"Igneel!?" Dhegensea growled at the sight of the King of Fire Dragons. "I knew I sensed your presence on this island…but I never expected you to be hiding within that boy…!? Are you going to stand in my way as well!?"
"I won't let either of you cause any more destruction. This battle ends here." Igneel stated before inhaling, unleashing a massive beam of flames towards both Dhegensea and Acnologia. The two opposing dragons avoided the Fire Roar and watched as it flew off into the distance, creating a large explosion that expanded for several miles, clearly visible on the horizon from almost anywhere.
"A chance to destroy you both." Acnologia merely stated. Even with the surprising arrival of Igneel, this did not change his ultimate goal. This simply meant he had more dragons to kill, a chance he would gladly partake in. "This is fine with me. I'll make sure not a single dragon lives by sunrise." With that, the three dragons ended up butting heads, a massive shockwave booming out from the collision.
.
"Ugh…" Daryan was on a knee, panting slowly as the throbbing sensation in his chest faded away. "The hell was that about…?"
Kagura approached the scene, noticing that Daryan was down. Considering what just happened, it made sense. "You..."
"Kagura-chan!?" Daryan immediately sprang up despite how he felt. "Are you okay?! I heard you were injured!"
Daryan ended up getting a little too close for her liking. So she took a step back and glanced to the side. "I'm fine." She lied, but she wasn't going to divulge that information to him or...anyone, really.
"What a relieve. I was worried when I saw your condition..." Daryan let out a sigh. Kagura just gave him a weird look in response.
"I can still swing my sword. So I'm fine." She told him, before turning her attention elsewhere. Daryan's concern was better placed somewhere else, as far as she thought.
"Classic Kagura-chan." Daryan swooned at how cool she sounded. Kagura just grumbled in response.
"Only the dragon slayers were affected by that…and only some of them…" Heartless stated. "Are you all okay…?"
"I think so…?" Selene said while rubbing the back of her head. "T-That…that felt really weird…"
"No kidding…I thought something was going to burst out of my chest…" Heather let out a small sigh of relief.
"Look, in the sky…!" Miliana pointed up to the three dragons fighting in the sky.
"ANOTHER dragon!?" Lyon clenched his hand to a fist. "That's just great…how are we supposed to deal with this now!?" Igneel unleashed another flame based attack, and from miles below everyone could feel the scorching heat.
"I-It's so hot…!" Diamond groaned.
"Wait…" Ena paused, staring at Igneel. It only took her a second to recognize the Fire Dragon, eyes widening and jaw dropping. "H-Hold on a second, I think that dragon is on our side! I think that's Igneel…!"
"I-Igneel…!?" Lisanna's eyes widened. "I-Isn't that the dragon Natsu's been looking for…?! W-Where is Natsu anyway…!?"
"He's in the throne room…!" Lucy, Happy, Yukino, Hisui, Minerva, and Kagura arrived on the scene. "At least, I still think he might be…"
"What are we going to do about all of this…" Hisui rubbed her arm. "It's a mess…"
"The princess is safe! One matter resolved!" Daryan attempted to sneak his arm around Hisui, but she stepped on his foot on instinct. "O-Ow…!?"
"S-Sorry…!" Hisui felt incredibly embarrassed for such a rude action; it was very unprincess-like. "I-I'm still in self-defense mode…"
"You really shouldn't apologize when it comes to these two." Magnus commented while also pointing at Shadowlore.
"I hate you." Shadowlore stated bluntly.
.
.
"A-Are you three okay…?" Cynthia knelt beside Wendy whose breathing was slowly beginning to regulate. "You looked like you were in pain there…"
"I-I'm okay now…" Wendy nodded slowly.
"That was weird…" Sting shook his head before staring at Kurthnaga. "In fact, I'm feeling a little better now!"
"I agree…" Rogue nodded.
"Oh humans…" Kurthnaga shook his head. "You are so amusing…especially those wielding Dragon Slayer magic."
"Think you're so above us, huh?" Sting said with a frown curling on his lips. He then glanced in the sky, finally noticing the three dragons fighting. "Hey, what's that in the air…?"
"What?" Kurthnaga blinked, staring into the sky to see his father fighting against Acnologia and Igneel. "I-Is that…!?" And while Kurthnaga was distracted, Sting slammed his fist into Kurthnaga's jaw, sending him staggering back. "Guh…!?"
"Don't take your eyes off us!" Sting exclaimed.
Rogue moved in right after Sting, aiming a shadow infused kick to the Dragon Prince's head to knock him off his balance. He then looked to Wendy and Cynthia, who were just itching to abuse an opening. "Now!"
"Right!" Wendy and Cynthia nodded; the two girls leapt forward while pulling their arms back side by side. "Searing Claw of the Omega Flame Sky Dragon!" One of the many unison raids the two girls came up with; they slashed Kurthnaga and sent him soaring backwards until he hit the ground on his back, tumbling before coming to a halt on his two feet.
"He's still standing!?" Cynthia gasped in disbelief.
"No way…" Wendy frowned.
"I think you're beginning to understand…the limitations of your power!" Several black magic seals appeared sporadically around the area, unleashing large pillars that erupted on the ground. The pillars caught all four dragon slayers, sending them back quite the distance before landing on their knees. "While you were around fighting your battles, I only managed to lose my wings…" A magic seal appeared over Kurthnaga as he activated most of his draconian power, scales appearing on his arms and legs, fangs sharpening and his eyes taking a reptilian shape. "I'm still brimming with power!"
"Ugh…just what we need…an enlightened idiot…" Rogue shook his head.
"I liked him more when he was just a bit of a jerk to us…" Cynthia groaned.
"Agreed…" Wendy nodded.
.
.
"Does ANYONE want to explain what the HELL is going on here!?" Mii shouted though her cry was drowned out by sounds of fighting still occurring in the city and even in the sky. "Ugh…!"
"So that's Igneel…" Gray mumbled while staring at Natsu, who just kept looking at the sky as the dragons fought. "Can't say I expected that…Natsu?"
Natsu clenched his fist, flames suddenly erupting from his feet as he launched himself into the air, appearing as a small glimmer of light to those on the ground. "JUST WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU GET OFF IGNEEL!?"
"I found Natsu." Happy snickered from below.
"What…?!" Igneel heard Natsu's shouting from above, eyes widening to see his son rapidly approaching before latching onto his back.
"GOT YOU! NOW SPILL IT!" Natsu demanded while clinging onto Igneel. "Where the hell have you been, old man!?"
"Natsu!?" Igneel almost forgot how stubborn this boy was. He couldn't focus on Natsu at the moment as he had to avoid a roar of darkness from Dhegensea aimed at both him and Acnologia, one that was just narrowly avoided by both parties. Igneel then reached behind his back and grabbed Natsu, pulling him face to face. "Natsu. You're in the way."
"WHAT?!" Natsu's eyes widened and he began to comically flail about while in Igneel's hand. "You disappear on me and that's the first thing you say to me when you come back!? The hell is wrong with you!? Where did you go!? Where are the other dragons!? There are so many things I have to tell you!"
"Now's not the time…" Igneel gestured to the other dragons he was fighting, but it didn't seem like Natsu cared about that at the moment, he just wanted answers. Luckily for the both of them, Dhegensea and Acnologia ended up butting heads. "Okay…wait, you've joined one of those guild places right?"
"Uh…Yeah…" Natsu replied with a nod.
"Okay…then…" Igneel glanced around, noticing the city covered in battles before spotting Kurthnaga handing it to Sting, Rogue, Cynthia and Wendy. "There we go. See that over there? Kurthnaga, the Dragon Prince." He pointed down at their direction. "Looks like your friends are having a little bit of trouble with him, and he can't be allowed to remain fighting."
"So that bastard is still around, huh…" Natsu stared at Kurthnaga before turning back at Igneel, giving a blank expression while crossing his arms. "So what's my reward?"
Cue the comical sweat drop appearing on Igneel's forehead at the question. "W-What..?"
"Yeah, I'm in a guild. If you're giving me a job you gotta pay me for it!" Natsu replied.
"How about….everything you wanna know?" Igneel offered.
"Good enough for me!" Natsu nodded with a wide grin on his lips. "Now what are you waiting for?!"
"Heh…" A smirk curled onto Igneel's lips before pulling his arm back, allowing Natsu to reposition himself. "Go get them, Natsu!" In one swift motion, Igneel threw his arm forward, sending Natsu rocketing towards the ground towards Kurthnaga.
"I'M ALL FIRED UUUUUUPPP!" Natsu's voice echoed through the sky as he appeared as a flaming bolt, rearing his flaming arm back. "KURTHNAGAAA!"
"Oh?" Kurthnaga turned to see the incoming Natsu at high speeds. Natsu swung his fist in time with Kurthnagas's a power struggle occurring for a few seconds before Natsu slid back across the ground with a smirk; Kurthnaga was standing in a crater after the collision. "You!?"
Natsu darted forward, not giving Kurthnaga any leeway while pulling his free arm back, flames blazing on it. "Fire Dragon's…!"
Igneel reared his own fists back, flames alight. "Fire Dragon's…"
"IRON FIST!" Both Natsu and Igneel slammed their flaming fists into their respective targets; Natsu into Kurthnaga and Ingeel into both Dhegensea and Acnologia. The force of the punch was more than enough to send the targets soaring away.
"W-What power…? H-He wasn't like this yesterday…" Kurthnaga's eyes were wide as he pulled himself from the rubble.
"N-Natsu-san?!" Wendy was surprised to see Natsu literally dropping in.
"Yo!" Natsu waved to the others, eyes landing on Cynthia. "Whoa, Cynthia!? You look…different."
"Don't remind me…" Cynthia sighed.
"Oi, Natsu-san! You wanna take this guy out together!?" Sting suggested with a grin. "With all five of us, I think it's possible!"
"You know, Sting…" Natsu crossed his arms before giving a nod of agreement. "I think you might be right. But I have to say no."
"No…!?" Rogue tilted his head. "Why would you say no…?"
"Because Igneel wanted me to take care of this guy, and I intend to on my own." Natsu responded, fully serious. This made Wendy and Cynthia's eyes widen.
"Even without us!?" Cynthia was flabbergasted that Natsu was even excluding her and Wendy from this!
"That dragon is I-Igneel…?" Wendy stammered. "No way…"
"Ah, I see…" Sting rubbed the back of his head before getting an idea. "So how about a little friendly competition? Sabertooth vs. Fairy Tail, let's see which one can take out this guy first? How's that sound? Unless…you're afraid, Natsu-san?"
Ooooooh, that was one way to get Natsu to cooperate. He couldn't resist a challenge, especially when his bravery was put into question. "Cynthia! Wendy!" Natsu shouted to the two younger slayers. "Don't just stand there! We can't let them take it!"
"T-That worked…?" Cynthia blinked slowly before shrugging. "O-Okay…!"
"Are you done bickering?" Kurthnaga sighed. "We don't have all night. I have to help my father with his plans."
"You're right! We'll have you done within a matter of minutes." Natsu grinned, slamming his fists together as flames erupted around his body. "All right, let's go!"
"I think tricking him into this was a little wrong…" Wendy whispered to Sting.
"It was the only thing that would work…" Sting replied quietly with a shrug.
"Just like humans." Kurthnaga spat. "Your attitudes don't fade no matter how much time passes!"
"I don't get it." Cynthia frowned while looking at Kurthnaga. "Ena loves humans. She worked so hard to get help from us..."
To that, Kurthnaga scoffed while holding a clawed hand up. "My sister and I...we've been at odds with one another for a long time now. 400 years ago, while we fled from the war...humans attacked us, believing us to be on the side of the dragons! Ena suffered a terrible injury due to the creation of that red haired woman: Dragon Slaying! It was a wound unlike any other, and I had to chase the attackers off. Despite the fact she was wounded, Ena said she saw hope for humans. I only saw their terrible display of power! When humans gain power, they trample anything and everything underfoot! That is why, I believe in our Fate, to make our way to the mainland and repay the humans for what they've done to us. To my sister!"
"Hope...?" Cynthia blinked slowly, while the others were pensive. Kurthnaga's feelings were strong. His distrust of humans came from that terrible war...
"Ridiculous, don't you think!?" Kurthnaga said with a laugh. "We were raised under the same family, had the same experiences, and yet, where I saw and noticed despair, she found hope!? Ever since that day, we were never able to agree on anything regarding humans. And look where we are now...standing on opposite sides of the battlefield, despite the fact our home is under fire."
"There's a reason for that." Natsu said while pounding his fists together. "There are all kinds of humans in this world. Some are strong, some are weak, some are evil...and some are kind, too. Humans and dragons aren't that different."
"Don't act like you know about dragons!" Kurthnaga snarled in turn.
"I know enough about people." Natsu returned with a glare. "Right now, Igneel is fighting. So is everyone else, to protect the people of this Isle from your father and Acnologia! If this is the strength that Ena believed in, then I don't intend to let her down either! Since you're following in your father's footsteps, it's Fairy Tail's job to knock you down."
.
.
"Iron Dragon's Roar!" Gajeel exhaled a funnel of iron shrapnel upwards, aimed at Venoma's chest. It was a direct hit but to say it did damage was a completely different story; the roar dispersed shortly after. "Nothing…!?"
"These dragons are something else…" Daryan remarked. "But we're doing damage! They're just strengthened far beyond usual right now!"
"Reminds me too much of what happened after the Grand Magic Games prior to the one you idiots ruined…" Gajeel commented.
"You guys just keep holding grudges…" Daryan let out a heavy sigh.
"You humans and your bickering…" Venoma brought her foot down; creating a pool of venom around her that corroded everything within a few yard radius. Gajeel, Cobra, and Daryan leapt away to avoid being consumed by the poison.
"Poison doesn't frighten me…" Cobra stated. "But I don't plan on letting someone else's vile toxins enter my body. It's a quiet temple, after all."
"Don't flatter yourself, giheh…" Gajeel commented. Unfortuntely their bickering left them open and Venoma's tail slammed into all of them, sending them right into a building that collapsed on them shortly after. "Ugh…"
.
"DIE!" Acnologia tackled Igneel, crashing into the ocean as a result. A massive tidal wave occurred as the two dragons began battling deep in the earth, several pillars of flame and darkness erupting from various places in the ocean. Their fighting was so intense the ocean actually split apart to give them open ground.
"Fools…" Dhegensea hovered above the ocean where the two dragons were fighting and formed a sphere of darkness within his palm. "Perish within Darkness…" Dhegensea hurled the sphere into a hole and it exploded, creating a dome of darkness that expanded for several miles.
All remained silent for a few seconds before Igneel flew from the ground with his wings ablaze, catching Acnologia in the chest and forced the dragon for a ride as he flew into the air. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" He then caught Dhegensea on his free wing and took them high into the sky above the clouds, where shortly after another explosion occurred, though the cause of it was unknown this time. The three dragons split off from each other, all glaring at one another. "You two are so similar, it makes me sad."
"Similar!?" Dhegensea scowled at Igneel's words. "And just where have you been all these years!? You cower and hide within that boy, for what purpose!?"
"There is something those Dragon Slayers are here to accomplish!" Igneel said while igniting himself in flames, launching himself directly towards Dhegensea. This was his Fire Dragon's Sword Horn, and he slammed right into Dhegensea's chest, the latter letting out a howl of pain from the impact. "And that is my boy right there! I will not allow you to bring any harm to him!"
Dhegensea managed to grab Igneel by the shoulders and hurled him towards Acnologia. Instead of dodging, Acnologia spun around and slammed his tail into Igneel, causing the Fire Dragon to spiral within the sky before catching himself. "I don't care why those dragon slayers are here. By this point, they are simply in the way. I already told Acnologia this, but there is nothing that will stop me from fulfilling my fate!" And as he said this, he released a powerful towards both Igneel and Acnologia. The two of them flew to the side, as Dhegensea's roar split the clouds.
"And as I said...there is nothing that will stop me from destroying every dragon! It was the dragons that turned me into this, and now, I will repay all of them with the gift of extinction!" As Acnologia said this, he turned to Igneel first, releasing a mighty roar in his direction. The blast of magic cut through the sky as it raced towards the Fire Dragon. Igneel opened his mouth to release a potent blast of fire to clash with Acnologia's roar. The result was a widespread explosion that shook the earth, sea, and sky.
Igneel flew from the smoke with one of his legs ignited in flames. "It was the duty of the dragons to watch over the humans as they built the future! A future that the two of you now threaten!" Igneel's talon slammed into Acnologia's chest, and the mighty explosion of fire that followed sent the evil dragon crashing into the ocean. The water split apart from the impact. Igneel had no time to rest, however, because Dhegensea's fist collided against his chest, causing him to fly back a great distance before he caught himself.
"I see we will never see eye to eye on this matter. Our goals are too different!" Dhegensea could see that reasoning with Igneel was out of the question. "You fight to protect the humans that slaughtered and threatened our kind. Acnologia fights for pure destruction, and I fight for the sake of revenge and fulfillment of my duty."
"You've always been so arrogantly stubborn." Igneel glared while lifting his hands over his head. This prompted the creation of a gigantic fireball overhead. "You continue to be consumed by the past, when the future has far greater possibilities! Shed your disdain of the humans of yesterday and look what the humans of today are capable of!" Igneel roared as he hurled this sphere towards Dhegensea at high speeds.
"There will be no future for them when I am finished!" Dhegensea crossed his arms as the blazing sphere exploded against him. The resulting pyre left his arms burned heavily, but he would endure the pain. "And what about that other son of yours? Do you know how he feels about humans?! Were you ever going to reveal his existence to that human down below!?"
Before Igneel could respond, he noticed Acnologia flying back up at them at a violent pace. "I'll explain everything once I'm done with the two of you." The three dragons charged at each other once more, colliding against one another to create yet another tumultuous shockwave.
.
"Those three are going to completely destroy this area at this rate…!" Hisui said as the island suffered the aftershocks of the three dragon's brawl. "P-Plus there are those dragons…!" Adamantine was still facing off against Edna, Gaia against Drake; Waiston, Leon, and Blues were facing off against Gaius; Heather, Selene, Laxus, and Takeru were facing off against Nasir, while the others dealt with the mini dragons.
"P-Please, just keep fighting everyone! I'm sure the end is in sight…!" Ena pleaded.
"I didn't sign up for this…" Shadowlore said with a stale expression as the island continued to shake.
"Shut up and keep fighting!" Lucy demanded.
"I'm on it, I'm on it…!" Shadowlore complained.
"I hope I didn't miss anything!" Gray shouted while sliding into the combat with a slight grin on his face. "Looks like you could use some help down here."
"What timing, Gray!" Lyon said with a growing smirk. "Now is the perfect time for me to show everyone just how much stronger I am than you."
"You think now is the time, asshole!?" Gray had an angered tick mark on his forehead. "Because you're totally on!"
"Just what we needed…boys being boys…" Minerva could only roll her eyes in annoyance at the ice make users.
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"Roar of the Omega Flame Sky Dragon!" Wendy and Cynthia both inhaled before unleashing their respective roars, releasing a mixture of wind and omega flame towards the defending Kurthnaga. The blow struck and the Dragon Prince was sent skidding across the ground, but he dug his talons into the earth to prevent from being thrown back too far.
"White Dragon's Drill Kick!" Sting moved in the second the unison raid was done. With white dragon slayer magic wrapped around his leg, he delivered a guard piercing kick that pushed Kurthnaga off the ground and through several large piles of debris.
"Gack…!" Kurthnaga actually let out a grunt of pain upon hitting the last pile of rubble. He had no time to rest as Rogue appeared from behind by use of traversing the shadows, aiming to slash his back. Kurthnaga took the hit, but he ended up grabbing Rogue as soon as the attack was done and tossed him right into Sting with incredible strength.
"Lightning Flame Swordhorn!" Natsu sprang forward with flames and lightning wrapped around his body; he slammed himself into Kurthnaga's stomach and forcefully took the Dragon Prince into the air. All was going well until both the lightning and fire was forcefully snuffed out. "Wh…!?"
"Dragon Skin…" Kurthnaga grinned before taking a hold of Natsu and hurling down to the ground below with a minor tremor from impact. He then turned to those on the ground while giving a grin, flapping his wings to send beams of darkness towards the other dragon slayers.
"Natsu-san!" Wendy cried out in worry for the dragon slayer, but then turned her attention to the incoming beams of darkness. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!" In a futile attempt to deflect the beams, Wendy swung her arms forward to create a massive twister that was only pierced through; the beams struck her, Cynthia, Sting, and Rogue, and exploded on impact. "Ugh…"
"He's really strong…" Cynthia panted.
"I am my father's son, after all." Kurthnaga grinned.
.
"Nothing we're doing is even scratching these guys now…!" Laxus grunted in annoyance as his Lightning Dragon's Roar nearly bounced off Nasir's scales. The dragon slayers and other mages were having severe trouble damaging the transformed dragon commanders. While their magic was effective, it wasn't effective enough to the point where decisive damage was being dealt. The troubles continued to spread and the situation began to look rather dire.
"We didn't fight all day just to have it end here, did we? Because if so I'm gonna be really pissed when I go to heaven…" Takeru remarked.
"What makes you think you're going up?" Laxus replied.
"I hate to say it, but I hope I'm the only one running out of magic here…" Selene regretfully admitted. All the fighting was starting to get to her and her magic was beginning to run thin.
"You too?" Heather silently sucked her teeth.
"This is where your stand comes to an end, you little insects!" Nasir flapped his wings once, creating a severe wind storm that picked up the slayers and threw them into various places roughly.
.
"Anyone got any ideas..?" Blues looked to the others and they shook their heads. "Great…we're sinking slowly…"
"Just keep hitting it until it dies!" Waiston offered.
"I thought we were trying that?" Leon tilted his head to Waiston and blinked.
"Enough!" Gaius stepped on the ground, unleashing a massive wave of heat and flame that spread out to consume the three slayers. "This is where it ends!"
.
"They're way too strong…" Yukino admitted with a gulp. "I don't think we'll be able to win this one…"
"There's gotta be some way…!" Lisanna was hopeful.
"Never give up, humans!" Igneel's voice echoed from the sky. It wasn't much longer before both Dhegensea and Acnologia crashed down onto the ground, creating a minor earthquake, but that wasn't the most shocking part. Igneel was standing over them both with his hands around their necks, both of their eyes closed. They were unconscious. Igneel wasn't the only one to have finished his battle; Adam put down Edna, while Gaia took down Drake. "For the dragons that have now been set free…are dancing in the skies of this island!"
.
"I-Ichiya-senpai…!" Hibiki glanced at the radar once again. "T-There are several large things rapidly approaching…A-All at once!?"
"W-What!?" Ichiya stared at the radar, thoroughly confused on what this could mean.
.
It was all so quick there was hardly any time to take it in. Two dragons landed on the isle standing right in front of Gaius, letting out a roar that forced the fire dragon to take several steps back. Blues' eyes widened as he immediately recognized one of the dragons standing in front of him. It was his own. "A-Aquareon…!?"
Waiston's jaw nearly dropped at the sight of the Frozen Dragon before him; his foster mother, Tunundra. "T-Tunundra?!"
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Metalicana dropped down in front of Venoma, and right beside him was a dragon completely composed of bones; Daryan's dragon: Skeletalus. "W-What the…!?" Daryan nearly flew back from being so caught off guard. "It can't be…!?"
"That's not…" Gajeel was having a hard time believing this.
.
Grandine, Skiadrum, Wessologia, Stalagmus, and Adamantia (Selene's foster mother) landed in front of Nasir, all of them giving soul piercing glares to the sky dragon.
"W-Whoa now…?!" Selene's eyes widened. "T-These are more dragons, but…!"
"I heard you were the one that dared to lay a hand on my daughter." Grandine spoke to Nasir in a low, threatening tone.
Nasir's eyes went wide at this sight. "W-What?! No...no...this can't be...!"
.
"I-Is that Grandine…!?" Wendy's nose immediately picked up the scent.
"I see them too…" Rogue nodded slowly. "Skiadrum…Wesslogia…"
"T-There's no way this can be happening!?" Kurthnaga stared at the dragons that appeared in disbelief. "T-that dragons from 400 years ago…t-they're honestly still alive?! Father's down?! This can't be happening!?"
"KURTHNAGA!" Natsu shouted from above. He didn't even give the Dragon Prince time to recover as he ruthlessly slammed his fist downward onto Kurthnaga's skull, driving him into the earth in a vicious KO. "We weren't finished yet."
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Next Time: Extinguished Flame.