Chapter 230

A Gentle Soul's Anger

NO POV

Every creature, human, dragon, and even exceed stood very still.

Everyone's eyes were on Willy as he remained still and silent in his new transformation, shocked, amazed, and tense as they stared.

"Wh-What the heck just happened?" asked Bixlow. "Willy's transformed again! But is that another version of Dragon Force?"

"I'm not sure," said Laxus. "Never seen anything like it. At least it's better than having him turn into a dragon."

"I'm not sure about that," Wendy spoke a bit nervously. "It looks almost the same form he took when he went berserk before."

Future Rogue, on the other hand, was not only shocked but also indignant. "Wh-What the hell is this?!" he snarled in bafflement. "He transformed, but this isn't what was supposed to happen! He was supposed to turn into a dragon, not that abomination!"

Mira, Future Lisanna, and Lisanna also didn't know what to think but were just as shocked and worried.

"I've never seen anything like this before," murmured Future Lisanna. "This form isn't anything like I've seen before.'

"You… you don't think that Willy's gone berserk again, has he?" Lisanna wondered tentatively.

Mira then carefully took a few steps forward toward the male. "Willy? Are you OK?" she asked. "Can you hear me?"

The male looked in her direction, his golden eyes giving a look that would pierce even the bravest of souls. Then, he slowly and ominously started walking towards her.

"Mira!" Lisanna cried, thinking the worst. "Be careful!"

Every other Fairy Tail wizard was ready to jump in to defend Mira, but the woman promptly raised a hand while shouting out.

"Stay where you are! We're fine! I believe in Willy!"

The others weren't sure, but they trusted Mira's words and waited to see what would happen as Willy continued walking towards her.

Soon, Willy stood right in front of Mira, staring straight at her, but Mira refused to move. There was nothing but silence between the two.

Then, Willy smiled at Mira, his golden eyes warmly twinkling as he gave a single nod, showing that he was perfectly sane.

Mira smiled back at him. "I knew it. Way to go, Willy."

WILLY'S POV

I was feeling all sorts of new feelings in my body at this moment. Everything felt hot as a strange new power surged through my body, but unlike the last times I went berserk, it was different. I felt just as strong as I was when I was using Dragon Force before, if not a bit more, and I was in complete control of my sanity, too, as I smiled at Mira, reassuring her that I was okay.

I also could see that both Lisannas were relieved, both of which had tears welling in their eyes.

"Dammit all, Willy. Stop making us worry about you," Future Lisanna muttered, some tears gathering in her eyes. "You blubbering idiot."

"You're blubbering, too, you know," Lisanna quipped a bit tearfully. "But thank goodness. He's still in control."

Future Rogue then shouted. "I don't know how you were able to obtain that form or how you didn't become a dragon, but your current state doesn't and won't change a thing! You will become a dragon and submit to me or face the consequences for your insolence!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Natsu roared.

Then, a gust of wind came from above, followed by a roar and the booming sound of a collision. I looked up to see the two dragons from above resuming their fight along with Natsu and Future Rogue.

"Zirconis! Deal with these insects!" Future Rogue shouted again. "Slaughter every last one of them, and make sure Willy sees every single second!"

"No need to tell me that!" Zirconis scoffed. "I was planning on doing that anyway! I owe the little punk for punching my beautiful face! I'm going to enjoy making him scream for what he did to me!"

I refocused my eyes on Zirconis as he towered over us, his eyes bloodshot with rage as he barred his teeth. However, I stood my ground, not intimidated.

"Now, little human! It's payback time!" he roared. "And I think I'll start by making you watch as I gobble up your girlfriends!"

He then lunged towards us while reaching out with a claw, but as quickly as he did, I coiled my legs and jumped, launching myself into the air at an incredible speed, shooting past Zirconis's fingers towards his face. Before the dragon could react, I brought back my fist and swung, landing a powerful blow smack into his snout. The impact once again sent Zirconis backward as he fell flat on his back with a thunderous boom.

As I landed back on the ground, I couldn't help but be a bit surprised.

"I only punched him, but I was able to knock him down. It took a secret art using all of my magic to do something like that!"

I looked at my hand, and then I noticed the changes that had occurred to my body, which caused me to look at the rest of me.

"Wh-What the… this isn't anything like my dragon force! My muscles look almost as big as Elfman's now! And - what's with the scales? And what's with all this black stuff coming out of my wrists? Is this a kind of new form of dragon force I discovered? Or is it - something different?"

Then, Zirconis let out a growl as he sat up, holding his face as some fresh drops of blood came dripping out from his claw. "D-Dammit all! You hit me again!? Where the hell did you get that kind of power?!"

That was another question I would have asked myself. However, I didn't waste any time dwelling on it. Now that I knew that I had gained even more strength than before, I had a chance to fight again.

"I'm not sure what the hell's going on with me, but I can't afford to get distracted or waste this chance. There's a possibility that my body could burn out in a matter of minutes before I get the chance to finish this."

I looked towards my foe and took my stance.

"One thing's for sure! While he may be under Future Rogue's influence, Zirconis is out for blood, and that's just how he is. It's high time I respond in kind! This fight is what Aquadia trained me for, and it's time I put that to use!"

Zirconis got back up and, with another incensed snarl, charged at me, running on his fours, and I responded by dashing forward using Aqua Jet. As soon as he was close enough, the green dragon stood on his back legs and swiped at me with his claws, but I was able to easily maneuver them while releasing short bursts of my Aqua Jet from my feet. He then swung his tail, and I vaulted over it only to be met with a backhand of his left claw. However, just as he did, I flipped, planted my feet on the back of it, and launched myself away using it as a springboard. Then, I shot back at him, cloaking my fist with my magic and going for a Flowing Fist aimed for his chest.

"Not this time!" Zirconis grunted.

He raised his arm to block the blow just as I punched him in the back of his wrist. The impact caused him to stagger a bit, but he didn't go down like before, and he managed to throw me away as I was sent towards the ground. Luckily, I landed safely, feet wide apart and using one hand for support as I skidded to a stop.

Then, as I looked back up at Zirconis, I noticed his claws started radiating green as magic enveloped his hands.

"All right! No more messing around!" he snarled. "You want to play rough?! Fine! I'll show you not to mess with Zirconis by giving you a taste of my real power!"

Again, I couldn't be bothered to answer him as I stared at him while straightening up.

Zirconis became all the more irritated as he glared. "What's wrong? You feeling tongue-tied? Feeling scared now that I'm taking this seriously? Well, too bad! You had your chance to turn into a dragon, but now I ain't going to stop until I make you suffer until you die a painful and suffering death!"

Still, I remained silent.

Zirconis then roared indignantly. "Hey! What's the matter with you?! Answer me when I'm talking to you!"

I responded by tilting my head a few times, cracking my neck, my eyes never leaving him. Then, I held up my right hand and curled my index and middle fingers toward myself a few times, taunting him.

A vein popped on the side of Zirconis's face as he let loose another bellow of anger and lunged at me while swinging a magic-enhanced right punch. I jumped up, and while clenching and embuing my fist with magic, I met him with a punch of my own. Our fists collided with a tremendous amount of force, creating a powerful shockwave that blasted through the area.

NO POV

Throughout the entire scuffle, everyone couldn't help but be amazed as Willy matched Zirconis blow for blow without seemingly breaking a sweat.

"Holy freaking crap!" cried Bixlow. "This is crazy!"

"I… don't even know what I'm looking at," murmured Fried. "After all the time Laxus and Wendy spent trying to fight that creature, somehow Willy's matching it in strength. I knew dragon slayers were powerful, but I couldn't even begin to fathom how large the depths of their power are!"

"No kidding," agreed Evergreen. "I'm sure glad that he's on our side."

But as everyone continued to watch, Laxus suddenly let loose a mighty thunderbolt, attacking some of the dragonoids that remained motionless.

"Hey! Quit your gawking and focus!" he yelled out. "Willy can handle that bag of scales! The rest of us will back him up by dealing with the small fry!" He looked across at the sky dragon slayer. "Wendy! You better get to the emo version of Lisanna over there! She's in rough shape and needs treatment!"

"I-I'm on it!" said Wendy as she started jogging over to them.

"Right! You got it, boss!" acknowledged Bixlow.

"I'll back you up, Wendy!" Lily called out.

"As too shall we!" said Arcadios as he, Princess Hisui, and Yukino followed close behind.

Laxus, along with the Thunder Legion, then got to work taking out the baby dragons while Wendy and the others rushed over to the Lisanna's. As they did, Future Lisanna couldn't help but wince as she held where she was wounded while more blood seeped from her hand.

"Just hang on, future me!" said Lisanna. "Wendy, please hurry!

Wendy was soon at their side and quickly set to work using her healing magic. "Don't worry, Future Lisanna! You'll feel better soon! Just try and bear with the pain!"

Future Lisanna winced. "S-stop worrying about me. It's nothing but a scratch," she grunted. "But… thank you, Wendy."

Then, Yukino took notice of someone who wasn't around. "Hey. Does anyone know what happened to Ms. Mirajane?"

Everyone looked around, and sure enough, Mira was nowhere to be seen.

Back with Natsu and Future Rogue, both dragon slayers continued their battle while Motherglare and Apollo Flame fought at the same time.

Both of the dragons rampaged through the streets of the town, clawing, slashing, and biting at one another, throwing each other through buildings, neither side giving an inch.

On Motherglare's back, while avoiding the showering debris, Natsu launched himself at his enemy and gave him a swift kick to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and bashing him with a fist of flames right on the chin, forcing him to stagger backward.

"Why don't you go back to your own time?!" Natsu snarled. "And save me the trouble of knocking you out?!"

Future Rogue wiped the blood from his lips and scoffed with a smirk. "I have no such intention," he sneered. "Not until my business is finished here!"

"Then, what'll happen to the Rogue in the present?!" Natsu demanded. "And Willy hasn't turned into a dragon yet! You still intend to make him your slave?!"

"Rogue and I will eventually meld into one, just like two shadows overlapping in darkness!" Future Rogue answered. "And Willy will become a dragon! He may have stopped himself from transforming fully, but I will do whatever it takes to make him fulfill my purpose!"

"So you're planning to steal both of their futures?!" Natsu angrily barked. "There's no way in hell I'll let that happen!"

Future Rogue then melded into the shadows of his magic as they shot toward Natsu, circling him.

"As long as Acnologia is alive, there won't be any future!" Future Rogue's voice came. "That's why I came here! To create a new future!"

Then, from the shadows, Future Rogue took the form of a white beam that shot past into the air while gashing Natsu on the left hip, where the foe had injured him before in a previous battle, reopening the wound and making Natsu cry out in pain.

Then, Motherglare and Apollo began grappling with each other, the movement causing Natsu to lose his balance and start rolling haphazardly out of control, getting dangerously close to the edge of Motherglare's wing. Natsu desperately clawed on the scales, trying to grab hold of anything to save himself until, finally, he managed to do so, barely managing to stop himself, his body hanging on the tip of the wing by his hand.

Natsu struggled as he hung on with all his strength while enduring the pain and managed to pull himself back up just in time for Future Rogue to reappear from his shadows, scornfully chuckling.

Then, while gasping to catch his breath, Natsu spoke up again.

"And Frosch? What about him?"

The smirk on Future Rogue's face vanished, briefly becoming stunned before turning into a scornful frown. "Frosch is dead," he said bitterly.

"Yes, but not in this timeline," Natsu coughed as he stood up, still holding his wound. "And I'm willing to bet that he's more scared than any of us right now. All because of you and what you're doing!"

"He's going to die anyway," spat Future Rogue. "In one year, to be precise. I couldn't do anything to save or protect him. It was unavoidable."

Natsu's emotions flared. "And so what if you couldn't?!" he snapped. "He's still alive here and now, and you're putting him in danger!"

"That doesn't matter to me now!" Future Rogue snapped back. "Because the Rogue that used to waste time playing with cats is dead and gone! And so will you! Now begone, Natsu Dragneel!"

Future Rogue held up a hand and fired a blast of shadow magic, intending to send Natsu over the edge and plummeting to his death. Natsu attempted to defend himself, but just before the attack could hit him, someone suddenly appeared right in front of him and deflected the blast at the last second with their bare hand, sending the blast flying harmlessly away.

Natsu looked up and was surprised to see that her savior was someone he least expected to see.

It was Mira.

When Future Rogue saw her, he was more annoyed than he was surprised. "So, it's you again. Mirajane Strauss, I presume."

"I heard everything you just said right now," Mira spoke out, her head lowered, hiding her face. "How the person you were from the past is dead and gone, and you're willing to do whatever to change the future. But do you honestly think that what you're doing is right? You say that you're changing the future, but can you say that it's worth hurting innocent lives? And quite frankly, I'm appalled you would do this without any consideration for them while throwing away the lives of the people you care about. You're creating a future, all right. But it's one filled with fear and despair and made from the lives you're intending to destroy."

Future Rogue gnashed his teeth as he glared dangerously at the woman. "What the hell do you know about despair?!" he exploded fiercely. "Someone like you would never understand the pain I've gone through! After suffering through everything, I've finally found hope to cling to, and I won't let the insanities of some delusional people like you get in my way!"

He held up his hand, gathering magic, and fired a multitude of thin beams of light and shadow at her.

"Mira! Get out of the way!" Natsu yelled.

But Mira remained where she stood as the array of attacks fired at her. Some of them shot past her while others nicked her skin. Then, Mira started walking toward Future Rogue, unflinching with every step, seeming to ignore the attacks. As she did, an ominous yet intimidating aura began to radiate from her, causing a chill to run through Natsu's spine, startling him. Future Rogue also sensed it, causing him to cease his attack.

"You're right. I don't know about the despair you experienced," Mira went on speaking. "But the same could be said about you not knowing the despair I went through. I lost my mother and father when I was a child. I thought I lost my childhood friend when I was a teen. And I even thought I lost my younger sister. In all those times, I've had a taste of what despair felt like, so much so that I lost my will to fight entirely and the strength I had as a wizard. But the difference between you and I is that I'm not willing to sacrifice the friends I've made or the lives of the innocent."

"W-What is this? This intimidating presence that's radiating from her?" Future Rogue thought as an unsettling feeling crept into his stomach. "Her demeanor's changed completely."

"Rogue, I'm normally the kind of woman that keeps her cool because I don't want to scare anyone," Mira continued. "However, after seeing your actions, you've made several mistakes. But three of them were your biggest ones. The first was callously disregarding the lives you intend to ruin, including your friends. The second was trying desperately to make Willy, someone that I care about very much, into a dragon by treating everyone as hostages and making him suffer just to make him a weapon. And the third, and most of all, was that you hurt my sister, almost killing her. And so, for the first time in a while - no, for the first time in my entire life…"

Her body began to radiate dark violet before changing into her standardized Satan Soul form. However, as she looked in Future Rogue's direction, she gave an incensed sinister glare, her blue eyes filled with unrelenting rage, and spoke in a voice that was more demon-like than ever before.

"I AM VERY, VERY ANGRY."

Upon seeing this, Future Rogue instinctively took a step back out of fear, much to his surprise.

"Wh-What is this?! Was I actually afraid in that moment?!" he thought. "All it took was a single glare to make me step back! Who the hell is this woman?! She's not even a dragon slayer!"

But even with this, the white shadow dragon slayer, didn't back down as began gathering his magic to attack again.

"And so what if you are?" he snarked. "You can be enraged all you'd like, but you won't be able to lay a finger on me! Natsu barely did any damage to me! What makes you think you - ?!"

But at that moment, Future Rogue was savagely interrupted by a wicked and powerful blow to the chest, the force sending him flying and tumbling across Motherglare's tail until he slammed backfirst onto the curve of her back.

Natsu couldn't help but be amazed and unnerved as he started at where Mira sent Future Rogue with wide eyes.

"Natsu," Mira then spoke to Natsu. "I apologize if it seems like I'm interferring, but I'm going to lend you a hand. That is if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Natsu promptly and quietly replied. "I appreciate it."

Future Rogue soon got back up, coughing out some of the blood as he got the wind back into his lungs. "Th-This is impossible! That speed… That strength… Where did all that come from?!"

"Rogue, you better be prepared," Mira addressed him. "Because from here on in, I intend to make you pay for what you've done, and I don't intend to give you any mercy or forgiveness."

"I don't recall ever asking you for mercy or forgiveness!" Future Rogue shot back. "But if you wish to die, then so be it! You and Natsu can die together by my hand!"

But Mira unintimidated took her stance as she and Natsu both took their stances before launching themselves at Rogue beginning their two against one battle.