Apologies for the delay, as said before I am trying to increase the word count of my stories. Instead of doing it at once, I'm going to try a steady pace. This was an increase of a thousand words, so cookies for me. I have filler content planned, so need not worry about the story moving to fast. And for those who want God Serena to meet his just desserts, just know I have plans and things happens for a reason.
Shout out to DZ2 for giving me the idea to make this, hope ya like this friend. And with that, enjoy and sit back to what hopefully is an enjoyable read
Chapter Six
The Dragon's Might
The air was tense with anticipation and awestruck shock. From the safety of the city, and behind the golden dome that shook every time the magic of the Dragon Slayers accidentally struck it, those amongst the crowd enjoyed the spectacle and one of the lower-ranked Wizard Saints arrived at the behest of Makarov, immediately putting his Sky Supremacy Magic to use. This allowed the crowds, and most specifically King Toma, to watch the battle through a projection of it in the air.
The King of Fiore bounced on his feet, like a child in a candy store, as his eyes sparkled at the sight of the great battle taking place just a few miles outside the city limits. His most-trusted guard and sworn protector, Chief of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron, Arcadios stood behind him, expertly eying the fight, the excited king, and their surroundings for any possible danger. Every so often the knight's gaze would flicker to Gildarts Clive, who he had deemed to be the most volatile at the moment.
Quite justified, he thought to himself. Considering the position the mage held in his guild, he reflected how similar it was to his when he dealt with the young recruits and fresh-eyed knights. To see them facing off a mage like God Serena, with the foolish man demanding the fight take place, he would be volatile too. Feelings aside, however, he was prepared at a moment's notice to cut down the Ace of Fairy Tail if he proved himself a danger to the king.
Speaking of the Crush Mage, the orange-haired man had his teeth clenched tight and the veins of his fists bulging tightly as he restrained himself. However he was prepared at a second's notice to spring into action and pummel God Serena to death if those boys got injured. He couldn't believe that the new kid, Potter, was this monumentally stupid. Take on the First Wizard Saint. It was more than he could comprehend from what he saw as a fresh-eyed mage.
"Calm yourself, Gildarts. As much as I deplore this course of action, those boys are out there proving something," Makarov's words were calm and collected, soothing in a way despite making the Ace of the guild tremble with greater rage. "Prove what? How suicidal they are?" Gildarts was nearly spitting with rage, but he managed to hold himself together, it wasn't on the day's agenda to disrespect the Master.
Makarov smirked wryly. "To prove that they exist in a different league of Magic Power, one far more formidable and durable than the average mage," That made the guild's Ace fumble with his words. Damn it! He knew that Dragon Slayers, no matter the generation, existed in a league all their own. But God Serena was way above their pay grade! If they were killed what was there to prove beyond that they were idiots!
Trembling with barely contained rage, Gildarts looked back at the projection of the battle taking place, and his Magic exploded into an ominous white aura Magic Power when he saw God Serena unleash his Dragon God's Fang. This white aura had the mages and Arcadious preparing for a disastrous confrontation.
"I will kill him,"
No spell was uttered, only a concussive explosion of air and wind to shatter the eardrums of those not enhanced to withstand such sounds. The ears of the Dragon Slayers were only left with a slight ringing, something attributed to their enhanced senses and durability, but animals nearby fell to the ground, ears bleeding and eyes dull and lifeless.
"... Fuck," God Serena grunted, his head forced back and eyes gazing upon the sunlit skies. Skull rattled and jaw aching with fractures, he nearly ate his own tongue as his teeth clamped shut from the force of Potter's savage blow.
Knee extended into the air and shoved against the flamboyant man's jaw, there was less reason and concern in Harry's eyes than a stone cold murderer's. All that remained was the desire to fight and the will to subjugate the will of his opponent in a show of force and power. Faster than the man could properly perceive, the young Potter spun in the air, dark yellow lightning crackling around his body, and slammed a darkness-shrouded heel kick into the man's skull. It took a second for the force of the blow to comprehend the passage of time, but God Serena was sent careening across the earth and a tall grassy hill.
Fiery emerald gaze flickered to an already laughing Natsu and then to a stunned Laxus, then he disappeared. An explosion of dark flames burst from the hill and the Wizard Saint rose into the air, engulfed in the Aura of the Purgatory Dragon. His extremely small white irises burned with a fierce flame before he hurled up blood.
Fist extended and engulfed in voluminous amounts of churning ice blue water, Harry gave the Wizard Saint a fanged smirk, unholy and terrifying, as he successfully snuffed out the strongest mage in Ishgar's flames. And like that, the Aura of the Purgatory Dragon dissipated in sputtering wisps of fire and smoke, all while Harry stepped back and let God Serena clutch his stomach in agony. "... You…," The man spat up more blood, his eyes flickering between their present state and their normal appearance, before the blood hit the earth and began to sizzle.
Rage and humiliation bubbled within the man that boldly proclaimed himself a God. How could this young Dragon Slayer, no matter his origins or the secrets buried deep into the earth and unearthed by only himself, be able to harm him?... No…. How was that brat able to push him? He was the walking and living Hybrid Theory. He held the strongest variations of elemental magic, offensive to even defensive, in his body, with greater power and ferocious talent than mankind could ever touch, eight Dragon Lacrima surged inside of him, giving him power far greater than any one Dragon could ever hope to achieve.
And yet he was being manhandled by a single Dragon Slayer, who less than thirty minutes had proven that whatever his one original element was, it eclipsed his eight natural elements. The strongest winds, the fiercest seas, the hottest flames, the lightning that ruled the skies, the mighty earth, the brightest light, the deepest darkness, and the durable diamonds born of the earth. This taste of his own blood… it shoudn't be possible. He was the Eight-Dragon God.
He was God Serena!
Hand striking out, he caught the roundhouse kick aimed at his head, a finisher for this otherwise pointless battle, he glared into the emerald eyes of Harry Potter, and slammed a powerful haymaker into the young man's face. Smirking at the sight of actual pain on the boy's face, he didn't let up. Engulfing his hands in darkness and galeforce winds, he proceeded to smash blow after blow into his younger opponent.
And smirked as Harry's body steamed and his flesh burned. Grabbing the boy by his hair, he engulfed his foot in dark red flames up to his ankles and smashed it into the boy's stomach, sending him flying. "That was for the gut punch you, sinful brat!" God Serena shouted with glee before disappearing in a flash of lightning and reappearing behind Harry, smashing his light-enhanced elbow into the fellow Dragon Slayer's back.
His screams made him laugh with greater glee. "Feel that, huh! That is the force of darkness burning away at your body! No matter the age!" He engulfed his hand in dark red flames, and locked the young mage in a pillar of dark fire. "All mages have sinned!" Slamming his other foot, this time with his Diamond Dragon Slayer Magic, into the boy's back, he engulfed his hands in Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic and launched a merciless barrage of lightning at the little upstart.
"And your sins, like those who dared invoke my holy judgement before, will be your undoing! Every murder, no matter the cause or reason, every monster you've ever slain, every morsel of pleasure you took in your enemy's defeat, every heartless end to life you have invoked, it shall all be met with agonizing judgement! Spark Dragon's Holy Judgement!" Turning his body into a beacon of sparkling, intense light, God Serena made a pillar of sparkling light surround his body before a spiraling beam of concentrated light shot from his fists, almost instantly engulfing the agony-ridden body and burning flesh of Potter.
No mercy was given to the Dragon Slayer that had pushed him this far.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"
And no mercy was given to the Wizard Saint as he found himself eating the fists of two infuriated Dragon Slayers hellbent on breaking him down blow by blow. With surprising synergy, Natsu and Laxus laid into God Serena, pulverizing his weakened body further and smashing him like a ragdoll for having the sheer gall to harm their brother and comrade.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"
"ENOUGH! DRAGON GOD'S RADIANCE!"
The moment Harry stood back up, his flesh still burning and his scales darkening with malice, his eyes widened at the sight of God Serena's newest spell. It was an explosion of pure light, and as he shielded his eyes, he saw glimpses of the man's other elements churning in that explosion of light. However his eyes nwidened further at the sight of Natsu and Laxus, their clothes singed off and bodies steaming and flesh peeling.
His heart thumped a little faster at the sight of his brother and blonde friend falling to their knees; their bodies crumpling to the ground, defeated. And with how pissed off God Serena was, Harry wasn't sure the man would have the mercy to spare their lives. His god complex was that severe, and that made his blood boil.
"If they're dead," Harry growled, his voice piercing through the air and unimpeded by the distance between them. There was no need to further the threat, it was clear in the palpable rage in his voice and the icy chill behind them.
It took only a second for him and God Serena to meet in the middle of the battlefield, fists engulfed in elements: fire and lightning vs darkness and water.
"I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL HIM!"
The effect was immediate, and were it not for a fast-acting Makarov, Gildarts would've been charged onto the battlefield to rip a Wizard Saint to pieces. Tackling the irate Crush Mage, the once-midget rose in height and stature to the point his body was slightly taller than his guild's Ace and capable of remotely struggling to hold him down. He didn't even bother with his usual giant fist routine, that hadn't worked on an angry Gildarts in years.
"LET ME GO MASTER! HE'S HURT THOSE BOYS! I'M GONNA RIP HIM TO PIECES! BEAT HIM TO DEATH WITH HIS OWN SOON TO BE SEVERED ARM!"
Many found themselves sickened by the graphic description Gildarts gave of how he would leave God Serena, and as his white magic aura flared, Makarov found it more difficult to hold the infuriated Wizard Saint-tier mage down. "Warrod! Little help!" Makarov pleaded, muscles straining to hold him back. The Fourth Wizard Saint looked alarmed, as did his compatriots, but immediately used his Green Magic to make thick roots erupt from the ground and entangle a still murder-spitting Gildarts.
"Oi! That won't do squat, Warrod! Damn this shit! Calm down, you brat!"
Wolfheim snapped angrily, quickly providing his aid as he took on his Ultimate Destruction Incarnate form and helped wrestle Gildarts to the ground even as his voice shook with palpable rage and he struggled harder, spouting "IF I HAVE TO BREAK AN OLD FOSSIL IN TWO TO GET TO THAT-" His mouth was immediately stuffed by a pair of…. All the men present went a certain shade of red, especially Gildarts as he stared wide-eyed at the one responsible.
Mirajane smirked darly down at the older mage. "Kindly shut up, I'm trying to watch a royal beatdown,"
The white-haired gothic-styled mage stepped back, smirking rather smugly as her younger siblings looked embarrassed beside her. "Big Sis, was… was that really necessary?" Elfman Strauss muttered lowly, embarrassed and unable to look anyone directly in the eye. "It worked didn't it," Mirajane quipped swiftly, silencing her brother's further feeble attempts at making her see sense. Her little Lisanna was quite a shade of pink, strangely reminiscent of a certain beaten Fire Dragon Slayer.
That annoyed her.
Though not as much as the snide "Harlot" she received from a certain- "What was that, Tin-Can!" The revealing-dressed goth snapped, mind immediately taken off the royal beatdown. Immediately she was butting heads with Erza Scarlet, only for both to get smacked on the heads by a chillingly serious Macao and Wakaba.
"Not. Now," Both men were taking no nonsense, both keenly aware of their roles as next-in-charge should the Master be dealing with a rampaging Gildarts- something that happened enough times to prove somebody needed to be watching the younger ones.
Both girls looked affronted, Erza for someone putting her absolute authority into question by reprimanding her, and Mirajane for being reprimanded by two she had deemed as weaker mages. "Who the hell-" Mirajane started to spit out before Macao chopped her on the neck and her eyes widened before she crumbled into Wakaba's arms unconscious.
Macao eyed all the younger mages sternly. "Don't push it," He watched Wakaba lay Mirajane on his back and hold her steady. "Not trusting her alone," No more words were shared between the old friends, and they resumed watching the battle.
Shocked by the suddenly revealed dynamics they didn't even know existed, the younger mages turned back to watch the battle, one particular paying key attention to how they fought and furiously memorizing their spells, how they attacked, and any weaknesses in their stances. Their training in the endless winters had certainly done more than harden their body and made them nigh impervious to ice and snow, and they smirked as they thought of spells they could use to win a fight or two.
Ignoring all of this, King Toma was bouncing on his feet with excitement… and plans. Oh he had plans. Many many plans. He could already hear the bells ringing. He snickered gleefully.
God Serena was getting mighty tired of this. His clothes were in burnt tatters, his fit upper body fully exposed. The pain of his opponent's spells hit home a bit harder now, and with every passing minute, he was coming to a sickening realization.
Harry Potter was steadily exerting more boundless energy. An endless will to fight, to dominate, to conquer. It was mesmerizing, just as killing your first S-Class monster was. And he considered that comparison appropriate. This young man was a monster of a mage.
"Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"
His face, his precious face, took the brunt of that attack. With his body finally slowing down, all he could do was endure the punishment like a god must. A flash of red encompassed his vision and he heard something dreadful.
"Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!"
Blown through the air, spinning uncontrollably, he could do nothing but think. Think about where he went wrong. Where he could improve. Where he could do better next time. Because there would be a next time. His wounded pride demanded it.
"Darkness Dragon's Crushing Fang!"
"Sea King Dragon's Roar!"
The battle had taken place and those of Fairy Tail were left in awe at the relatively new recruit's hidden depths of magic strength. To be only sixteen and already on par with the First Wizard Saint? It was unimaginable.
And yet so real.
As Natsu and Laxus recovered, he fed them fire and lightning every hour or so to expedite their recovery, and remained at the guild and off-duty from missions. The guild found it touching, though most wondered why he even cared about Laxus' recovery, having only ever seen the blonde's bad side.
For his victory, the Magic Council had made it known they were considering him for a position amongst the Ten Wizard Saints and the Magic Council itself. The prestige and honor of both illustrious positions were not lost on Harry, and he nodded and thanked them for considering himself worthy of consideration. Ultimately, however, he did not care all that much.
After a few days, Laxus and Natsu were able to leave the guild infirmary, but instead of a welcoming reception, they received that and a tongue-lashing from Makarov. Something of which Harry was not spared.
Smack!
Smack!
SMACK!
"You three are idiots! Simply idiots! Accepting a challenge from the First Wizard Saint!? Stupid! Stupid! STUPID!" Every string of words was met with each boy being repeatedly smacked in the head by a rolled magazine. "Do you three like the idea of getting yourselves killed!? Because I can tell you right damn now if God Serena had decided to kill you! NOBODY COULD'VE STOPPED HIM!"
An audible growl came from Harry and Natsu, menacing and warning, but only served to get them slapped by the rolled up magazine. "Don't test me, brats! By the gods, you are foolish beyond reason!" That left Makarov to turn to his grandson.
"You have your work cut out for you. My S-Class do not tempt a dance with death like that and so brazenly at that," Laxus grunted in affirmation, knowing he had played his own part. The bandages covering most of his body testament to it.
Reining in his temper, the short guild master calmed himself. It was almost scary how easy he seemed to do it. "However, by the grace of the gods, you managed to stall that flamboyant fool and-"
"I think he actually tied, Master,"
Giving his cheeky veteran members the stink-eye, Makarov continued. "As I was saying, since you managed to stall that flamboyant buffoon and score me some, let's say, brownie points, with the king, I will give you That," Smirking diabolically, Laxus shivered much to Natsu and Harry's confusion.
"What's he talking about?"
"Aye, what's that?"
Shaking his head as his grandfather walked off, he explained. "That is a punishment you never wish to receive. End of discussion," This confused Natsu and Harry, to which shrugged.
X777 October 22nd
A few months had passed and in that time much had changed despite the short period of time. Harry and Natsu were growing out their hair, their Magic Power had grown, and they had completed hundreds of missions by themselves, not just with Laxus. Those counted much higher.
For Laxus, he was counting down the days until he had to have Harry and Natsu officially ready to be S-Class. Power wise, they were ready. Strategy wise, they were ready. Collateral wise, Natsu was ready. The all-consuming Dragon Slayer was a destroyer if he ever saw one, and he couldn't figure out how to temper that part of his protege.
"Harry, go pick a mission,"
Letting out an exaggerated yawn, Harry did just that. He had felt lazily content since with his fight with God Serena, tie or not. Scratching his head, he looked the missions over until he saw something that caught his eye.
Reward -
Million Jewels
Location of The Water Bearer