"T-There's two of them…That shouldn't be possible…" Adam spoke with actual shock in his voice. One Acnologia was already more than enough, and a second one added a sense of despair that dragged any hope left into the darkness.
"What the hell did we do to deserve this shit…?" Cana spoke with sweat beading down her forehead. She was afraid like everyone else.
"The beast from the future has arrived….the impending doom we were already facing has doubled…Double Doom…" Cobra grunted while gritting his teeth together.
"T-That's not right…" Alex took a step back while gulping, glancing back and forth between the two Black Dragons. "I made sure this couldn't happen…!"
"Well you didn't go a good enough job damn it!" Cana shouted out of fear; she meant Alex no harm really.
"I-I'm sorry…!" Alex cringed.
"What happened…?" Lucy asked Alex in a gentle tone.
"W-Well…when we were in Da…I mean Aiden's hideout…I saw this machine with plans to bring Acnologia from the future here to the present. I don't know what he was planning to try and do with it, but I couldn't let it happen. So I destroyed it…or I thought I did…"
"Even when he's in jail he finds a way to make things miserable…" Cynthia groaned. "W-What do we do…? I'm so nervous I don't think I can even move…"
"There's no way we can fight both of them at the same time…and there's no way we're going to get out of this alive…" Selene spoke with a strong sense of hopelessness.
"I don't think we have much of a choice…" Daryan said with a serious expression. "I refuse to go down like some coward…!" As he spoke, he tried to take a step, and managed to move just a little bit.
"You kids sure ya wanna take on those two…?" Satoshi said with his hat covering his eyes.
"I actually really don't want to…" Melanie spoke with a whimper.
"Look…!" Wendy pointed forward; Gaia was battling BOTH the Acnologias, and having a terrible time doing so. She could knock one away, but another large body like that was on top of her right after that. It was clear she'd never last if this continued. "G-Gaia-san is still fighting!"
"GAIA!" Alex's eyes were wide, and she immediately started to run towards Gaia. But she was held back by Yakuza. "H-Hey!? What are you doing!? Let me go!"
"Don't be stupid..." Yakuza said with a tense expression. "If you get caught in the crossfire, she wouldn't be able to focus. You'd be in the way." Harsh words, but they were true. There was hardly anything anyone could do at the moment,
"Is she insane!?" Shadowlore exclaimed while pacing back and forth.
"She can't possibly hold out against them much longer…" Makarov grimaced.
Mavis quickly moved to get Gray's attention, much to his surprise. "Gray! Get Ultear's attention, there's something she can answer for us!"
"Huh!?" Gray as taken aback by this, but he nodded. "Ultear! What's going on with that Future one!?"
"W-What?" Ultear snapped out of this. The shock of the situation had its grip on her, but she shook it off. "I-I mean, it's difficult to tell. But I think the other one isn't exactly stable here in this time. If it can be held off long enough, or maybe even forced back...it might go back to where it came from...!"
"Might...?" Lucy didn't like the sounds of that, but at the same time, it was their only real hope. "It didn't come from the Eclipse Gate, nor we do have the time to try and open it again..."
"Oi…you two," Satoshi walked over to Adam and Mithril. They already knew. "Leave this to us."
"Oh…" Roy took the initiative, moving backwards while ushering for everyone else to do the same. "Okay, okay! Everyone take a step back, because this isn't about to be pretty!"
"Sora…" Mithril nodded to the little girl on his back. Sora nodded and hopped off, running off somewhere to hide. After that, Mithril glanced to Adam and Satoshi. The three exchanged a nod before a magic seal appeared over their bodies; once again, Adam and Mithril took their respective forms while Satoshi also turned into a green dragon, shocking those who didn't know.
"The old man's a dragon!?" Mason was rather shocked to see his master transform.
"Dragon Aspect," Roy corrected. "They have dragon-like qualities, but they aren't actually dragons. And they hate Dragon slayers while they nearly worship dragons. Either way, this is going to be messy…"
"Tch…" Natsu grit his teeth, clenching his fists. Something was bothering him but he wouldn't voice it yet.
"Hey, monster…" Adam called out to the two Acnologias, both of them turning their attention off Gaia to Adam. "They both answered; funny…we'll show you exactly what us dragons are capable of…"
"Took you guys long enough…" Gaia groaned. She held them off for as long as she could by herself.
.
"Two of those monsters…" Diamond gulped. "Six dragons total…this is ridiculous…Couldn't we have had just a peaceful party!?"
"This is the end, you know…" Joker said with a smirk, cracking his knuckles. "There's no escape, so lay down your lives and I'll make your punishment of death quick."
"Like hell!" Tia shouted while swinging her scepter at Joker, but he blocked it with his arm. "You shouldn't be focusing on us…you should be worrying about yourself!"
"And why's that?" Joker said while pushing Tia away from him, pivoting on his heel to kick an incoming Jack away from him and onto the ground. "You can't even touch me. Do you remember why I'm the strongest in Dealer?"
"Your stupid ability to be stronger than those…coupled with your stupid amount of strength already…" Jack grumbled while slowly picking himself up. "We didn't forget, it's all you ever brag about you shit…"
"I'll be sure to rip your tongue out first…" Joker said while rotating his wrists. "You'd have to wait a century before you can even think about surviving a fight with the likes of me!" Joker pulled one arm back, a mass of red energy appearing around it already. "RED GAIA!" He threw his arm forward, unleashing a massive one handed Dread Lazer. Tia, Jack, and everyone else had to roll away to avoid it; then came to the two satellites, unleashing the same magic overhead in a sweeping motion, nearly catching them off guard once again. "ERASER!" Lastly, the sudden explosion that rose from the ground. There was no evading this so everyone had to take the blow, lying on the ground heavily damaged. "Do you see now? This is what the result would always been when you thought about taking me on. How could you possibly think to avenge Ace when you can't even protect yourself, Queen Tia?"
"Ha…" Tia let out a small cough before pulling herself up. Joker's words did get to her, but not in the way that he was hoping for. "Is that it…?"
"What…?" Joker raised a brow, slightly surprised that Tia was standing up.
"I'm not just fighting for Ace and myself, you stupid bastard…" Tia had to lean on her staff for support, but she faced Joker with a smile. "These idiots behind me too…this fight is about severing that final tie to Dealer…"
"That's right…" Jack shakily brought himself to his feet. "This has been a long time coming…you're an idiot if you think otherwise…"
"Jack…Tia…" Heartless was surprised how much Tia and Jack had changed. Fairy Tail really did bring out the good in their hearts.
"Hahaha...look at them. Far different than they were just a few months ago." Daigo laughed softly. He then threw a card out along with Heartless; the two of them landing on Jack and Tia's bodies to give them a substantial boost in power. Of course, Joker's power rose to match this, but they didn't seem concerned about that part.
"And just what do you think you can do against me!? I'm not even in Red Riot mode yet!" Joker laughed. The arrogance of these weaklings.
"Good…we didn't want you there anyway…" Tia let out another knowing chuckle. "Spade! Do it now!"
"R-Right…!" Spade slid out a small box from his pocket, sliding it across the ground right to Joker's feet. Joker saw this and prepared to jump, but a magnetic seal kept his feet glued to the ground, courtest of Spark. "You-!?" The box opened and a strong electrical pulse shock out, damaging Joker's nervous system.
"Gnnnnnk! W-W-What is this…!?" Joker suddenly fell to a knee, being unable to move his body for a minute.
"Magical Pulse…" Spade replied with a grin. "Did you honestly think…after all this time, the smartest one in Dealer didn't have a plan to deal with you in the event you went rogue, or vice versa…? I made this right after the incident itself..."
"You little…" Surprisingly, Joker's limbs started to move.
"No you don't!" Diamond slammed her hands on the ground, creating diamonds that glued Joker's hands and feet to the ground. "You're staying put right there!"
"Finish 'im!" Strong exclaimed, lifting his hand up. This prompted vines to wrap around Joker's body, adding an extra layer of restriction.
"Right!" Jack and Tia nodded before joining hands, a purple/blue aura appearing around them.
"Oh goddess of water, come forth and purge the evil soul."
"Demon of flames, rise from the ground and raze the impure entity!"
"Wicked Calamity!"
Tia unleashed an enormous tidal wave in front of them. This tidal was quickly surrounded by wicked flames from Jack, appearing with a strong violet hue. The tidal wave rushed over the ground, ripping it to shreds while traveling towards Joker. "You better wait a century before thinking you can take us on, Joker! DISAPPEAR FOREVER!"
"N-NOOOO…!" Joker was helpless against the incoming tidal wave. He was completely engulfed by it, all cries of pain drowned out. The Unison Raid ended with a strong explosion; when the dust cleared, Joker was face up with his eyes whited out. He was defeated by the Ex dealer members.
"W-We won…!" Tia exclaimed, but she was too tired. As soon as she knew they won, she collapsed on her stomach with Jack. She stared at the situation with the dragons and whispered. "The rest…is up to you guys now…ngh…"
.
.
Six dragons fighting in one large city didn't work out, especially when they were currently the strongest things in Fiore at the moment, perhaps Earthland. Adamantine and Mithril were facing the present Acnologia while Gaia and Satoshi were facing the Future Acnologia. That made things even number wise, but strength was still a factor in this. "Hey, look at that…" Gildarts said while pointing at the Future Acnologia. "It's got a lot of scars and is missing an arm…"
"Wonder how that happened…" Natsu said while tilting his head.
"Do you think that makes him weaker…?" Lucy questioned.
"Probably…but he's still strong enough to deal with anything coming his way," Sidney answered. "An issue we won't be able to get over so easily."
Mithril covered his claws in lightning and swung towards Acnologia; he landed a hit and forced the dragon backwards. Adamantine covered his tail in ice and swung it for a follow up. It was another direct hit, but Acnologia didn't stagger back again. Instead he spread his wings and quickly flew right past the two brothers, slamming them both with his weeks. The impact was so powerful the dragons crash landed on their sides. "DESTRUCTION!" Acnologia exclaimed while landing on Adamantine, harshly biting the ice dragon's neck with his sharp fangs, causing a roar of pain to escape Adam's lips. "I will eliminate all dragons that walk this earth!"
"ADAM!" The members of White Eclipse exclaimed.
"The only dragon's dying today is the both of you!" Mithril exclaimed while grabbing Acnologia and forced him off Adam, hurling him away elsewhere. Mithril then inhaled before unleashing a Lightning Roar; red lightning raced across the sky and struck Acnologia for a direct hit. Smoke covered the Black Dragon before blowing away with a mighty annoyed roar. "Tch..!"
Satoshi flapped his wings, sending razor shape blades of wind in Future Acnologia's direction. The scar ridden beast brought his wing up to protect against the blades. That's when Gaia flew in from above, landing a powerful punch to the beasts' head, causing a small tremor on impact. "Keep going!" Gaia exclaimed, but she was cut off when the claw of F. Acnologia slashed her across the chest, cutting through her defensive scales and sent her flying back, landing on the remains of some buildings on her back. "Gah…!"
"ENOUGH!" Future Acnologia exclaimed while rising high into the sky, right alongside his present counterpart. The two began to inhale, a blue sphere of energy forming within their mouths. Everyone knew exactly what was coming next.
"Oh shit…" Gajeel cringed at the memory of the last time Acnologia roared. But now there were two of them and they weren't holding anything back.
"Everyone get DOWN!" Makarov ordered, and everyone was quick to follow through.
"No you don't…" Adam spoke while inhaling along with Gaia, Mithril, and Satoshi. The four good dragons flew up to close the distance between the two Black Dragons; all six of them released their roars as nearly point blank range, resulting in a catastrophic explosion. A shockwave followed along with a powerful tremor, shaking the entire country of Fiore and then some. A large smoke cloud covered the sky, making it impossible to see anything.
.
.
"Oh my…" Desdemona managed to keep her balance with no issue, while Ophelia had fallen to the ground already. "Things are getting very exciting…I wonder how these humans and dragons plan to escape this…"
"It looks like they're running out of ideas quickly…" Ophelia responded while picking herself up.
.
.
Adamantine, Gaia, Mithril, and Satoshi all fell from the sky in their human forms, landing roughly on the ground. They were in critical condition, but they were still breathing. Barely. "Mi-kun…!" Sora rushed over to Mithril and shook him gently. "Are you okay?!"
"F-Fine…" Mithril replied with a groan. He looked into the smoke as it began to clear; eyes widening. The present Acnologia was the only one around. Nobody knew what happened to the other one. He was damaged yes, but still alive. The other one simply vanished after the clash of roars, but nobody could feel its presence anymore.
"Sora…Mithril…we are leaving…" It was Rugal who spoke. A portal appeared around all three of them and they retreated.
"One's still alive…!" Roy said while lifting Satoshi up.
"W-What happened to the other one...!?" Alex panicked. "Did it go back to where it came from!?" Wishful thinking, but it was hard to say otherwise.
"What do we do now…?" Erza asked while preparing to fight if need be. "He doesn't look so happy."
"This is the end of the line…" Magnus spoke in a blunt tone while he and Daryan picked up Gaia. "Our main means of offense are down…we can't possibly stand up to that dragon now."
"I didn't think we'd be going out like this…" Takeru grunted. Defeat by a dragon…as a dragon slayer. Something about that stuck him the wrong way, but there wasn't much he could do about it by this rate. They had done everything they could. Sidney was the one who lifted up Adam, only with a little trouble because of how heavy he was.
"Are we seriously done for….?!" Sting couldn't believe this. "Not after everything we've done…"
"At least that one is out of the way…" Future Rogue spoke while revealing himself, causing everyone to turn. "Those dragons were more useful than I thought they would be…that dragon was wrecking too much havoc in the future to be controlled…"
"Future Rogue…" Natsu clenched his fists. "I knew I smelled something familiar lingering round here."
"What's he still doing here…?" Rogue made sure to stand back from his future counterpart.
"Rogue….?" Frosch tilted his head at the sight of Future Rogue. "Is that you...?"
"What's he gonna do…?" Wendy questioned.
"Oh…?" Future Rogue turned his head at the sound of Wendy's voice, chuckling a little while glancing at Cynthia. "I don't think you should be worried about me, little one…" At that, both girls snarled towards the male. Future Rogue then took a few steps forward, facing the now grounded Acnologia. "This is the moment I've been waiting for…I've travelled through time twice just to have this moment. The moment where I become the true Dragon King…"
"He's insane…" Was Cobra's instant retort.
"He's not…" Gaia barely managed to speak. "…gonna try to fight him, is he…?"
"I don't have to fight him…" Future Rogue replied to Gaia's worries with a grin. He then raised his hands in the air, a small dark aura appearing around his body. "For I have the magic that allowed seven dragons of Ishgar's past to bend to my will! Dragon Manipulation magic! Acnologia…you WILL bend your knee to me, and I will become the new Dragon King!"
"…" Acnologia could feel a strange sensation fogging up his mind. After a more difficult fight than he expected, for a moment, his mind was breifly muddled by this strange magic. "What…this magic…it's like you're trying to…" Then it all clicked. "How DARE you!?"
"Come on…BEND TO ME…." Future Rogue grunted in annoyance. Things weren't working the way he planned, but he was intent on getting the mighty Black Dragon to bend to him. The dragon roared before bringing his tail back, and slammed it into Future Rogue. "GAH!" The impact was so intense his bones shattered on impact; not only that, but his body slammed right into the ground. "G-Gaaaaaaaaaah..."
"Tch..." Acnologia turned his attention to Future Rogue, beginning to inhale. "You will pay the price for trying to control me!" And then he exhaled, releasing a potent, destructive breath towards Future Rogue to finish him off.
"Rogue...!" Frosch quickly began to rush over to the wounded Future Rogue. This was still Rogue, and Frosch wanted to protect him!
"Frosch, no!" Rogue gasped and quickly rushed over to Frosch to try and stop them, but he wasn't going to make it. Everything happened in slow motion as an explosion occurred on the spot. Rogue and Frosch covered their eyes from the moment of impact, but...
It was Future Rogue who took the attack for Frosch. His wounded body was in critical condition, and he coughed up blood. "Ngh...!"
"Rogue-sama...!?" Yukiino gasped.
"What the..." Minerva said in a quiet whisper.
"Oh my god…!" Lucy covered her eyes; she didn't expect things to go that way at all.
Future Rogue collapsed on the ground in a heap. Frosch and Rogue were next to him. "Gah...ack..."
"Why...!?" Rogue asked. He didn't understand...
Future Rogue could barely keep his eyes open. HIs gaze turned to Frosch, who was weeping over his body. The death of Frosch was what turned him down this path. Yet, when faced with the opportunity to save his beloved friend, he took it. "...I had to save Frosch." At least, in some way...he made up for the mistakes of his own past. But the fact he was still here, meant that Rogue would still one day turn into him...maybe...
"Rogue...you can't..." Frosch sniffled. "You have to stay with Frosch! Please...!"
Future Rogue shook his head. He could already feel his eye closing, the life force leaving his body. In the end, he was going to die without achieving any of his goals. The future was in peril, and the present was going to be destroyed by Acnologia. And yet...he looked at Rogue. Natsu told him that the future could be changed...he put stock into those words once. Now, that he was at the end of his rope...it was time to believe in him. He took Rogue's hand without a word.
"What...?" Rogue didn't have a chance to react to what was happening next.
"If not I...then you..." Future Rogue said softly. He pumped all of his dragon slaying magic into Rogue, forcing him to swallow both the shadows and the light within him. In the next instant, Rogue's body exploded with magic power, a white aura mixing in with his black one. "This...isn't the future you want, right...? Then...you have to change it...if you don't want to end up like me...then this is something you have to do..."
"..." Rogue was silent as this power turned him into the White Shadow Dragon. He stared at his future counterpart, as his eye slowly closed for the last time. The horrible future that turned him into that...his future self was now counting on him to change it. "...I will change the future..." Even if that meant fighting Acnologia...!
"N-No way…" Carla spoke while covering both Wendy's and Cynthia's eyes from the horrid sight of Future Rogue's corpse.
"You humans must perish now…." Acnologia stated while flapping his wings; he was preparing to take flight but there was a green prism barrier that suddenly surrounded his body, preventing him from taking off quite yet. "…!?"
"Ho ho ho…a magnificent creature, don't you agree…?"
"That laugh…" Natsu already knew.
King appeared from above in his hovering throne, shuffling a deck of cards. "I knew my plan would come to fruition if I just waited long enough! Now I have all the pieces in place, and I didn't have to do a single thing! Ho ho ho ho!" He then turned to Future Rogue's corpse, letting out let another laugh. "HO! What've we here? This defiant child has finally met his match, hm? Serves him right for trying to take my spot…" King threw a card forward; it hovered over Future Rogue's body before beeping and returning to King. "There…now I have Dragon Manipulation Magic in my hands. He told me to take it from his corpse, and that's exactly what I did."
"Stop this, King! You don't know what you're doing!" Hisui pleaded. "It's too powerful for you to try and control…!"
"She's right…" Heartless said while limping along with the other Ex-Dealer members. "King, you must realize that your plan has been nothing but a foolhardy dream from the start."
"Don't make me kick your ass again!" Natsu exclaimed.
"HO! HO HO HO!" King merely laughed, placing a hand on his forehead. "You worms are all cute, trying to stop me when my plan has reached the pinnacle of success. It's far too late now! I will now make use of all the magic gathered in the Meteor G server to ensure this dragon bends to my will!"
"What happened to Jigan!?" Tia exclaimed.
"Oh, that present version of myself? He was so adamant in ensuring I did not exist. But I was not going to allow him to have a change of heart, so I locked him away!" King explained. "As long as I exist, his future is set in stone, and it shall remain that way as well!"
"So it was you who locked me out…" Heartless grit her teeth. "I should've known the second Joker showed up…"
"A back up copy in case the real thing suffered damage…In the end, I should've known Joker was the only one I could rely on. And with this DNA sample of Acnologia, it shall become easier for me to manipulate him!" King shrugged before infusing the Dragon Manipulation Magic into the Meteor G server. "NOW!" He threw a card through the barrier he had around Acnologia, infused with most of the magic. Purple sparks flew everywhere as Acnologia began to struggle against King's might; a purple K started to flash off and on of Acnologia's head. "BOW TO ME!"
"ROOOOOOOAR!" Acnologia wasn't having any of it. With a mighty roar, the barrier dispelled and the card on his body was destroyed. King was thrown back into building that was still standing somehow. Acnologia then flew up into the air, taking a large, slow inhale. He was about to roar again and there wasn't anything anyone could do to stop it.
"N-Not again…!" Lucy choked.
"Tch…!" Natsu balled his hand, flames appearing around his fists. But at the same time the nerves in his body were taking the best of him. "Dammit…!"
"I have an idea…" Cynthia spoke up, causing everyone to turn to her.
"What are you gonna do, squirt?" Gajeel asked.
"You know how my lacrima is a powerful bomb, right…?" Cynthia started, and already she was getting looks. "I was thinking…maybe…it might be strong enough to kill Acnologia…or at the very least give it a lot of damage so he won't come back for a while…"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Wendy rejected that idea as soon as Cynthia stopped talking. "Cynthia, you can't do that! It's too risky…!"
"But…" Cynthia started.
"We don't have time for a debate!" Reve shouted.
"Dammit…just when I thought we could rest…" Tia still had energy to spare, but her body wasn't going to handle much more. "Jack…let's buy them some time…"
"We're coming too!" Strong nodded. With that, the Ex Dealer members went off to distract Acnologia and halt him from roaring. They managed to do so, but it wasn't going to work for very long.
"Cynthia, you can't blow yourself up! That's a terrible idea! What if it doesn't work?!" Wendy frowned.
"But Wendy…it's the only thing left…!" Cynthia protested. "I don't want any more of you to die! I want to protect all of you! Even if it means…"
"I don't want to live in a world without my best friend!" Wendy objected, the tears starting to form in her eyes.
"Wendy…Cynthia…" Chelia bit her lips nervously, unable to find anything to say at the situation. She knew exactly how the both of them were feeling and she couldn't take sides.
"Wendy, I…" Cynthia started, but she was quickly cut off.
"Cynthia…if you do this and break your promise I swear I'll never forgive you!" Wendy had to say it; she didn't want to but she knew exactly how to make Cynthia stop this madness.
"…!" Cynthia gasped. Why did Wendy have to say that? Diamond, Spark, Daigo, Strong, and Spade all attacked Acnologia at once, but the attack was blocked by a wing and that same wing was used to blow them away into a building, leaving their bodies at their limits. They wouldn't be able to fight anymore after that hit.
"Stop being selfish," Sidney spoke in a stern tone. "If she wants to do this, why stop her. The fear of it not working clearly hasn't fazed her. Don't you realize that yet?"
"I-I…" Wendy couldn't find words. Sidney was right and she didn't even notice. Cynthia wasn't afraid to put her life on the line for them all. But it was too radical, she still couldn't allow it. "I don't want to lose you again…I can't! Please, don't leave me again..."
"..." Cynthia felt her heart rip apart with that one. Of course she didn't want to do this, but everyone was in danger. "I..."
"Cynthia…" Erza crouched down to eye level, placing a hand on Cynthia's shoulder while giving a soft smile. "I admire your bravery…willing to sacrifice yourself for all of us…we're truly thankful for your willingness. But there's something you still haven't learned quite yet…and that's fine. It's something I didn't know for a while either."
"W-What is it…?" Cynthia questioned.
"You don't die for your friends…you live for them." After that, Erza balled her free hand into a fist and quickly punched Cynthia's stomach. Cynthia had no time to react and she just slumped against Erza, unconscious.
"I'll never understand you Fairies…" Sidney shook his head.
"That's fine," Natsu replied with a scowl towards Sidney.
"GYAH!" Jack and Heartless were swatted away by Acnologia's claw, armor shattering the second he hit the ground, while Heartless just laid on the ground. "Guh…ugh…"
"Jack…! Heartless!" Tia's eyes widened as just about everyone but herself was down. She gripped her scepter and mustered all the strength she had left for one final attack. "Aqua…" She didn't have the time; she was swatted away by Acnologia's tail, her armor shattering the second impact was made. She was now practically bare minus the few tattered remains of her dress covering her body, but she couldn't move. Acnologia raised his foot and stepped on Tia.
"TIA…!" Lucy cried out, making a beeline for Tia as fast as her legs could carry her.. Acnologia raised his foot, but there was no sign of Tia crushed under him. "H-Huh…?"
"Don't worry, I got her." A voice caught everyone's attention. They looked up and saw... Ace said while standing atop the ruins of the building, Tia in his arms. "Acid Ace, returning to battle!"
"A-ACE!?"
"Ace-!?" Lisanna gasped, eyes beginnign to water at the sight of him.
"A-Ace….?" Tia's eyes widened; she thought she was in a dream. But then she realized she really was half naked while in his arms. Not exactly a dream come true but…SLAP! "You…you…you IDIOT! DO you have ANY idea how worried I was?! Where the HELL were you!? What were you doing all this time!?"
"Ow…" Ace rubbed his cheek, but there was that usual goofy grin on his lips. "Missed you too." Now there was really nothing to stop Acnologia from roaring. Back to the sky he took, and began to inhale once again with the intent of blowing Crocus off the map. He'd have enough of being delayed. "Oh, yeah, that's still a thing…let's bolt!"
"We won't make it out in time!" Lyon shouted.
"Yeah you will…" Gajeel replied while stepping forward. "You'll all be fine."
"Gajeel, what are you…" Lily cocked a brow towards Gajeel's stance.
"Protect the shrimp, ya got that Lily?" Gajeel made it sound like an order.
"NO!" Levy objected; she grabbed Gajeel by the hand and started tugging, but he wasn't budging. "Gajeel! You have to come too! We'll-!" And Gajeel met her stomach with his fist, knocking the air out of her and knocking her out.
"Gajeel…" Lily gulped, but he took Levy into his arms.
"What are you…" Rogue started, but Gajeel just walked by and patted him on the head.
"Give 'em hell without me, Raios…" Gajeel spoke with a small smile. He then turned to Selene and patted her on the head gently. "And don't let all that training of ours go to waste, alright?"
"S-Sensei…" Selene froze in place.
"Alright, that's enough time wasted. All of you get out of here!" Gajeel demanded, and everyone already started to make their way out.
"Gajeel…" Natsu stopped himself from saying anymore and ran out with Lucy.
"Hey, ugly!" Gajeel shouted while his iron scales started to form around his body. He caught Acnologia's attention already. A sliver magic circle formed on his iron scales, turning the iron into steel; shadows then began to appear around his body. "Gihehe…think you're so tough, huh? Then let's see how you fair against the Steel Dragon!" Gajeel planted his feet firmly into the ground before raising his hands. "STEEL GOD'S WALL!" A dome of steel began to appear around the city, covering every single inch in the protective covering. The shadows were there to boost its power. It was a few seconds after that that Acnologia unleashed a devastating roar upon the dome; the explosive shockwave was strong enough to catch those who escaped the city, throwing them out.
.
.
Far from Crocus, Daityas could see the destruction of it via Acnologia. After Acnologia let out his roar, he flew off into the distance. He placed a hand on his chest, panting heavily from it all. "Tch, that damn dragon coming and spoiling all the fun..." He thought back to his fight with Gray and Leon. How Kagura dared to injure him, and after that, Ur nearly trapped him in Iced Shell. Tonight had been too close a call, even for him, which made him boil over in rage. A fiery aura expanded from his body, which slowly began to torch everything around him.
"It's not like you to lose your cool, Brother." Trinity said while appearing behind him, standing in the blazing aura with little consequence. "I saw what happened. How long has it been since you were knocked on your back like that?"
"Shut your damn mouth." Daityas snarled. "You were just happy to watch, not even bothering to protect your scum guildmates, huh?"
"I did what I could." Trinity replied. "But they do not need to rely on my strength. It's part of the reason I'm not around. Had I known you were pulling this kind of stunt, however...I would've stopped you myself beforehand."
"You, stop me!?" Daityas let out a dry laugh at this one. "You, who turned your back on Hell and Tartarus? You really think you could've stopped me? Stopped us?"
Trinity sighed. They were brothers, but their bond was hardly existent. "It isn't too late to stop this foolishness. To follow that cursed man...what is the point?"
"I want to see this world burn. Nothing more, nothing less." Daityas said while finally facing his brother. "That's the only thing I care about. I want to see souls rot before my eyes. I want to see those expressions of hope those humans carry on their faces shift into despair when they realize what true evil is. That they stand before it whenever I walk into a room. Why do I follow Zeref? Simple. Because he is the one man that I cannot kill. I swore that I would kill him one day. He looked at me, laughed, and said "try it, if you can. I'll wait'. I've tried so many methods to make that man die, but nothing works. He is the one and only man, that I have never been able to kill! I want him to know fear before I kill him! To prove that he's no better than any other lowly human!"
"You want them to fear you. But what I saw tonight was a display of bravery. Despite the odds, they fought you. They even knocked you out for a moment." Trinity tilted his head slightly. "And even now, they stood against the Black Dragon. These humans may know fear, but they do not let it control them. They don't let you control them."
Daityas's expression soured. "Keep talking like that, and one day, Black Phoenix will be charred to nothing. Regardless if you're in it or not." Trinity said nothing, but his expression darkened as well.
"In your condition, I could end this here and now. I wouldn't exit without some grievous wounds myself, but killing you would be easy. That being said...You are my brother, and though this may be a mistake in the long run...I won't kill you here. It's too pitiful in your wounded state." Trinity said.
"Taking pity on me? You couldn't kill me even if you tried!" Daityas growled. But he regained his composure, and soon laughed. "Ah, but this works just as well. This plan may have failed, but Tartarus has another one in store. The humans can enjoy their victory today, provided they can even survive what comes next. Even if they do, the real plan to eradicate humanity is already underway!"
This caught Trinity by surprise. "The...real plan?"
Now, Daityas wore a smirk. Trinity's clueless was the one bright spot in this otherwise annoying day. "That's right. If only you didn't turn your back on Tartarus so soon, you might've known about it. But it's too late now. I'm not one to spoil the surprise!" As Daityas spoke, hell flames began to appear around him. "Just keep your eyes out, Brother! The world of magic will change sooner than you know it!" With a laugh, the flames enveloped Daityas, and he left.
Trinity let out a slightly aggravated sigh. "I thought I could change your mind. ...Will I regret letting you go free? No, I shouldn't think like that. If I have learned anything spending my time with humans, and in this one evening alone...it is that humanity is capable of overcoming any obstacle, no matter how vicious. I hope they can endure what is to come..."
.
.
"What happened…?" Cynthia groaned as she started to wake up, only to see Crocus and what was around it mostly destroyed, save for the Palace still. "…!?"
"Gajeel…that idiot!" Levy wanted to cry and scream all at the same time.
"Gajeel-san saved us…" Sting sighed. "Dammit…I feel so useless…"
"Sting-sama…" Yukino gently placed her hand on Sting's shoulder to comfort him. She looked up after, noticing that Acnologia was now flying away from Crocus into the unknown distance. "He's gone…"
"What a mess this turned out to be…" Lahar spoke while pinching the bridge of his nose. "This'll be a lot of work to clean up…"
"Better get started…" Doranbolt replied.
"Wait a minute…" Cobra held his hand up, listening for something. "We're not finished yet…"
"What do you mean not yet!? After all this shit…" Cana practically screamed at Cobra.
"Ho…" King was walking towards the group, standing a few yards away from them with his arms crossed behind his back. "Do not think that because Acnologia is gone that my plan is finished. Far from, actually."
"You're still as insane as ever…if not even more…" Ace grunted. "Give it up, King. You've lost completely. The dragon is gone and you're outnumbered."
"HA…" King scoffed. "You clearly underestimate my abilities, Ace! I know not of how you survived Joker's explosion, but that doesn't matter for you shall all perish here." He then pulled out a small needle. "Do you see this…? This is all the magic Meteor G has…and this is infused with the DNA sample I took from Acnologia. What do you think will happen if I inject all of this into my body…?"
"YOU WOULDN'T." Heartless was the first one to speak. "Your body wouldn't be able to handle that kind of power! It'd tear apart almost instantly."
"Maybe for the normal human…but I am a KING! I am far beyond you ants!" With no more words he injected the needle into his arm. A dark blue magic aura exploded from around his body, blowing everyone back a few feet. King's skin turned pitch black, blue stripes appearing along his arms and legs. His hands and feet turned into claws and talons; his body began to bulk up until he was a good 7 feet tall; his eyes shifted to a reptilian-like shape; and lastly, black wings sprouted from his back. The aura King gave off now was similar to that of Acnologia, and it was just as threatening. "BEHOLD! The NEW DRAGON KING!"
"Uh…!" Heartless was stunned that King was willing to go so far for him ambition. Such determination wasn't even admirable at this point, it was just pure insanity.
"You've got to be joking…" Odin narrowed his eyes. "I've had it up to here with all this ancient bullshit today…"
"HO HO HO!" King let out a hearty laugh that turned into a near roar, shaking everything within a few miles. "So…THIS is power…this is true power. The power to make anyone and anything tremble in fear just by being nearby…it's wonderful. It's everything I could ever want and more! Do you worms dare to stand against me now?"
Magnus stared in shock at the sight before him. He took a step back, his eyes widening as it all made sense. "This...This is it...this is the man I saw in my Foresight. Jigan King...this is the man that will destroy the world...!"
"It's KING!?" Numerous people gasped, and stared at the mutated man in horror.
"HO HO HO! So my plan WILL succeed!" King laughed manically from Magnus's words. That was all the confirmation he needed to know his plan was worthwhile.
However, not everyone was so convinced about this. Natsu stepped forward, with only one single inquiry on his mind. "So…you're part dragon now, right…?"
"Yes, the black dragon King. You may refer to me as that before you die." King replied with a growing smile. The amount of power surging through his body, he couldn't wait to use it and control the world, just as the man with Foresight said he would. "I took quite the detour to get here, but it is clear that the hand of Fate desires for me to win on this day!"
"Perfect…" Natsu slammed his hands together, flames violently flaring around them. "Then that means Dragon Slaying magic should hurt you."
"Oh…?" King cocked a curious brow. Now THIS was an interesting statement. Despite what the future held, Natsu was only focused on one single thing...
"Oi, you guys still have fight left in you, right?" Natsu asked the other dragon slayers: Cynthia, Wendy, Laxus, Selene, Takeru, Heather, Leon, Waiston, Hikaru, Daryan, Blues, Melanie, Cobra, Sting and Rogue.
"You know it, Natsu-san!" Sting exclaimed while stepping up right next to Natsu, white light covering his fists. An explosion of light occurred and Sting was soon in Dragon Force, not holding anything back. "We can't let this go on anymore."
"You dare stand up to me…?" King questioned.
"They're going to cause so much destruction…" Lahar spoke with a sour taste in his mouth.
"Do they look like they're going to cause destruction…" Calium spoke to the Council members. "Or do they look like animals ready to protect their kin?"
"Ha! Fine, come at me with everything you have then, dragon slayers! I'll put a swift end to your life!" King exclaimed while beckoning the dragon slayers to come at him.
"This is it!" Natsu exclaimed while rushing towards King with flames wrapped all around his body. "The final battle! Come on, let's finish it!"
.
.
King: "You rodents! I'll be sure to squash you under my boot; you'll be the cornerstone for my new world!"
Natsu: "Like hell we will be! This is where everything ends! Come on everyone, let's give this everything we've got! It all rides on us!"
Next time: Dealer Finale: What It Means To Be a Friend!