"What are you talkin' about? This job's simple as a pimple!" Natsu replied, waving the paper around.

Lucy grabs onto the job request from his hand. "'Looking for someone to teach me how to cook up delicious fish,' right?" She reads the paper. "If you did it, the fish wouldn't be cooked, it'd be charred!"

"That's right! Number one! When it comes to grilled fish, you need me there! Actually, I like raw best, but..." Happy trailed off.

"Bull! You wanna have a showdown to see who can grill better, Happy?" Natsu challenged.

"Aye, sir! You took the words right out of my mouth!" Happy accepted.

Lucy was waving her hands in the air. "Hey! Why does it have to come to this?!" She questioned as she saw Natsu and Happy both grilling fish. "Hey! You don't need to grill fish right here!"

"My fish is fired up!"

"This is the one thing I can't lose at!"

"Stop it! What is this low-level showdown?!"

"You've changed." Levy's voice was soon heard. "Gajeel."

"Shut up, little girl." Gajeel told her.

"You said it again!" Levy exclaimed.

"We were too late." Gajeel announced as they were in Belno's house.

"It doesn't look like there was a struggle." Levy informed.

"I suspect she was assassinated." Lily added.

Gajeel clenched his fist. "Dammit! If only I'd gotten here a little earlier..." He scolded himself.

"Gajeel..." Levy mumbled.

Gajeel sits on a roof of a house. "A way to live that has meaning..." He repeated Belno's words in his head. "Old woman... In the end, I never did get to have a decent conversation with you. Even though you took an interest in me... even when I was a little snot... I couldn't repay your kindness!"

Tears were threatening to fall out of Gajeel's eyes. "I'll avenge you! No... I'll remember your words. That's the best answer I've got right now. You once told me..." His thoughts trailed off as a tear fell down his cheek.

"You remind me a lot of my dead son."

"That's unlucky!" Gajeel shouted, breaking out of Torafuzar's grip. "Watch me from heaven, you old bag! I'm not the iron jackass you knew!"

Gajeel slammed his fist right at Torafuzar's face. "I don't know if I'm livin' the kind of meaningful life you had in mind..." He paused as he re-activated his Iron Shadow Dragon Mode. "...but I wanna protect the people around me! No... I will protect 'em!"

Torafuzar was thrown back. "That's the meaning... of my life!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"It can't be! Mere iron can't get through my defense..." Torafuzar said as he looked closely at Gajeel. "Wait... that isn't iron! By absorbing the carbon particles floating in this sea of darkness..."

"Iron plus carbon... Steel..." Levy mumbled.

"He's become steel?!" Torafuzar exclaimed.

Gajeel turned his arm into a sword. "Steel Dragon's Sword!" He called out, slashing Torafuzar and finally defeating him.

The toxic water soon dispersed. Natsu, Akame, Zack, Lucy, Hana, Juvia, and Levy all collapsed to the ground.

"Don't forget... the song, Salamander." Gajeel claimed.

Gajeel soon collapsed on one knee, weakened from his battle with Torafuzar. "Crap... Still two left..." He muttered.

Tempester and Fenris appeared behind Gajeel. "Nuts..." He mumbled.

"You beat Torafuzar, but now you're out of Magic?" Tempester questioned.

"Then your life ends here, human." Fenris claimed as him and Tempester were about to attack Gajeel.

Lightning soon struck down as both Tempester and Fenris dodged. Laxus soon appeared, standing in front of Gajeel.

"I remember. I encountered you then..." Tempester stated, recalling when he first saw Laxus in trying assassinate Yajima.

"I won't let anyone die! No one's dyin' here!" Laxus exclaimed.

"Laxus! Keep your mouth shut!" Freed warned, covering his mouth.

Laxus took a deep breath, opening his mouth. "Laxus!" Freed shouted.

"But you inhaled my anti-Magic particles..." Tempester recalled.

Laxus looked at Natsu, Akame, Zack, Lucy, Hana, Juvia, and Levy who were still passed out.

"Again... I'm..." Laxus muttered.

"But that's fine. I'll just eliminate the obstacle in front of me. Fenris, step aside. This one's mine." Tempester said.

Fenris chuckled. "Have at it." He told him.

"Zoom." Tempester spoke, charging forward. "Ignite."

Tempester was soon covered in flames. "Again... I'm..." Laxus repeated with his eyes closed.

"Look out!" Gajeel warned.

Laxus thrusted his fist forward at Tempester, which was covered in lightning. Tempester was soon thrown back, crashing to the ground.

"Bastard! How did you counteract the poison?!" Tempester asked as Laxus muttered something inaudiable.

"Whirlwind." Tempester said as wind went through Laxus and Gajeel.

Laxus got covered in lightning once more, striking at the wind tornadoes and making them disappear. Laxus then charged forward.

"You're the one who harmed my comrades... You hurt Fairy Tail!" Laxus exclaimed, striking down at Tempester with lightning before leaping back.

"Then, just like that time..." Tempester thinks to himself.

"Bring it." Laxus challenged.

"Fine." Tempester accepted. "Boulder."

A boulder charged at Laxus, who was engulfed in lightning. "Boom." Tempester said as the boulder exploded.

"Boulders." Tempester spoke as multiple boulders were lifted in the air.

Laxus soon destroyed the boulders with his lightning. "Whirlwind." Tempester said as Laxus dodged his punch.

Laxus's lightning covered fist met with Tempester's wind one, making both of them fly back. Both Laxus and Tempester stared at one another.

"Why doesn't he attack? Don't tell me..." Tempester thought, noticing Laxus's slow breathing. "It can't be... Are you really a human?"

"W-What does he mean?" Gajeel questioned.

"That body is still full of anti-Magic particles! Even your internal organs must be falling apart." Tempester revealed as Gajeel was shocked by this information. "Is that why you didn't attack me?"

Blood soon dripped from Laxus's mouth, causing him to wipe it. "Now that you're on to me... I better take you out fast." Laxus stated.

"But this is as far as you get. Whoosh!" Tempester let out flames from his mouth as they wrapped around Laxus.

"Laxus!" Gajeel shouted.

"Lukewarm flames." Laxus claimed as lightning surrounded him. "These flames can't even burn me!"

Laxus charged forward at Tempester with lightning speed. "Bastard, how can you keep fighting when your body's like that?!" Tempester asked.

"Because you scumbags hurt my guild!" Laxus replied, striking Tempester with his lightning infused fist and sending him flying back.

"He's strong..." Gajeel mumbled as Laxus kneeled down. "Laxus!"

A purple bruise started to form on Laxus's chest. "In that instant..." Gajeel's thoughts trailed off.

"Scum..." Laxus muttered.

"Too bad." Tempester stood back up and walked forward. "Surely no other human could fight like that with their body pumped full of anti-Magic particles. However, I'm sure you've just about hit your limit."

Laxus gritted his teeth. "You're out of your league, human. I am one of the Ten Demon Gates of Tartaros, the immortal Tempester!" Tempester said, recalling his last battle with Laxus.

"I'm not going to lose to the same opponent twice." Tempester claimed.

"That's my line." Laxus stated, recalling how Bickslow, Evergreen, Freed, and Yajima were affected by the anti-Magic particles.

"Let's meet in hell, dead ones."

Laxus got covered in lightning once more as him and Tempester had a stareoff.

"You hurt my family a second time... I'm gonna crush you with these two hands." Laxus declared.

A/N: Another chapter is finished!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.