Natsu winced as he opened his eyes and saw that he was in a small room that acted as a medical room in the bunker. His body was feeling a bit sore from the fight he had with Baal, and he could feel the rough texture of bandages wrapped around his torso and limbs. As his vision cleared, he noticed Monica sitting beside his bed, her eyes filled with relief and concern. She grabbed a cup of water that was on the table next to Natsu's bed and handed them as she decided to speak up.
"You're finally awake! Grandma wasn't sure when you would wake up, so I made sure to stay right next to you when I could." Monica said softly, a small smile breaking through her worried expression.
"How long was I out for?" Natsu muttered as he downed the glass of water before putting it back on his table.
"For three days, Grandma was able to heal all of your injuries… well, all except for your left arm." Monica said as Natsu looked down to see that everything below his elbow still had the appearance of when END was in control of his body. Natsu was confused as he closed and opened his transformed hand a couple of times before creating a small flame in both hands to compare the difference. The most obvious change was the different colors each hand was emitting; his right hand was emitting his usual orangish-red flames, while his left hand produced a much more sinister reddish-black flame. That wasn't the only change Natsu felt as it felt like he had little to no control over END's fire compared to his own, and just as he was about to exude more of his flames, he realized where he was again and quickly stopped testing his new flames.
"Sorry about that, Monica. You don't need to worry about anything about my arm. I'm sure that it'll fade over time." Natsu chuckled as he got off the bed and did some light stretching to wake up his body after their prolonged nap. "So, where is your Grandma?"
"She's helping clean up the village," Monica said as Natsu continued to stretch. She grabbed the spare clothes that were set out for him and a towel. "We didn't tell anyone that you were down here, so some of the villagers went out to the Demon's camp looking for you and found the entire place fully destroyed. They thought that you destroyed the entire place and just went back to where you came from."
'Shit… I have to go back there as fast as I can before those Demons do anything to these guys.' Natsu thought to himself as he finished stretching and grabbed the stuff Monica had in her hands before entering the bathroom, "You think you can prepare me something light before I go and check the Demon camp?"
"Sure thing!" Monica said as she left the medical room to grab the few food containers they did have and prepare whatever she could while Natsu took a quick shower. Once he finished his shower and put on his new clothes, he looked at the mirror; specifically, his attention was back on his transformed arm.
'Why is my arm still like this? Is this some weird kind of dream where END is secretly controlling me?' Natsu thought to himself before he sensed a familiar presence in his mind.
'I wish that were the case… but it's not…' END said as Natsu closed his eyes and found himself standing right in front of a heavily injured END.' It seems like… a bit of my essence… has remained with you… '
'So you're saying that a part of you combined with me?' Natsu said as he noticed how differently END was confronting him. END wasn't trying to create illusions to mess with Natsu's mind or threaten what he would do once he escaped; they were simply speaking to each other in an empty void.
'Only temporarily…' END answered as Natsu was dragged out of his thoughts by Monica knocking on the bathroom door, calling him that his food was ready.
"I'll be out in a minute!" Natsu told Monica as he looked down at his hand and got back to thinking, 'What does he mean by temporarily? Is he lying and just trying to make me lower my guard so he can take over my body again? What am I doing? I can think about this later. I have a Demon to beat!' Natsu exited the bathroom and went to see that Monica had prepared a plate that mainly consisted of fruits and cooked fish.
"I'm sorry if it doesn't look good. We don't have that much food anymore," Monica said as she looked at the floor in disappointment.
"It's okay. Some food is better than no food." Natsu said as he patted Monica on the head and ate his meal, finishing in only a couple of minutes before he handed the plate back to Monica. "Tell your Grandma that I'm going to the Demon camp and see if there are any Demons left." Just as Natsu was about to take a step out of the bunker, he and Monica heard an explosion right outside and rushed outside to see what caused that commotion.
"You insignificant vermin have truly crossed the line! Initially, I found your futile attempts amusing, sending those who foolishly believed they could challenge me. But then I encountered a certain Natsu Dragneel. Unlike the rest, he pushed me to my limits, yet before I could end him, he vanished. Now, you have a choice: reveal his whereabouts, or I will obliterate this village and every living soul within it without hesitation. Defiance will only ensure your complete and utter destruction." Baal declared, with every citizen in the village square horrified when they saw Baal and the remaining Demons surrounding them. None of them dared speak as they prayed for their death to be quick and painless as their last hope failed them. "Nothing? Well then, say goodbye to your pitiful village and yourselves!" Baal shouted as he outstretched his hands at a group of villagers that contained Grace and fired a surge of scalding water at them.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu leaped in front of the oncoming attack, unleashing his roar to meet Baal's assault. The intense flames evaporated the water on contact, forcing Baal to retreat to avoid the searing blast. "Seems like I don't need to go back to your camp to find you."
"And it seems you chose not to flee when you had the chance. Now, your final resting place will be alongside these maggots you so foolishly tried to save." Baal said as he didn't waste any time and charged toward Natsu, expecting him to overpower him as he did in their first encounter, but was surprised to see Natsu match him in terms of strength. "What kind of training did you do to get so strong in such a short amount of time?"
"None. When we fought, I wasn't completely myself. There was a mental barrier holding me back, but it seems I've overcome that now." Natsu said as he pushed Baal further away from the village square and into the outskirts of the village, making sure that none of the villagers could get caught in the crossfire.
"If you really believe that we are equals, then how about I remind you of the gulf in our strength!" Baal shouted as the obsidian skin he recently created shot all over the place and revealed his water form. He would point his finger at Natsu's chest and fire a bullet, only for Natsu to use his left arm to take the attack with little damage done to his arm.
"As if I'm going to lose to something like that," Natsu smirked as he lit his hands on fire before slowly joining them together, slightly wincing as it felt like his skin was burning thanks to the dark fire in his left arm but continued to build up the flame. "With a flame on the right hand… and a flame on the left hand… When you combine the flames together…" Natsu would chant as he saw Baal shoot a beam of water at him, desperately trying to stop Natsu from firing his attack. However, he was horrified to see the water evaporate before it could reach him, "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"
"After everything that happened in the past couple of days, I'm tired of killing you guys. That's why I'm giving you the chance to give up and live the rest of your life in peace." Natsu said as he saw the entire right side of Baal's body burnt off from his attack before his heart began pumping and shooting out water to regrow his evaporated body.
"Peace? You think I'll accept peace from a maggot?" Baal roared, his voice filled with contempt and fury. His regenerated body surged forward, eyes blazing with hatred. "Prepare yourself, Natsu. This battle is far from over!"
Natsu stood his ground as Baal split his body into tentacles and tried to strike Natsu from every single angle, not expecting Natsu to go to his unprotected heart and punch it out of his body and into the air, causing Baal's watery body to fall into the ground. As the heart was falling back to the ground, Natsu fired a fireball at it, and just as his attack was edging closer to Baal's heart, it began pumping as fast as it could, surrounding itself with a ball of ice and absorbing the attack.
"H-how is this possible… I'm supposed to be invincible!" Baal said, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and disbelief. Shards of ice exploded outward as he broke free from his icy shell, the fragments glinting menacingly in the air. His body, now a turbulent mass of water and steam, began to coalesce once again. The air around him crackled with raw energy as he reconstructed himself. His eyes, glowing with an unholy light, locked onto Natsu with an intensity that could pierce through steel. "The likes of you will not defeat me!"
"Oh yeah, let me show you how wrong you are!" Natsu replied as the pair collided once again, and Natsu proved his point as he dodged everything Baal threw at him and countered by vaporizing pieces of his body. It made no sense to Baal; how could the same man he toyed with only a couple of days ago dominate him this effectively? He only got angrier as Natsu seemed to predict his next attack while he was forced to take Natsu's attack. On top of it all, that arrogant smirk Natsu had on his face while humiliating Baal was enough to send the Demon over the edge.
"You insolent worm!" Baal roared, his voice echoing with rage and desperation. "How dare you mock me? I will crush you!" He lunged at Natsu with renewed fury, his attacks becoming more frantic and erratic.
Natsu's smirk widened as he effortlessly dodged Baal's wild strikes. "This is what happens when you underestimate your opponent."
Baal's frustration reached a boiling point, his movements becoming increasingly reckless. "Someone like you won't beat me!" he screamed, his eyes wide with madness.
"Are you sure? How about this, Lightning Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu shouted as he punched through Baal's body and struck his heart once again. "Admit it, you're scared of me. You're just trying to do anything to land a hit on me now."
Baal's eyes flickered with desperation. In a moment of sheer panic and fury, he grabbed his heart and squeezed it as hard as he could. "If that's what it takes…!" he growled through gritted teeth, forcing his heart to pump out as much water as it could produce. His body began to bulge and swell, water pouring out of him in torrents, enveloping him in a massive, surging form.
As the transformation took hold, Baal's voice echoed from within the watery mass. "I will not be humiliated by you any longer, Natsu! Prepare to face my true power!" His form twisted and expanded, growing more monstrous by the second. Now standing over 10 feet tall, Baal's body was a massive, swirling mass of dark water and jagged ice. His eyes glowed with an eerie blue light, and his mouth was a gaping maw filled with sharp, icy teeth. Tendrils of water and ice extended from his back, lashing out as if they had a mind of their own.
Natsu watched, his expression unwavering, as Baal's transformation completed. "Alright then, let's finish this!" he shouted, his flames oozing out of his body as he unleashed a fiery roar at Baal.
Baal didn't try to avoid Natsu's roar and grinned as his body barely took any damage from Natsu's fire. "Yes, let's finish this!" he taunted, the sound of his voice echoing like thunder. With a swift motion, one of Baal's tentacles surged forward and slammed down, sending shockwaves through the ground as it struck. "You think your flames can harm me? I'm beyond your feeble attacks!"
Natsu barely managed to dodge, but the force of the impact sent him skidding across the ground. Dust and debris filled the air as Baal continued his relentless assault. He unleashed a torrent of water that cascaded over Natsu like a tsunami, pinning him to the ground. The pressure was immense, and Natsu struggled to breathe, his flames sputtering as he fought against the overwhelming force. "How does it feel to be overwhelmed? Your struggle is pathetic!"
Natsu gasped, trying to push against the weight of the water, but Baal's grip only tightened. "I won't… let you win!" he grunted.
Baal laughed, a deep, resonant sound that reverberated through the battlefield. "Victory is mine! Accept your fate!" He raised another tentacle, this one covered in ice, and brought it crashing down toward Natsu—the strike connected with a deafening thud, sending shockwaves through Natsu's body. He followed up by lashing out with his tentacles, each blow striking Natsu with brutal force, knocking him back and forth like a ragdoll. "You are nothing but a fleeting spark in my presence!"
As Natsu struggled to regain his footing, Baal closed the distance, his towering form looming over him. With a powerful swipe, Baal swung a massive fist down, aiming to crush Natsu beneath his weight. "You think you can stand against me?" he bellowed, the ground shaking from the impact.
Natsu narrowly rolled out of the way, but Baal was quick, using his tentacles to wrap around Natsu's neck and hoisting him off the ground. "Your fire is nothing compared to my strength!" He slammed Natsu into the ground, causing a cloud of dust to erupt around them.
Natsu coughed, trying to shake off the daze. "You'll pay for that!" he spat, pushing against Baal's grip. But Baal responded with a fierce knee to Natsu's gut, forcing the air from his lungs. As Natsu fell to his knees in pain, Baal opened his jaw large enough for Natsu's head and was ready to bite his head off when Natsu shoved his left arm in his mouth and blasted Baal's head off his body, allowing Natsu to back away as Baal's head regenerated. "You left yourself open again…" Natsu quipped as Baal was seething and wrapped his tentacles around Natsu's limb, creating an extra tentacle fully made out of ice and sharpening it to the point where it could easily puncture Natsu's heart.
"I have heard enough of your feeble words, Natsu! Now it's time for you to pay the price for challenging me!" Baal shouted as he thrust his jagged tentacle forward, aiming to pierce Natsu's chest. Natsu closed his eyes, and from Baal's perspective, Natsu was accepting defeat and cackled at his victory before he felt a sudden surge of power coming from Natsu and looked to see Natsu melting the tentacles wrapped around his limbs before disintegrating the icy tentacle that was aiming toward his chest with a single blast. "What the hell!" Baal shouted as he didn't want to give Natsu a chance to attack and sent a massive wave to Natsu, hoping to crush him underneath the waves, but gritted his teeth as Natsu evaporated the wave before it could even get near him, "You finally transformed, but that won't be enough to defeat me."
"You've been wrong so far, so I doubt it." Natsu smugly responded as his flames bled out of his body and surrounded him in a fiery veil. Natsu felt the potent energy oozing off the fire as it was like he was able to mix his, Igneel's, and END's flames into one. "I'll give you one more chance. Give up and walk away from all of this." Natsu spoke before getting his answer from Baal with a whip from his tentacle that was nullified by Natsu's veil.
"I don't make deals with trash!" Baal roared, shooting out two jets of water from the palm of his hand to Natsu and trying to put out Natsu's fiery shield.
Natsu grinned, his flames intensifying. "Fine, let's end this!" Natsu said as the veil slowly got larger and hotter, absorbing Baal's tentacles before he shouted. "Fire Dragon King's Purgatory!" The fiery veil exploded into a massive dome, forcibly pulling Baal closer to Natsu's body with his dome, burning away parts of his watery form before Natsu shot his arms out and created a fiery explosion, sending Baal flying out of his dome, and causing his heart to go overdrive as it tried to repair every single molecule of Baal's destroyed body.
"This shouldn't be possible! I'm supposed to rule this pitiful world and create a new era for Demons!" Baal cried out as he rushed toward Natsu and tried to land a flurry of punches and kicks at Natsu before ending it with a bite at Natsu's head, but was falling back into his old habits as Natsu avoided every attack Baal threw at him. When he tried to bite his head off again, Natsu would blow him back with a blast, and just as Baal was about to land back on the floor, Natsu slammed his foot into the ground with immense force. "Fire Dragon King's Claw!" The ground beneath them heated to magma, causing Baal's watery body to evaporate even more rapidly. The extreme heat made it nearly impossible for Baal to regrow his limbs.
Desperation set in for Baal. He clutched his heart, trying to squeeze out more water to overpower Natsu. "Work, you piece of shit! I can't die like this!" But his efforts were in vain as he overexerted his heart and made it incapable of producing any more water.
Natsu saw his chance. "It's over! Fire Dragon King's Roar!" A colossal torrent of flames erupted from Natsu's mouth, engulfing Baal. The fire roared with the combined might of his, Igneel's, and END's flames, leaving Baal no room to escape. Baal's form began to falter, his watery body unable to withstand the intense heat, and in one final act of survival, he grabbed his heart and threw it in the air as hard as he could.
"Not this time!" Natsu shot off the ground as he closed in on Baal's heart, his fist blazing with an overwhelming aura of destruction. Baal's heart slowly pumped, trying to cover itself in another icy shield to protect itself, but it was too late as Natsu extended his left arm and collided against the flimsy shield. "Fire Dragon King's Destructive Fist!"
Natsu easily punched through Baal's shield and gripped his heart in his hand. "I gave you a chance," Natsu muttered before he disintegrated Baal's heart, ending Baal's life once and for all, "But you chose this fate." As Natsu landed on the ground, he turned around and saw Baal's remaining forces, and as they hoisted their weapons, ready to join their leader in the afterlife, Natsu spoke up. "I gave your leader the choice of giving up or dying; you saw what he chose. I am willing to do the same for you under one condition."
"What is it?" One of the Demons spoke up, clearly terrified, judging by how much the weapon in his hand was shaking.
"You will help rebuild Floralia Village, and then you'll be given the same choices as your leader had." Natsu answered as some of the Demons looked at each other and whispered about their options before they looked back at Natsu.
"And how do we know that you'll keep your end of the bargain?" one of the demons asked, their voice filled with uncertainty.
"You saw what I did to your leader. If I wanted to, I could wipe all of you out right now. But I believe in second chances. Help rebuild the village, and you'll have your freedom. If you betray my trust, you'll face the same fate as him."
The demons hesitated, looking at each other, weighing their options. Slowly, they lowered their weapons, nodding in agreement. "We accept your terms."
The demons began to march back to the village, with Natsu leading the way. They saw a large crowd of civilians standing near the entrance. The villagers, having heard the commotion of the battle, had gathered, their faces a mix of fear, anger, and distrust as they saw the approaching demons.
"What are they doing here?" a voice called out from the crowd, filled with suspicion.
"They attacked us! Why are they coming back?" another shouted, the fear evident in their voice.
Natsu raised his hands, trying to calm the crowd. "Everyone, listen to me! These Demons have surrendered. They've agreed to help rebuild Floralia Village. We need their strength to recover from the damage."
A murmur of discontent rippled through the crowd. "How can we trust them?" a villager demanded, stepping forward. "They destroyed our homes, killed our people. How can we believe they won't betray us?"
Natsu took a deep breath, his gaze steady. "I understand your anger and distrust. But I've given them a choice: help us rebuild and earn their freedom, or face the same fate as their leader. They've seen what happens when you cross the line. We have to give them a chance to prove themselves."
Grace stepped forward, her eyes filled with sorrow but also a glimmer of hope. "We've lost so much. If they can help us rebuild, maybe… maybe it's worth giving them a chance."
Others nodded reluctantly, still wary but willing to follow Natsu's lead. Natsu turned to the demons. "You have a lot of work to do. Let's see if you can keep your side of the deal."
The Demons nodded as they separated into small groups alongside humans and were dispersed all across the village, leaving Natsu all alone with Grace and Monica. As Natsu tried to walk up to them, he fell on one knee, painfully chuckling as it seemed the last ounces of adrenaline inside his body had disappeared.
"Natsu, are you okay!" Monica asked as she ran up to him and tried to help him stand back on his feet.
"Yeah, I've suffered far worse than this." Natsu answered with a toothy grin as he looked up at Grace and saw the tense look she was giving him, "You want to talk about the Demons, don't you?"
"Yes, while I do respect your decision not to kill them on the spot. I am worried that once you leave, they will go back to their evil ways." Grace said as she took Natsu back into the bunker so that she could help fix him.
"Don't worry, I have it all planned out. I'm going to stay here for a couple of days and wait for the royal guards to come and see what happened to the village." Natsu reaffirmed Grace as she and Monica bandaged him up and left him to rest his aching body as they went back up to the village to help everyone else.
Natsu would spend the next couple of days overseeing the reconstruction of Floralia Village. While the relationship between the Demons and villagers was initially tense, with Natsu having to intervene when things heated up, the village's overall progress was moving smoothly. Natsu kept to his word, and when the majority of the town was repaired, he gathered the remaining Demons. He gave them their choice, with a majority deciding to stay in the village as a resident while a small group decided to go back to where they came from. Natsu was found inside the bunker, removing most of his bandages and resupplying his bag when he heard some commotion coming from the entrance and went out to investigate.
"Daddy!" Natsu shuffled through the crowd and smiled as he saw Monica and Grace run up to Sawyer and wrap him in a tight hug. All of them shed tears before Sawyer noticed Natsu standing there. "Natsu… I don't know what to say, but thank you…"
"No problem. I'm glad that I was able to help your family and the village." Natsu said before noticing the small platoon of royal guards standing right behind Sawyer, "What took you guys so long?"
"The passage through the mountains was a horrible one, especially with this man eating a majority of our rations and making us go back to Firridge Town to restock on supplies." The captain of the platoon pointed at Sawyer, who let out an embarrassed laugh. And judging by how peaceful the village is, I assume you were able to defeat the Demon?"
"It was tough, but I managed to beat him," Natsu answered as the guards noticed a couple of the Demons standing side-by-side with the villagers, and judging by how calm the villagers were, they assumed that Natsu was able to take control of these remaining Demons.
"Perfect, I must report this back to the royal palace so they can reward you." The captain was pleased as he went through the cart and pulled out a lacrima that sent the message of Natsu's accomplishment.
So what are you going to do now that you have completed your mission?" Grace asked, her voice gentle but edged with the hope that Natsu might stay.
Natsu looked thoughtful, his gaze shifting from Grace to the village and then to the horizon. "I'm not sure," he replied, a hint of resolve in his voice. "I think I'll travel around Fiore for a while and try to find a way to get stronger. After these two close encounters and the threats still out there, I need to be ready for whatever comes next."
Monica stepped forward with a pleading look. "Can you come back one day, Natsu?" she begged, her voice trembling with emotion.
Natsu knelt at Monica's level, placing a reassuring hand on her head. "Of course I will," he said with a warm smile. "I promise I'll come back and visit. And when I do, I'll be even stronger."
Monica wiped the tears off her face as she gave him one final hug, holding on tightly as if she never wanted to let go. However, she knew that Natsu had somewhere to go, so she forced herself to step back, her eyes still glistening with tears, and waved him goodbye alongside the rest of the villagers as Natsu was escorted back to the Firridge Village so they could hop on the train back to Crocus.
"Where is it? I thought I kept it in my bag!" Natsu frantically shouted inside his room as he emptied his bag and searched for Aries' wool before the train would make its way to Crocus.
"What's wrong?" Natsu looked up and saw a guard that was passing by, peering into his room.
"I can't find the only way I can avoid these stupid trains! I think I left it back in Floralia Town!" Natsu shouted before he heard the train whistle and instantly crumpled onto the floor. His face turned a sickly shade of green as he reached out to the guard, "Please… tell them… to stop the train…"
The guard glanced sympathetically at Natsu. "Sorry, buddy. I wish I could help." With a shrug, he closed the door gently and walked away, muttering to himself as he continued down the corridor, "Was never here…" He walked even faster when he heard Natsu groaning for help before noticing a mysterious liquid flying outside Natsu's window. He ran back to his post, praying that he wasn't left with cleaning duties.