After watching the rest of his group die at the hands of Natsu, Kobal flew back to the Demon camp to tell their leader, Baal, about the events that just transpired. He made it back to camp in the middle of the night, where he saw an irate Baal waiting for him.
"Kobal! Explain to me why I hear no cries of anguish coming from the town. Don't tell me that you killed the rest of those maggots without my order!" Baal shouted as Kobal landed on the floor, already on his hands and knees, in an act of prostration.
"A-An outsider broke into the town and k-killed all of the Demons there!" Kobal answered as he looked up at Baal. From an outsider's perspective, Baal doesn't look as intimidating as the majority of his army. He was around Natsu's height, if not slightly taller, with his skin made out of obsidian, with glowing blue markings running all over his body as if underneath his skin was a storm waiting to be unleashed. Two golden horns extruded from his forehead and contrasted with his dark blue hair that jetted all over the place, making his hair look like a mane. He added to his appearance by wearing black, baggy pants with a dark blue loincloth that went down to his knees with the logo of his army.
"An outsider? Did you get his name by any chance?" Baal asked.
"Yes! He called himself Natsu Dragneel, and from the looks of it, he's a fire mage." Kobal answered as Ball turned his back to him and looked at the rest of his group.
"Everyone! We will stay here and wait for that outsider to come to our base. There's no doubt about it that he already knows where we're located, so there's no point in going to him and wasting our energy." Baal announced as the rest of them roared in excitement and went into their tents to rest, leaving Kobal alone with Baal, "And Kobal, you said that every Demon died in the village?"
"Y-yes, I did… why do you ask, boss-!" Kobal answered before Baal blasted through his chest with a torrent of water.
"There, now everyone Demon from the village died. Think of it as punishment for running away and not facing the consequences with your brothers." Baal said as he created a ball of water around Kobal and froze the water instantly, trapping Kobal in an icy coffin. Baal looked back at the village with disdain as his enhanced hearing allowed him to hear the villagers celebrating and decided to take his anger out by smashing Kobal's prison into many tiny segments, "Natsu Dragneel, may hell rise and drag you down as I flood the village until it disappears from the continent."
"We pray that you are successful in slaying that foul Demon and his cohorts," Grace said toward Natsu as the remaining citizens of Floralia Town stood behind her and cheered for him.
"Don't worry, Miss, I'm a Fairy Tail member, and if there's one thing we know how to do, it's never to give up, even when our lives are on the line." Natsu responded as Monica ran up to him and gave his leg a tight hug.
"Remember, if you think that you're not going to win, just break the necklace Grandma gave you." Monica said as she pointed to the orb hidden underneath Natsu's clothes.
"Of course, I won't forget. Now, it's time to give this Demon a greeting!" Natsu shouted as he ran towards the Demon's camp as fast as he could. He would boost himself by creating some fire underneath his feet and use them to jump long distances, allowing him to reach the outskirts of Baal's camp in only an hour.
'It looks like they already knew that you were coming. It looks like it's advantage Demon.' END said as every single Demon of Baal's army was on guard and looking around for Natsu with Baal nowhere to be seen.
"Oh yeah? Let's see about that… Fire-Make: Salamander!" Natsu whispered as he hid behind some shrubbery and trees and created a small salamander that was barely bigger than Natsu's hand and placed him on the floor, the grass fully covering it. He watched the salamander move toward the largest group of Demons and explode right underneath them, causing a large commotion as every Demon turned around to see a pile of their fallen allies.
"Look at that, an opening." Natsu smirked as he jumped from his hiding spot, and before any of the Demons could even realize that Natsu was standing right behind them, he charged up another attack, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Any Demon that was unfortunate to be in Natsu's path was instantly blown away as the other Demons quickly recovered from the shock and charged toward Natsu. "Bring it on," Natsu taunted, flames dancing around his fists.
With a fierce battle cry, Natsu leaped into the fray, fists blazing. He dodged a swipe from a large demon and countered with a fiery uppercut, sending it flying. "Is this all you got?" he shouted, spinning around to land a flaming kick on another demon.
One of the demons, larger and more menacing than the rest, snarled and lunged at Natsu with a massive, spiked club. Natsu ducked just in time, feeling the rush of air as the club swung past his head. "You're gonna have to be faster than that!" he laughed, his body igniting with a fiery aura.
The larger Demon roared in frustration and swung again, but Natsu caught the club mid-swing, his hands burning with intensity. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he yelled, smashing the club into pieces and delivering a powerful punch to the Demon's gut, sending it crashing into a group of its allies.
"Where's your leader? I know it's not any one of you." Natsu said as the diminishing crowd of Demons barely landed a finger on him and kept on charging, but stopped as they all looked behind Natsu and saw Baal charging up a jet of water in his index finger.
"Right behind you!" Natsu turned around to see Baal firing the bullet at his chest and rolled to the side as the bullet collided against the ground and created a thick fog, "My army, go back to camp while I take care of Natsu!"
"How do you know my name? I thought I killed all the Demons in the village," Natsu asked. Baal stood right in front of him with a confident grin on his face.
"That's where you are mistaken. You missed one, and they flew back here and told me everything you did right before I killed him for being a coward and not dying by your hands." Baal answered as he pointed his finger at Natsu and started to fire at Natsu's feet.
Natsu danced around, dodging the water bullets with agile movements. "You're gonna regret underestimating me!" he shouted, flames bursting from his fists. He lunged at Baal, throwing a fiery punch aimed at his opponent's face.
Baal sidestepped with a smirk, countering with a swift kick to Natsu's midsection. "You're fast, but you're not the only one with tricks," Baal taunted, the blue markings on his body glowing with an eerie darker blue.
Natsu staggered back but quickly regained his footing. "I've fought tougher demons than you!" he yelled, launching a barrage of fiery attacks. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he cried out, swinging both arms to unleash a wave of flames.
Baal raised a barrier of water to shield himself, the flames hissing as they collided with the water. "The strongest of Flames will always lose to water, no matter how hard it tries to stay alive!" Baal shouted, forming the barrier into a large wave and sending it towards Natsu.
Natsu would watch as the wave fastly approached him and ignited his feet on fire, jumping high into the air and avoiding the crashing wave. Unfortunately for Natsu, Baal expected him to do so and now had Natsu in the air without any way to prevent himself from getting harmed.
"I do love myself an airborne target." Baal said as he fired a bullet at Natsu's left leg and grinned when he heard Natsu cry out in pain and fell to the floor, his hand covering the area where the bullet struck him, "But, I must admit, I enjoy a stationary target even more."
Natsu looked up in pain as he saw Baal shooting out another bullet straight at his head and had to roll out of the way, barely avoiding what would have been a fatal attack. He quickly got back up on his feet and looked down to see that the bullet had created a hole in his pants and saw blood staining just above the hem of his trousers.
"That looks like it hurts. How about I spread the pain all around your body instead!" Baal yelled as it was time for him to show Natsu their gulf in power and shot from his spot to Natsu. Natsu couldn't react in time as Baal kneed him in the gut, disorientating him even more before he strung a flurry of water-boosted strikes all over Natsu's body, ending his assault by grabbing Natsu's face, slamming him into the ground, and dragging him through the dirt before he blasting him to a boulder.
'What's wrong, Natsu? If you don't fight back sooner, then who knows what he might do. Maybe he'll go to the village and wipe out everyone there before making his way across Fiore, killing everyone who comes in his path and leaving your loved ones for last.' END said, grinning as he knew he had poked a nerve when he could feel Natsu's body get even hotter.
"Fuck… you…" Natsu growled as he slowly pushed himself off the boulder and glared at Baal.
"Were those your last words? It's a shame that it wasn't begging me to put out your misery!" Baal cackled as he darted to Natsu, pulling his arm back and ready to puncture his chest with his claw.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu shouted as Baal didn't expect Natsu to shoot off the boulder in a fiery tackle and strike him head-first in the chest, sending him flying back.
Baal looked down at his chest and saw that his obsidian skin was cracked. Some shards of obsidian were peeling off his body, allowing some of his water to flow out of his body and onto the floor. "Y-you cracked my skin… a measly maggot managed to damage my impervious body." Baal looked back at Natsu with fury and was met with the same expression as they both charged at each other and got into another brawl, each blow they delivered with malice and spite.
'Let your anger overflow and guide it towards him, Natsu. Just imagine if he caught wind that Mirajane specialized in Demon Take Over. He would certainly torture her and force her to release every single Demon she ever took over before ending her pitiful life.' END said as he painted the image of Mirajane begging for anyone to rescue her while Baal continued to torture her. He really didn't care about whether Natsu could beat Baal or not, as he was using this fight to destroy Natsu's mental state while Baal kept on harming Natsu from the outside.
Baal couldn't comprehend it as Natsu was starting to get the upper hand in their brawl, cracking his obsidian skin even more while it seemed like every strike he gave the Dragon Slayer got weaker. "H-how are you getting stronger? It doesn't make any sense!" Baal cried out as Natsu returned what Baal had done earlier and shoved him into the ground, dragging him along before blasting him away.
"I won't let you harm the people that I love!" Natsu shouted as he charged toward Baal, who raised a finger at Natsu and tried to pierce Natsu's skull with his bullet but was horrified when the bullet seemed to evaporate before it could even touch Natsu. "Lightning Fire Dragon's Strike!" Natsu would place his palm on Baal's semi-exposed chest, burning all of the obsidian of his skin before sending a current of electricity all over his now exposed liquid body and sending him crashing back into his camp.
"No, I can't lose! I WON'T LOSE!" Baal shouted as the remaining obsidian that covered his body was expelled, leaving him in his true form: a water-like being with a heart in the middle. Baal sacrificed his defenses for the only thing that mattered to him: strength and speed. "Consider yourself screwed, Natsu. You are one of the unfortunate few to have pushed me this far, and just like the few who have brought me to my limits, you will die by my hands!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Natsu said as he sent a fireball at Baal's way and watched as his body morphed around the fireball. Natsu would continue to rain down on Baal's camp with fireballs, destroying a majority of the huts that the Demon was hiding under. "Stop dodging my attacks! Fire Dragon's Ro-!" Natsu was about to burn the entire camp down when Baal outstretched his arm and wrapped it around Natsu's neck, tightening his hold and spinning Natsu around, making sure to slam him into everything that was in Natsu's path.
Natsu grunted in pain but managed to ignite his body, searing Baal's liquid form. "You're not gonna win that easily!" Natsu roared, his voice defiant. He summoned all his strength, flames erupting around him, and forced Baal to release his grip. "This is for everyone you've hurt!"
Baal staggered back, his watery form flickering, but he quickly regained his composure. "You think you've seen my full power?" he snarled. "You're wrong!"
With a swift motion, Baal's form surged and expanded, wrapping around Natsu like a watery cocoon. "Drown in despair, Natsu!" Baal's voice echoed from all directions as he began to squeeze, the pressure mounting with each passing second. Natsu struggled, his flames sputtering against the overwhelming force of Baal's water. "I won't... give up!" he gasped, trying to ignite his body again. But Baal's grip tightened, and Natsu felt his strength waning.
"You can't defeat me," Baal hissed, his face appearing within the water. "I am the torrent, the flood, the unstoppable force!"
'An opening!' END shouted as he could feel Natsu slowly lose consciousness. 'This is my chance.' Natsu's vision blurred as he heard END's voice resonate within his mind. "No... not now," he whispered, but his resistance was weak, and END's influence began to take hold. END's dark power surged through Natsu, forcing the left side of Natsu's body to undergo a demonic transformation and turning his flames from their usual bright orange to a sinister black. "Yes, that's it, " END grinned. " Let me show you what true power looks like."
Baal hesitated, sensing the change in Natsu. "What... what is this?" he stammered, momentarily thrown off by the sudden transformation.
END, now in control of Natsu's body, smirked. "My resurrection!" He unleashed a torrent of black flames, overwhelming Baal and driving him back.
"Don't make me laugh! Even with this transformation, you're still the same!" Baal shouted as he fired another bullet at END's head and grinned as END didn't move and took the hit, "Looks like you should have dodged, idio-!" Baal laughed before he heard END laughing and saw the cloud covering END's head disperse and reveal that blood was seeping out where the bullet struck him.
"I hardly felt that… Now, let me show you what real power is!" END cackled as he powered up and flapped his wing, sending a heat wave straight at Baal, who struggled to maintain his form. The intensity of the steaming gust of wind caused his watery body to boil and evaporate. "This... this power... what are you?" he cried out in desperation.
END laughed, a chilling sound that echoed across the battlefield. "I am the embodiment of destruction, the nightmare you never saw coming. And now, you will fall before me."
With a ruthless onslaught of dark fire attacks, END would burn parts of Baal's body, making his heart pump even faster and exude even more water as he tried to reform his lost limbs. "I don't even care who you are anymore. You won't be able to beat me as long as my heart beats!"
"Really? It looks like I have my new target." END said as they swiped their hands at Baal, creating pillars of fire towards Baal, who would try to douse the flames but watched as his water evaporated into smoke and took the brunt of END's attack, damaging Baal's heart in the process.
'Where am I… wait a minute, why does it feel like I can't control my body?' Natsu asked as he saw Baal on his knees and tried his best to move an inch, keen on getting back at him for almost drowning him, but couldn't do so and heard END laughing, 'Show yourself, END! Why can't I move my body?'
"You're body? Look around you, Natsu. Don't you see that an empty void surrounds you? That's the prison I was trapped in, but thanks to you listening to my every word like it was gospel and Baal for putting you in a critical state, I am finally returned to my body. Free to rebuild this pitiful world under my watchful eye, but first, watch me as I take out the trash." END said as he charged toward Baal, ready to grab his heart and crush it in his hand when one of Baal's minions pushed him out of the way and took the hit for Baal. "How dare you impede the inevitable! For that, the rest of you will perish alongside your pathetic leader!" All Natsu and Baal could do was helplessly watch as END would go from minion to minion, killing them with no remorse.
'Stop it! You don't need to kill them!' Natsu shouted as END stopped in his tracks and began laughing.
"How ironic, you tell me not to kill these Demons, yet you killed the Demons back in Floralia Town with the same remorse that I have. What's the difference now? Come on, speak up!" END shouted, startling the few Demons as it seemed like he was speaking to the wind. Natsu stayed quiet as END was right; he killed those Demons without any thought and had nothing left to say as END focused back on the small group of Demons in front of him, "Now, where were we?"
But before END could take a step forward, Baal struck the side of his head with a bullet before creating tentacles and wrapping them around END, flinging him far away from his minions. "I don't know who the fuck you are anymore, but nobody lays a hand on my minions aside from me."
"You're right. Killing their leader should be enough for them to bow at my feet!" END shouted as he flapped his wing and barreled towards Baal.
'NO! I won't let you kill him!' Natsu shouted as END stopped moving once again and could feel himself slowly fade away from his physical form and realized that Natsu was trying to use brute force to take control of his body. The struggle between Natsu and END intensified, their shared body freezing in place as the internal battle raged. 'I won't let you take over!' Natsu yelled, his voice echoing in his mind. 'This isn't your body!'
END laughed darkly. 'You can't stop me, Natsu. You're too weak. Just give in and let me handle this.'
Natsu gritted his teeth, his resolve hardening. 'Never!'
Baal, noticing the motionless figure, saw his chance. "Now's my opportunity," he muttered, aiming his finger at Natsu's chest and firing a powerful bullet.
The bullet struck Natsu square in the chest, but instead of piercing through, it hit the orb that Natsu had been carrying around his neck, causing it to break and activate its magic. In an instant, Natsu's body was enveloped in a bright light and teleported away to safety, leaving Baal and his minions behind in stunned silence.
"D-Did you kill them?" One of the Demons asked Baal as he turned around and looked at the small group he had left.
"No, now get out of my way. I need to recover." Baal said as his Demons parted for him. Baal entered his cave, and was about to enter the lake found inside to recover his body when one of them spoke up once again. "How long will you be down there for, and what will we do next?"
"I won't be fully healed until the three days, and once I fully recover, we will go to Floralia Town and wipe it from existence. Now, don't disturb me unless it's urgent." Baal said as his body was devoured into the lake and his heart fell to the body, slowly recovering by absorbing all the water in.
"I'm going to be back in an hour, Monica. I'm going to see if we have any news about Natsu," Grace told Monica as she kissed the top of her forehead and went out of the bunker. Grace left Monica all alone as she was eating some snacks, but she stopped when she heard a loud thud coming from the medical room.
"H-Hello?" Monica shakily asked as she slowly opened the door and gasped as she saw Natsu on top of the bed, his body heavily banged up while the left side looked similar to the Demons that terrorized her home, "Natsu! What happened to you?" She rushed up to him and looked around before looking back at Natsu and noticed that he was breathing, although it was faint. "It's okay, Natsu. Once Grandma comes back, she's going to heal you." As Monica talked to the unconscious body of Natsu, Natsu found himself trapped in his mind with END angrily glaring at him.
'You… I should have known you would have tried to take control of MY body…' END growled as he trapped himself and Natsuin a raging inferno, ensuring that Natsu had nowhere to run.
'If you want this body, then you have to take it over my dead body!' Natsu said as he charged toward END, only for END to grab his face and blast him away, causing Natsu to skid on the floor and collide against the wall of fire.
'You stood no chance against the Demon. What makes you think that you can beat me?' END mocked as he watched Natsu slowly stand back up. 'Let me indulge you in a piece of theorizing before I wipe you off the planet. We are both trapped in here with the prize of escaping being full control of my body. Think of it as what happens when a Take Over user tries to absorb an entity stronger than them. They engage in a small scuffle before one ends up as the victor, so the only way to ensure my victory is to kill you right where you stand!'
'Try to kill me then. It's just going to be another empty promise that you'll make.' Natsu goaded END, causing the Etherion to rush towards Natsu and leave himself wide open for Natsu to punch him in the jaw and send him flying back, 'What was that about you being stronger than me?'
'Even the weakest of cats will scratch a lion; unfortunately, that's the only scratch they land.' END said as he dusted himself off and grinned as he recreated a miniature version of Magnolia Town with some of Natsu's most cherished friends, molded by END's flame, standing behind END. 'Isn't this reminiscent? We're back at the guild you love so much. Why don't we welcome you back with something your guild is so good at?'
Natsu was on high alert as the copies of Lucy and Wendy charged at him first, forcing Natsu to jump high into the air and throw a fireball down at them, only for them to absorb the attack into their bodies and fire it back at him. 'Great, you just had to make them absorb my magic.' Natsu grunted as he slapped their attack away and pushed them away once he landed before firing an extra fireball at END.
'It makes your fighting more interesting.' END grinned as the hulking mass of Elfman got in front of the attack and fired it back at Natsu, forcing him to jump back and fight Wendy and Lucy.
'Interesting… I'll give you something interesting! Lightning Dragon Hammer!' Natsu shouted as he punched the ground and created a dome of lightning around him just as Wendy and Lucy were about to pounce, defeating them but at the cost of a chunk of his magical reserves. 'Looks like they aren't immune to my Lightning.'
'But will your lightning be enough to defeat the rest of them?' END cockily asked, and for what seemed like hours, Natsu would face a gauntlet of his friends and slowly defeat each one of them but not without taking some damage and draining more of his magical reserves.
Breathing heavily, Natsu finally stood before END, bruised and exhausted, as he charged the last amount of his magic, 'Fire Dragon's Roar!' END would jump out of his throne, making Natsu waste the remaining amount of his magic on END's throne.
'You're out of magic, Natsu. There is no way you can defeat me in your state.' END grinned.
'That's what you say, but I know there's a way I can win. There always is, no matter how small it may be.' Natsu panted as, in the blink of an eye, END somehow went from high up in the air to right in front of him and punched him through the streets. Natsu struggled to get back on his feet, coughing up blood from the impact. 'I… I won't give up.'
END slowly approached him, a menacing grin on his face. 'You're persistent, I'll give you that. But persistence alone won't save you.' The two clashed once more, the ground trembling beneath their feet as they exchanged powerful blows. Despite his exhaustion, Natsu fought with everything he had but couldn't withstand END's onslaught and found himself colliding against the walls once again. 'Say goodbye to your pitiful life, Natsu!'
Natsu braced for what would have definitely been the final blow when a voice ran through the destroyed Magnolia Town, causing the two to look around for the origins of the voice.
"I hope you wake up, Natsu. Grandma told me that Daddy was coming back home because the Demons had left! Thank you for keeping your promise!"
'Monica.' Natsu whispered as END realized that Natsu's body was slowly regaining consciousness and had to kill Natsu now, or else there was a chance he would be trapped here again.
'Enough games! Now peris-!' END shouted before Natsu shot up and collided their heads against each other, disorientating END as Natsu looked at the wall and forced himself to eat END's flame no matter how much it was harming his entire body until he felt his body get a large boost in power, potent enough that it matched the likes of Gildarts and knew that this was the only way he could significantly damage END.
'I made a promise to Monica's family, to everyone in the village, to Hisui, and to everyone in the guild that I will come back for them, and I intend to keep that promise!' Natsu shouted as he focused all this excess magic in his right hand and ignited his hand, a darkish red flame enveloping his right arm. With a final, determined roar, Natsu charged at END, who was still recovering from the headbutt. 'Fire Dragon Demon's Destruction Fist!' Natsu yelled as he plunged his flaming fist into END's gut with all his might.
The force of the punch sent a shockwave through the air, and END's eyes widened in shock and pain as it felt like Natsu was about to punch through his stomach. He tried to pull Natsu's arm out of his stomach, but the dark flames around Natsu's arm crept up his body and seemed to consume END from the inside out, and with a final, agonized scream, END was sent crashing into the cathedral, defeated.
'I… won…' Natsu panted as he could feel all the energy he absorbed escape his body and slumped against the wall, closing his eyes as Monica's voice sounded clearer with every passing second.