Natsu and Midnight were locked in close combat, fire dragon slayer magic and darkness magic colliding, causing miniature sparks to fly and shockwaves to boom out within the hallway. At an incoming punch, Natsu leaned back, just narrowly avoiding the magic infused punch. He then leaned snapped forward, smashing his head into Midnight's for a brutal headbutt. The force of the headbutt sent Midnight stumbling back a few steps. "…" Midnight could feel blood oozing down his forehead after the blow. This caused him to get rather angry, to say the least. He brought the back of his hand to his forehead to wipe away the blood trailing down his face now. "You will pay dearly for that…"
"I've been told I've got a pretty hard head…" Natsu said with a proud grin, completely misinterpreting the meaning of the phrase. It really wasn't something to be proud of, but he missed that completely. Midnight, on the other hand, was completely unamused.
Midnight pointed two fingers forward, once again gathering dark magic on the tips of them. "Dark Caprico." Midnight then unleashed the piercing ray of dark magic towards Natsu, aiming right for Natsu's chest. He was going for the kill.
"I remember this too…" Natsu thought to himself while charging forward once again. Natsu's recklessness was unrivaled, charging directly towards an attack that could very well take him out on the spot. He knew Midnight wasn't going to fall for his side stepping trick again, so he decided to take the Dark Caprico head on this time. Natsu allowed fire to flare dangerously around his fist, which he began to pull back. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu then swung down, putting all his weight and momentum into the incoming haymaker. He slugged the Dark Caprico downward, into the floor. After that, he lit his other hand in flames and continued his charge. "I got you now!"
"You must really be an idiot…" Midnight said with a sigh and a shake of his head. Before Natsu could get close, the Dark Caprico shot back up from the floor directly in front of him, landing a direct hit. Luckily for Natsu it wasn't a fatal hit, but he still rolled back across the floor, a small trail of blood following behind him. "Did you really think it would be that easy? I told you, you are not escaping this building alive. And after I'm through with you, I'll personally see to it that the other members of your guild fall by my hand."
A growl escaped Natsu's lips at Midnight's words, his hair shading his eyes. Natsu brought himself to a knee before punching the floor with his bare fist, creating a small, but deep indent. "Like hell I'll let you do that!" Natsu exclaimed, now rising to his feet. His flames flared around his body from both anger and determination. "I'll take you down right now!"
"Is that so…?" Midnight asked as a slow grin creeped onto his face. "Because if you ask me…I believe you're out of time. Any chance you had of defeating me has flown out the window…"
"What…?" Natsu blinked, yet kept his stance, eyes trained on Midnight.
"You wouldn't happen to know what time it is, would you?" Midnight asked as his grin widened, the room starting to darken slowly. "No? Then allow me to answer that for you…" As Midnight began to speak, his body began to undergo a monstrous transformation. "It's midnight…the time when my power becomes powerful beyond imagination. It was only seconds later when the transformation was complete; Midnight stood tall in a near demonic form, red eyes glaring towards Natsu, whose fiery aura was the only light in the area at the time. "Feast your eyes on true despair!"
"I don't care what changes about you!" Natsu shouted while running forward, making sure to pick up speed with his flames. "I'll take you down!" Natsu then pushed himself off the ground, aiming a Fire Dragon's Sword Horn right for Midnight's chest. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Just before the point of impact, Natsu was stopped. Midnight used his long arms and powerful grip to catch Natsu, beginning to squeeze with his long nails digging into the Salamander's skin.
"You fool!" Midnight's voice boomed out throughout the hallway. "You clearly do not know when you are outmatched! Now, I will take the pleasure of ending your pathetic life here and now; prepare to enter an endless slumber!"
Natsu let out a pained yell of agony as Midnight's nail began to dig into his skin. Slowly, this pained yell turned into a yell of determination as flames flared more intensely than before. It was clear that Natsu had no intentions of giving up just yet, or ever. "I'm not…finished!"
"W-What…!?" Midnight's eyes widened as he attempted to crush Natsu within his grip then and there, but it wasn't working. Natsu was already making his way out, and there wasn't anything that could stop him now. "How…!?"
After a few more seconds, Natsu broke himself free. Midnight stumbled back a step as a result, still astonished at Natsu breaking free from his grip. Natsu leapt high into the air, his flames becoming a wildfire around his body. He focused all these flames at one point: his foot. "Secret Art! Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Crushing Talon!" With an axe kick, Natsu slammed his foot onto Midnight's head, an eruption of flames occurring after the impact. Natsu drove the now unconscious Midnight into the floor, panting slightly after. "Heh…" Natsu gave a slight smirk before dusting his hands off. "One down…now to find the others."
It was that moment that Hikaru regained consciousness. She groaned, only to see Natsu standing over the now defeated Midnight. "Oh...you defeated him."
"Oi, you alright?" Natsu asked. Hikaru looked pretty beat up, so his concern extended to her.
"I'm alright." Hikaru stood up, taking a shaky breath as she leaned against the wall. "It was a shameful display as an S class of Black Phoenix, but it won't happen again. I'm going to look for my guild mates. You?"
"Same thing." Natsu said. As long as Hikaru was alright, he wouldn't have to worry. He could tell she was strong. If things weren't in peril right now, he'd challenge her to a fight! But right now, the safety of his guildmates came first. With that, the two of them nodded at each other, and quickly went their separate ways within the building.
.
.
"Poison Dragon's Iron Fist!" Cobra exclaimed whilst lunging towards Laxus, poison covering his arm.
"Jus' don't know when to give up…" Laxus stated with agitation while drawing his own fist back, lightning surging powerfully around it. He swung his fist just as Cobra swung his, causing yet another collision between the two dragon slayers. Laxus brought his free arm up, aiming another punch to Cobra's head, yet Cobra was the wiser due to his hearing and jumped back, allowing Laxus' fist to hit the ground. "Tch!"
"Give it up…" Cobra said with a smirk. "It's hopeless to try and struggle. My poison is in your system, it's only a matter of time before you collapse.
"I'll just have to beat you within that amount of time, then," Laxus stated while putting on a brave face. It was true that the poisonous mist floating in the air was invading his system, but Laxus wasn't going to go down to poison of all things, least of all Cobra.
From what Cobra heard, Laxus was thoroughly convinced that he would win. This only caused Cobra to chuckle. "Is that what you believe, then…? I'll just have to show you how worthless your beliefs are…" Cobra then began to inhale, sucking in all the poisonous mist that floated in the room. "Poison Dragon's Roar!" Cobra then threw his head forward, unleashing a large beam of poison in Laxus' direction.
"There are two ways this can go…" Laxus thought to himself as the poison raced towards him. Why wasn't he dodging it? He had an idea. A very risky idea, which could probably result in his defeat and death, or victory. "If Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy could do it, who's to say I can't?" After that thought, the poison collided with Laxus, engulfing his person. Seconds later, a small inhalation sound filled the hallway as the poison started to funnel in a particular direction.
"…He wouldn't." Cobra growled as the poison began to funnel off. "He'll die…"
"Don't'cha know…?" Laxus asked with his usual smug grin, poisonous mist exiting his mouth as he talked. "Dragon slayers have special lungs. And I don't think I need to say anything else for you to figure out where this is going…" Laxus knew he couldn't keep all that poison in his body for much longer, so he decided to release it, adding his lightning for a temporary dual roar. "Roar of the Venomous Lightning Dragon!" Laxus popped his jaw open, unleashing a massive beam of lightning with poison swirling around it. This powerful roar broke apart the floor it traveled over while making its way to a dumbfounded Cobra.
"No…" Cobra began to think to himself, staring with wide eyes as the roar came towards him. "He's using this roar to not only cause massive damage, but to rid the poison from his system! You son of a bitch, you think you're so clever?! I won't let you get away with this!" As Cobra exclaimed this, the material on his sleeves began to deteriorate as scales formed on his arms. He entered Dragon Force, now pulling his arm back as a snake head appeared. "Secret Art: Poison Dragon's Venomous Fang!" Cobra threw his arm forward, the snake head on his hand "biting' down on the incoming roar. Cobra intended to crush the roar right there…but he vastly underestimated the power Laxus put behind it. The roar quickly overpowered Cobra, causing a yell to escape his lips while he flew through quite a few walls, eventually stopping on the floor while fading in and out of consciousness.
"There we go…" Laxus said with a nonchalant attitude, coughing a few times from the small traces of poison mist around his lips from the roar. "I knew that would work out."
A slow clap then filled the hallway. "Bravo…Bravo, Laxus Dreyar…" Daityas said while approaching the dragon slayer. "Quick thinking, very impressive…" The tone was clearly condescending.
"You're the one behind all this, ain't ya?" Laxus asked as the sparks danced dangerously around his body. "Ya know…I don't take kindly to those who put my family in danger. Those people usually have to answer to me."
"Oh?" Daityas raise da brow, acting curious towards Laxus' serious demeanor. "And what is a little arrogant shit like yourself going to do against me?"
"You're an enemy…I crush my enemies…"
.
.
"Ngh…" Adam grunted as F. Rogue's attempted to control him. It was hard to fight against it, but he still managed, but only barely.
"No…!" Skye cried out. Only Adam could hear her, and it wasn't like she could do much else in her current state. She floated over to F. Rogue, just attempting to stop him by flailing her arms through his body.
"…What an odd sensation…" F. Rogue mumbled to himself, shaking his head after. "No matter…"
"This way!" A voice exclaimed from the other side of the hallway, most likely at the bend.
"Hm…?" F. Rogue turned his head in the direction of the voice, a slight smirk appearing on his lips when he saw who approached. Sting and Rogue. "My, my…what do we have here…"
"No way…!" Sting slid to a halt, glaring at Future Rogue.
"That's…" Rogue stopped, staring at his future self.
"My past counterpart and Sting…" F. Rogue's grin widened. "But wait…where's Frosch…? Don't tell me you lost him…You know what happens if Frosch dies…"
"Ngh…" Rogue flinched. He was trying to keep that thought out of his head, but his own nightmare was telling him that a nightmare would come soon if he didn't find Frosch. "I'll never turn into you…and I'll keep Frosch safe no matter what happens!"
"You'll never turn into me…?" F. Rogue chuckled mockingly at the thought. "You honestly believe that you can keep running from the shadows forever? Your shadows? If your statement was true, then I wouldn't be standing here right now, would I? Face it, Rogue…"
No matter how hard you struggle, you will succumb to the darkness within your heart."
"Not while I'm here!" Sting exclaimed while glaring at the future shadow dragon. "As long as Sabertooth is around, Rogue won't be falling anywhere! And if he does, we'll pick him back up. That's what nakama does. That's what Natsu-san taught me."
"Oh, spare me with your nakama speeches…" F. Rogue let out a groan before turning back to Adam. "Adamantine, I command you to smack these two around a bit." Adam let out a groan, slowly rising to his feet again his will, trudging forward…
"Whoa, whoa…!?" Sting took a step back, feeling cold shiver travel down his spine. "What the hell is that…!?"
"I can't let this happen…" Skye said, but she had no ideas. Nothing she did would stop Future Rogue, and she knew that Sting and Rogue stood no chance against Adam even though they were dragon slayers. Drastic times called for drastic measures. First, she flew through Future Rogue, then to Adam's face, where upon she drew her hand back, and slapped Adam clean across the face. "Snap out of it!"
"…!" F. Rogue froze for a moment as he felt something phase through him. It was certainly a feeling he would rather not have again. "What was that…?" He then shook his head, turning to Adam. "Never mind…crush them." Adam didn't move. "…Did you not hear me?"
"I heard you." Adam said while turning around, cold daggers glaring into F. Rogue's eyes.
"…Shit…" F. Rogue growled. "He broke free somehow…! Impossible!"
"What is going on…?" Rogue asked while watching what looked to be Adam ready to feast on a human.
"It appears this is the part where I take my leave…" With a slight comical sweat drop on his forehead. Future Rogue dipped into the shadows just as Adam was about to snatch him.
"…Tch…" Adam grunted, turning his head to the two dragon slayers. "Shouldn't you two be looking for someone?"
"Eh…?" Sting blinked before snapping back to reality. "Oh, right! We have to find Lector and Frosch! I also hope we find Yukino along the way…"
.
.
Queen Ophiuca went head to head with one of Angel's angels. The two in a stalemate while trying to overpower the other. "It seems as though I haven't lost my touch, nor my angels…~"
"It would be great if you stopped fawning over your angels every three seconds…" Lucy pointed out while having Capricorn aim for Ophicua's lower section in hopes to trip her up.
"The things that are not related to humanity are the most beautiful…" Angel shot back while her angels pushed harder against the queen, who was not moving an inch despite the current abuse she was taking.
"Oh for the love of…" Yukino groaned. Lucy and Angel made a terrible team; there was no doubt about that. She just gave up on trying intervening and instead focused on the queen. "Gate of the Heavenly Scales, I open thee! Libra!" With that, Libra appeared before Yukino. "Lbira, change the gravity around Ophiuca to make her lighter!"
"As you command." Libra nodded, and down the gravity went. The sudden shift caused the serpent queen to lose her balance, now pushed back by Angel's angels and Capricorn.
"Now allow me…" Angel said while giving her hair a single flip. She snapped her fingers, causing the angels to converge around her hands, creating a large hammer.
"That's new…" Lucy blinked a few times before taking a few steps back.
"I don't think that's necessary…!" Yukino flailed her hands in a comical manner. "It's really not!"
"Pssh…" Angel dismissed Yukino's plea and just raised the hammer up high, then brought it down with the quickness onto the serpent. A shockwave shook the building from the power behind it. After the blow, the transformed serpent queen returned to being the serpent it once was, returning to Yukino's key.
"Oh thank goodness…" Yukino let out a sigh. "I can't believe that happened…"
"Thankfully it's over now…" Lucy said with a bright smile. She then turned over to Angel, who was already walking off by this point. "H-Hey…!? Where are you going!?"
"I'm getting out of here, of course…" Angel replied, stopping her walk to look over her shoulder at the two females. "You legal mages sure cause a lot of trouble wherever you go, and I'm not being a part whatever the hell this is anymore…"
"B-but wait!" Yukino objected, but Angel clearly wasn't hearing it.
"No, I'm out of here…" After that, Angel proceeded to walk off.
Yukino let out a heavy sigh as Angel let, sitting on her knees on the ground to catch her breath. "Ugh…she doesn't remember me at all…"
"I don't think she remembers anything aside from how to use her magic…" Lucy reassured, placing her hand on Yukino's shoulder. "C'mon, we have to find the others and make sure they're okay!"
"Right…"