A five days later
The war with Phantom was a hard fought one that left many with injuries, the guild hall destroyed and some with broken pride since they were saved by the very person they despised. Many agreed that without Natsu they would've been dead in the water. However, a few didn't share this sentiment.
"We could've taken Phantom done without him. I could've stopped the blast." Said Erza visibly irritated she had been "saved" by Natsu twice. She was sure she could've stopped the blast of the Jupiter Cannon. She also believed that she could've found a way to beat Jose. One of her armors would've helped her. She even had a special one that she received from a quest a while back. She hasn't gotten to try it out but she was sure that it would've turned the tide.
"No, you couldn't. Did you forget how powerful those blasts are? That would've at the very least took you out of commission for at least a week. If we could've survived that long after." Said Mira who was slightly bandaged up.
"Anything he can do, I can do." Said Erza with a bit of stubbornness.
"He used an attack. You were going to take the full force of that blast. You went about stopping it wrong red. Just means you aren't smart enough to think about something so important." Said Mira with a smirk as she had Erza headbutt her.
"What did you say you little slut." Said Erza with fire in her eyes.
"I'm sorry did I stutter you ginger pig." Said Mira with a new-found fire.
"Both of you stop. We have more pressing matters at hand." Said Makarov as he walked into the infirmary tent. This stopped both of them in their tracks. The murderous aura of both immediately disappeared. The other injured released a breath they didn't know they were holding in.
"What do you mean Master?" Asked Erza as she walked towards the opening with Mira right next to her.
"Yeah what red said."
"The council is doing an investigation of this little war. While I know that we'll be cleared all of us need to be interviewed. So far it seems to be going pretty well but I do advise against talking about Natsu. It could cause more harm than good." Said Makarov as they walked besides him toward an area full of tents with the council's crest on the side.
"Oh, Master Makarov good to see you." Said a certain council woman who had just walked out of a tent. "Oh, and I see you've brought just who I wanted to see. Erza Scarlet." Said Ultear with a smile.
"What's so special about this bimbo that she gets interviewed by a council chair." Said Mira irritated by the obvious snub.
"It's because I played a bigger part in winning this than you. One hitter quitter." Said Erza as she walked into the tent behind Ultear. Leaving a very angry Mira who took a step forward. However, she was stopped by some rune knights.
"Halt. You are not allowed to go into this tent. Important council business is happening on the other side. Hear my warning. Any trespassing will be met with forceful removal of the area." Said the knight backed by three others who smirked looking at Mira. Obviously not aware they were threatening the demon of Fairy Tail. Mira just smiled sweetly.
"Well you're half right. Someone will be forcibly removed from the area. It just won't be the trespasser." Said Mira as she jumped at the men. You can still faintly hear their screams to this day.
Inside the Tent
"So, what do you want to know about this attack phantom lord launched." Said Erza as she sat down.
"I'd like you tell me about Salamander. Or should I say Natsu" Said Ultear with a smile. Erza immediately became mentally on guard.
"The council had never used Natsu's name on posters. He's always been called Salamander. How would they know his name." thought Erza before she responded with another question.
"How do you know that name"
"The Council knows a lot but how much is disclosed is a close kept secret. Don't worry only I know what he was before a rouge mage." Said Ultear with a smile. This did not ease Erza's nerves what so ever. She had the strange feeling that she was being setup to fail and that one wrong answer could be catastrophic.
"If you know so much why do you need me?" Asked Erza
"I'm sure that I'm supposed to conduct the interview but I'll bite. While I know Salamander wasn't always the beast on the mountain, I don't know what he was before the age of seven. I feel as someone around him that time could fill me in. This could benefit us both." Said Ultear with a sigh.
"How so." Asked Erza.
"I'll clear Fairy Tail's name if I like the answer. However, if I don't. You, Mira, Gray and Laxus will all be viewed as criminals. Makarov will also be stripped of his Wizard Saint status and Fairy Tail won't be allowed on quests over b-class. That's practically a death sentence for a regular guild but for Fairy Tail and all of their destruction. The guild wouldn't last two weeks." Said Ultear. Ultear wasn't really going to do this since this whole war was in self-defense but the council's rep for being corrupt sure did help in believability. She may be a dark mage but she was fair. But a good bluff requires some level of believability and Fairy Tail's destructive tendencies rack up quite the bill. Without S-class rewards, the guild would probably go under in a week, two would be a miracle. Erza knowing this had no choice but to stand down.
"Fine I'll tell you all I know about his life before Fairy Tail. Or at least how he told us when we were younger." Erza then began telling Ultear the stories that Natsu had told her and the guild all those years ago. Ultear had an intrigued look on her face because she was waiting for a very important detail. But it never presented yourself. Once Erza finished, Ultear sighed.
"That'll be all Ms. Scarlet you and your guild are free to go." They both stood and started walking out the tent but right before Erza completely walked out of the tent Ultear grabbed her arm slightly.
"Be prepared. Heaven falling and it's planning on taking earth along with it straight to hell." Said Ultear before pushing Erza out the tent. Erza was left shocked by the words. Wondering if she was talking about the past that she has hidden from the guild. She was in deep thought walking absent mindedly but was taken out of the trance when a literal body was thrown into her. Whether it's alive or not doesn't really matter.
"Help. Us" Cried the knight. Oh, wow alive. Mira's nice today. Erza then kicked him across the clearing visibly angry. All you could hear was the guard screaming why.
"Did you throw that thing at me." Yelled Erza as she marched towards Mira. Everyone watching sweat dropped.
"Did she just call him a thing." Though everyone besides Erza and Mira who were starting to brawl.
"Enough you two." Said Makarov as he walked out of his tent with a tick mark. They both stopped and looked at their master.
"Oh, hey Master how was the interview." They asked in unison with a fist cocked and ready to punch the other in the face. The knights let go of a breath they didn't know they were holding.
"Fairy Tail really is insane." Thought everyone present and conscious.
"We're free to go and you two have caused more than enough trouble." Said Makarov as he pinched the bridge of his nose as he surveyed the carnage that came with his two s-class females. Both ladies let go of the other and started to conversate with their master as they started to walk away from the tent area. They met up with a council knight who then teleported the three away much to the relief of the knights there.
Two Days later Unknown Location
"Why are we here. It's just a scrap heap. What could you possibly need in this place?" Asked End as he walked Next to Natsu. If you couldn't tell, he wasn't the happies camper.
"I already told you. We're meeting a new friend." Said Natsu with a wicked grin. One that would unnerve most but END just sighed knowing his partner.
"That still doesn't explain what you need them for." Said END since his question wasn't really answered. Natsu sighed. But then smiled.
"You'll see since in 3…2…1…" Said Natsu as he ducked. As he ducked as a metal missed hitting him in the side of the head. Unfortunately for END he wasn't prepared for the pole. Which meant he took the full force of the hit strait to the face. The hit sent him flying into the distance and all Natsu could hear was a loud "Fuck you". Which then caused him to chuckle.
"What do you want Salamander." Asked Gajeel as he stared at Natsu while keeping his guard up. Gajeel knew he couldn't take Natsu alone, but he did know he could damage pretty bad because he'd able to recharge his magic thanks to the area.
"Easy now. I come in peace. For now. I've come to ask for favor." Said Natsu as he smiled a bit. Gajeel on the other hand looked dumb founded. He couldn't believe the gall of salamander.
"Like hell I'd do a favor for you. Have you lost your damn marbles?" Said Gajeel as he marched up to Natsu. Natsu continued to smile.
"I'm fine Black Steel. I'm thinking rather clearly. I have a plan for an upcoming quest and I do need your portion of the task done before I start. So please take this favor." Said Natsu.
"Fuck off. Do that shit by yourself. We aren't friends so you shove your favor up yours." Said Gajeel as he turned around. Natsu frowned before his face gained a wicked smile.
"I was asking for a favor Gajeel. But this can very easily turn into a command. We can have an alpha battle right now and you can be my first subordinate. It's up to you. Accept the request or lose your right to refuse future requests." Said Natsu as he locked eyes with Gajeel.
"And what if I choose option C?" asked Gajeel sarcastically.
"Great question. Really Gajeel great question. Let's see. I'll answer that with another question. How much do you care about that rain woman? Enough to do a simple request. Enough to fight a superior opponent." Said Natsu as he looked off into the distance. Gajeel looked at the ground. His body tensed and his fist clinched.
"How. How did you know?" Asked Gajeel shocked that Natsu knew this much.
"You should know. You're a dragon slayer as well. I can smell how much you two have been together. it's sickening. You two could almost pass off as mates. But that special scent is on someone else and wow that's gonna be an amazing story for the kids won't it" Said Natsu as he laughed at his joke. Gajeel however didn't find any of this funny.
"If you touch the rain woman nothing will be able to save you." Said Gajeel as he growled dangerously. Gajeel was ready for a fight and Natsu was dragging him to the point of agreeing to an alpha challenge.
"Don't worry black steel. I'm not the monster they say I am." Said Natsu as he smiled. Gajeel looked into his eyes and regretted instantly. He saw the chaotic look Natsu had in his eyes. He wasn't prepared for this and Natsu knew.
"I'm so much worse, Black Steel. Monsters attack with little to no planning. Demons however plan and then they wipe their foes from the face of earthland. You have two choices accept my request and your personal life stays intact or fight me and have everyone you love die and then you'll do my request." Said Natsu as red eyes shined in place of his usual dark brown eyes. Gajeel looked down still hesitant.
"I really have no choice do I. I'm damned either way. He's just too strong to fight right now. I'll accept the request for now. But I'm going to be training my ass off until I can put whatever he is down." Thought Gajeel before he sighed out loud.
"Fine I accept." Said Gajeel defeatedly.
"Good. Now on to business. The task is rather simple really. You are to join Fairy Tail and report anything related to Ivan Dreyar the son of the third guild master." Said Natsu with a smile Gajeel, however, looked dumbfounded.
"And how the fuck am I going to that dumbass. I just destroyed their guild, beat up their guildmates and tied them to a fucking tree while branding them with the Phantom guild mark. They aren't letting me in that guild." Said Gajeel as he turned away from Natsu. Natsu started to laugh at that response much to the annoyance of Gajeel.
"Hey the fuck are you laughing at?" Yelled Gajeel face to face with Natsu again.
"I'm Laughing at your idiocy. That guild doesn't care about your past. You didn't kill one of them so you're fine. Hell, the rain woman already joined." Said Natsu as he left Gajeel speechless. Shocked Juvia had already joined Fairy Tail. How did she even get in. He'd have to ask her next he saw her.
"Now if my nose is correct Maki will be here in about fifteen minutes. So, you are going to make it clear that you want to join. You will then report everything that relates to Ivan Dreyar. If you don't. Well there's already people on my kill list in Fairy Tail. There's no reason two more can't be added." Finished Natsu as his eyes turned red. He smiled wickedly holding his hand out waiting for Gajeel to shake it.
"I'm making a deal with the devil with the devil ain't I." Thought Gajeel as he looked a bit concerned. He then shook the hand knowing he didn't have much of choice.
"Good. Now that that's over My partner and I will be leaving now. We have a meeting to get to. Also duck." Said Natsu. Gajeel didn't question in and dropped to the ground. Just as he did END came flying back into view and just missed kicking his head off. Natsu then clotheslined him into a rift.
"How will I contact you Salamander?" Asked Gajeel.
"You won't. I'll reach out. Also, this meeting stays between the two of us. Even Juvia may not know." Said Natsu as he disappeared. Natsu's use of Juvia's name for the first time this whole interaction truly concerned Gajeel.
"I'll go along with this for now. But just you wait Salamander. I'll beat you to get out of this. The world will soon learn that I am the strongest dragon slayer there is." Gajeel thought with supreme confidence. He then smiled as he smelled the master of Fairy Tail. He then started to walk towards the scent with a grin. He was ready for the next chapter of his journey and Fairy Tail is where it'll begin.
Office of Ultear Milkovich: Era 20 minutes later
Councilor Milkovich sits behind a mountain of paperwork. Guild wars while uncommon bring a mountain of paperwork. Since, Ultear wanted to head the operation for… personal reasons, she's forced to do all the paperwork that comes with it. While tedious, the work did come with its perks. While doing the paperwork she hasn't been interrupted by any of the council workers. So, she and siegrain were able to freely chat without interruption. The azure haired mage was quite long winded when he didn't have a time limit. Because of these meetings she knew that the plan to activate the tower would start tonight. Ultear was worried since Natsu hadn't met with her yet. That small crystal that he gave her was only supposed to be used for emergencies but she really wanted to talk to him. Although she'd hate to admit it, that pink (Salmon) haired fool had become her best friend over the years. Plus, with all this paper work and the tower she could use a distraction.
"What's up Ulty. You miss me?" Said Natsu as he was hanging upside down from a rift on the ceiling. He had his carefree grin on his face. Ultear after her initial shock smiled up at him.
"Of course, you idiot. Now would you come down from my ceiling?" asked Ultear. Natsu then flipped out the rift onto a chair that was right in front of her desk. Natsu then looked up.
"Hey. You want to come down?" Asked Natsu as he noticed his partner didn't follow him.
"I have business elsewhere. Don't worry I'll be done by tonight. Tomorrow by the latest." Said END as he closed the Rift to go about his business. Ultear was mildly surprised how easily Natsu let his partner go.
"Does this happen often." Asked Ultear.
"Not really. It's only happened twice since we've been able to separate our bodies. He's gotten stronger every time he's gotten back so I don't really question it." Said Natsu as he shrugged. Ultear sighed realizing that was the best she would get out of him. She cursed at his nonchalant nature. Giving up on the matter, she got from her seat and walked toward the door. She then checked the runes on the door to make sure they were active and that sound wouldn't escape. She then put another one down so that no one could teleport into the room.
"Now that's done let's get down to business." Said Ultear as she sat down on Natsu's lap. Natsu got a bit flustered but hid it well enough that Ultear couldn't tell.
"What are you doing?" Asked Natsu still curious at Ultear's sudden seating arrangement.
"I'm getting comfortable." Responded Ultear.
"Can't be comfortable in your own damn chair." Said Natsu a bit irritated.
"This is my office. All of these chairs are mine." Countered Ultear.
"Touché."
"Plus, you're warmer"
"."
"."
"I'M NOT A DAMN PERSONAL HEATER!" Yelled Natsu as he got angry. But made no attempt to the woman from his lap. Ultear smiled and her eyes grew a mischievous glint. She snuggled into Natsu's neck making the dragon slayer blush hard. This time he couldn't control it but benefited from the fact Ultear was buried into his neck.
"I know but just let me enjoy the comfort. I rarely see you and you barely stay for long." Said Ultear which made Natsu sigh. Natsu did feel bad for how little time he had spent with Ultear since she joined. So, he conceded.
"Fine. You can stay here. But we need to start talking about your part of the deal. I've completed mine." Said Natsu as his defeated tone turned into a serious one. He knew Jellal was close to finishing the damn tower and he knew he had to stop it before it's activated.
"Oh, you're right. Well I guess we should start shouldn't we." Said Ultear with a pout. Natsu rolled his eyes at this.
"Same old Ulty. And she has the nerve to call me childish" Thought Natsu as Ultear began to tell him about the tower.
"Jellal completed construction rather recently and is planning on enacting his plan rather quickly. And by quickly, I mean tonight." This news shocked Natsu. He thought he had more time to prepare but it seems fate had other plans. This new development would definitely make things more interesting.
"Okay. I know he needs a sacrifice for it to work. Who has he chosen? I know it's not you since you're still here." Said Natsu in a slight hurry.
"Oh, and what if he has. Would you just let me be sacrificed?" Asked Ultear as she looked up with a slight pout.
"Of course not. I need you." Said Natsu before he realized his mistake.
"Oh, what do you need me for?" Asked Ultear.
"That's neither here nor there. Can you just answer my question, woman?" Said Natsu as he looked away. Ultear then giggled before she began again.
"He's going after Erza Scarlet. He has a soft spot for her. This will apparently help kill any weakness in his conviction. He's sending a few of her old friends to go capture her. I doubt you'll be able to stop them in time. Honestly, they're probably already in the process of capturing her as we speak. They're at the Akane resort if you want to check for yourself" As Ultear finished, Natsu pinched the bridge of his nose. With a sigh, Natsu then began to sit up. Ultear got the hint to get up and got off of him.
"One more thing. He's hired some help."
"Oh really. Who's he hired?" Asked Natsu with a hidden fire leaking from his eyes. Ultear smiled at this before giving her answer.
"A special trio from an assassin's guild. Death Head Caucus's Trinity Raven. All three specialize in different styles of fighting but not much is known about their specific styles. Mostly because no one has survived encountering the three in battle." Said Ultear with a smile but that smile soon disappeared as she looked into his eyes, she saw something that she never wanted to see from him. The fire had disappeared and all that was left was the void. Natsu has only gotten this look once before while Ultear was present and she still has nightmares about that night.
"Thanks, Ulty. I'll be back soon. Oh, and don't worry about jail cells okay." Said Natsu as he opened a rift up right in front of him.
"What does that mean?" Asked Ulty. Natsu then turned around with a wicked smile.
"It means. You'll have to bring body bags not handcuffs when I'm done. See ya." Said Natsu as he disappeared. Just as he left a thought projection of Siegrain appeared in front of her.
"Is he on his way?" He asked with a smile.
"Yes, I've made him aware of your project just like you wanted. He'll be there soon. It should assure the votes we need to fire Etherion." Said Ultear with a sigh. She was getting tired of constantly acting like Siegrain was superior to her. She will make sure that he gets what's coming to him sooner or later.
"Good I'm sure it'll be quite the show. Well I'm off. Great things are coming Ultear be glad you're by my side." Said Siegrain as he disappeared. Ultear rolled her eyes and went back to her desk.
"I swear I'm going to enjoy breaking him." Thought Ultear she started to do paper work.
With END
END has been quite busy since leaving Natsu. He had a meeting with an old friend and needed a small power up. Who was going to meet? Well the leader of the underworld, Mard Geer. So logically he went to the Tartaros. However, he forgot that no one knows what END looks like. Well at least not anyone alive. He realized that this is going to be a bit harder than he thought. Especially since he's surrounded by a shit ton of guards and a demon gate.
"Shit didn't think this all the through." Said END as he had a slightly dejected look.
"You sure didn't dumbass we'll make you regret coming here by yourself. We the followers of lord tempest will show you our might." Said Random fodder number 35. END just sighed.
"I was hoping I'd only have to kill one person today. Well there's nothing wrong with a blood drenched warmup." Said END as he started to rush at them.
[Jackal form: Right index finger release] Yelled END as he shot past about 75 minions and guards as he smacked or poked each one of them in the face. As he finished, the guards all looked at him and laughed.
"Is that all you got…"
"Wait for it."
"Wait for what you idoi…"
"One second" Said END as he snapped his fingers causing everyone to explode in bloody fireworks.
"Holy shit I thought I'd held back. I'm getting stronger. I like it. Natsu has really grown and it's had a positive affect on my power." Said END as he admired his work. Just as he was finishing enjoying his work, he got smacked with a lightning bolt.
"Seems my minions couldn't much. Typical for human trash." Said Tempester as he walked towards END. END stood back up.
"That hurt asshole. I'll make you pay for that, Tempester." Said END with a growl.
[Snyder form: Full Release] Said END as he started to glow all around his body. This shocked Tempester because of the name he said.
"What's your relation to Snyder?" Asked Tempester in an aggressive tone. Tempester has been looking for his friend for years hoping to find out what had happened to him. He couldn't find a body nor his book. It's been bugging him that he couldn't find one of his better friends.
"Oh, he was one of my first powerups. He was a hard customer to kill I'll tell you that but once my curse was activated, he didn't stand much of a chance." Said END with a smile. He was hoping to blind Tempester with rage and make this fight a bit easier. What he didn't expect was a smile. One of pure malice. It was full of nothing but wickedness and death. He then laughed.
"I always knew that idiot would get killed picking a fight with strong demons will eventually catchup to you. But at least he died doing what he loved. Now, he always loved fighting in one on one battles. However, I like to stack my odds. SILVER! Come out to play." Yelled Tempester. Just as he finished a shard of ice shot past him and grazed END's cheek. END jumped back and put a hand to his cheek. He was shocked that there was blood coming out of it. In his Snyder Form, a simple attack shouldn't have been able to draw blood. Then his eyes widened in realization.
"Why the fuck do they have a devil slayer. Better yet how the fuck did they even get one to join them. This will be tough. My curse only works on demons. This is going to be tough without Natsu. I could retreat but I need another power up and his calamity curse is perfect. I'll just have to Kaosuburinga. Oh, he's going to be pissed."Thought END with a laugh as he put his right hand out.
[Kaosuburinga: Release] Said END as his Katana appeared in his right hand. Silver looked rather bored with what was transpiring mostly because he knew very little about the weapon. However, Tempester knew about that blade and its brother. Created by a follower of Zeref. A master swordswoman who imbued both swords with a very special dark magic. What that dark magic was has yet to be found out since there's only one known user of even one of those swords and they died two hundred years ago. So how the hell does this pint-sized demon have one.
"How do you have such a powerful Blade?" Asked Tempester with a hint of fear that was disguised well.
"Why do you care you can always get healed in the pit. It's just a stupid sword. Look I can make one too." Said Silver as he made an identical one in his right hand. END broke down in laughter while Tempester just shook his head.
"I don't know where you found a devil slayer but I like him." Said END as he tried to regain his composure.
"We have our ways. You'll be dead before you ever find out." Said Tempester.
"Awfully confident. But that's what they all say before they d…" END was forced to block a shot of ice at his chest. He then looked at Silver who had a bored look on his face.
"Yeah I'm tired of talking let's see what you got." Said Silver as he dashed at END with his sword. They clashed quickly and caused a shockwave when their swords touched. Just as they did, Silver's ice immediately melted much to his shock. He then received a spinning back kick to the chest for his troubles. Silver skidded back with a smirk.
"Good enough?" Asked END with a cocky grin.
"Oh no, we're just getting started!" yelled Silver.
[Ice Devil's Rage] yelled Silver as a torrent of ice blasted toward END.
[Kaosuburinga: Wreckage] Yelled as END sliced the air aiming towards the ice. As he sliced, A huge wave of fire clashed with the ice. After a brief struggle they stalemated much to Silver's delight.
[Thunderbolt] Said Tempester as he dropped END with a shot of lightning in the back.
"Shit I got sloppy. I forgot he was here" Said END as he was on one knee and panting. He tried to stand but was met with a hand on his back. He turned his head to see Tempested standing there with a smile.
[Impact] Said Tempester as he sent END flying.
"Silver end him" said Tempester.
"With pleasure"
[Ice Devil's Destructive knuckles] Said Silver as he coated his fists in ice before punching END right in the chest causing him fly again. He then hit the ground and started to roll on the ground battered and bruised. He coughed up a bit of blood as he tried to take a breath.
"Oh, this isn't good. I got reckless in my strength measuring contest with the slayer I forgot about my objective. I only one choice left if I'm going to complete this mission. I need to test my overdrive out. While unstable I should have it down just enough to put down silver." Thought END. He was ready to risk everything for this power up. He knew it was the only way to handle the upcoming threat.
"Give up little demon. You'll never be able to win against me." Said Tempester.
"You see that's where you're wrong can't beat you and your slayer together. But one on one" END trailed off with an evil glint in his eye.
[Overdrive: 2nd Gear] Said END as he put both fists together. A red glow then surrounded him intriguing both his opponents. But then he was gone. He had just disappeared. His opponents started to panic but that panic ended soon for one of them. And that was silver.
[Kaosuburinga: Peace] Said END as he quickly slashed Silver in multiple places causing him to drop his knees barely conscious. He then hit a back-spin kick straight to Silver's jaw causing the slayer to fall on his face unconscious. And just like that the tide of the battle had changed drastically. But END couldn't rest on his victory since his glow went away almost instantly. He then began to cough up blood more heavily than before.
"Shit it's way more unstable than I thought. It has to be because of the damage I've already received. I got to train more. Ugh but I hate training with that lunatic. I may be a demon but he's the devil when it comes to training. At least, I have my curse to help me through this."
"I'm quite surprised that you were able to dispatch Silver so quickly but you wasted an opportunity by not killing me instead going for him. That will be your final mistake." Said Tempester as he started to walk towards him.
"You know all my underlings said the same thing before I killed them. You're no different Calamity. You will kneel before your emperor." Said END as he stood tall with red eyes glowing.
"What is this? You were half dead literally twenty seconds ago so how are you putting out this much power." Said Tempester visibly shaken.
"You still haven't figured it out, yet. Let me show you." END then took off his shirt and turned to Tempester. Tempester's face paled immediately. He wasn't prepared to see his master's initials on this puny demon's right shoulder.
"No way is this possible. Mard has the Master's book. This is impossible." Tempester said as he fell onto his back while stumbling backwards.
"He has a portion of my book. However, each one of you have a different chapter. Or to be more correct each of you are a different chapter of my book. My First chapter was released a few years ago and I'm up to three chapters right now. And I'd like a fourth before I leave." Said END as he walked up to a constantly crawling Tempester. Tempester then hit a wall. He was cornered.
"Now I have a question. Do Demons feel fear?" Asked END as he turned leaving Tempester a runway to runaway through. And runaway he did.
"No, no, no, no. Damnit this isn't right. I have to warn the others." Said Tempester as he ran away.
"Of course, they do. I may not have been your beginning but I am your END." Said END as he put his right hand out.
[My Book Return to Me] Said END. As he finished the command Tempester turned back into a book with Tempester written in blue on the cover. The book then flew into END's hand. END let out a smile as he looked at his new power up.
"Nice I just have to merge with the idiot and we'll have a new curse at our disposal." Said END with a smile. Just then a stream of fire came out in front of him.
"We have a problem, E. A big one. We'll probably need to merge to handle this threat. I'd prefer not to get Fairy dust on my clothes. TF you say asshole we can handle this ourselves. You can't handle keeping your clothes on by yourself so shut the fuck up. Alright E just hurry back." Said Natsu as he finished arguing with Gray. END smiled a bit after hearing his partners banter.
"Alright I'll be there soon." Said END as the Fire went out. END then created a rift to travel towards Natsu. As he disappeared, Silver stood back up.
"Keyes will surely find this interesting. I'm happy you're still alive Gray. Stay safe so I can see you one last time." Silver then started to limp towards where he knew Keyes was located.
Akane Resort 2 hours earlier
Natsu arrived at the resort in the hopes of having a fight but he surely was disappointed to see countless cards on the floor of the casino.
"Okay I heard of 52 pickup but this is just insane." Said Natsu as he walked around the casino hoping to find someone for some information. And as luck would have it, he would just happen to walk into someone. Well onto someone.
"Ouch that hurt watch were you're going." Commanded a voice from under Natsu's sandals. Natsu then jump quickly because he wasn't expecting to hear voice come out of the cards. He then walked up to it and to picking it up he saw a person glaring at him. He then sheepishly smiled before apologizing. His interest was peaked however and he wanted to get to the bottom of why there were so many cards scattered around with no people.
"Ok, I'm sorry. Are you the new queen of hearts I've been hearing about?" Asked Natsu as he tried to make sense of what was happening.
"I'm a real person so can you get me out of here. Queen of Hearts. I like it. I'm definitely keeping that." Yelled the person in the card. Natsu sighed before looking at the card carefully.
"Hmm I can overload this with magic pretty easily. She'll be a little hot after it but she'll be free." Thought Natsu as he then pressed a finger on the corner of the card. He then put out raw magic into the card forcing it to heat up. After a few seconds, out popped out a blonde-haired beauty. And she was pissed.
"What the hell you could've killed me you know that. It felt like it was a thousand degrees in there. You couldn't think of anything better." Yelled Lucy as she got into his face. Natsu turned his face and gave a bored smile while sticking his finger into his ear.
"You're out what more do you want from me." Said Natsu
"To be more careful, when saving someone." Natsu then turned his head and looked straight into her eyes with a cold stare. She then instinctively took a step back.
"You know you should be careful too. I definitely remember telling you to stay away from these guys. You'll only get hurt. Go join a safer guild. You will die a young death if you stay in Fairy Tail. Trust me on this Lucy" Said Natsu as he tried to show the seriousness of his words. Lucy looked down trodden while in deep thought. However, she didn't have long to think. Natsu had just been hit with a knee to the face by Gray and a kick to the face by Mira simultaneously. Natsu dropped to his knees just for Gray to hit him with another knee to chin making Natsu stand up. Mira followed up with kick to his stomach sending him flying.
"Guys you're okay. I'm so happy." Said Lucy as she hugged her friends.
"Of course, we're okay but they took Erza and we don't know where to." Said Mira as she gave a reassuring look to Lucy. Just then a small shot of fire stopped right next to Mira. It then materialized Natsu out of it. He then grabbed the back of her head and drove it into the floor. Gray was about to attack but Natsu put up his hand.
"I ain't trying to fight you idiots. I came to… ugh can't believe I'm saying this… to help Erza." Said Natsu as he gagged a bit thinking about it. The others froze getting out of their fighting stances.
"Why would you help her you hate her and I'm pretty sure you want to kill her." Responded Lucy.
"Oh, definitely want to kill her. Honestly the urge gets stronger every time I see her. But that's a story for later. And really me helping her is really just an unintended consequence." Said Natsu as he agreed with the blonde but there were more pressing matters to deal with.
"I honestly came here to stop her from being taken but my source was right. They had started their plan before I even entered my rift. So, we'll have to go with plan B." Finished Natsu as he backflipped away from an angry Mira.
"Fuck that. I'm whooping your ass now. We'll rescue the tin can by ourselves later." Said Mira as she finally got up.
"And how would you do that? You don't even know where they are." Said Natsu smugly.
"It's not you know either. If you did, you would've just gone straight there." Responded Mira as Gray and Lucy nodded their heads in agreement.
"Here's where your wrong. I wanted to prevent her from going is because I don't want any witnesses for the atrocities I'm about to commit. But since she's already there, there's no helping it." Said Natsu with a smirk with a dangerous fire within his eyes. Lucy took a couple of steps back. Worried that he may turn that aggression on her. Gray took a slight step back but gained his nerve quickly. Mira smiled since she could feel the demon in him and it resonated with her. If he hadn't killed her sister, she might've found him attractive. Oh well. Nothing she could do about that right. She'll avenge her sister even if it was the last thing she did. Her stupid crush could die with him.
"Still doesn't explain where she is." Said Gray slightly annoyed. Natsu then smiled.
"Oh, I know where she is. And it's a horrible place that I'm going to blow to kingdom come." Said Natsu with a passion.
"And what's that you long winded idiot." Said Gray almost jumping at him a starting a new fight.
"She's at heaven. And I'm going to burn it to the ground"
And scene. What's up my guys. We're back with another chapter and it's a long one. For me anyway. We're starting up the Tower of heaven arc. I haven't watched or read that arc in like three years so it's gonna be a bit before the next chapter so I can fully catch up. Thanks for PMs they keep honest and active and reviews help to. Well it's been nightmare guys, later.