Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail

Chapter Eighteen: Wrath of the Blood Dragon

Castle Volkihar Basement

"C'mon! Bickslow, can't these things move any faster!"

Freed pushed pieces of debris out of his way, Bickslow and his puppets trying to move the rubble to get into the collapsed basement. "I'm trying! These things are heavy! Why doesn't Natsu just blast his way out like usual?" he noted as he hefted a large piece of concrete to the side. After retreating to a safe distance, the pair had taken Evergreen to a safe distance away from the castle with Erza and Kagura to give her first aid before heading back to the castle and were now trying to save Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers from being buried alive.

His partner cursed as he heard more rumbling from upstairs. "Dammit! I hope Laxus is okay."

"It's Laxus!" Bickslow insisted as he commanded his puppets to remove another large piece of debris. "There's no way he could lose! He-"

Bickslow was interrupted when he heard Freed hold up a hand to silence him. "Quiet! Do you hear that?"

For a moment, all Bickslow could hear was the sound of thunder and roars of battle on the main floor above them. Then he heard something coming from behind the rubble. "Is that…a drill?"

Wiping his sweaty brow, Freed couldn't help but grin. "Guess we were worried for nothing."

Nodding, Bickslow grinned. "Yeah. Natsu's always got this."

Meanwhile…
Castle Volkihar Antechamber

In the center of the ruined antechamber, cracks started to form in the floor before it shuddered and gave way. Out of the ground burst two large drills, both working in tandem to create a tunnel from the basement's wine cellar to the antechamber. One of the drills was Pantherlily, the Exceed in his more muscular form using his metal-shaping sword while his partner, Gajeel used his Iron Dragon Slayer Magic to turn his arms into drills.

As soon as they broke the surface, the group of Dragon Slayers, Exceed and Gray took huge breaths of air while they climbed out of the whole. "Finally!" panted Sting as he clambered out of the hole, Lector hanging onto his back. "I thought we were done for!"

Gray helped Rogue and Frosch out of the hole and looked around. "Wait, where's Erza? Where's Kagura? Where's Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe?"

Natsu and the others looked around and found Laxus battling Wrath, though they were all completely taken by surprise by the state of both fighters.

The more shocking was Laxus. The fact that the man was even still on his feet was a miracle. Laxus's mighty frame was covered in burns, molten-hot blood dripping down his scalded arms as he struggled to keep his fists up. Part of his face had been burned too, giving him a haunting appearance.

"What the hell?!" Natsu gaped when he saw Wrath. The demons black armor had been destroyed, revealing his red scaly body beneath. "Wait a minute!" He remembered what happened when he fought Laxus and Cobra. "He's a Dragon Slayer too?!"

Turning away from his opponent, Wrath saw the interlopers and smiled. Without his cowl to obscure his face, Wrath's smile didn't conceal his bloodlust. "That's right. I am Wrath, the Blood Dragon Slayer."

Sting and Rogue took up stances. They could feel the amount of power this demon possessed and it put them on edge immediately. "Wait, where's Kagura? Where's Erza?"

"Hmph!" Wrath's held up a hand and clenched it into a fist. "They were strong. But I was stronger."

Natsu's eyes almost bulged out of his head. "You beat Erza?!"

Wrath was caught off guard when Laxus slammed lightning into his chest. "Don't look away, asshole! I'm your opponent!"

The lightning blast made Wrath skid a few feet away but he remained upright, much to everyone's astonishment. At the feet of the Dragon Slayers, the three Exceed were especially baffled. "But how?" Happy gasped when he saw Wrath was still standing. "Natsu could barely take Laxus's attacks!"

Lector bristled as Laxus started to sling lightning fists at Wrath. "I don't know which one is the bigger monster!" But as Wrath kept taking hit after hit to the chest, he came to a dark realization. "Laxus took down Jura. How can he just take those and stay standing?!"

That was precisely the question Laxus kept asking himself. Only his fierce determination kept him from passing out from the pain of his burned body. He barely had enough magic left in him to even use his lightning but he kept at it. Laxus was not going to give up. "Rahhhhhhh!" he screamed as he aimed a lightning fist at Wrath's face.

Laxus's fist was caught by the clawed hand of Wrath, his eyes glowing red with fury. "You're strong, boy." The demon raised his free hand and clenched it into another fist, small rivers of blood surrounding it until his whole hand was encompassed in red. "But not strong enough. Blood Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Laxus!" Natsu and Gray screamed, both of them rushing towards the pair but were too late to stop him.

Wrath slammed his fist into Laxus's stomach. His eyes bulging while the pain hit him, Laxus was sent flying backwards and went straight through several broken pillars, landing in a broken heap on top of a pile of debris. His Fairy Tail comrades ran over to him and were horrified to see Wrath's fist burned into his stomach. Kneeling down, Gray put his hand over Laxus's wound to cover it with ice and numb the pain. "He's hurt pretty bad…" he cursed. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen Laxus this beaten. He wasn't even this hurt when he lost to Natsu and Gajeel.

The pink-haired Dragon Slayer whirled around and glared at Wrath. "You're going to pay for that!"

"Big words, boy." Wrath tilted his head back and returned Natsu's glare. "You'll be crushed as easy as last time."

In a fit of rage, Natsu rushed the demon with fire in his fists. "I'll turn you into ash! Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Blood Dragon's Iron Fist!"

The fist of fire met the fist of blood. The shockwave from their fists almost knocked Gray and the others off their feet. Wrath gritted his teeth as he was sent skidding backwards from the blow, feeling Natsu's punch run all the way up his arm. "So it would seem I underestimated you last time, Dragon Slayer," he noted, his face turning red with fury. "I should have smashed you into a bloody stain then."

"By the time I'm done, you won't even be charcoal!" Natsu took a deep breath and jumped into the air. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Wrath was engulfed by the huge roar of flame, Natsu's downward attack leaving him no room to block or defend. "Rgggg!" He screamed at the top of his lungs and slammed his fist into the ground. "Blood Dragon's Geyser!"

A hot fountain of blood erupted beneath Natsu. Before he could be scalded by the boiling blood, Happy swooped in and grabbed him, flying him to safety. Wrath reached for his fallen sword and prepared another blood attack, only for his sword to collide with Gajeel's metal arm.

"Natsu's not your only opponent! After everything you've done, don't think you're walking out of here alive, you bastard!" Gajeel screamed into the demon's face. "Iron Dragon's Club!" His hand turned into a brutal club and he swung hard, smashing his club-arm into Wrath's face.

"You-" Wrath hauled back with his sword, only for a giant ball of ice suddenly careen into his hand, causing him to reflexively let go of Crimson Tide. "WHAT?"

The demon turned to see Gray, standing next to a large ice cannon. "And I'm not done!" Gray brought his hands together to use his magic. "Ice Make: Barrage!"

The cannon began firing nonstop. Wrath was knocked back as ice cannonballs slammed into him, one after the other. Blood spilled from Wrath's mouth as he was forced again and again to step back from the impact. Gajeel took advantage and jumped back in, clubbing Wrath in between shots. He blinked when he felt the air shift around him. While bracing himself against Gray's Ice cannonballs and Gajeel's club attacks, he turned his head and saw the Sabertooth Dragon Slayers behind him.

"White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" The men unleashed their Unison Raid attack, hitting Wrath dead center of his back.

"AARRGHHHHH!"

The blast send the huge demon flying forward. He blasted past Gajeel and Gray and straight into a fiery Natsu. The boy's anger reaching its peak, Natsu unleashed his full power, lightning erupting around him as he prepared to show the demon what wrath really felt like.

Lightning crackled in Natsu's left hand. Fire burned in his left. He brought his hands together and brought his blow down on Wrath's head. "Lightning Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

There wasn't a single piece of Castle Volkihar standing after Natsu unleashed his final attack. The others braced for the impact, Natsu landing next to Gray, while Happy hopped off his back. "Think that did it?" Lector asked.

"I know it did!" Happy said confidently. "He was already hurt from fighting Laxus and the girls. That had to have blown him to bits!"

"I don't know…" Gajeel scowled, not convinced until he saw a body.

But a shadow emerged from within the smoke and dust, shutting the Exceed up. To everyone's shock, Wrath stepped out of the dust cloud. His body gleamed with red scales, though Natsu's attack clearly had some effect judging by the blood seeping down his chest, face and arms. He raised a hand and Crimson Tide flew off the ground and into his grasp.

"This guy just doesn't quit!" Sting grimaced.

Gray looked at the demon and tried to think out a plan of attack. "We defeated Lust and Envy by exposing their weaknesses. We just have to find his and he'll go down."

"Tell me, Ice Maker…" Wrath interrupted, stabbing his massive broadsword into the ground. "Do you really think I'll give you the chance to seek out my weakness? Every commander knows that his greatest advantage is keeping his flaws obscured from his enemies. And yours are laid bare to me." Wrath's muscles bulged and his body seemed to bulk up. "And that weakness is the fact that you are all weaker than me. Because I…" Blood started to rise from the ground and streamed into his open wounds, filling him with invigorated blood.

"Am…"

The giant demon grew massive, easily towering over the five Wizards. The rivers of blood grew in intensity until a geyser shot out of the ground beneath him. The streams of blood bent around his gargantuan form until he took on a new shape, one that drew terror out of everyone.

"WRATH!"

The five scattered when a giant clawed foot stamped down on them. Belonging to that foot, standing in the middle of the ruined antechamber, was a giant dragon, made from rivers of blood. Wraths' draconic body seemed almost like a painting in motion, gallons upon gallons of blood. The head of the giant dragon stared down at the Wizards, its black eyes literally steaming with rage.

"How long has it been?" Wrath asked himself. "Fifty years, perhaps? Ah yes, I remember now…" The dragon looked directly at Natsu and its twisted visage seemed to sneer at the pink-haired boy. "I haven't used this power…since I slaughtered Iago…"

"Iago?" blinked a confused Natsu, Happy shivering in terror on his back.

"Yes, that wretched worm, Iago. That fool of a king and his so-called advisors. Them…" the dragon's mouth revealed its bloody teeth in a horrific smile, "And every man, woman and child in the kingdom I swore fealty to. I will show you fury…just as I showed the homeland I wiped off the map!" The blood dragon's head snapped back and he opened his gaping maw, blood pouring down his mouth like drool from a canine. "BLOOD DRAGON'S ROAR!"

Happy activated his Aera wings and soared away with Natsu, barely avoiding the blast of hot blood that erupted from Wrath's mouth. "He's even stronger than ever!"

Natsu took a deep breath. "So what? I'll burn all that blood once and for all! Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The fireball hit Wrath just below his left wing. A shroud of red steam enveloped the dragon. "You had your chance, boy! Now the only thing you can do is die!" Wrath opened his gaping maw again, this time with Natsu and Happy dead in his sights. There would be no dodging him this time.

"Ice Make: Geyser!"

A mountain of ice enveloped the dragon, saving the pair at the last second. "Gray!" Happy shouted, the Ice Maker standing next to him.

"Natsu, now!"

But the Dragon Slayer didn't have the chance. The icy tomb surrounding Wrath steamed and started to drip, the ice cracking in just five seconds. "No amount of ice can chill my burning fury! Know your place!"

The ice shattered and Wrath flapped his wings. Gray screamed as he was blown away by the tempest raised, sent flying far away from the battle, landing in rubble in another part of the ruined castle.

Natsu landed next to the three remaining Dragon Slayers. Gajeel cracked his knuckles. "Got no choice. We have to hit the son of a bitch as hard as we can." Shadows enveloped his body as he readied himself. "We're Dragon Slayers. So let's kill us a dragon!" He activated his Iron Shadow Dragon Mode.

Rogue chuckled. "Fair enough point. We already had our fill of these things back at the Games." He nodded at Sting. Together, the twin Dragon Slayers activated their Dragon Force, their bodies glowing with bright light and dark shadow.

Natsu slammed his fists together, lightning crackling around him as he entered his Lightning Fire Dragon Mode. "I'm all fired up!"

Wrath roared a challenge at the four. "Hit me with your best shot!" he screamed, digging his talons into the stone beneath him, his tail smacking the ground as if he threw down the gauntlet.

"You asked for it!" Gajeel shouted. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

"White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!"

"Lightning Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The three blasts fired straight at the blood dragon. Wrath didn't move an inch, instead bravely taking the powerful attacks dead center in his chest. A scream roared out of his mouth as the pain hit him. The dragon staggered backwards, reeling in pain…but Wrath did not fall. And as the dust cleared and the four panted for breath, they saw to their disbelief the dragon was barely hurt from that attack. His red scales on his chest were barely damaged, only small trickles of blood leaking out of him.

"No way…" Gajeel gaped, the terror of what he was facing settling in. "There's no way he could have taken that attack and still be standing."

"I assume that was you four at your best?" mocked the blood dragon. "Let me show you mine!" The dragon took flight and soared high into the air before it stopped, three hundred feet above the heroes' heads.

Sting realized what it was about to do. "Scatter! He's going to-"

Flying higher and higher, Wrath furled his wings and let gravity do the rest of the work. He fell to earth like a meteor, an aura of blood-red energy surrounding him. "Blood Dragon's Final Judgement!"

The four Dragon Slayers grabbed their respective Exceeds and ran. But it was futile. When the giant red orb crashed into the earth, the explosion of power was devastating. The Dragon Slayers and Exceed disappeared in the explosion, the shockwave felt all the way in Magnolia.

Meanwhile…
With Erza and the others

"Nghhhhh!" The group of injured Wizards braced themselves as they watched the ruins of the castle disappeared in a red mushroom cloud. The Thunder God Tribe had taken the injured girls farther away from the castle when it became clear that they were still too close to the fighting. Erza, gritting her teeth through the pain, sat up and watching the large cloud of smoke. "Natsu! Gray! Gajeel!" she shouted, realizing that her friends were in mortal peril.

Freed, crouched over Evergreen to protect her from the blast, scowled. "That demon…how can he possibly be so powerful. He's like a god. Or a devil." He hoped that Laxus could bring the demon down but he stopped hearing the boom of his leader's thunder for a while, hinting the worst.

"Devil…is right…" Kagura coughed, clinging to consciousness next to Erza. "And there's four more…of him?"

Erza clenched her fists in impotent rage. They only managed to defeat Envy and Lust by exploiting their weaknesses. But Wrath seemed to have no weaknesses, only a growing power. "He's too strong…" she was forced to admit.

"Hey now, that's no way to talk, Erza."

The group turned to see Gray wandering out of some shrubs. "Gray? What are you doing here?" Freed demanded to know. "What happened to Laxus? And what happened to Natsu and the others?"

Gray couldn't hide the truth, no matter how bleak. "Laxus…couldn't win." He stared down at his clenched fist and trembled. "He's a monster. He turned into a dragon and blasted me away just by flapping his wings. I don't think there is a way to defeat him."

Erza struggled to her feet. "And now you're the one with the defeatist talk," she scolded. She looked on the sight of the battleground and prayed her friends were still alive. "They're Dragon Slayers. Which means that they might be the only ones who can stop a Blood Dragon Slayer."

"I know, Erza. But how?"

With Gajeel

"Nghhh…"

Gajeel opened his eyes, wiping away the blood that covered his face. "Bastard…" His vision was shaky and he could barely hear a thing from the explosion. He pulled himself out of rubble that had collapsed on top of him and struggled to his feet. "I know he ain't human but…" He staggered and stumbled, only realizing now that there was a piece of rebar imbedded in his thigh. Pulling it out, he looked around and saw Pantherlily lying nearby unconscious. In the distance he could see Sting and Rogue, the latter's only visible feature being the arm that stuck out of a pile of rubble. Frosch and Lector were busy trying to lift up the rocks to free him, though whether or not either were even still alive he couldn't tell. "Wait…Natsu? Where's Natsu?"

Then, as the ringing in his ears died down, a new sound made itself known: screaming.

"ARGHHHHHH!" Natsu screamed, coughing up blood as he was pinned by Wrath's foot. The blood dragon had Natsu right where he wanted him, keeping the boy restrained by putting his giant clawed foot on his lower half. Natsu tried in vain to slip out of the press and push him away but even his inhuman strength meant nothing to him. Happy was next to him, also trying to lift one of Wrath's toes but his strength was like a gnat's in comparison to Wrath's.

"I'm having a bit of déjà vu, boy," The blood that dripped down from his maw landed on Natsu's chest, making him scream in pain as he was burned. "This is just like when we first met at the cathedral. I crushed you easily then. This time, you won't be getting back up…"

"Dammit! He's gonna kill him!" Gajeel struggled to his feet, popping the rebar into his mouth for sustenance. "It's not enough. Damn it!" He looked around for anything to give him an energy boost but there was only bits of debris scattered everywhere and nothing that would give Gajeel the strength he needed to put the bruiser down. "DAMN IT!" He punched the ground with futile rage, blood spilling from his injured hand. "All I got is a few pieces of rebar and nothing but blood covering me!"

Then the Iron Dragon Slayer did something that would have made even Levy gape in shock. Gajeel had an epiphany.

"Blood?" he whispered as something in his head clicked into place. Looking down at his bloody hand, he remembered a small face that he'd picked up from his Phantom Lord days. "Blood…has iron in it…"

And then he remembered something else. A Dragon Slayer was not immune to his own magic…

"Gahhhhhhh!" Natsu screamed as he felt the bones in his legs begin to breath. "Happy…run!"

"No! Not without you!" Happy insisted before Wrath flicked a talon at him and sent him flying away. "Ahhh!"

"First you, then the other three Dragon Slayers and their cats," Wrath breathed, blood filling his throat as he prepared to melt Natsu with his magma blood. "Then the other weaklings. After that I'll take my time in slaughtering your entire guild. Chew on that in Hell while you curse your own weakness! Blood Dragon's ROA-" Wrath's stopped in the middle of his attack and his eyes widened. "What do you think you're doing?"

Natsu was confused before he saw someone atop Wrath's back. "Gajeel?" he murmured.

"You…get off!" Wrath threw his head back and tried to throw off the Dragon Slayer. Natsu took advantage of Wrath's thrashing and slipped out of his foot, Happy spiriting him away from the thrashing demon dragon. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"What does it look like?" Wrath smirked before he sank his teeth into the red rivers of blood that made up Wrath's body. "I'm eating."

"So you think you can power up by drinking my blood? How naïve!" Wrath raised his tail, spikes emerging out of it. "You fool! You only hasten your death by drinking corrupted blood!" he laughed. "I'll help you along!" He swung his tail at Gajeel, only for the Iron Dragon Slayer to roll out of the way and hit himself in the back instead. "Arghhh!"

Gajeel's insides felt like they were on fire. Drinking the tainted blood made him feel sick, his veins turning black as he dug in again. But he had no choice. 'If I don't make it out of this, one way or the other…Levy, I'm sorry.' Taking his mouth off of Wrath's neck, Gajeel screamed as he focused the demonic power into his right arm. "You want a weakness, asshole? Let me tell you something: I AM your weakness!" He withstood the pain of the corrupted blood tearing his body apart from the inside and gave the loudest scream. "Iron Dragon's Bloody Sword!" Turning his transformed arm-sword down, he plunged it straight into Wrath's back and pierced his heart.

"Gck!" Wrath's eyes went wide and he screamed a death rattle, mortally wounded. Gajeel collapsed and fell off of his back, caught by Pantherlily, who'd regained consciousness. His life slipping away, Wrath's draconic body fell apart, the rivers of blood that made up his body falling away, leaving only the dying demon standing in a lake of his own blood. "Well…done…" he panted. "I have…been bested."

Pantherlily set Gajeel down and looked on in terror at the state of him. "Gajeel! Gajeel, wake up!" The Dragon Slayer had lost consciousness, his body starting to turn a sickly purple from the corruption eating at him. Natsu and Happy rushed over to them and knelt down beside Gajeel. "We need to take her back to Wendy! Now!" Pantherlily insisted, fearing for his friend's life. He scooped up Gajeel in his arms and stood up. "Dammit! He's fading fast! We have to hurry!"

"Wait."

The three turned and found Wrath staggering his way towards them, blood spilling from his chest and mouth.

"You!" Pantherlily snarled. "How are you not dead yet?!" Natsu jumped in between them, his fists ablaze as he readied to throw down again. The boy was joined by Rogue and Sting, both of whom had regained consciousness and pulled themselves out of the rubble.

"Let me help him."

"Huh?" everyone asked at once.

"I can purge the corrupted blood from him. Let me save him."

Sting blinked. "Two minutes ago you were trying to kill us? You're a demon for crying out loud!"

"I am. I forsook my humanity long ago." Wrath's eyes glanced over at the dying Gajeel. "But I am still a warrior. Ours was the greatest battle I had ever had the pleasure of reveling in. To let the victor die like this is the highest of dishonors. Let me save him."

While the three Dragon Slayers were wary of the demon's words, Pantherlily decided to chance it. He could tell that Gajeel wouldn't last another few minutes. "If you truly are a warrior…" he pushed past the three and held out Gajeel. "Then prove your words."

Wrath locked eyes with the grown Exceed for a moment before smiling. "He has a faithful lieutenant," he chuckled, putting a hand over Gajeel's heart. "You all would have made such wonderful soldiers. A shame none of you weren't born before I was sealed away…"

At once, the demon worked his demonic power over Gajeel. The man's eyes snapped open and he let out a scream before a stream of tainted black blood emerged from his mouth and from his open wounds.

Once the last of the tainted blood was out of Gajeel's system, Wrath clenched a fist and the orb of blood that had formed above Gajeel flew away into the lake of blood. Pantherlily and Natsu looked at Gajeel and were relieved to see the color come back to his body, Gajeel's face no longer in pain but rather at peaceful rest.

Clutching his chest, Wrath turned away and staggered away from the two towards his sword in the middle of the lake. His last act of honor had sapped him of the last of his demonic power. As he made his way towards his sword, his demonic features faded away, revealing the man that he'd once been. When he reached Crimson Tide, still embedded in the ground, he dropped to his knees and clutched the hilt. "I shall go…with my sword in hand…like a true warrior…" he breathed, his vision blurring as death neared. His heartbeat slowed as he saw a light at the end of a dark tunnel…

"Father…"

"Ariana?" Aragoth sputtered. "Forgive your father..." Tears ran down his face as he remembered how he wasn't there to save his daughter. "I was a terrible commander…"

"It's alright, Captain," said the voice of Ariana. "We're still here waiting for your orders. Some of the men never made it to us. We're waiting for you to lead us and rescue them."

A smile spread across Aragoth's face. "A march on Hell to rescue fallen comrades. What a glorious campaign that will be." The Blood Dragon Slayer closed his eyes and leaned forward, his forehead touching Crimson Tide's blade. "What a good soldier you are…my daughter…" Aragoth whispered before he breathed his last, dying as any warrior should with his hand on his weapon.

Natsu and the others watched the demon-turned-man slip away from the mortal coil. Pantherlily looked on with admiration. "A warrior, even in death…"

Rogue wiped the blood from his lips. "A shame he wasn't on our side. We could have learned more about the second generation Dragon Slayers from him…"

Sting noticed Natsu looking around cautiously. "What's up, Natsu?"

"Every time we beat one of these guys, this demon named Greed shows up to try to kill us while we're winded." Natsu scanned the surrounding area and looked up at the sky for any sign of horrific giant chickens. "Looks like he's a no-show this time."

"Oh ye of little faith…"

The group whirled around to find Greed standing nearby. To their horror they found him standing above the fallen Laxus. "Tsk, tsk. How unsightly this boy is." He held up his staff, its spear point aimed down at Laxus's heart. "So then, boys. Shall your friend live? Or shall I give him a less honorable death than my comrade's?" The demon smiled at the four. "I'll leave his fate in your hands…"

To be continued…