Out in the sea surrounding the Tower of Heaven, the water should've been calm. But things had changed ever since Fairy Tail members had entered the tower. At first it was only a shadow gliding just beneath the surface and for a moment the ocean looked like it was breathing.
Then the water surface moved as if something beneath it had risen so close that the sea itself could no longer hide it.
On the shoreline of the small island, a handful of tower guards staggered through the wreckage left behind by Fairy Tail's assault, full bruised, their armor clinked as they limped, some dragging spears, others clutching bleeding arms.
Until one of them looked back toward the water and froze. "…H-Hey…" His voice came out thin. "Do you… see that?"
"It's probably a fish." Another guard said as he turned and squinted. But then his expression shifted from confusion to terror. As he noticed the shadow under the water, wasn't moving like a fish and it was getting incredibly bigger.
The sea around them darkened, a vast silhouette stretching far beyond the island's edge, so huge it made the tower's reflection look small. A slow, rolling pressure pushed the water outward in wide rings, and the tide began to pull away from the beach as if the ocean was inhaling for something monstrous.
A third guard took a step back, throat bobbing. "That's… that's impossible…"
The first one's grip slipped on his spear. "Something's coming and it's right under us!"
The surface bulged again, closer now and the water began to drain. It raced outward in a sudden retreat, peeling away from the sand and rocks, exposing slick stone and writhing seaweed. Fish flopped helplessly in the mud. The air filled with a cold, metallic smell that made their stomachs turn.
The guards didn't even think, they ran abandoning everything in favor of running.
"BACK TO THE TOWER!"
"MOVE! MOVE!"
"DON'T LOOK AT IT—JUST RUN!"
Boots pounded against wet stone as they sprinted toward the tower's entrance, panicked voices cracking into screams. One of them slipped and nearly fell, hands scrabbling in the sand as he scrambled back up.
He looked over his shoulder and his blood went to ice as the ocean erupted.
A deafening boom split the sky as an impossible mass surged upward. Water detonated into the sky in towering sheets. The waves slammed into the tower with violent force.
The guards barely reached the steps before the water hit them. The flood came swallowing the pier, sweeping crates and broken weapons away in an instant. Men were knocked off their feet, thrown into railings, dragged screaming through the foam.
"AAAAH—!"
"HELP—!"
From the center of the spray, the creature rose, slowly and deliberately, until a colossal sea-monster emerged, its body so massive that it was half the tower's size. Its armored hide was plated with jagged, dark indigo and black barnacle-like armor. And along its skin pulsed in a cyan light. Bioluminescent patterns crawled over it in slow waves, glowing like veins beneath flesh, illuminating the water around it with an eerie underwater radiance. Finally its face came into view and the guards' minds nearly snapped. A wide maw split open, lined with needle-like teeth that looked made for shredding ships into splinters. Tendrils hung from its jaw like a writhing beard, twisting and curling as if tasting the air. And its eyes two piercing turquoise lights burned into the sky full of intelligence and predation.
One guard stood frozen on the steps, unable to move, lips trembling. 'This… isn't a monster… this is a calamity.'
The creature's gaze slid toward the tower and then its tentacles rose. Thick, impossibly long appendages uncoiled in every direction—some slicing up through the pier like spears, others arcing high above the waves like living bridges. Water streamed from them in sheets, hissing against stone.
A few tentacles slammed down around the island, anchoring the beast.
Others whipped forward and wrapped around the Tower of Heaven. Stone groaned as the tentacles tightened. The tower shuddered, an enormous, deep vibration running through the structure like a pulse. Cracks spidered across outer walls where the pressure squeezed too hard.
Inside the entrance, the guards who'd made it through the doors stumbled and slammed them behind them, backs pressed against the wood like it would save them.
One of them panted, eyes wild. "W-What the hell is that?!"
Another could only stare upward, feeling the entire tower tremble under the monster's grip. His voice came out as a broken whisper. "…We're going to die…"
Outside, the sea-monster's tendrils writhed like a crown around the tower. Its glowing patterns brightened, casting cyan light up the stone.
—-------------------------------------
Back with Issei's group, the first tremor nearly threw them off their feet. The stone and metal shrieked as the tower lurched sideways, dust raining from the ceiling in choking clouds with stairwell lights flickered.
"What the hell was that?!" Yuuka shouted, bracing herself against the wall as another violent shudder rolled through the tower.
Uzume staggered, grabbing the railing. "That wasn't an explosion, this whole place is moving!"
Before anyone could answer, a loud screech ripped through the air causing the whole tower to shake.
Issei steadied himself instantly, eyes sharp, with his instincts screaming and when he turned to the closest window, his eyes widened in terror. "Everyone, look outside. Now."
They turned and the world outside broke their sense of scale. Through the towering window, a colossal mass of armored flesh and writhing tentacles coiled around the Tower of Heaven. Cyan light pulsed across its hide, illuminating the ocean below and casting eerie reflections across the stone walls.
Yuuka's mouth fell open. "…Nope. Nope. I officially hate this island."
Uzume swallowed hard, eyes wide. "That thing could swallow us in an instant…"
Tamamo's ears twitched sharply as she leaned forward, golden eyes narrowing with recognition and interest rather than fear. "…Ara~? Could it be…?" She tilted her head. "Is this the legendary sea monster western sailors whisper about? The Kraken?"
Before Issei could answer, the creature's massive, glowing turquoise eye rotated and locked directly onto them. Suddenly a massive pressure was immediately felt.
Akitsu felt like she'd been pinned by a god's gaze. 'It sees us…'
Soon windows and walls shattered as tentacles punched with explosive force, stone, metal and glass spraying everywhere.
"MOVE!" Issei roared.
They scattered as a tentacle slammed down where they'd been standing, pulverizing the stairs. Another followed, then another, thick, armored limbs forcing their way inside the tower like battering rams.
Yuuka spun, revolvers already firing. "Eat this!" Bullets sparked uselessly off the slick, armored surface, ricocheting wildly. "You've gotta be kidding me!"
Akitsu slammed her palms together and frost surged, crawling rapidly up one of the tentacles, encasing it in thick ice. For only half a second as then the tentacle flexed and the ice shattered violently, shards exploding outward like shrapnel. Akitsu barely raised her arms in time. "Tch—!" Her eyes widened. 'I couldn't hold it—!'
A second tentacle whipped towards her and Uzume reacted instantly, veil snapping out and wrapping tightly around the limb. She yanked hard, trying to redirect it.
But the tentacle didn't budge. Instead, it yanked back.
Uzume gasped as her feet left the floor. "W-Wait—!"
"Uzume!" Yuuka shouted.
"BOOST!"
Issei moved without thinking, summoning the Boosted Gear and with a single Boost, he lunged, grabbing Uzume around the waist and anchoring himself against the wall just as the tentacle pulled again. The force nearly tore them both loose.
Issei snarled. "You're not taking her!" He inhaled deeply as fire burned hot in his chest. "Fire Dragon's ROAR!" A torrent of flames blasted down the corridor, slamming into the tentacle. The impact forced it back, scorched and recoiling with a furious screech that rattled the tower.
Uzume coughed, clinging to Issei. "…Okay. I officially hate tentacles."
Another limb lashed toward Yuuka, only to be intercepted mid-swing as Yashima stepped forward, hammer glowing as Ruby clung to her back, paws shining with enchantment. "Incoming," Yashima said calmly.
Ruby squeaked, forcing confidence into her voice. "Y-Yeah! Get it!"
The hammer came down and the tentacle was smashed sideways into the wall, stone exploding outward as it recoiled violently.
Then Tamamo stepped forward. Her three tails flared, purple cursed flames igniting in her palms. "Oh dear, That was rude." She then thrusted her hand forward.
Cursed fire surged like a living wave, engulfing multiple tentacles at once. The cyan glow flickered erratically as the monster let out an ear-splitting screech of pain that shook the tower from top to bottom.
The tentacles were burned and charred. Until it finally collapsed.
Yuuka exhaled. "Did you get it?"
Then the flesh regenerated as the burned ends pulsed, reknitted, and grew back in seconds, smooth, whole, and angrier than before.
Silence hit the group like a punch.
Akitsu whispered, horrified, "…It can regenerate."
Issei's jaw clenched. 'We can hurt it… but we can't stop it.'
More tentacles forced their way inside.
And then a compressed blast of water fired from outside like a cannon.
"INCOMING!" Issei shouted.
Tamamo snapped her fingers. "Cancel." A curse sigil flared as the water bullet collided with her spell, both attacks detonating into a violent shockwave that blasted water and magic apart in a deafening boom.
Issei didn't wait. "LET'S RUN! HURRY!"
They quickly bolted up the tower as it shook violently as they sprinted upward, tentacles slamming into walls behind them, bursting through stone and metal like spears. Only Issei's flames and Tamamo's curses managed to force them back and even that was temporary.
Yuuka glanced back, teeth clenched. "This is terrible!"
Uzume panted, veil smacking aside a tentacle defensively as it got closer. "I vote we never come back to the ocean!"
Akitsu's heart pounded as she quickly froze another tentacle that blocked their way. It quickly broke out but the single second was more than enough to escape.
Another water blast screamed past them, tearing through a wall where they'd been seconds earlier.
They ran, breath ragged, stone and metal shaking beneath their feet as the tower groaned like it was being strangled. Behind them, the Kraken's screech echoed again.
—--------------------------------
While Issei and his group fought for their lives, fleeing from writhing tentacles and a godlike presence crushing the tower from the outside. Lucy, Gray, Juvia, and Simon were running headlong into something else entirely.
"Sho—!" Lucy shouted as they tore down the corridor, shoes slapping against cracked stone. "Sho, stop!"
He was still ahead of them and the group desperately tried to catch up. Gray's lungs burned, anger pushing him faster than exhaustion ever could. 'You don't get to decide this alone,' He thought savagely. 'You don't get to take Erza and play hero.'
Simon kept pace, his mind screaming Sho's name over and over as wished he wouldn't do anything reckless.
But then the tower lurched violently.
"Whoa—!" Lucy yelped as the floor suddenly tilted beneath her. She grabbed the wall, keys clattering at her waist.
Juvia stumbled, arms flailing before she caught herself against Gray's shoulder. "G-Gray-sama—!"
The tower groaned. Dust poured from above like rain. Somewhere far away, something massive screeched.
Gray's eyes widened. "What the hell is happening now?!"
Before anyone could even begin to process it—
BOOM.
The ceiling above them exploded.
Stone and debris detonated downward as something massive smashed through multiple floors at once, spiraling in a violent crash of rubble and fire.
Lucy screamed, throwing her arms up instinctively. "AAAAH—!"
Out of the falling debris burst a flying shape.
"HOOO—HOO—HOOOO!"
"What—?!" Gray barely had time to register the sound before—
The creature slammed into the floor with bone-rattling force.
Standing in the crater was a towering, heavily muscled man with the head of an owl. Strapped to his back was a roaring jet pack.
Before Gray or Simon could react, the owl-headed man lunged and attacked. Two massive arms shot out, grabbing Gray and Simon simultaneously.
"HEY—LET GO!" Gray snarled, ice flaring instinctively around his fists.
Simon swung a punch, but the owl man lifted them both effortlessly.
"HOOO—TARGET ACQUIRED—HOO!"
The jet pack ignited and then they were gone as the Owl man slammed the two guys to the ground.
"GRAY-SAMA!!" Juvia shrieked as the owl-headed monster blasted downward through the floor, dragging Gray and Simon with him as stone shattered and vanished beneath them.
"SIMON!" Lucy cried, rushing to the edge of the broken floor. "WE HAVE TO GO AFTER THEM!" Lucy shouted, panic clawing at her throat.
Juvia nodded fiercely, tears already gathering. "Juvia will not abandon Gray-sama!"
They took one step toward the hole and a long, black whip sliced through the space where Lucy's head had just been.
"AH—!" Lucy stumbled backward, heart hammering as the whip snapped against the wall, carving a deep gouge into the stone.
Juvia spun, water magic surging instinctively. "WHO DARES—?!"
"Heh… heh heh…" A low laugh echoed through the corridor.
They turned slowly and standing in the shadows was a man who looked like he'd stepped straight out of a metal concert. His skin was pale white. Dark makeup framed his eyes and smeared his lips. His chest was bare, marked with a bold tattoo that read SKELETOY. Spiked shoulder guards jutted from his frame, and strapped across his body was an electric guitar, crackling faintly with magical energy.
The whip recoiled and Lucy realized that it wasn't a weapon at all and instead it was his hair as it slithered back toward him.
Lucy swallowed hard. "…That's not normal."
Juvia stepped protectively in front of her, water swirling around her arms. Her voice trembled, with fury. "Move! Juvia has to rescue Gray-sama."
The man tilted his head, grinning wide, teeth flashing under the dim light. "Oh? A fighter?" He chuckled and slung the guitar into position, fingers brushing the strings lovingly. "How adorable."
He strummed the guitar once and a sonic screech was released that caused them to be blown back.
Lucy clutched her head, knees buckling as pain washed over her in a sudden, crushing wave. 'What… the hell was that…?'
Juvia staggered, heart pounding erratically. 'So heavy…'
The man laughed louder. "Allow me to introduce myself, ladies." His voice was theatrical, dripping with malicious joy. "The name's Vidaldus." His hair lifted again, writhing eagerly. "And I've come to kill you…" He leaned forward, eyes burning with sadistic delight. "…by drowning you in despair."
Lucy forced herself upright, shaking but defiant. She clenched her keys, eyes narrowing. "Get lost, we have to rescue our friends."
Vidaldus' grin widened impossibly. "Oh, I'm not going to let you." His fingers slammed down on the guitar strings. "For the fun is just about to begin." And the corridor screamed with sound.
—------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, as Sho ran up the tower trying to quickly reach Jellal. His breath came in ragged breaths, boots slamming against the stone floor as the tower trembled beneath him. Every step echoed too loudly in his ears, every heartbeat pounding with the same thought over and over.
'I have to stop Jellal myself. I have to protect Erza.' The card was clenched tightly in his hand. He could feel her presence inside it, pressing against his chest with every step.
"I'm almost there…" Sho muttered, more to himself than anything. "Just a little further…"
Then a spike of danger stabbed through his mind. Sho's eyes widened and He twisted his body sideways on instinct, throwing himself back just as—
SHRRRK!
The stone floor in front of him split open. A massive gash carved itself through the ground as if an invisible blade had passed through it, stone peeling back in jagged shards. Dust and debris exploded upward.
Sho skidded across the floor, barely keeping his footing. His heart slammed violently against his ribs. 'If I'd taken one more step—' He quickly snapped his head up.
Standing ahead of him, perfectly still, was a long, pink-haired woman, with calm green eyes, a white kimono decorated with flames and skulls, fluttering gently despite the lack of wind. A sword rested loosely at her side. She looked at Sho the way one might look at an insect.
"…So," Sho breathed, dread crawling up his spine. This pressure… "You're one of them. Jellal's guardians."
The woman smiled faintly. "I am Ikaruga," She said softly, voice smooth and unhurried. "And you are… in my way."
Sho swallowed hard as he could just tell how dangerous the woman was. 'To reach Jellal… I have to beat her.' His grip tightened around his cards.
"I don't care who you are!" Sho shouted, forcing his fear down. "I'm not backing down!" In a flash of light, dozens of cards burst into existence around him, spinning wildly as magic surged. "Go!" Sho roared.
The cards exploded outward, forming a roaring cyclone of razor-sharp edges. The air screamed as the storm surged toward Ikaruga, each card spinning fast enough to slice steel. The corridor filled with violent wind and flashing light.
Sho leaned forward, heart racing. 'This should—!'
But Ikaruga smiled and she calmly stepped forward directly into the storm.
Sho's eyes widened. "What—?!"
The cards closed around her until she vanished and all the cards that Sho had thrown were instantly cut in two.
'Where is she?!' Sho frantically searched. Until a presence bloomed behind him. Sho barely had time to turn his head before—
SHLICK.
Pain exploded across Sho's chest causing him to gasp as blood sprayed and his body was hurled forward. He hit the stone hard, skidding and rolling before collapsing onto his back. His cards fell uselessly to the ground, fluttering down like torn paper
"…gh—!" His vision blurred. When he forced his eyes open, he saw it. Every single one of his cards were cut cleanly in half and standing behind him, sword already sheathed, was Ikaruga.
"You rely too much on your tricks," she said mildly. "They are… pathetic."
Sho's hands trembled as he pressed it to his chest. Blood seeped between his fingers, warm and terrifyingly real. 'I can't… move…' His body screamed at him to give up, to stay down, to accept that this was the end.
But his eyes drifted to the card lying nearby. 'Erza.' His teeth clenched. "No…" Sho rasped, forcing his shaking arms to push against the floor. "I… won't stop…"
Ikaruga turned fully toward him now, expression unreadable. "You really should."
Sho dragged himself up onto one knee, blood dripping onto the stone. "I promised… I'd protect her…"
The guardian sighed, almost bored, and drew her blade again. "Then die for that promise."
She then raised her sword and Sho squeezed his eyes shut. 'I'm sorry… Erza…'
CLANG!
A violent impact rang through the corridor causing sparks to explode as steel met steel.
As Sho's eyes flew open. Standing between him and death was a familiar figure—red hair flowing, eyes furious, and her blade locked against Ikaruga's strike.
"That's not happening," Erza Scarlet said coldly.
Sho's breath caught. "…Erza…?"
Behind her, fragments of light dissolved into the air. The card that held Erza was split cleanly down the middle.
Ikaruga's eyes flicked briefly to the broken remnants. "…Ah," she murmured. "So I cut the seal as well."
Erza didn't look back at Sho. Her stance was firm, protective, her sword unwavering. "Get up and leave, Sho," she said quietly. "You've done enough."
Sho stared at her, disbelief and relief crashing into him all at once. 'She's… free…'
Ikaruga stepped back, lips curling into a pleased smile. "How fortunate," She said, rolling her shoulders slightly. "I was beginning to fear this would be dull." Her green eyes locked fully onto Erza now, no longer dismissive and full of interest. "A warrior of your prestige…" Ikaruga said softly. "Yes. This is far better." She raised her blade again, excitement humming beneath her gaze.
Erza shifted her footing, sword steady, eyes burning with resolve. "Sho," she said without turning. "You're going to get in the way."
Sho clenched his fists, struggling to his feet despite the pain. 'I wanted to protect her…'
Erza's voice softened, just slightly. "…I've got this."
Across from her, Ikaruga smiled as she knew that she was about to enjoy herself. "Come," she said. "Show me your strength."
Steel sang as the two warriors squared off.
—-------------------------------------------
As Fukuro continued to punch through the tower of heaven with Gray in one fist and Simon in the other, the owl-headed monster became a meteor as stone floors broke beneath them one after another.
"HOOO—HOOO—HOOOO!"
Gray's teeth rattled as they crashed through a floor, then another. Wind and dust tore at his face. His stomach lurched with every impact. 'This is insane—!'
Simon's jaw scraped hard against stone as they burst through another layer, his breath knocked clean out of him.
Finally they slammed into a floor like a dropped boulder as stone fractured in a spiderweb pattern. A crater formed around their bodies, deep enough that broken tiles angled downward like shattered teeth. Dust exploded outward in a choking cloud.
Gray groaned with his ears ringing and his eyes unfocused. Simon wasn't any better as he lay half-embedded in rubble, the world tilting and spinning.
Above them, Fukuro hovered for a beat, his jets hissing, before landing with a heavy thud at the crater's edge. He crossed his arms slowly, chest puffed out, clearly admiring his own "work." "HOO… EXCELLENT LANDING. HOO."
Gray blinked grit out of his eyes before realizing what happened. 'Get up. It's not over yet.'. He quickly forced his body to respond, shaking off the dizziness with a sharp grunt as he rolled to one knee, then to his feet. His fingers flexed with ice magic already gathering in his palms.
Simon did the same as he pushed himself up more slowly, one hand pressed to the floor, the other clutching his ribs. His breathing was ragged, but his eyes were sharp.
Gray's gaze locked onto Fukuro. One look at the owl head, the jets, the casual confidence, Gray didn't need a long explanation to understand who this was. "So you're one of Jellal's guardians, huh?" Gray says as his mouth curls.
Fukuro lifted his chin proudly, feathers ruffling as if offended Gray didn't already know. "HOO. CORRECT. I AM FUKURO. A CHAMPION OF JUSTICE."
Gray stared dumbfounded. "…Champion of what?"
"HOO!" Fukuro threw a fist in the air. "FOR JUSTICE! I WILL DEFEAT EVILDOERS. YOU ARE EVILDOERS. HOO!"
This caused Gray's eyelid to twitch as he had fought a lot of weird people. But this one was… special. "Shut up," Gray said flatly. "I'm not interested in whatever nonsense you're selling."
Fukuro leaned forward slightly, as if genuinely surprised. "HOO… RUDE. AS EXPECTED OF AN ALLIE OF EVIL."
Simon finally got his feet under him, shoulders rolling as he steadied his balance. His voice came out low, controlled—dangerous even through pain. "Gray," Simon said, eyes never leaving Fukuro, "don't underestimate him. This guy's dangerous."
Gray grunted. "Yeah. I noticed."
Fukuro quickly jumped back to create some distance and got ready to fight. "HOO. TIME TO DISTRIBUT JUSTICE!" And then he moved as his jet pack ignited and Fukuro blurred into motion, launching off the ground like a bullet. He ricocheted off a wall, then the ceiling, then dropped down in a clean arc.
Gray's eyes widened as he had a hard time keeping up with his speed. "Ice-Make: Lance!" A long spear of ice formed instantly in Gray's hand and he hurled it upward.
But Fukuro quickly twisted midair and the spear missed by inches, stabbing into the ceiling with a violent crack. "HOO! TOO SLOW." Fukuro dropped fast.
And Gray reacted just as quickly as he threw his arms up. "Ice-Make: Shield!" A thick slab of ice surged up in front of him.
CRUNCH!
Fukuro's fist slammed into it with monstrous force and the shield fractured, with chunks exploding outward, the impact rattling Gray's bones through the barrier and causing Gray to slide back, with his shoes scraping the floor.
It is then that Simon raised a hand with darkness spilled outward like ink, flooding across the floor and crawling up the walls. The room dimmed into near-total black. "Now, this should give us an advantage." Simon said, voice echoing in the dark. "
Gray's breath fogged in the sudden chill. "Good. I'll pin him—"
But the owl-headed guardian's beady black eyes glowed faintly through the darkness… and then he moved with zero hesitation as he tracked them perfectly. "HOO. OWL EYES SEE IN THE DARKNESS."
A hard elbow smashed into Gray's ribs causing him to cough and stumble sideways. Before he could recover, Fukuro's knee came up brutally into his gut, then he grabbed the back of his neck and hurled Gray in the air and then crashed into a wall.
Simon tried to fight back as he slashed his hand downward. Darkness erupted into a jagged spike aimed for Fukuro's legs. But Fukuro hopped, jets flaring, and landed behind Simon. "HOO."
Simon's eyes widened and he tried to pivot. But he was too slow for the owl as Fukuro's palm struck Simon's chest in a precise blow that knocked the air out of him and caused the darkness that covered the floor to dissipate.
As Simon staggered in pain, Fukuro's mouth opened wide.
Gray, who had just gotten up and recovered his sight , widened his eyes in horror. "What the—?!"
Before Simon could recover, Fukuro lunged and swallowed Simon whole in a single gulp. Gray, seeing what had just happened was stunned as his brain stalled. 'He… ate him? How is that possible?!'
"SIMON!" Gray shouted, half in rage and the other half in disbelief.
Fukuro patted his stomach proudly. "HOO. JUSTICE DIGESTED."
Gray clenched his fists so hard his nails bit into his palms. "That's not justice, you freak!"
Fukuro's eyes narrowed. Then he did something worse as a shadow crawled up his arm like smoke. Gray felt the air change, an oppressive pressure that didn't belong to Fukuro's normal aura as Fukuro's fist became coated in darkness.
'No, he's using Simon's magic?!' Gray thought as his pulse spiked in realization.
Fukuro then stepped forward, stance lowering into a boxing posture. "HOO. NEW POWER. GOOD."
Gray's breath turned ragged but he tried to keep his head cool. 'Okay. He ate Simon. But if Simon's alive there… I can hopefully rescue him.' He quickly got in a guarded stance.
Fukuro lunged and a darkness-wrapped fist slammed into Gray's guard arms, and pain detonated through his arms like a hammer strike that made his muscles seize for a moment.
'That hit was harder than before.' But Gray held still as he slid back with shoes carving lines in the dust and his arms trembled. Gray then reacted on instinct. "Ice-Make: Gauntlets!" Thick ice formed over his fists like armored gloves. He caught Fukuro's next punch, ice cracking under the darkness pressure, and shoved back with all his strength.
But Fukuro didn't stop as he advanced with chaining strikes and combinations as he released darkness infused punches mixed with jet-assisted footwork, turning him into a whirlwind of martial precision.
Gray blocked the repeated strikes,while at the same time ducking and dodging, barely twisting away as a dark-coated kick shaved past his jaw. And then he reacted just as fast as he began to strike back by releasing his own japs and punches.
Every exchange quickly got faster and heavier with Gray gritting his teeth. 'This is getting worse by the second… and Simon's still inside him.'
Fukuro then made a feinted left, then his jets flared as he repositioned himself to Gray's right, then snapped a punch toward Gray's ribs but Gray reacted quickly and gave an uppercut to Fukuro's head which caused him to slide back with his feet scraping the stone floor.
Gray didn't let him breathe. "Ice-Make: Chain!" A freezing chain whipped out, snapping around Fukuro's ankle and then pulled back causing Fukuro to stumble for the first time.
Gray's eyes sharpened. 'Got you.' He pulled harder, dragging Fukuro off-balance. "Now—!"
Gray lunged with an ice-gauntleted punch to the stomach but Fukuro's jets erupted, blasting him upward at the last moment and making the punch miss, as Gray's fist smashed into a pillar and froze it solid.
Fukuro landed lightly, still smiling. "HOO. NICE TRY."
Gray panted, chest heaving, sweat mixing with dust on his skin. Pain pulsed in his ribs. His arms felt like lead. But his eyes were cold and focused as he stared at Fukuro's stomach. 'Simon is in there. A strong blow should release him.'
Gray's jaw clenched so tight it hurt. He raised his hands again, magic gathering sharper, more focused than before. "I'm not losing," Gray said, voice low and absolute. "Not while my friend's still in you."
Fukuro tilted his head, owl eyes unblinking. "HOO… THEN TRY HARDER."
Gray's breath fogged as he took a step forward. 'Fine. I will.'
—-------------------------------------------
Natsu and the Chimera didn't even feel the tower shaking. Beyond the cracked walls and the choking dust, as metal and stone groaned and something impossibly large screeched as it clawed at the Tower of Heaven.
It was all insignificant as Natsu's world narrowed to only his opponent, the Chimera. Everything else was noise. His breath steamed in the air from the sheer violence of heat pouring off him. Fire rolled around his body in thick, red currents like a mantle, the aura so intense that the air shimmered and bent around his silhouette.
Happy hovered behind him, wings beating frantically to stay out of the heat. His fur was singed at the edges, eyes wide, but his voice was steady. "Natsu… you're scaring me a little."
Natsu didn't glance back. His eyes were locked on the pulsing red jewel buried in the Chimera's chest. "Don't worry, Happy. That's the only thing that's going to get hurt. " Natsu growled. The Fire Dragon King flames licked along his knuckles, heavier and deeper than his normal fire.
The Black Sand Chimera recoiled. For the first time, it didn't charge or attack first. Its body seethed and shifted, sand boiling in agitation as it tried to keep its core hidden behind layers of sand.
The moment it attempted to push its sand forward, the red flames met it and the sand hardened into black glass, brittle and dead, shattering the moment it tried to reform.
The Chimera's dragon head roared, spitting a cannon-like stream of sand at terrifying speed but as it hit Natsu's flaming aura, it turned into a glittering spray of black shards that rained harmlessly to the floor.
Natsu exhaled sharply through his nose, almost amused. "You're not touching me."
The Chimera hissed and its lion head lifted, jaws wide, and the red beam charged again, light condensing and tightening.
"Happy, UP!"
"Aye!" Happy grabbed Natsu by the vest and yanked him into a rising arc just as the laser fired. The beam carved through the floor where Natsu had been standing, cutting a molten trench through the stone. The heat was so intense the edges glowed orange.
Natsu then swung midair and launched a punch like a meteor, with his flames exploding outward causing the Chimera to stagger in pain. Happy then landed Natsu safely on the ground.
But it is then that the goat head snapped toward him, its eyes gleaming with sickening, invisible pressure.
Natsu's limbs stiffened for a fraction of a second and his pupils tightened. But this time the flames answered before his body could. The red aura flared violently, and the paralyzing grip shattered like thin glass.
Natsu's grin widened into something feral. "Oh, you wanna play that game?" He quickly lunged and the floor cracked beneath his feet. "Fire Dragon King's Iron Fist!" His fist slammed into the Chimera's torso and the impact detonated in a red explosion. The beast's sand body tried to disperse but it couldn't. The heat welded it into brittle black glass and shattered it apart, chunks flying everywhere.
Natsu didn't stop. He chained strikes, relentless and vicious, each punch a hammer of dragon fire.
The Chimera's heads snapped and clawed desperately. The dragon head firing sand breath that turned to dead glass on contact. The lion head was trying to line up lasers between Natsu's movements. And the goat head hunted for a moment to lock Natsu down again.
But Natsu gave it no moment, no breathing room, no time to recover.
Happy circled above, calling warnings and yanking Natsu out of tight spots when the lasers came too close. "Left—! NATSU, LEFT!"
"Got it!" Natsu dipped under a beam and responded with an explosive roar that blasted the Chimera backward into a wall.
The wall didn't just crack, It started to melt. Stone and metal bubbled. The floor beneath them began to soften, turning glossy and slick, like the tower itself was starting to liquefy under the heat.
Happy swallowed hard, eyes darting to the melting ground. "Natsu…! The floor's gonna collapse!"
"Then it collapses," Natsu snarled, advancing through the heat haze, eyes burning gold with a slanted intensity. "I'll just burn my way to the next one!"
Inside his mind, Igneel rumbled, half in pride and half in irritation. (Stop admiring your own fire and end it.)
Natsu clicked his tongue. 'TheOld man's nagging again.'
The Chimera tried one last desperate surge as sand rose like a tidal wave, trying to bury him under sheer mass.
But Natsu inhaled and his chest glowed until it released compressed red fire so tightly it looked almost solid. "Fire Dragon King's ROAR!" The blast erupted like a cannon. The sand wave didn't just burn, it vaporized. The air screamed as the heat tore through it, and the entire Chimera body was consumed in a storm of red flame.
For a split second the corridor was nothing but light. Then silence.
As the flames died down and the sand was gone. Only scorched stone and drifting ash remained. And in the center of the melted floor, a red jewel clinked softly as it dropped and rolled, coming to rest in the rubble.
Happy's face lit up. "Natsu! You did it!"
Natsu stood there, chest heaving, flames finally easing off him in slow curls. Sweat ran down his face, mixing with soot and blood. He grinned, satisfied, shoulders loosening for the first time in what felt like forever.
"Heh," He said, voice rough. "Of course I did."
Happy zipped down, circling him excitedly. "Aye! That was awesome!"
Natsu took a step toward the gem, staring at it like it was just a stupid rock now. "See? It's over. It's just—"
(YOUIDIOT!) Igneel's voice slammed through his skull like a shout. (DESTROY IT NOW!)
Natsu flinched, head jerking. "Ow—! What's your problem?! The thing's dead!"
(You're wasting time.) Igneel sounded like he wanted to smack him. (I told you the sand wasn't the monster. The jewel is.)
Natsu frowned, staring at the gem. "It's… just a rock."
Igneel simply sighed, the kind of sigh a father gives a stubborn child who refuses to understand the simplest thing.
(Then watch.) He said flatly.
It is then that the gem pulsed and the air around it began to spin. Black sand that had been scattered across the corridor suddenly lifted, drawn toward the jewel like iron to a magnet. It spiraled faster and faster, forming a vortex that swallowed ash and glass alike.
Happy's fur stood on end. "Natsu…?"
Natsu's grin vanished. "…No way."
The tornado rose around the gem, roaring like a storm. The heat from Natsu's fire met the swirling sand and hissed—unable to scatter it this time, as if the jewel was anchoring everything in place.
The vortex tightened and condensed. Until finally as the storm began to peel away.
A figure stepped out of the swirling black vortex, tall and imposing, its body wrapped in jagged black plates that resembled scorched steel and volcanic glass. Spikes bristled from its shoulders, forearms, and greaves like thorns. The armor was never fully still as fine streams of sand leaked from its joints and cape, then spiraled back into place as if the knight was constantly rebuilding itself. Its helm was narrow and predatory, crowned with horn-like projections. And from the eye slits burned crimson lights that locked directly onto Natsu. At the center of its chest sat the same glowing red jewel, set deep into the breastplate like a heart. Beside it, rested a massive double-bladed greatsword, as long as Natsu was tall, its edges gleaming dully.
The knight's hand closed around the weapon and the stone cracked as it lifted the blade effortlessly.
Happy hovered closer to Natsu, voice trembling. "Natsu… I don't like this…"
Natsu's throat went dry but his eyes narrowed, flames flickering back to life along his knuckles, red, hungry and ready. He spat blood onto the melted floor and grinned anyway. "…Okay," Natsu growled, squaring his stance. "Round three."
Inside his mind, Igneel's voice was grim. (Now you understand. Don't hold back.)