(Edited 12/11/24)
I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.
The War Titan
*POTD*
"This feels almost unreal," Natsu murmured internally, as he powered up alongside the War Titan. "The tension in the air… It feels like it did when I fought Prometheus, doesn't it?"
"Unsurprising. All Titans possess their own unique Aura, and that's currently clashing with your Devil's Aura. In essence, you're feeling the friction between two different ages," Igneel explained, as Natsu steadied his hands. "The Age of Titans colliding with the Age of Gods and Devils…"
All across the country, alarms were blaring, as Fiore felt the two titanic forces about to do battle. Areas nearest to the battle shook violently, the skies themselves practically splitting open as lightning rained down across the area, the world trembling at their might.
Natsu Dragneel (Devil's Aura Base Form Full Power Restored) – 3.37 Trillion MPI
Pallas Alcides (Titan's Aura Base Form Drastically Weakened Cosmic War Engine Restarting) – 3.22 Trillion MPI
"Alright," Natsu sighed, sliding into a defensive stance. "Let's do this!"
Fatal Battle
Cosmic Force Progenitor, War Titan
Pallas Alcides
"This will be a good fight," Pallas' voice echoed, instantly closing the distance between them, as Natsu blocked a blow with his forearm.
Skidding backward slightly from the force, Natsu instantly went on the offensive, as the pair started trading a brutal series of light speed strikes, matching one another blow for blow. Their Auras visibly smashed together, both sides attempting to fight for dominance, with neither seeming to gain the upper hand.
Catching one of the War Titan's armored fists, Natsu dragged them forward and attempted to kick them in the left knee. The War Titan met his kick with one of their own, the force behind the two attacks blasting the pair away from one another, as they sailed through the air.
Flipping midair, Natsu was back on his feet and instantly in pursuit, as the War Titan crossed their arms over their chest, their arms swirling with bluish black energy. Once they regained their footing, they released the cross formation, firing off an X shaped attack.
"Devil's Aura: Crash Arts – Crash Repulse!"
Extending his right arm, Natsu crossed his index and middle finger, fully manifesting his Crash Barrier as he ran. The attack smashed into it, being reduced into millions of microscopic cubes in an instant, as he made a flicking motion with his left index and middle finger.
"You can have that back…WITH INTEREST!"
Reforming the War Titan's attack, Natsu fired it back at them, but this time, as lightning surged out of it. The War Titan seemed somewhat surprised, but far from shaken, stomping the ground to displace several tonnes of solid rock in-between them and their own attack.
As the attack predictably smashed through, kicking up dust and sending rocky debris flying everywhere, Natsu was shocked as the attack was bounced back at him again. This time, he simply dodged it, making a powerful sweeping motion with his left arm to clear the field, revealing the War Titan had coated their gauntlets in raw Titan's Aura.
"Heh…"
Charging forward, Natsu cocked back his right fist, with the War Titan doing the same. Fire exploded from his arm, as a blackish mist flowed freely from the Titan's right gauntlet.
"Devil's Aura: Fire Dragon Monarch's Nova Fist!"
"Titan's Aura: War Titan's Conquest Fist!"
The two fists connected, instantly shattering the walls of the canyon they were in by several kilometers in all directions, as the ground beneath them cratered heavily. The pair remained airborne, both struggling to push against the other's attack, finding them to be dead even.
After several more seconds, the power fueling their attacks slowly fizzled out, as they pushed off one another to clear some distance.
"Not bad at all for a Devilkin… Then again, you HAVE fought a Titan before, so it was to be expected you'd prove a worthy challenge," Pallas' voice echoed across the area, as tonnes of rock rained down around them. "I could feel it in every blow we exchanged. You have forged this power through both evolution, and years of nonstop combat, honing both skill and instinct to their peak."
"Yeah, well, someone had to stand up to all the threats to this world. A lot of those battles weren't by choice."
"Choice is a mortal illusion, young Devilkin. Do, or do not? Pick a predetermined outcome, that is all there is to it."
The War Titan vanished striking Natsu directly in the forehead. The Titan was immediately confused however, as it couldn't pull back its clenched fist, eliciting a smirk from Natsu in response.
"So, even a Titan is susceptible to trickery, eh?"
The War Titan watched as purple flames traveled up its right arm, coating it up to the elbow, before tightening. Trying to pull away was useless, as Natsu held himself firmly in place.
"What is this… Sticky Fire!?"
"Indeed it is! And the funny thing is, I keep finding more and more uses for it," Natsu joked, as the flame that was currently attached to his head was transferred to his right arm, creating a long, purple colored flaming tether between the pair. "Devil's Aura: Fire Dragon Monarch's Flame Flail!"
Shooting off at high speed, the War Titan was dragged along for the ride, as Natsu flung them around, smashing them into the ground over and over again, before swinging him through many of the thick chunks of earth that had been sent airborne from their battle.
Extending his left hand outward, black fire engulfed it, as Natsu fired a colossal blast of it several kilometers ahead. Once they neared the massive explosion, Natsu swung the War Titan around, before flinging them into it.
"Devil's Aura: Demonic Fire Dragon Monarch's Sacrilegious Flames!"
The War Titan didn't even scream as they entered the black inferno, smashing into the charred earth. Returning to their feet instantly, the War Titan tried to escape, only to hit a barrier, being bounced right back into the inferno.
"These flames will burn until I tell them to stop, and the barrier is made of my Devil's Aura," Natsu explained, watching as the War Titan started viciously punching his barrier in an attempt to get free. "It'll take a lot more than that!"
The War Titan froze in place, looking up at Natsu for a moment as its Aura suddenly expanded in size. It audibly sighed, even as the fire licked its armor, the Titan didn't seem too bothered by it.
"It appears I've underestimated your capabilities," the War Titan spoke slowly, sounding almost genuinely apologetic. "I have a bad habit of underestimating my opponents due to my position, and I do apologize. However, I shall escape this fiery prison you have constructed… Just like so-!"
The War Titan's chest began to glow a bright blue color, as a metallic object burst through their chest plate. Gripping the object with their right hand, the Titan pulled, revealing the object to be the hilt of a sword.
With a powerful tug, the War Titan roared, tearing a greatsword from their chest, slashing in a horizontal motion. The swing instantly shattered Natsu's Aura barrier, leaping out of the searing flames and landing on the ground nearby.
Dropping to one knee, the Titan grunted as their chest sealed itself back up, panting heavily from the exertion. The Titan then slowly rose to their feet, using the greatsword as leverage, their Aura exploding around them once more.
Now able to get a better look at it, the sword was made of the same ebony as the blades Elise and Eliza could produce. However, unlike theirs, this blade had glowing red and blue runes along its surface, seemingly etched into both sides of the rather intimidating weapon.
"There will be no holding back…lest you find yourself cleaved in two," the War Titan spoke, an amused tone belying the seriousness of the situation, as Natsu found himself sidestepping a sudden aerial slash attack, before leaning to the right to avoid another.
"They've gotten stronger just by pulling that blade out," Natsu thought to himself, as he braced himself for the incoming assault.
Pallas Alcides (Titan's Aura Base Form Weakened Form Regenerating Cosmic War Engine Lit) – 4.83 Trillion MPI
Igniting his fists, Natsu raced to meet the War Titan head on in a move that seemed to catch the being off guard. Skidding to an abrupt halt, the Titan began firing off a rapid series of powerful aerial slash attacks, each several meters in width and a kilometer in length.
As he ran, Natsu flipped in-between the slashes, doing a barrel roll over a horizontal one as he cocked back his right fist and lobbed a massive ball of raging red fire at the Titan ahead. To his shock however, the attack was casually swatted aside by the blade in their hand, with seemingly no effort.
"Well… I didn't really expect that," Natsu muttered, skidding to a stop on one knee, remaining on the defensive as the War Titan slung their blade over their shoulder.
"A noble effort. However, my blade represents both myself, and my position," the War Titan explained, which made quite a bit of sense given how Elise and Eliza get their weapons. "This blade is my station as War Titan, its power nearly without rival!"
"Nearly," Natsu huffed, steam escaping between his lips. "So, you're saying there's a chance I can beat it?"
"The chances are astronomically slim, but not impossible," the War Titan admitted with a dull shrug. "Be that as it may, that merely involves your overcoming of the blade itself, and NOT my own involvement."
"I'm still not hearing that my chances are at zero," Natsu smirked, charging toward the War Titan once again, whilst dodging hundreds of aerial slash attacks in a matter of seconds, as their battle returned to a light speed pace.
Weaving his way through the barrage, Natsu cocked back to strike the War Titan, but suddenly found a fist striking his gut, destroying his momentum, as he just barely recovered enough to catch the downward slash with his hands and feet.
"Gkh-!"
Blood seeped through his grit teeth, as his body hung off the War Titan's fist, his arms and legs struggling to fend off the blade itself. Eventually, the force behind the Titan's punch kicked in, and he was blasted halfway down the canyon in a matter of moments, smashing through countless bits of displaced land before finally righting himself, skidding to a stop.
He didn't have a moment to rest however, instantly ducking as the War Titan sailed overhead, their blade clenched in both hands as they delivered a brutal swing that forged another extension to the canyon off to the far right, cleaving away hundreds of kilometers in an instant.
Blocking several kicks from the War Titan as they passed using his forearms, Natsu bobbed and weaved around several sword strikes before delivering several swift jabs to the armored Titan, sending them skidding backward as he cleared some distance to try and get his bearings.
"Keep running Devilkin! Your games will only make the kill that much more satisfying!"
As the pair flashed around the area at light speed, Natsu made sure to keep his eyes on the War Titan at all times. His short term plan was not to directly combat the Titan, but instead to study their attack patterns, committing them to memory before going on any kind of counteroffensive.
His eyes kept track of the War Titan as they raced around him rapidly, kicking up dirt and debris to mask their movements as best they could. He felt his breathing slow as he clenched his right fist, orange sparks emanating from his fingers.
Time slowed to a crawl as the War Titan suddenly flashed in front of him, fully cocked back with their blade over their right shoulder, both hands firmly clenched around the hilt. But then, before they could even react, Natsu's fist was in their face, slowly moving toward them as orange sparks danced across his skin.
"Let's hope this works… Devil's Aura: Crash Arts – Empyrean!"
The War Titan was moving too fast and was too committed to their attack to be able to avoid the attack, as Natsu's powerful Crash Magic based punch smashed into their armored face. Their body jerked forward feet first, their helmet shattering as they vanished into the dust, blood splattering the earth as Natsu instantly cleared considerable distance, panting slightly.
Through the dispersing dust, he could see the War Titan on their knees, blade still in hand, as they removed what little remained of their helmet. The Dragon Slayer was surprised however, as long black locks of hair fell out of the back part of the helmet running freely down toward their upper back.
The War Titan rose to their feet, slowly turning around to reveal their face.
"You… I can't believe you managed to break through my armor like that," the War Titan spoke, their voice no longer distorted, as they stepped closer, revealing their scarred, but effeminate face.
"Holy shit… You actually can still stand after getting hit that hard!?"
"Heh! What do you take me for," the War Titan smirked, revealing their teeth were triangular shaped, pointed, with three rows of them in their mouth, giving them a rough, tomboyish look. "You're interesting Devilkin… I want to fight more!"
"Well, not like I planned on calling the fight there anyway," Natsu muttered, shooting toward the War Titan as she entered a defensive stance. "Let's see you take another one of these! Devil's Aura: Crash Arts – Empyrean!"
Cocking his arm back as Crash Magic danced across the surface of his skin, the War Titan swung their blade out in front of them mere moments before he was set to strike. As Natsu's fists smashed into the flat of the blade, he was shocked to find it dealt absolutely no damage, his arm being parried expertly.
"Shit-!"
"Titan's Aura: War Titan's Conquest Fist!"
Natsu lurched forward, coughing up blood as he was struck full force in the abdomen by the War Titan's armored fist. In an instant he was blasted into the nearby wall, being instantly embedded in the canyon wall.
The War Titan smirked, hoisting their blade over their shoulder once more, before dropping into a crouch.
"H-How," Natsu hissed, tearing himself free as he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. "Crash Magic should at least have weakened that blade… But somehow, it didn't even sustain the slightest scratch?"
"You face powers that bear an origin long before your kind roamed the realities, Devilkin," the War Titan smirked, watching as he shakily rose to his feet. "The power of we Titans is something far beyond the pitiful comprehension of both God and Devil!"
"Oh yeah," Natsu chuckled weakly in response, patting his abdomen lightly. "If that were true, then how come you Titans lost the war, eh?"
"You truly believe we lost, don't you," the War Titan replied with a click of her tongue. "Revisionist history at its finest. If we had truly lost, then why would so many Titans still exist out there, sealed away across the countless realities?"
"Enlighten me?"
"It is rather simple… The Gods and Devils of old lacked the power to slay us, forcing them to enlist the aide of the Dragons. It was they who devised the sealing method that binds we Titans to various stone tablets across the numerous realities," the War Titan explained, somewhat surprising Natsu, who hadn't expected that. "We never lost, and the war still rages on! Even now, you and I fight, just as you fought Prometheus!"
"You speak as if your kind didn't lose, yet the fact you were all sealed in the first place contradicts your entire argument, doesn't it? Not being able to fight or do anything for who knows how long means that you, in every sense of the word, LOST the war," Natsu replied instantly, angering the Titan further. "If you come back now, it isn't the same war you left! The board has changed, and there are new powers who can and will stand against you!"
"Peh! Gods and Devils are still far too weak to stop us!"
"It isn't just about Gods and Devils anymore! The mortals too are growing stronger, powerful Demons stalk the land, and the power of a Hybrid combines the threat of God and Devil together!"
"Even if that is so, you've yet to prove to me that I should be concerned," the War Titan scoffed. "You have yet to lay a hand upon me, merely shattering my helmet. Add on the fact that I can regenerate, what can a merely novice Devilkin hope to do against me and my power!?"
"I may be a novice when it comes to my position… But be warned, I'm in no way a novice to the art of combat," Natsu shouted in response, his height rapidly increasing as scales slowly emerged across his body, a pair of large wings sprouting from his back. "Time to kick this battle up to the next level!"
Natsu Dragneel (Devil's Aura Dragon Force Stage I Full Power) – 10.11 Trillion MPI
"Very impressive," the War Titan purred, an excited gleam in her eyes as the both vanished on the spot. "Let's see what you can do with this form of yours, Devilkin!"
Natsu was immediately in the War Titan's face, laying down a rapid series of light speed fiery punches, all of which were deflected or blocked by the Titan's blade. As they flashed around hundreds of kilometers of land in a matter of seconds, the Titan noticed Natsu's continual Aura expansion.
"Devil's Aura: Fire Gravity Dragon Monarch's Zero Graviton Fist!"
Striking the War Titan directly in the chest, she lurched forward before the Gravity aspect of the attack took hold. Her body jerked backward violently, as her chest was struck by powerful horizontal gravitational force, instantly knocking her away as she smashed through the top of the canyon.
Her body soared through the air at faster than light speed, smashing through several mountains, the third being blasted away outright as a powerful field of gravity sent him crashing down to its heart, raging fire erupting from where Natsu had first struck her.
Despite being engulfed in fire so hot it reduced a mountain to ashes, the War Titan could only laugh, her power continuing to rise as she leaped back onto her feet. With a swing of her blade, the flames were extinguished, the chest plate blasted out now slowly regenerating along with her ruined flesh.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YES! THIS IS WAR," the War Titan roared, stomping her right foot down hard enough to shake the entirety of Fiore, before shooting off at Natsu's rapidly approaching form.
The pair moved at faster than light speeds, with Natsu throwing a punch in an attempt to catch the Titan before she could strike him. However, to his surprise, she slipped around his punch with masterful dexterity, kneeing him in the gut.
What the Titan wasn't prepared for however, was for Natsu to adjust his course the moment he felt the knee make contact with his stomach, delivering a brutal headbutt to the War Titan's face that had her staggering backward, momentarily stunned.
Lurching forward, he slugged her across the face with a mean right hook, receiving a retaliatory kick to the left ribs in return, sending him skidding back around twenty meters. Righting himself just in time, Natsu sidestepped three aerial slash attacks, before using his speed to circle the Titan several times as she tried to tag him with a powerful strike.
As the War Titan raised her blade to fire another aerial slash attack, Natsu suddenly changed course, instantly closing the gap between them, his mouth ablaze with crimson fire.
"Devil's Aura: Fire Gravity Dragon Monarch's Zero Graviton Inferno Fang!"
Biting down hard on the War Titan's right wrist, he pierced through her ebony gauntlet, as blood seeped through the wound. The War Titan merely laughed however, even as she tried shaking him off like a wild beast.
As for Natsu, he felt his teeth sink in, slicing through bone and tendon, her fingers spasming, as she dropped her blade into her left hand, instantly hacking into his right side. In response, Natsu's claw-like fingers slashed at her face, drawing further blood, much to her amusement.
"Yes… THIS is the kind of fight I've been waiting for," the War Titan smirked, even as she tried to get Natsu off of her. "Such focus and drive… That feeling you get when Time itself slows down around both you and your opponent, as you feel the adrenaline pumping through your very veins, knowing that death could snatch either of us at any moment! Yes… I see that the Art of War is very much alive in us both in this cherished moment!"
Natsu watched as the War Titan sliced off her own arm, instantly spinning around and delivering a brutal roundhouse kick to his face that sent him flying across the battlefield. With her arm still in his mouth, Natsu righted himself on all fours, snarling as he tossed her severed limb aside like a rabid animal, the Crimson Red glow in his eyes darkening further, his teeth stained red with the blood of his enemy.
"Show me what your kind of War is, Devilkin! Show me your own ART OF WAR," the War Titan roared, as her power surged once again, her Aura flaring to greater and greater heights.
Pallas Alcides (Titan's Aura Base Form Weakened Form Regenerating Cosmic War Engine Burning) – 14.49 Trillion MPI
Not even bothering to verbally respond, Natsu charged at the War Titan on all fours, his form generating a powerful cloak of crimson flame, with yellow and orange sparks dancing across it, in addition to a strange warping effect seemingly bolstering the flames at the front into an arrow shape.
"Devil's Aura: Fire Lightning Dragons Destabilizing Zero Graviton Sword Horn!"
Still a good distance out, the War Titan prepared herself, only for Natsu to seemingly teleport in front of her, piercing through her stomach right as her severed arm regenerated. Lurching forward, she sunk her newly formed fingers into his back, as Natsu continued to charge.
With brute strength, she actually managed to pull Natsu off course, causing them to roll. As they rolled, she slashed Natsu across the chest, coating herself in his blood, but had her fingers bitten off in exchange, as Natsu's neck extended itself outward, allowing him to bite them off.
"ARGH-!"
As a result, the War Titan dropped her sword, as the pair rolled along. As Natsu rolled, he happened to roll over her blade, and instantly sent it to his Requip Space, in a move that enraged the Titan.
"MY SWORD! Devil scum, give me back my blade!"
The War Titan was upon him in moments, delivering a fierce barrage of punches and kicks to his body, before pinning him to the ground by the neck, forming a sizeable crater around their position.
"Give. It. BACK!"
"I'm sorry," Natsu replied in a strained chuckle, as the Titan strangled him. "But I thought that…this was supposed to be…a war? Why would I…give you an advantage…by returning that?"
With a flick of his wrist, Natsu severed the War Titan's hand that was pinning him down, immediately spinning on the spot and flailing wildly, delivering several more brutal gashes to her before flipping onto his feet.
Almost immediately he was upon her, throwing punch after Aura laced punch, as the War Titan bobbed and weaved around his attacks. Within seconds, the Titan had regenerated her hand, and was on the counterattack, as the pair started rapidly trading blows one after another.
Catching her left fist with his left hand, Natsu dodged a strike from her right as his right index finger was coated in a deep purple aura. The War Titan was suddenly struck by a massive boulder that shattered against her form, though she stumbled slightly to the left, before stepping forward and delivering a brutal headbutt to Natsu's face, causing him to let go of her hand and stumble backward.
The Titan immediately capitalized, reaching out with her right hand and grabbing him by the neck and shooting off toward the nearby canyon, slamming him into the rocky wall on the far-left side, before kneeing him in the face and using the force to propel herself away from him.
"Ugh…" Natsu groaned, ripping himself free as he felt a killer headache rip through him. "Was the knee really necessary…?"
"Ngh… Give me my sword back Devilkin," the War Titan hissed, extending her right hand outward and conjuring an ebony lance. "Hand it back now and I'll be lenient with your punishment!"
"Heh. Lenient she says-!"
Natsu barely had the time to dodge as the War Titan appeared directly in front of him, twirling the lance expertly between her fingers in a circular motion to her right, before slashing upright, narrowly avoiding cleaving him in two.
"Shit-!"
Unfortunately, Natsu wasn't fast enough to avoid the return stroke, being slashed from the upper left shoulder down to his right thigh, before again being slashed horizontally across the abdomen.
His skin simply burst open, his insides falling out as he collapsed to the ground, blood pouring out of him at an alarming rate. His regenerative abilities were working overtime to reform his body, the initial slash already half healed as he tore out his old internal organs to speed up the process, a move he felt every bit of.
Suddenly being kicked in the head, he sailed across the canyon, before the War Titan fell upon him, piercing through his chest with her lance, pinning him to the ground as he grit his teeth, the pain now reaching absurd levels of unbearable.
He felt himself returning to his base form, his outer vision darkening as he felt his own pulse slow to a dull crawl. He could hear himself breath as if it were a thousand times louder, the voice of the War Titan a dull muffle at best.
Feeling her armored boot crushing his windpipe, he could vaguely see the Crimson Red in his gaze flickering, his hand feebly gripping the boot as he tried to get her off. He thought he could hear Igneel's voice, but the sound of his blood pumping and his racked breathing made it hard to understand what he was saying.
And then, he felt the leg he was holding tense.
Without warning, the leg was pulled from his grasp, freeing his neck as his regenerative power instantly fixed his crushed windpipe. He felt the lance be ripped from his body, rolling onto his side to see the War Titan had cleared considerable distance from him, a shocked, almost horrified look on her face.
Coughing as he clutched his neck, he spat up several globs of blood, before rolling onto his back and breathing heavily. The strange darkness that had been enshrouding his vision had vanished, as had the strange ability to hear his own pulse, and the enhanced sound of his own breathing.
Rolling back onto his front, he coughed again as he shakily rose to his knees. He felt light, lighter than he'd ever been, though he also felt extremely fatigued, like he'd been fighting for days, not hours.
"…What happened?"
*POTD*
"Is it over," Jason asked shakily, as the small group remained behind Elise, who had conjured a barrier made of her own God's Aura to shield them from stray attacks.
The powerful quakes and violent explosions had seemingly ceased, giving the group hope that the battle was done. However, to their surprise, a Gate opened up nearby, with Eliza stepping out, a stern look on her face.
"M-Mother!?"
"All of you, come with me," the War Goddess commanded, her tone drastically different than any they had heard from her before. "Quickly!"
Elise looked back to the group with her. Erza, Wendy, Jason, Laxus and the Thunder Legion, along with Mirajane and Jellal. All of them were equally as confused, but they complied with Eliza's command.
"We cannot afford to miss this," Eliza continued, moving forward at such a brisk pace that the rest of the group had to run just to keep up.
"Mother, what's going on!?"
"History, Elise," came the mute response, as they reached the lip of a canyon.
The group halted at Eliza's silent command, peering into the canyon to see Natsu down on his hands and knees, with the War Titan a considerable distance away, wielding an ebony lance, and maintaining a defensive position.
"Mother, what's going on? Why are we-?"
Elise fell silent as lights on the opposite side of the canyon flickered. Her jaw dropped as dozens upon dozens of Crimson Red Gates started opening up along the edge, as Devils of all shapes and sizes began emerging.
The rest of the group were equally as shocked, as the sound of more Gates opening up on their side drew further attention. Countless Galaxy Blue Gates just like Eliza's opened up, with all manner of Gods stepping out to look down into the canyon.
Elise's gaze turned to the skies, her blood running cold as Pitch Black and Pure White Gates opened up.
First came the Archons of Tartarus, all of them wearing their billowing black robes which obscured their identities. The War God Slayer had only ever heard stories from Eliza about the Arch Devils, and the frightening and terrifying power they each commanded.
Yet as they appeared, so too did the Gods of Creation and Destruction. The powerful Arch Gods who commanded the ability to create and destroy Life across all realities.
These two sides, who had warred numerous times with one another, had all gathered here, upon this spot, united in their purpose for being there.
"M-Mother…?"
"Like I said, Elise… Today, we are all witnessing history," Eliza spoke quietly, as the entire group looked over the sea of Gods and Devils that were silently observing the events in the canyon.
"What history is that…?"
Eliza momentarily looked down at her Daughter, eyes narrowed ever so slightly, before she looked back down upon Natsu's downed form.
"The birth… of the Second True Hybrid."
*POTD*
Slowly stumbling to his feet, Natsu watched as the War Titan took a hesitant step backward, clearly both on guard, and disgusted by something. Panting, he couldn't stop thinking about how light he felt, and how his senses seemed to be almost…expanding?
"You… You are not Devilkin," the War Titan hissed, seemingly steeling herself for further confrontation. "You're an abomination!"
"Wait, what-?"
The War Titan closed the distance between them in an instant, lance raised above her head as she brought it down with a mighty roar. However, Natsu simply reached out and caught the blade in-between his index and middle fingers, halting her attack in place.
"What-!?"
"I feel light," Natsu muttered, swinging the War Titan and her lance to the far left as he let go of the blade, sending her crashing into the canyon wall. "Everything seems so much…slower?"
Lazily leaning to the side, Natsu easily avoided the lance being hurled in his direction by the pissed off War Titan. However, as the lance sailed past, he caught a glimpse of himself from the blade, which answered his questions, whilst also presenting new ones of their own.
"What…?"
Staring back at him was a new set of eyes. The left glowing Crimson Red, and the right, Galaxy Blue.
"T-The Hybrid's Aura," Natsu whispered, running a hand through his now black hair, marveling at the changes the Aura had made to his body. "I-I'm a Hybrid now, in full! Lord Life and Lady Death… They gave it to me!"
Looking down at himself, he was surprised at how he felt. It was like he was still in the Dragon Force, yet he wasn't? It felt as if all his strength was just…there, and he didn't need to enter the Dragon Force to draw it out?
"Is this," Natsu murmured, as he activated the Hybrid's Aura. "Is this the power of a real Hybrid between God and Devil?"
His senses felt like they were in overdrive as he looked up to see Zeref sitting on a rock jutting out of the canyon, his own Hybrid's Aura active. His power made so much sense to Natsu now, as he started moving several seconds before the War Titan appeared, easily avoiding a fly kick, grabbing her leg and slamming her into the ground so hard her entire upper body exploded.
Throwing her lower body back the way she'd come, Natsu looked at his hands, clearly in shock, his lips twitching upright ever so slightly as a light chuckle escaped him.
"There's still hope yet… Hehe…"
The War Titan reappeared in front of him, her form fully regenerated, as she threw a barrage of massively faster than light speed punches at him. Unlike before however, Natsu wasn't worried about it, having already seen the attack coming a full seven seconds prior to her appearance, as he bobbed and weaved through the barrage.
He could sense the War Titan's power had increased drastically again, but so had his own. As he avoided her strikes, he looked at his right hand, and the blackish Aura coating it, and he could tell he had a lot to learn about this power.
"But even still," Natsu whispered, which caught the War Titan's attention, as she further increased the speed of her attacks. "I'm excited!"
The War Titan was caught off guard at the almost insane grin on his face, as power exploded from Natsu's form, sending her skidding backward slightly. She could hear him cackling, his power soaring alongside her own, as the world started to tremble from their combined might.
Natsu Dragneel (Hybrid's Aura Recently Awakened Hybrid Adapting) – 30.33 Trillion MPI
Pallas Alcides (Titan's Aura Base Form Weakened Form Restored Cosmic War Engine Burning) – 28.98 Trillion MPI
"And to think, Zeref commands power like this," Natsu laughed, even as he struggled to understand all the strange feelings within his body. "Heh. Alright, let's give this new power a test!"
Both Natsu and the War Titan shot toward one another, clashing, before trading dozens of massively faster than light speed blows. They quickly shot into the air, leaving behind black trails of Aura, the only indication of their current movement.
It was a strange feeling as he bobbed and weaved through a barrage of one hundred strikes. Logically, he should be worried about fighting such a powerful foe, right? Yet, it was almost as if the Hybrid's Aura itself was soothing his concerns, telling him that it wouldn't let him down, that if he kept to his strengths, he could win this.
Landing a successful kick to the War Titan's face, he sent her crashing to the ground, her body skidding across the landscape for half a kilometer before she flipped upright and landed on her feet, already preparing an attack in her right hand.
"Alright then," Natsu smirked, cocking back his own right fist as he shot forward with as much speed as he could muster. "Let's see how you take this one!?"
His form was enveloped in a blackish Aura, large sparks of orange lightning erupting from his form as he prepared to strike first. The War Titan, startled by the amount of power he was putting out, dropped down onto one knee and placed her arms in front of herself in an X formation, bracing for the attack.
"Hybrid's Aura: Crash Arts – Barrigan!"
Throwing the punch whilst he was still over half a kilometer in the air, his momentum instantly stalled, as a gargantuan crack appeared in the air in front of him, the focal point localized around his fist.
Those observing felt the entire continent begin trembling, followed by an eardrum shattering noise, as the air was seemingly shattered like a glass window, as a colossal blast of Crash Magic struck the earth.
The moment it impacted the War Titan's position, her body instantly began gyrating violently, as the earth all around her in a twenty-kilometer radius began violently cratering, the land beyond that zone rippling as the effect traveled across all of Ishgar.
All the while, Natsu roared with laughter, almost appearing to be drunk on his newfound strength, as he reveled in the sheer scale of destruction just one of his stronger attacks could cause.
With his left hand, extended out behind him, hundreds of large cube shaped chunks of the earth that had been sent airborne from the effects of Barrigan were caught up in his Gravity Magic, being launched up high into the sky, out of sight.
The War Titan meanwhile slowly and shakily rose to her feet, her body being gyrated to the point her teeth had shattered from the sheer amount of force alone. She had sensed Natsu's movements, and was working her regenerative abilities on overtime just to try and counter it, as she slipped into an offensive stance.
Moments later, dozens of blazing chunks of earth came down from the skies, striking the earth with deafening force, each setting off colossal explosions that bathed the entire section of Fiore in a fiery bath of death and destruction.
The War Titan launched herself into the air, her body rapidly adapting to Barrigan, as she started swatting the self-made meteorites aside with perfectly timed punches and kicks, all the while inching closer and closer to Natsu.
Once she was within a few hundred meters of his position, Natsu immediately cancelled Barrigan, bringing his left hand out in front of him and motioning for her to come closer, striking her from behind with a drastic shift in local Gravity.
The War Titan had no way of blocking his move, her body jerking toward him as she conjured an ebony shield around her stomach, only for his fist to punch straight through it, as yellow lightning shot out of her back.
Grabbing her face, Natsu applied serious pressure to her skull, cracking it between his fingers, before throwing her at the ground with several hundred times the local Gravity behind her.
The War Titan hit the ground, only further expanding the already absurdly sized crater, her body being blasted into paste upon impact. Her power could still be felt rising though, as Natsu slowly landed within the fracture her impact had formed in the crater.
No longer was he laughing, hands in his pockets and his gaze once again both stern and serious. He watched as the few scraps of skin the comprised the War Titan bubbled; her body rapidly regrowing until she stood before him once more.
Alive, and stronger than ever.
"You fight well, for an abomination," the War Titan muttered, as she ripped off her chest plate which Natsu had punched through, tossing it aside with an audible clang. "No matter the origin, the march of war awaits no one. Be you mortal, God or beast… All life is built to fight, to express dominance through battle and conquest!"
"You're right. War is a fundamental part of what makes up existence," Natsu agreed, as he cracked his neck to relieve some built up pressure. "But the thing is, you lost your war eons ago. You are one of history's losers, and you don't belong here anymore."
"So you say," the War Titan hissed in response, her Aura flaring even more. "And yet, here I stand before you, alive!"
"Living has nothing to do with it," was Natsu's immediate comeback that had the War Titan freezing up momentarily. "Losers of wars are everywhere."
"Then what's your point, abomination!? What are you trying to prove here with this defiance!?"
"It's simple," Natsu sighed, as he slowly drew his right hand from his pocket, revealing a sphere of raw orange energy in his right hand. "In the end, just like everyone else across all of history… You're about to become just another statistic."
The War Titan took several steps back, as fear shot through her for the first time since her recently found freedom. But those steps were ultimately futile, as Natsu raised his right hand out, as the entire area began to shudder, as if an earthquake were occurring.
"Hybrid's Aura: Dragon Monarch's Secret Art: Shattering Satellite – Flare!"
"Impossible," the War Titan screeched, as the colossal energy wave instantly struck her position, forcing her to try and block it. "This attack… THIS IS AN ATTACK OF THE DRAGON MONARCHS!"
Pallas Alcides, the War Titan, could do absolutely nothing, as Natsu deployed one of the Dragon's ultimate attacks against her. She could vaguely see him through the blinding orange light, his expression as hard hitting as the attack itself, as she quickly found her body being slowly ripped apart.
"Curses… Bested by a Dragon…yet again," the Titan hissed, as her arms were reduced to dust, allowing the full might of the attack to engulf her. "Just like…I said to…Tiamat…I'll say to you…"
The attack quadrupled in size as it blasted across Fiore, punching through every hill, mountain, building and city in its path, before eventually shooting off into space, the last remains of Pallas being reduced to nothing, a sadistic gleam in her solely remaining eye.
'This. Isn't. Over…'
Once her form was completely erased, Natsu ceased the attack. Like blowing out a candle, it immediately vanished, leaving him standing alone in a several hundred-kilometer-deep crater, panting as the adrenaline from earlier began to wear off.
"Excellent execution of Flare," Igneel muttered quietly, as he slowly lowered his right hand to his side once more. "Couldn't have executed that better myself."
"Igneel…"
"What?"
"I…I feel like I may have made a mistake…"
"A mistake? But killing the War Titan was the correct decision-!"
"I'm not talking about her," Natsu replied quietly, as he looked down at his hands once again. "This power, its so destructive. I was strong before, but this…"
Flying up out of the crater, Natsu surveyed the catastrophic damage his battle had left upon the area. In all directions, as far as they eye could see, he'd completely and utterly annihilated everything, reducing the place to a charred and ravaged wasteland.
"This is…"
"Before you dive into guilt, remember who your opponent was," Igneel cautioned him, knowing full well Natsu was going to spiral into guilt over this. "Even as your fought, the War Titan's power was rising, and would have eventually surpassed your own, allowing her to kill you. Had you not used maximum lethal force against her and destroyed her quickly, then you'd be the one reduced to atoms right now."
"But even still, how can one justify this level of destruction Igneel? This power I wield… When I first felt it awaken, I could only laugh! I was excited, ecstatic to just let it all out and thrash everything with as much force as I could put out. For a moment, I thought to myself…"
"I have a feeling I already know what you're going to say," the aged Dragon sighed knowingly. "You felt superior, and wanted to demonstrate your might to all… Just like a real denizen of the higher realms would."
"…What am I becoming," the newly awakened Hybrid murmured as he slowly lowered himself to the ground, landing near where he could sense his friends. "What HAVE I become?"
"You have become that which Zeref intended you to be, just like he told you," Igneel responded quietly, as Natsu dropped to his knees, his head beginning to spin. "You have become the blade that is meant to slay Achnologia… You have become the Second True Hybrid, Natsu."
The last thing Natsu heard as he fell flat on his face was the faint sound of hurried footsteps, and the distant shouts of his friends, as the shock of his ascension to that of a Hybrid, combined with the battle damage, finally caught up with him…