CHAOS XII


There were few times in life Natsu Dragneel ever got angry.

The earliest he could remember was when he was just a child. The Fire Dragon King appeared outside his cave with the intent to kill him, and Acnologia spared his life in exchange for his teachings. Igneel was always condemning his behaviour and forcing him to learn useless tools like reading and first aid. Natsu didn't want to read. And if he killed everything before he got hurt, he wouldn't need to wrap bandages. Of course, later in life, Natsu would look back and give silent thanks for the little things Igneel provided that his father deemed unnecessary. But the anger from that time couldn't be denied. The rage he felt would be remembered.

The next instance was some years after joining Fairy Tail. Lisanna Strauss had died. It was a tragic death far too young. Natsu swore up and down he disliked the girl, but her untimely death did leave him shaken. Her fool of a brother thought it wise to take his frustrations out on the young dragon slayer. Already emotionally conflicted, the confrontation was a breaking point. Natsu became Chaos.

The third time was the most recent. A psychotic woman luring dragon slayers with the promise of information to their demise inside of an artificial beast. Granted she had found a horrible pick messing with the Chaos Dragon. She didn't live long enough to explain the purpose of the whole experiment. "A life for a life." Natsu had explained to his morally vacillate guild master who had then asked him to never speak a word of the situation again.

And now, as he watches the Iron Dragon Slayer completely ignore his presence in favour of beating the soul out of an unconscious woman, Natsu was angry.

He felt the blood in his chest begin to boil and steam emit from his body. He wanted to move, to rip the head off the smug bastard laughing like pain was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. But he was stuck.

Am I out of magic?

Thinking back, when was the last time he ate?

He never took the time to recover after tanking Jupiter's first hit, and Aria didn't give him a second to breathe. Holding on to Jupiter was draining as well; pocket dimensions weren't something he used often. On top of all this, the adrenaline was starting to wear off, and Natsu wasn't sure if he could win.

"What'll it be, Chaos?" Gajeel nudged Lucy's still form with his foot.

"You look like you're having plenty of fun in your battle with someone who can't fight back."

"Oh, yeah. I'm having a blast. Ghi-hi." He laughed, pulling up the blonde by her hair and turning her towards Natsu.

"Your master is dead. What do you gain from this?"

The Iron Dragon faltered, losing his grip on the girl but recovering quickly enough to land a heavy kick in her abdomen. "Watch your mouth, Salamander. You are Salamander, aren't you? A dragon slayer with two elements and you're still too scared to fight me. I'll just take it out on your girl until you find that courage."

Natsu watched without expression as Gajeel kicked his teammate around ruthlessly. He felt his hands heat up until sparks began to fly. And in an instance, Natsu shot towards Gajeel, his entire arm coated in fire as his fist collided with the Iron Dragon's face, and he was violently thrown into the nearby wall.

The few bystanders jumped away as the wall crumbled. The attack wasn't enough. Gajeel emerged within seconds, his arm having turned into a thick metal pole. He lunged at Natsu, who grabbed the pole and spun around, flinging Gajeel into the opposite wall. The Phantom lurkers dodged once again, concrete flying as Gajeel launched himself back into the room.

Gajeel came in with Iron Dragon's roar. Natsu was unable to counter with his own roar due to the lack of magic power. He crossed his arms over his head and the roar knocked him down. With that, Gajeel gained the upper hand. He created a small sharp blade on his foot, hovering it above Natsu's throat as he heaved on the floor.

"Well, this was underwhelming. I guess you were tired, but a win is a win." Gajeel sighed. "But I have to ask; I didn't see you when your guild invaded mine the other day. Were you too busy to help out your friends?"

"What friends?"

"A fairy with no friends? Seriously?"

"Yeah, I'm the pariah of Fairy Tail. Doesn't mean I can't kick your ass."

"Bold words from someone two inches from death."

"Yeah? I've been known to be unpredictable." Gajeel threw his head back and let out a laugh. The loitering spectators watched nervously as the Chaos Dragon Slayer inhaled and small crimson tendrils of energy entered his mouth. Gajeel's laugh died out as he heard the familiar inhale of a slayer and noticed the glow around his enemy as his power rejuvenated. "Thanks for the meal." Natsu grinned.

"What the hell did you just eat?" The Iron Dragon slayer demanded, preparing to slam his foot down.

"Chaos Dragon's Secret Art: Catastrophe." The hue of the room turned blue. All eyes widened as the Chaos Dragon reached out his right arm and requipped a stunning claymore, obsidian black, intricate cyan details that mysteriously radiated an intense glow swirling down the hilt. The blade was infused with destructive energy, the deep royal blue luminosity proof of its overwhelming magic power.

He swung the blade with a desperate force, Gajeel jumped back to avoid losing a leg.

"God, I've missed this sword." Natsu rose to his feet and ran his hand along the fuller of the blade. "I can only use it when I've eaten enough chaotic energy. I thank you for providing me with true hatred, Black Steel Gajeel." Natsu wrapped his hands around the grip of the sword and stood in long point stance.

The Iron Dragon Slayer grimaced and charged first, thrusting his club forward. Natsu switched to roof guard, blocking the attack. He twisted quickly, and Gajeel fell forward, creating an opening. Natsu turned, lifting his heavy blade into Vom Tag and swinging it down. Gajeel barely managed to roll out of the way.

"Chaos Dragon's Flare." Natsu muttered. A magic seal appeared beneath Gajeel, launching him upward. He landed feet first on the ceiling, using the momentum to propel himself forward as the ceiling caved in at the force. Happy dragged Lucy out of the way. The few Phantom members in the room were trapped beneath the rubble, quickly fighting to claw their ways out. Natsu barely had time to cast Deflection, and Gajeel used the distraction to extend his iron club as he descended, knocking Natsu backwards.

The Chaos Dragon was mostly unfazed, immediately shooting forward, holding his sword at tail guard before slashing at the Iron Dragon. Gajeel seemed to grow frustrated as the iron beam that was his arm morphed into a long sword. "Two can play that game." He growled.

The dragon slayers exchanged even clashes of the sword as their audience looked on in stupor. Lucy lifted her head slightly to watch the battle. Happy stood in front of her, tears streaming down his face as he watched for any bits of debris that could come their way.

At Natsu's full power, Gajeel didn't stand a chance. He was overwhelmed quickly, and switched back to the iron club he was more familiar with. This would be a costly mistake. Gajeel held up his iron club, intending to block an incoming strike. But it was too heavy. He howled in pain as the blade pushed further down, cracking the metal pole that was his arm. Unable to keep his brace through the pain, he was driven backwards and fell to the floor. Back scraping against the short barrier that separated the room from a very long outside drop off. He clutched his injured arm as he deactivated the iron covering. Natsu didn't let up, Chaos Dragon's Fist was drilled right in his face.

Natsu beat the Dragon Slayer half to death, remembering how he wouldn't let up on Lucy despite her being knocked out. After a thorough beating, he grabbed Gajeel by the throat and hung him out the opening in the wall.

"Natsu!" Lucy choked out. He turned towards her at the call. Her face was beaten and bloody, the work of Black Steel Gajeel, whose life was in his hands. But the fear in her eyes was directed towards him. She shook her head, a silent plea to spare his life. Natsu gestured for Happy to fly Lucy back to the mainland. Her eyes didn't leave the picture of Gajeel in Natsu's grasp as she was flown away.

The Phantom members who remained obeyed the gesture as well, rushing out of the room, not even attempting to save their superior.

Natsu faced Gajeel once again. The sight was pathetic. For someone who talked so much shit, he hardly put up a good fight. But all actions have consequences. Acnologia had drilled that into him all his early life. Natsu thought about the anger he felt when he heard Lucy cry. The way Gajeel taunted and prodded. The Iron Dragon Slayer began to choke as the lack of air kicked in.

"J-just ki—ll me…" He managed to speak. Natsu's grasp tightened only for a moment. He then released Gajeel, turning around and tossing him like a ragdoll to the cracked ground they had just fought on. He watched the dragon slayer heave, cough, and spit, grasping at the air returning to his lungs.

Natsu didn't think he deserved to be spared. He didn't know why Lucy wanted him alive. He was Jose's right-hand man, and if it were up to Natsu, they could scheme together in Hell.

"Why didn't you kill me?" He whispered, rolling onto his back and looking up at the clouds before slamming his eyes shut as the dizziness came on.

"Consider yourself lucky."

Gajeel let out a low cackle, breaking out into a coughing fit after a few laughs. "Where the hell did you get power like that?"

Natsu stood over his enemy, crossing his arms and ignoring the question. Looking down at the pathetic figure, he thought up a question of his own. "So, Iron Slayer, where's your dragon?"

"Pfft," He scoffed, opening his eyes to look at the fairy standing above him. "If I knew that I wouldn't be in a wizard's guild, would I? I'm assuming it's the same for you."

"Yeah." Natsu took a cross-legged seat next to his defeated opponent. "When did they disappear?"

"July 7th, x777. Pretty shitty day."

"Interesting. That's when mine left as well."

Black Steel Gajeel raised a brow in disbelief. "You're fucking with me."

"Do you take me for a joker?" The silence continued for a moment, Gajeel once again being the one to break it.

"I've never met another dragon slayer, let alone one with two different elements."

"Three." Natsu corrected.

"Huh?"

"I have three elements. Taught by two dragons." Natsu explained, chest puffing with pride and satisfaction at the startled and shocked expression of the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Lucky you. And both of your dragons disappeared on July 7th?"

"Yeah."

"And you... don't find that suspicious?"

"Nah."

"Okay..."

"If it's that much of a coincidence, I'm sure there was a reason they left. All I can do is keep up the search and demand answers." Natsu pushed himself off the ground, giving his enemy a parting nod before stepping off the edge of the platform and returning to his guild.

Gajeel laid in silence, watching the clouds drift by.


"Chaos, what is that sword?" Erza was the first to ask as Natsu rejoined the fairies on land. She reached out to grab it, nearly falling on her face as Natsu sidestepped to avoid her greedy hands.

"Don't touch." Chaos said, releasing the sword back to the pocket dimension it was summoned from.

"I never knew you could requip. Is that how you got hold of the cannon?"

"Yeah. Only to use as a last resort. If Aria didn't take so long, I wouldn't have used it."

"Is Jose…"

"That's for the council to determine." Natsu looked away. The decision to use the cannon was a last resort. He knew the council wouldn't appreciate him playing judge, jury, and executioner, but if Abyss Break went off, Magnolia would've been destroyed. He was sure the council would see that much. All he could do now is wait.

"Chaos! What happened up there?" Mira and Gray jogged over from where Lucy was being treated by a healing mage.

"That fucking Black Steel Gajeel." Natsu grumbled. He walked over to Lucy, who looked at him with something Natsu couldn't identify. Hope, fear, maybe a mix. "He's alive." Natsu stated. A small smile formed on Lucy's face. She mouthed a thank you as he stepped past her.


"Phantom Lord's guild master, a member of the Ten Wizard Saints, is dead! Killed by Fairy Tail! Yet you still insist we sit idly and do nothing."

"If we continue to allow this behaviour, we are ultimately encouraging it. We must insinuate some sort of punishment."

"The decision to execute Jose was made a split second before he destroyed an entire city. I believe Fairy Tail did for us what we would have done, should Abyss Break have wiped out Magnolia." Council member Org spoke up. "If lethal force was the only solution, we need to accept it. Those children were given fifteen minutes to save lives, without the guidance of their master, who was paralysed with magic deficiency by one of the Element Four. What could they have done alone besides that?"

"What do you think, Siegrain?"

"I do have to agree with Org here. We cannot overlook Phantom's actions prior to their sunder. In their last days, they were teetering on the threshold of light and dark. We must hear Fairy Tail's side."

"This meeting is adjourned." Chairman Crawford hit his gavel twice, dismissing the Council. "The reports say Master Jose was killed by the Chaos Dragon. We will bring him here and hear his point of view. We can continue from there."

"Yes sir."

That evening, the chairman joined Siegrain and Ultear in their favoured common space. They discussed plans for the arrest of Chaos Dragneel, putting together a case for trial. A knock on the door came soon after the chairman left.

"Enter."

"Good evening." An informant entered, bowing in the presence of higher-ups.

"Speak." Siegrain demanded, not looking up from the pages of plausible charges he was flipping through.

"A dark guild called the Emissaries of Revival have been killed by a curse." The informant spoke, grabbing the attention of the two council members.

"Humans?" Ultear asked.

"Yes. A small group of mages who were collaborating with the man claiming to be possessed by Zeref on the Tower of Heaven. The guild was taking captives from a nearby village to offer to the Tower. It seems they came across him."

"Oh? Is that so… it seems we won't have to wait much longer for a good show."

"You're dismissed." Siegrain waved off the informant, who left with a quick bow. "Come, Ultear. We have plans to make."


a/n: ok I had a lot of fun writing this fight. Sorry for any sword fighting inaccuracies i credit my research to swordis blog, eula lawrence/diluc ragnvindr, and r/worldbuilding ahahaha