"Even now you dare to stand against me…this is why I cannot stand your kind…tenacious until the very end…" Dhegensea growled towards Natsu and Gray. "I'll be sure to enjoy this…you're going to pay for your insolence…! You can never defy fate!"
"All you do is talk about Fate...!" Natsu clenched a hand into a fist, glaring at Dhegensea. "You say that it was Fate guiding all of your actions, but I don't believe that! A person's choices are their own...and you chose to do all of this, didn't you! You're using Fate as an excuse for your hatred against humans, aren't you!? Even if it wasn't what Fate had in store for you, you'd still find a way, wouldn't you!?"
Dhegensea growled at Natsu's words. "How DARE you!? You know nothing about me! The pain my dragons went through, the loss they suffered. You expected 400 years of suffering to blow over because the war is over?! It doesn't work that way! For the dragons that have suffered, I will make it my mission to destroy humanity! Yggdrasil's words only give credence to this ideal...it is MY fate to take revenge against humanity. For my people who were wounded so long ago, as their King, I will see it through!" In the end, could he deny the nugget of truth buried deep down within those words? No. It didn't matter, because he would see his Fate through to the end.
"..." Natsu was silent for a moment, but then, a small grin appeared on his face. It was a malicious smile. "You know...I'm glad you turned out to be a bad guy in the end."
"What?" Those words caught Dhegensea by surprise.
"When Ena approached us to save her home, we thought it would be business as usual. We'd just have to knock some sense into some bad guys and call it a day." Natsu said, reflecting on the events since they reached the Isle. "And then we saw a bunch of dragons. It was going to be our hardest job yet. But it was exactly as I thought at first...we knocked some sense into those bad guys. Then you made your move. You started draggin' people into this fight they never wanted to begin with. You started to threaten the lives of my guild mates. We came back here to kick your ass. And then Mii told us to consider our roles here, especially as Dragon Slayers. Would knocking you out really fix everything? Would we be able to leave and trust that you wouldn't try this again? When I look at you right now...the answer is no."
"And what do you think you're trying to say right now, son of Igneel!?" Dhegensea snarled.
"...That in order to bring his Island peace, you have to go." Natsu clenched his other hand into a fist, flames igniting around his body. Scales began appearing along his forearms and his face as he glared towards Dhegensea. Natsu pushed himself into Dragon Force, with the will of Igneel's embers lingering within him. "That's why, Dhegensea, in order to protect this island and fulfill the job that was given to us...you're going to be the first dragon that I slay."
"...!?" Dhegensea's eyes widened with such a statement. And then, he gave a heinous growl. "Human arrogance at it's finest! It's been 400 years since I've last heard those words. I'll make sure you meet your father, BOY!"
"Enough talk!" Natsu shouted while holding his arms out to his sides, fire and lightning blazing around his body as well. Natsu was giving it his all, adding Lightning into the mix with his Dragon Force. If he didn't push himself further than before, he wouldn't have a chance against Dhegensea. "In the name of Fairy Tail…and for Igneel, I'm going to take you down!"
"Right…" Gray was standing right beside Natsu, giving a firm nod. "This idiot summed it all up nicely. I might not be a Dragon Slayer, but I'm a Fairy Tail wizard. This is where it ends for you, Dragon King."
"We shall see about that." Dhegensea maneuvered around the darkness in a manner that was nearly untraceable. Natsu and Gray had an extremely hard time following Dhegensea through the darkness. That was until he was right in front of them swinging his hand down fiercely in attempt to crush the two of them, but they evaded by jumping in separate directions. "Tch!"
"Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu swung his dual elemental fist at Dhegensea's just, but it was blocked by the Dragon King's large forearm. Despite the successful block, Dhegensea found that he was sliding back several feet from Natsu's raw strength.
"Grrr…!" Dhegensea pushed Natsu away with his superior strength, though Gray used this time to move in an aim a punch covered in Devil Slaying ice aimed at Dhegensea's chest. This one was easily blocked and the Devil Slaying had little effect on him. "This is no place for a slayer of demons…" Dhegensea scolded Gray before raising his one leg to kick Gray into the air.
"Guh…!" Gray let out a grunt of pain, tumbling in the air before regaining his momentum, twisting his body to land on an angled platform of ice. Gray flipped, creating several more platforms to gain momentum before lunging down at Dhegensea headfirst with ice coating his head. "Ice Devil's Headsmash!" Gray slammed himself right into Dhegensea's rib, and while his magic wasn't too effective the overall force was enough to deal some damage. Since Dhegensea was softened up from the Eternal Sword strike from earlier.
"Gnk…!" Dhegensea grit his teeth from Gray's attack before grabbing ice maker by his back and harshly throwing him onto the ground within the darkness with a small quake. He then formed a blade of darkness within his grasp and raised it over his head. "You'll be the one to die first."
"Gray…!" Natsu wasn't going to be able to save Gray in time.
Dhegensea brought the blade down, only for it to be stopped by an iron blade. "What…?"
"Gihehe…" Gajeel within Iron Shadow grinned towards Dhegensea before pushing the Dragon King back, looking over his shoulder to look at Gray. "Sorry, Gray, but I'm not letting you steal the spotlight from me this time. I already missed one finale, I'm not gonna miss another!"
"Gajeel?!"
"How did you get in here…!?" Dhegensea questioned while allowing his blade of darkness to disperse.
"Darkness, shadows…same thing…" Gajeel shrugged before giving Dhegensea a fangy smirk. With his Iron Shadow mode, he was able to bypass the barrier and slip right inside. "Gihehe…doesn't matter either way; since you're gonna die in here. Salamander, what are you standing there for? I don't mike taking all the glory, though."
"Like I'm gonna let you take this from me!" Natsu said with a competitive growl. Now it was Natsu and Gajeel standing side by side in their dual modes while staring down Dhegensea. The Lightning Flame Dragon and the Iron Shadow Dragon were prepared to face the Dragon King. Meanwhile Gray was going to be their support in the event things went south.
"LET'S GO!" Natsu and Gajeel roared at the same time while darting towards Dhegensea. Gajeel made the first move, rearing his iron fist back. "Pole of the Iron Shadow Dragon!" Gajeel extended his arm out, morphing his arm into an iron pole that raced towards the dragon king at breakneck speeds. Dhegensea merely leaned to the side to avoid it, but this only caused Gajeel to grin. "Where do you think you're going!?" From the pole, several smaller poles extended and shot out, clipping Dhegensea in various places.
Natsu ran along Gajeel's extended arm. When close, he grabbed onto an extended pole and swung around in a complete circle, aiming his lightning flame coated foot at Dhegensea's skull, but Dhegensea flew into the air to avoid being hit. "No you don't!" On that cue, almost as if he and Gajeel were on the same wavelength, Gajeel lifted his extended arm into the air and flung Natsu higher into the air.
"What!?" Dhegensea turned to see that Natsu was somehow above him.
Natsu clasped his hands together, flames and lightning surging around his conjoined hands. "Jaw of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" A move inspired by Laxus; Natsu swung a vicious hammer fist down at Dhegensea's skull, the impact rocketing the dragon king back down towards the ground violently.
"Iron Shadow Dragon's Spikes!" Gajeel placed his hand in the darkness, creating several spikes of iron and shadows that rose up from the pitch black ground, waiting to meet with Dhegensea as he landed. It was rather successful, too, as he was impaled in several areas from the spikes. The spikes were then withdrawn and Natsu landed once again. "Heh, is that all you got!?"
Dhegensea growled at the two of them before inhaling, just unleashing a massive roar towards the two dragon slayers that threatened to serious injure or even kill them if they were hit by it. Luckily for them, Gray had their backs. "Ice Make: Rampart!" Gray slammed his hands on the ground, creating a gigantic wall of ice in front of them. It wasn't enough to even hold off the roar for more than a few seconds, but those few seconds were precisely what the dragon slayer duo needed. The ice wall crumbled and Gray was staggering back, but Natsu and Gajeel were no longer standing where they once were.
"Where did they go!?" Dhegensea demanded to know of Gray. But even though the ice fairy was unaware, he had a smirk on his lips. Natsu emerged from somewhere within the shadows, soaring past Dhegensea with a Lightning Flame Wing slash, striking the king with the dual elements before disappearing back into the darkness; however Natsu did this left Dhegensea bewildered. "How…!?" It happened again. Natsu was just entering and exiting the darkness and Dhegensea had no clue how this was happening. Finally, Natsu emerged from the darkness once more, and Gajeel emerged from the other side; Gajeel was using his Iron Shadow to traverse the darkness along with Natsu. The two dragon slayers reared their fists back and aimed to slam them against the dragon king's skull, but he blocked them with both of his arms, creating a major clash. "The two of you shall die together." Dhegensea then pushed the two into the air, followed by powerful beams of darkness that consumed the both of them, shouts of pain escaping both Natsu and Gajeel before they began to descend in what looked like an unconscious state.
"Shit! Natsu, Gajeel!" Gray quickly formed a bow of ice within his grasp, unleashing a vollet of arrows towards Dhegensea in attempt to buy his guildmates some time, but Dhegensea flew into the air and easily avoided all of Gray's shots.
"Now, die!" Dhegensea swung two blades of darkness down at Natsu and Gajeel…but luckily Gajeel was the first one to awaken, throwing out his arm to defend himself while Natsu just happened to block the hit upon awakening. "Guh?!"
"Now!" Natsu and Gajeel twisted their bodies as Dhegensea aimed a spinning slice at both of their heads, just evading the deadly blow.
"Secret Art!" Gajeel began using the darkness as substitute for shadows; a vortex of darkness wrapped around Dhegensea while several sharp weapons composed of iron were all pointed at the trapped Dragon King. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Slicing Tornado!" The weapons began to slice and impale Dhegensea, who let out a constant growl and roar of pain until the attack finally dispersed. But once it did, Gajeel and Natsu were already set up; Natsu had his feet to Gajeel's iron pole arm, which was sent forward so Natsu could get a head start.
"This is where it ends, Dhegensea!" Natsu roared as scales began to form along his body. He entered Dragon Force, golden flames fiercely flaring around his body. "SECRET ART: CRIMSON LOTUS, EXPLODING PHOENIX BLADE!" The golden flames around Natsu took the shape of a spearhead and he rammed right into Dhegensea's abdomen, rising high into the darkness until the flames dispersed and Natsu began to fell backwards, a grin on his lips at the shocked expression on Dhegensea's lips as he faded into the darkness. Natsu landed on his feet, wobbling before the scales receded.
"Is that it…?" Gray questioned, prepared to congratulate the two on their victory, but that was short lived as beams of darkness began to rain down from all angles, not even giving them a chance to breathe. A collective yelp of pain escaped all three mages before the beams receded, and they were all down on their knees.
"D-Does nothing kill this guy?!" Gajeel panted heavily.
Dhegensea reemerged, injured, angry, but he had a wicked smile on his lips as they were finally down. This was the beginning of the end to him. "This is where it all ends…" Dhegensea stated with a slight grin, forming a single blade of darkness in his grasp. Gajeel attempted to move but Dhegensea merely used his tail to knock Gajeel right into Gray, the two wounded mages being unable to move much after that. Dhegensea stared down the growling Natsu while pulling his blade back. "Goodbye, son of Igneel."
Natsu closed his eyes and waited for the impact…that never came. "Huh..?" Mii was standing in front of Natsu with the sword plunged right through her chest. The female coughed up some blood while standing her ground, groaning softly in pain…but she wore a smile on her lips all the same. "Mii? What are you…?!"
"I was told…I have to try this thing called 'living' before wanting to die…" Mii said with a pained groan. "I can see that living is putting others before yourself right…? Well, ironically…I've never felt more alive than I do right now…!"
"Chosen!" Dhegensea growled angrily at Mii's interference. "How did you get in here!? Your existence is nothing now, yet you still continue to vex me so. I'll gladly get rid of your worthless life here and now. ACCEPT YOUR FATE!" Pulling the blade from Mii, he formed another one to slash at her side. This one was enough for Mii to let out a cry of pain while being thrown off to the side, tumbling along the darkness before coming to a halt on her side.
"H-Heh…" Mii's vision began to grow a little blurry as she began to black out…but she had a smile on her lips despite this. "I'm just a denizen of the dark, no matter what…but at the very least, I can serve as a guide to those who are in the light…isn't that right…Erza…?"
"Time to put an end to this!" Dhegensea brought one sword down on Natsu, but it was blocked by a familiar orange blade. "H-Huh?!"
Erza blocked Dhegensea's strike at a rather awkward angle due to the urgency. The time she had left to hold the Eternal Sword was running out, so she had to move quickly. "Ngh…!"
"Wielder of the Eternal Sword, you continue to irritate me as well…but once you release that blade it'll all be over!" Dhegensea swung his other blade, so Erza merely pushed Natsu out of the way while the blade cut her side.
Erza let out a scream of pain and felt her hand beginning to loosen on the blade. If she let it go it would've been over for sure. Natsu's eyes narrowed as he was thrown back by the S class; he landed on his feet and quickly lunged forward with his hand forward, wrapping it around Erza's so she would keep a grip on the sword. Together, the two of them impaled Dhegensea with the blade and kept it lodged inside his chest; more importantly, right where the Sacred Gem was inside him, his source of life. "Erza, let it go!"
"Yes!" Erza understood. The time was now to finish this for good. With the blade firmly stuck in Dhegensea's chest, Erza released the hilt and leapt off to the side where she practically crumpled in pain after.
"Y-You…!" Dhegensea was coughing up blood, actually feeling his limit starting to set in, but as long as he had strength he was going to fight…that was until several iron poles rose from the ground, keeping him locked in place.
"Shut the fuck up…you talk too damn much…." Gajeel panted while hunched over.
"Y-You really think this will hold me in place!? Dhegensea struggled against the iron poles, beginning to break one of them. "Fate has decreed that I will be victorious! It is the will of Yggdrasil himself, to guide me and my dragons forward! You...CANNOT...STOP ME...!"
"I've had enough of his voice…" Gray said while bringing one arm up his face, merely uttering three words. "Ice Make: Silver." With that chant, devil slaying ice began to spread throughout the darkness until it completely froze Dhegensea solid. "NATSU!"
"I'M ON IT!" Natsu said while landing on the ground, staring down Dhegensea with nothing but hatred. "Fate this, Fate that...I don't believe in that sort of thing! If Fate stands in the way of my friends and I, then I'll BURN IT TO ASH! This is for all those dragons you've used…you've hurt…for the people that died trying to fight your reign...for Ena…for Igneel…" The flames around Natsu flared immensely as a dragon tattoo briefly inscribed on his arm: Blaze Dragon King Mode. With Igneel's power, Natsu was going to finish this. Natsu lunged forward with blistering heat and flames backing up him…arm was pulled back one final time for the finale. "FLAME DRAGON KING'S DEMOLITION FIST!" In that instant, Dhegensea could see it. He could see the spirit of Igneel living on within Natsu. The Salamander swung his fist at the frozen Dhegensea only for an explosion of scorching flame to occur; the flames completely incinerated the darkness around them to bring them back to the isle. The last thing that Dhegensea could utter was a roar before he was incinerated and broken apart into nothing more, while the Eternal Sword just vanished, its time being spent by Erza coming to an end…Natsu landed on his stomach with a thud, looking at the exhausted Erza, Gray, and Gajeel with a smile as the Blaze Dragon King mode faded. The battle was won. "That's what happens…when you mess with us, you bastard…"
.
.
Kurthnaga was staring up at the night sky, thoroughly weakened and exhausted. His gaze briefly drifted over to Wendy and Cynthia, who were also unconscious. But it was the sensation of his father's presence vanishing that woke him. "Father...?"
"He's gone..." The voice made Kurthnaga turn his head to the side instantly. He saw Ena sitting next to him, her arms wrapped around her knees. "They slayed Father." Her expression was somber as she spoke, staring up at the sky as well. "All of the others have returned to normal."
"No, this can't be...!" Kurthnaga grunted, attempting to stand up. But his body was so exhausted, he couldn't manage to do anything.
"Please, stop, Kurth." Ena frowned, not even looking at her brother. "It's over."
"But how can you accept this?!" Kurthnaga growled. "The humans came to our island and killed our father, slayed Eizen! And you're okay with this!?"
"...No, of course I'm not!" Ena shouted, the tears welling up in her eyes. "Do you think I wanted any of this to happen!? I just wanted to protect our home from collapsing on itself! I had no idea something like this could ever happen. That Father and others hated humans so badly, they wanted to raze their homes. That you would take part in this as well! I wanted to make friends with the humans of this age..."
"Friends...?" Kurthnaga spat. "How can you feel that way, even 400 years later? That war tore dragons apart. Some sided with humans, others gave in to their destructive desires, and we, those who chose not to fight, were caught in the middle..!? You were almost killed! Yet you look at humans with such idolization and fascination, I don't understand it! Humans are evil and selfish creatures..."
"You're not wrong." Ena replied, her gaze lowering to the ground. "Humans can be terrible, awful people. I remember the fires of that war from so long ago. There were humans that were happy to obtain dragon slaying magic, simply because it meant they could kill us easier. The last human I ever saw before we fled to the Isle, was the one that attacked us."
"So then why!?" Kurthnaga forced his body to sit up to stare at his sister. "If you understand, then why...!?"
"Because humans are also capable of amazing things." Ena replied with a gentle smile. "I told you before, how I saw hope in them, despite my injury? Did you know, Kurth...that the attack that hit me, was aimed at you?"
"W-Wh...?" Kurthnaga's eyes widened at this. "You...you protected me?"
"Yes." Ena replied, placing a hand on her chest. Her scar was visible and she rubbed it gently. "Dragon slaying was new and we were all vulnerable to it. You were so focused on getting me and a few others to safety, you didn't notice the attacker. So I pushed you out of the way and took the hit. I locked eyes with that person...they could've easily taken another shot at me in the time it took you to recover, but they didn't."
"W...What do you mean...? I thought I responded in time..." Kurthnaga said with widened eyes.
"They noticed what was happening and relented. When you attacked, they retreated after." Ena spoke with a soft smile. "It was in that moment that I saw that there was more to humans than evil..."
"Why have you never..."
"I tried to tell you this before, but we could never agree." Ena shook her head slowly. "We were always at odds since that day when it came to humans, so I just...kept quiet about it. I could never convince you. I honestly thought I never would, and that maybe you were even right. But then, I met Erza Scarlet. She was the personification of hope I always envisioned. She was strong, she never gave up, and most importantly, she used her strength to fight and protect the things she cared about. Humans are can do so much when they put their mind to it. Yes, it can be evil, but look at today."
"Today..." Kurthnaga closed his eyes for a moment. "...They did win."
"They didn't just win. Erza-senpai told me that they wanted to save all of the dragons here, and they did. Just today, they prevented our people from leaving the Isle, saved it from being attacked by Acnologia, and put Father to rest." Ena's hand gripped her dress tightly. "Just look at those two girls over there." She gestured to Wendy and Cynthia, who were finally found by Carla and Cana. "They worked together and beat you."
"But they didn't do it alone! They had help from dragons, and the Chosen!" Kurthnaga fought back.
"They did." Ena replied with a wider smile. "...Isn't that beautiful, Kurth? Humans and dragons coming together to do something great? It's impossible to do everything alone in this world. The humans from 400 years ago and today are so different. I believed that the moment Fairy Tail and White Eclipse fought each other. It was such a petty competition, but I got to see a side of humanity I never thought possible. The dragon slayers could have very well slayed every dragon on this Isle if they so wanted, but they chose not to where they could help it. So Kurth, please...don't let the wound of 400 years past prevent you from seeing the present. Don't be like Father..."
"..." Kurthnaga fell silent. For a moment, he could feel the air of a ruler around Ena. He was technically the middle child, yet she was showing far more maturity than he was as the youngest. "Ena..." His eyes started to grow heavy. He was so tired...
"Rest, Kurth." Ena said while turning her gaze back to the night sky. She could tell he already passed out, but he appeared more serene this time. This made her smile as well. "It's never too late to build a bridge."
.
.
The next morning, everyone was rested up, though still injured severely from the battle the day before. Even though things were better, there was still one loose end the heroes needed to tie up…and they didn't have a choice in this matter. Mii mysterious vanished from the scene of the final battle, people assumed she just left without a word, but why would she after her recent actions? As it turns out…a small fraction of those who still follow Dhegensea were outraged by her actions and plan on sentencing her to public execution…
Next Time: Isle Finale: To Let Live, Or Die?