Natsu Dragneel In Dxd - Volume 1 Chapter 31 Onward To Hell Part Iii

‘Why do I feel so drained? What happened to me?’Natsu’s mind was scattered, his thoughts weren’t coherent and his brain felt dead. Surely, there must be an explanation for this.

‘I-I can’t move what’s going on?’ His motor senses were currently close to none, only getting a few twitches of the muscle with each try.

“Men, take him now! Whatever he is take him away!”

‘Who are those people? I don’t recognize their voices or their scents.’ Natsu tried desperately to lift his head and figure what was going on around him, but the stiffness in his body prevented such actions.

“Natsu! Natsu, wake up!”

‘Hmm, Happy it doesn’t sound like he’s okay. His voice is trembling! Happy, just hold on!’

“What are you doing standing there! I said, take him away!” The female voice sounded again, this time even more frustrated. The lackeys she seemed to be ordering around saluted quickly and began to walk around their leader from behind.

The others that were present were few in number, yet high in their ranking, making up only part of the general force. First, the man who originally, with his squad, brought in Natsu and Happy was positioned to the right from the center. Currently, unlike before, he wielded a lengthy Warhammer which sported a decently-sized spike on one face as he lunged the large object over his shoulder. The woman who bossed the others around stood to the left, supporting her weight on the lance she held which was strikingly taller than her. Then, there was one man clad in all black armor and brown leather, holding a short sheath for his sword. The black armor had a silver outline and covered his whole body, head to toes, and the Spartan-like helmet made his face obscured.

“What an interesting specimen you’ve brought me, Ougon.” The armor-wearing man praised the troop leader, Ougon, for his actions.

“Thank you, boss. Scavenging through those desert plains were rough on me and my soldiers.” Ougon put a fist to his chest and bowed towards his boss. His head then lifted when he heard a muffled chuckle come from the boss.

“Which is exactly why I sent you there, I knew only your group was suited for such a mission. Now, here you are, showing off your prize: a pink-haired man who melted through our cell walls. How do you suppose he did that?” The boss rhetorically asked, looking to his subordinates.

“Well, I know we’ll soon find out once we capture him completely and interrogate him,” The woman replied arrogantly, her smile tearing across her face, “I can’t wait to use him.”

“Now now, Meralda, you know the rules. Ougon found him, so he gets to keep him.” Suddenly, the boss’ tone dropped an octave and his voice took on a more serious note, “If these rules are not kept, our system falls apart.”

“Yes boss, understood. I’m sorry for my rudeness.” Doing the same action as Ougon from before, Meralda bowed to the leader and turned to face the men she tasked with taking the boy away, “Hey, what are you guys doing!? How hard is it to carry one person!”

Scared of their female leader, the lackeys tried to explain themselves, “I’m sorry ma’am, but this boy is untouchable! Getting close to him burns our skin!”

“What are you-” Before she could finish her statement, the pink haired boy spun off the ground, tripping the guards around him and smashing the face of the last one who opposed him. The general Meralda quickly assessed the situation and acted accordingly. Not giving the boy time to react, she readied her lance and lobbed the death stick toward his torso. Surprisingly, he managed to avoid deathly contact by backflipping in the air as the hardened object embedded itself deep into the ground. Although, his blood flew it the air soon afterward.

Following suit, Ougon chucked his formerly resting Warhammer at the still airborne teen. Apparently, he saw this and used his momentum to acquire a quick and sturdy foothold on the spinning hammer and jump away from its initial trajectory. This all happened within moments of a breath as the boy landed roughly on the ground but just as fast got back up, monstrously yelling into the air.

“HAPPY!” He shouted, glaring at the people around him when suddenly, a blue-furred cat ran up to him and jumped onto his shoulder. It was at this moment the boy sprinted off, passing the three generals and their subordinates.

“What happened?”

Location with Natsu and Happy:

“Natsu! I’m so glad you’re okay! When you passed out I thought we were goners!” After Natsu and Happy narrowly escaped their captors, both of them found enough time to analyze their surroundings while bolting away from those shady people. Warily looking around, Happy established the area they were in. Comparable to their own, there were brick cages placed finely close to each other creating wide enough pathways for four people. Along with the cages came the groaning and m.o.a.ning of many people who seemed to have gotten treatment worse than death.

This was a penitentiary. And the same thing could have happened to them if Natsu didn’t break them out.

After discovering the horrid truth, Happy moved on: where were the cages being kept? As they traveled through the maze of jail cells and knocking out a few guards in the process, Happy realized he couldn’t see the ashy sky or any lava for that matter. The air seemed cooler and fresher to breathe and the lights were up on the giant dome that prevented their escape. The rock wall that extended hundreds of meters looked rough and ragged as if it was dug through. Disclosing this information to Natsu, he used his keen senses to finalize their position, and to their disbelief, this whole place was underground.

A dome full of cages and slaves built underneath the surface of Hell shook them to the core. A person’s reason for doing this was completely lost on them.

“I know that Happy, but right now we don’t have time to be relaxed. Those three guys back there were strong- insanely strong for that matter and we don’t have the luxury to slack off.” Only nodding to his statement, Happy felt Natsu’s muscles tighten up unconsciously and his hand move toward his bleeding wound; his body language contrasting with his calm voice. Although they’ve only been on the run for close to one minute, they have been able to cover a good enough ground to understand the layout of the cages. Unfortunately, this was also the time a horn went off echoing off the walls to signal their escape, “Damn, they already notified everyone. They might block off the exits and send the rest to search for us. And I can’t do shit about the exits without my magic. Normally I would blast ’em all away.”

“So what’re you going to do? It’s easy enough to hide from the guys chasing us but any exits would be like an opposing wall.” Happy thoughtfully commented, scratching a paw on his head.

“If it’s a wall I’ll just tear it down,” Natsu replied. Seemed like a good idea to him.

“No! They’ll just blow you to bits with magic before you even get to them!” Frustrated and pressed on time, Happy tried to think more clearly. ‘Okay, so we both can’t use our magic. We can’t maneuver past these guys for much longer either. We don’t even know where the exits are! Rushing them won’t work since we’re outnumbered and hiding out there isn’t an option either But, what if we hide with them…’

“Wait, wait, Natsu! I got it!”

“Oh, please tell me it’s something good. My body might give up on me again.” Natsu’s panting and deep breaths added weight to his statement, further punctured by the sluggishness of his movements.

“Well, you might not like it but I think it’s the best shot we’ve got.” Happy sheepishly rubbed his paws together, hoping to avoid Natsu’s future outburst.

“Come on, stop holding back. I gotta know!” With Natsu’s enthusiasm slowly building, Happy’s anxiousness rose as well.

“To start with, We’ll need to beat up a guard,”

“Easy,”

“Take His clothes,”

“Okay,”

“And blend in with the crowd to escape through the exits.”

“Hell No!” See, Happy knew this was coming, “That’s way too cowardly! We should be able to fight this trash head on!”

“Cool your jets! And shut up too; I don’t want us to get caught!” Happy slapped the back of Natsu’s head with his soft paw, successfully gaining Natsu’s attention, “I know you want to beat these guys to a pulp, but we are at a tactical disadvantage, so, just think of this as I tactical retreat.”

“But that’s what Lucy always says. And you know how much she likes running away.” Natsu grumpily pouted and started to slow his pace until he came to a complete stop. Quietly walking to one of the smaller alleys in between the blocks, he sat down and caught his breath.

“Fine, what was gonna be your plan?” Happy rolled his eyes in annoyance toward his partner’s defiance of his own brilliant plan.

“I was thinking, the next guard I take down we can search his clothes for the keys to unlock these cuffs and once we escape, I can collapse this place under itself!” Natsu followed his explanation by depicting a small explosion with his hands, “Kaboom. And that’s how we win.”

At this moment, Happy wanted to congratulate Natsu and face-palm himself simultaneously. Although his plan was well thought out, Natsu still had much to learn. Happy explained to Natsu that not all the guards had keys on them, while those who possessed them all had distinct sets, presumably for their corresponding cuffs. So the possibility of stumbling onto their exact pair was close to none.

“Without finding our keys, there’s no way your plan would work,” Happy ended, watching Natsu’s head slowly sink, “But look on the bright side, at least you’ll be able to act like a ninja again. It has been a while.” Startled by his sudden acceleration, Happy clung to his partner’s glob of hair almost expecting to fall off.

“You’re right, Happy. Your plan makes the most sense,” Hearing Natsu’s voice, he felt chills run down his spine. Happy never thought he would have responded in this way or with such an imposing tone, “I thought I was getting better at this sort of stuff but I’m still not as good as you or Erza. I guess we can wait here to ambush one of those punks while I gather my stamina andMagic Energy.”

“Aye, sir.” And so, the duo waited minutes for anyone to come across their revealing hiding spot. Apparently, they ran away fast enough to avoid the masses of guards that wanted to behead them. Of course, it should have been obvious when they didn’t spot any of the lackeys for a significant amount of time. Currently, because of their lax situation, Natsu fell asleep to regain any lost energy while Happy stood on the lookout. Relieved the enemy hasn’t located them yet, Happy decided to relax as well, reverting back to his sitting position on Natsu’s head.

A long sigh could be heard from the blue cat as he jumped down from his pink-haired bed with the ring of the shackles accompanying him. His little legs paced back and forth in front of where Natsu was sleeping making small thump noises with each step. With the amount that he walked, he could have practically worn out the ground. Happy’s thinking cap was on and the frequency of his distraught sighs could be categorized as agitating.

‘Now that we have a plan to infiltrate, what’re we gonna do afterward? These cuffs hinder our options dramatically!’ With a raspy “Aye…” Happy’s ear perked up when clanking footsteps were heard approaching them. ‘Oh shoot!’

“Natsu!” Happy desperately whispered, frantically jumping up and down while occasionally slapping him across the face, “They’re here! They’re coming, Natsu!”

“Hmm huh?” Fluttering his eyes open, Natsu adjusted back to the real world, his senses acc.u.mulating as well, “Geez, I can’t even get a decent nap, ever.” Standing up and shaking the drowsiness off him, Natsu prepared to execute the plan and get things rolling.

By the sound of the tracks, there appeared to be only six men closing in on their position, all of them carrying some type of weapon. Happy raised his arms to be carried by Natsu and put on his broad back as said man tread carefully toward the edge of the wall that provided their temporary safety. With his back against the edge, Natsu allowed Happy’s much smaller body to peek around the corner.

Natsu’s guess was correct, showing six troopers carrying a variety of weapons as they stood in formation while the leader shouted orders, “Four men take our flanks and we’ll secure our forefront.” After doing a plethora of hand signals, the troops who were a few cages behind them followed the orders and set off to Natsu and Happy’s own position. Natsu heard the parts he needed (and was able) to hear, while Happy tucked his head behind the wall again. Knowing only two people were after him, Natsu grinned triumphantly at the easy task. The instant he heard them get within range, he jumped out and side kicked both men into each other, effectively knocking them out.

“Hell yeah, step one complete!” Natsu did the best fist pump he could while still restrained by the cuffs and lightly celebrated the first victory. Stripping the soldier who was closest to his size, Natsu put the armor over his own clothes, disguising his previous fighting clothes to blend in with the regimen, “Okay, what now Happy? They can still see the cuffs and no disguise is gonna work for you,”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got a plan for it. Anyway, wake up one of those guys and get them to tell us where the exits are.” Happy deviously smiled at the downed guards while Natsu just shrugged at his partner’s actions. He was just letting off some steam, he guessed.

Slowing straddling the solider, as he was still getting used to the armor, Natsu proceeded to bitchslap him across the face, promptly waking him up, “Wha- Huh!? What’s happening!?” The guard yelled terrified.

Seeing his chance, Natsu decided to take his fear to a new level, to break him down and force him to tell the necessary information. However, in order to do this, he would need to enter a new mode

“Cower before my greatness, worm. As you live and breathe you are faced with treachery itself: The Demon King Dragneel- better known as Satan Salamander.”

‘Oh boy…’

Natsu’s forehead grew darker and furrowed brows to express his obvious displeasure with his hair falling over his eyes and casting a small shadow to let his irises glow slightly. His voice was comically deep as, to anybody else, he was seen trying too hard at interrogating the helpless man. But, thanks to the situation they were in, it somehow ended up scaring the foolish man. How pitiful.

“D-Demon! Pl-please, don’t kill me! Have-” The man’s plea was swiftly cut off by the fake-angry Natsu while the man just curled in a ball looking at his demise.

“I have no use for your tears, peasant, only what’s in here,” Natsu slightly tapped his noggin to show what he meant which was followed by the furious nodding of their captor.

“Yes, yes, great Demon Lord! I can tell you anything within my knowledge, Satan Salamander Dragneel sir.” Inwardly, Natsu could only grin triumphantly at his genius.

‘So this is what Azazel feels like, huh? Pretty nice if I do say so.’ Natsu thought smugly.

“Now, tell me where the exits are or I’ll put an end to your misery, starting with your friend here.” The frightened man looked to his side and found his partner out cold, helpless and at the mercy of this madman of a Demon Lord.

“Okay okay, I will, just please don’t hurt William!”

‘William?’ Both Happy and Natsu thought.

“Listen, right now we are occupied near the edge of the dome and there are four entrances near each vertex. If you continue down this pathway and take a left where it ends, you’ll get the closest one here.”

“And if you lie to me, I’ll come back to end you both, ya know that?” Natsu sternly pointed a finger at the man’s face emphasizing his statement.

“Yeah, I get it! Now, please leave me alone!” The former soldier was practically weeping by himself now, clinging to his legs and hiding himself from his fear like a child. Having fun with his little game, Natsu kicked the guy’s chin to knock him out again and nodded toward Happy.

“So, I guess that’s it.”

A few minutes Later:

“Stay alert men. The escapees were reported to have entered this region and are regarded as dangerous beings. Supposedly, they are headed toward this exit so anyone who comes close, shoot them dead.”

This was the NorthSide gate of the dome, only one of four entrances and exits of the dome. Presently, in total, there are 20 guards and soldiers stationed at the gate to defend against their malicious enemy: a teenage boy with pink hair and his blue-furred cat companion. The majority of people had melee weapons to allow them to fight while others had none, showcasing their proficiency and confidence in their magic and close-combat. The gate they were defending was at least ten meters tall and five meters lengthwise. There were no doors to shut or open and no barrier to deny entry or departure if only to allow a quick passageway for the goods being bought and left.

With their minds resolved, everyone had their eyes set on protecting the gate so nothing went through. But, that statement was soon tested for validity.

The spotter of the group saw a small dot rapidly approach their position and called to the troop leader, “Sir, there’s somebody coming at us! He seems to be one of us, but, he’s carrying another person with him.”

The Spotter tossed the binoculars down to his troop leader while said man caught it and looked through the lens. The two figures spotted were people wearing the standard uniforms but he had no way to identify them. The one who was carrying the other soldier covered his face with a white scaly scarf and his head was encased in a thin helmet. He also had a very stuffed fanny pack on one side of his hip. The one being carried had his back turned as his body slouched over the other person’s shoulder. Despite the extra weight, the anonymous soldier seemed to walk just fine with the body lounged over him.

The Troop leader frowned deeply at the sight of the two strangers. He wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. Two men, one probably injured, arrived with no weapons or other accompanied soldiers to an exit he swore to protect. Both of them most likely came from an area nearby, exactly where the escapees were earlier spotted, and with a tangled branch of information, they could have been in contact with the convicts. Slowly declining the binoculars, he stroked his rough beard and gripped tightly to his open sword.

“Commander, what should we do? Shoot them down!?” The spotter hastily asked, the two foreign bodies closing in faster.

“No, leave them be. I have a gut feeling they might have something valuable to tell us.” Still holding his chin hairs, the leader raised his hands and signaled the rest of the soldiers to stand guard but not to engage. The regiment obeyed as they stood ready for battle and watched the oncoming characters unsettled. The time it took to come in contact with the strangers wasn’t long, seeing as the one carrying the injured man had no problem walking himself there. They stopped about ten meters ahead of the troop leader while the gatekeepers looked on with doubt.

The scarf-wearing man put the injured one down carefully and slowly raised his arms. Then, he pointed towards the downed man, as if asking for their attention to be on him. The leader would have no more of the enigma and stomped forward to meet his gaze, “State your division and leader and prove you aren’t what I think you are. Or else, my soldiers will kill you where you stand. Got it?” The leader still had his frown which only intensified his scowling face, “And make it quick.”

The scarf-wearing anomaly promptly dropped his arms and squinted his eyes slightly and adjusted his figure, “I’m part of the Northside division sent to this area to take down the escapees. But, when we faced them, most of us didn’t make it out alive. The injured man right there was my leader, William. But, As far as I know, we’re the only survivors.” His attitude wasn’t phased by his own tragic story of what happened to his crew, however, this is what the Troop leader expected.

“Hmm, I see,” The intensity of his gaze lessen while his eyes scurried his form finding any clue to be used against him. Then within a second, the broader man slipped his sword out of the sheath and licked the stranger’s throat with the tip of the blade, “Then why, may I ask, do you have cuffs strapped around your wrists and legs. By protocol, only prisoners have them. Explain.”

The threated man never flinched from the leader’s antics and simply backed away from the pointed object, “…I was interrogated by the prisoner after he found us hiding. I directed him the wrong way but, before he left, he tried to finish us. I manage to avoid getting critically hurt but William didn’t have that luxury. That’s why you have to heal his wounds now- including mine.” Lifting the armor and clothing away from his side, the scarfed man showed a bleeding scratch on his top right torso extending down to his lower back. Taking a step back, the commander examined both men then sighed.

“Somebody, take the cuffs off those men, and make sure the wounds are treated!” Sheathing his sword back, the leader watched as multiple people ran by him while he walked back to his own post. That was until somebody else stood in his way.

“Uh, commander, we’ll need to use your keys. You know, the universal ones.” A soldier, much smaller he, timidly put out his hands, hoping and praying he wouldn’t be reprimanded, because right now, his mood wasn’t the best.

Surprisingly, the small boy felt metal hit his hands and wind brush his face, no physical pain whatsoever, “Whatever, just make sure not to lose them.” With a relieved Sigh, the boy ran away to help with the others leaving the Commander to himself.

The Troop leader would have felt so much better if there wasn’t one thing bugging him. When scanning that strange man’s cuffs, he saw something: the numbers inscribed on them. ‘Ahh, what was it about those numbers that are irking me. 1657 weren’t those?’ Then it clicked.

“Everyone, away from him now!” The Commander swiftly shifted his feet and turned around to face the scarfed man. Instantly, the leader’s magic spiked and a blue/gray aura enveloped around him. It didn’t take more than once for the others to follow command and sprint away rapidly, but, unfortunately for the Commander, things were already in motion.

Right as they were unlocking the stranger’s cuffs, they all tried to dash away, but the one small boy didn’t move quick enough as the key was snatch from him at that moment, not even realizing it wasn’t with him anymore, “Looks like the jig’s up buddy,” The masked man stated while pulling down his scarf to reveal a grinning face, “Your plan workedreallywell.”

“I know that! Now hurry up and uncuff yourself!” A high muffled voice sounded from- where it seemed to be coming from- the man’s side pouch. Despite the hastily request, the grinning teen didn’t have time to do as he was told. The man they currently faced didn’t play games when it came to his work: destroying his enemies. With no time wasted, the Command gripped his sword and swung wide, sending a slash of sharp wind towards the now revealed escapees.

Being far enough to react to the attack, the man sloppily flipped over the slice of wind and landed harshly on his butt. No words were spoken as once again, another slash zoomed at the ground, aimed for the head. Rolling over and lunging backward, the scarf man manages to escape another ghastly blow of magic from his opponent, however, doing said action resulted in his helmet being blown away and showing his spiky salmon hair.

The troop leader grimaced at the sight of him and scowled at his own ignorance. He should have figured such a sketchy individual would be hiding such a secret. With his disguise fully blown and his pinky hair revealed, Natsu ruffled his head and tapped his hurt butt.

“Hot Damn! You sure are pretty strong, Big guy.” Natsu exasperated, still grinning madly.

“Silence! You tricked me, and I don’t take well to liers, sc.u.m,” The Commander replied angrily, fixed the gri[ of his sword, “And how can you possibly fight me like that; with those cuffs on, it restricts both your movement and magic!”

“Okay, I see your point, asshole. But, counteraction, what if I can still fight?” Natsu got in a flimsy fighting stance, spreading legs as far as they could go, which wasn’t much. In fact, it was amusing how silly he posed to fight.

“The name is Grenad, and if you can still fight, I’d be humored to watch.” The Commander, now identified as Grenad, cheekily snorted his comment and dropped into his own stance as well.

‘Uhg, his sounds like Jellal’s other name: Gerard. In fact, which one is it? I’ve always called him Jellal, but others call him Gerard so what’s up with that?Anyway, all the reason to deck this guy.’

“Hahaha! I would be too- if you could catch me!”

“What do you mean by that?” Grenad’s puzzled face was for a valid reason. It made no sense as to why he would say such a thing. Obviously, he wasn’t physically fast enough to outrank him, but if not, what could it be? Is speed some type of quirk to his magic? Can he teleport? Move through solid objects?

“Happy, this one’s on you.” Natsu called, getting a small “I know” to follow his statement. It was then that a small ball of blue entered Grenad’s vision and confused him even more. He saw move out of his pack, crawl on his torso and onto his back. But he would let confusion be a barrier between him and his goal of capturing this escapee. Thrusting his foot against the solid ground, Grenad held tightly to his sword and prepared to behead the nuisance before his eyes. Just as he was sprinting, he heard a small voice yell “Triple Max Speed!” but that was no matter to him. Gernad was only meters away at this point and swung his sword at neck breaking speeds to slice his target in half, enveloping the metal in hisWind Magic. Still, though, something bugged him. The fugitive never once moved, even as he was about to get cut, and while the thought entered his mind as he was about to end his opponent, Grenad saw two small wings sprout from the man’s back… then nothing.

Happy happened to activate his magic just in time to move past their opponent’s blade while Natsu finished it off with a heavy accelerated punch that swiftly ended their nearest obstacle. None of the other guards were able to do anything and watched helplessly while a streak flew past them and passed through the gate entrance.

With The Dynamic Duo:

“Aaarrggghhh!” Natsu’s mouth flailed through the air wildly, exposing his teeth and gums in an ugly manner. Right now, Happy navigated their way through the twisting tunnels and winding halls, making amazing sharp turns even at the speed he was going. His teeth were bared tightly as he gripped onto Natsu’s shirt the best he could while he sailed through enemy territory. Then, once he went up one more flight stairs, Happy finally saw a warm colored light and hurriedly approach it.

Blasting by the opening, Happy abruptly halted, expanding his wings horizontally to slow their insane speed. Despite his best efforts, he still only managed to stop about 100 meters away from his initial starting point. The Duo flew high into the sky panting loudly and furiously, scared shitless at how close they were to being ended, right there, right then. If it was just a millisecond too late, their bodies would have been sliced into pieces. How frightening.

Now, because of their high altitude, Natsu and Happy were able to get a decent view of where they were being detained, and to their shock, it seemed to be under a well-developed city. There were tall buildings at every turn and wide roads to allow people to walk through; farmlands and crops sat right outside the city walls and the citizens acted like normal people.

But there were five buildings that caught their attention the most. Four of the five stood separate from each other, each holding what seemed to be equal portions of land and buildings. However, each one along with their different sections, the designs of them were strikingly contrasting compared to each other, as if the owner wanted to express themselves individually. Then, the fifth one, which towered over the others was composed of a mostly black exterior and was made of the same brown and black stones they saw underground. What Natsu and Happy found most unappealing was the fact that this was building they were closest to. This also happened to be the same place the underground prison was held because they exited what looked like the castle’s bas.e.m.e.nt which led to the outside.

“Oh shit. Buddy, we are literally in the heart of the enemy.” Natsu froze wide-eyed at the spectacle. Somehow, there was a thriving civilization here in Hell. How was that possible? This place is entirely uninhabitable, so why does such a thing exist?

“Natsu, you should really try to take off your cuffs now.” Happy offered him the keys from behind Natsu’s back as the fire mage gratefully took it away. Deeply sighing, Natsu unhooked each chain and cuff, dropping them and in the air and watching them fall to the ground. Eventually, once his legs were free, he felt his magic smoothly flow through his body, heat building up in various places of his body. Testing the waters(or fire in this case), he decided to reach out his hand and explode his palms in flames that lit the area around him, “Aye, you have your magic back now. What a relief.”

Natsu grunted in response and looked beneath him toward the city, then looked forward at the walls. Just a few kilometers and they would be free. ‘Happy could clear that distance in minutes. We should head out now before more trouble comes.’ “Happy, let’s get out of here. This place is giving me bad vibes.”

“Aye, I feel it too. That one guy in the black is really scary.” Happy understood exactly what Natsu meant and started to fly toward the closest end of the wall. He didn’t have the magic to go full speed, but could still fly fast enough to escape pretty quickly. Happy looked around at his surrounds and felt chills run up his spine. The city felt sketchy as if it was built by hands of the wretched- which it probably was seeing as they were in Hell. Then, his eyes fell upon his partner’s hand clutching his side, the same place where that woman’s lance struck. It was obvious the wound wasn’t fatal, but if not tended to quickly could cause future problems for them, “Hey, Natsu, maybe we should stop and get some help. There has to be-”

A woosh flew by Natsu’s ear and behind his back. Happy for some reason couldn’t finish his sentence, generating curiosity for Natsu but soon Happy’s pained voice caused Natsu’s head to urgently turn and stare at the pierced and bleeding right wing of Happy. His blue companion felt striking pain rip through his wings causing him to lose control in the air and rapidly descend chaotically through the air.

Although Natsu couldn’t see his face, he knew his best friend was in excruciating pain. Happy’s claws hinged onto Natsu’s back as he knew if he let go now, Natsu would get seriously injured from the fall. ‘All I have to do is give him enough time!’

Shock and fury swelled within Natsu, crashing with his intellect and reason. His sanity was slowly being ripped away by the thought of vengeance and his face wrinkled with anger at the sight of blood running down his shoulder. With time passing and his eyes stuck on Happy’s wing, rage exponentially fueled Natsu’s fire and the people who did this were going to feel his wrath.

As they were right now, Happy soon wouldn’t be able to keep them airborne, so, thinking on his feet, Natsu grasped Happy from his back and cradled him in his arm then blasted his feet full of fire to stay airborne, relieving Happy of his previous duty. Natsu looked down to find the origin of the projectile and saw a regiment of guards running through the city shooting magic and arrows to strike them down. Examining his opponents proved slightly difficult when evading highspeed projectile but Natsu concluded there were significantly more soldiers compared to the number back at the gate. News must have spread that he escaped into the city and the majority of available troops rushed into action.

Then, in the front of the attacking soldiers were the people who attacked him when he first got out the cell. The one broad man with the Warhammer and the Lady with the lance who gave him a stinging wound. Natsu clutched the area softly when looking down toward the two generals, but no fear entered his eyes, only burning fury. But his trance was interrupted when a strong beam of magic connected with his chest and blasted him toward the ground. Everything was moving so fast while Natsu recovered and dodged the projectiles in the air, now flying past multiple fatal blows and using his magic to safely guide him to the ground.

His attackers were relentless, never once letting Natsu get a break he rightly deserved. Furthermore, the lower he went, the less space he had to dodge, seeing as the buildings prevented any sort of wild movement in the air, but somehow made to the dirt ground with minimal damage. The people who were previously occupying the area quickly fled at the sight of action, so Natsu wasted no time to hide Happy behind one of the empty valleys. Once his first task was done, Natsu stepped out the alley and moved on to his next objective: destroying the nuisances who harmed Happy.

Although his determination was rock solid, Natsu still kept an eye on the attacks which bombarded him with magic and arrows. Once he entered the middle of the street, his calves constricted and his feet knocked the ground, exploding him forward with astonishing speed. His position was relatively close to the placement of the soldiers, so to anyone else but the generals, Natsu was just a blur in their vision. The distance was immediately closed by him as he was now approaching his next obstacle. The two generals who stood firmly in front of the rest gripped their weapons respectively and prepared to parry Natsu’s attack.

Their own defense was impeccable, however, they did not think to account for the others under their authority. Just as the opportunity arrived, Ougon and Meralda slashed and crashed their weapons onto the supposed target, but their expectations were with air as they witnessed him jump out of the way once again, into the air and above the troops. They did not get the chance to assess what was happening while Natsu flew in from the air and collided with the ground with a firey boom.

“Flame DragonGod’s Implosion!” The flames of both a Dragon and a god flushed out from Natsu’s body and devastated the surrounding area, melting the ground and scorching the buildings with extreme heat. The attack went far enough to reach the Generals encompassing them in the flurry of black and orange fire. Gusts of wind rushed through creaks and alleys throughout the street and the attack lasted for dozens of seconds before finally subsiding in a flash of light.

Natsu emerged from a pile of ash and soldiers in a pit of slightly molten rock slowly walking out of the smoke that radiated off the entry hole. His eyes looked around at the destruction shortly before gazing upon the slightly burned and tattered Generals who placed their arms and weapons defensively in front of their bodies, crouching as well the reduce the amount of skin exposed.

Their light breathing was clearly heard by Natsu despite the hissing and crackling in the background while he examined their next move. The woman, Meralda, stood up from her crouching position and dusted her clothes before staring intently at the boy standing in the middle of multiple defeated guards. She knew how serious the situation was and the dire state she would be in if she didn’t bring in the pink haired boy but despite all of that Meralda could help but chuckle. The innocent chuckle soon turned into a fit of laughter until she held her stomach to reduce her wild antics.

This came could only draw the attention of her companion, Ougon, “Seriously? Right now Meralda? This isn’t a laughing matter. This boy is more than we expected.” He looked down at the shorter woman as she finally got control of herself.

“I know, Ougon, and you’re lucky he’s yours to keep. This kid may be pretty powerful, but he still can’t match up to us. It’s just so amusing how pissed he is. I mean, look at his face!” Twirling her lance to point discretely toward Natsu, Meralda covered her mouth to stop the oncoming laughter while Ougon sighed and smiled as well.

“I guess you’re right. He is acting tough, isn’t he?” He began to walk forward in the pile of rubble and eventually stood toe to toe with Natsu. Now, that was directly in front of him Natsu got a good look at his stature. The guy stood well over two meters tall, way larger than Elfman or Laxus combined but he still wasn’t a giant- he already met those(although, compared to Natsu’s 5’7″ he practically was. That’s also how tall I am…). His broad shoulders cast a large shadow over Natsu’s smaller, less muscular frame, and even though he was checking this man out up close, his prowess still seemed to escape Natsu’s senses.

‘Usually, I’m able to gauge how strong somebody is by with magic and enhanced senses, but it’s like he’s purposely suppressing his magic for some reason.’

The stare down quickly intensified in the steaming area as both men began to unleash their magic. Natsu’s bright red aura directly contrasted with Ougon’s dark green aura as the said man lifted his heavy hammer in the air and struck down hard on Natsu with the non-pointed tip while he remained still in his spot. A shockwave exploded from their position and blasted through the ground creating more cracks and openings in the dirt. Dust rose up and obscured the scenery while Meralda coughed and waved her hand to clear her air, squinting her eyes to see past the wall of powder.

The view was soon unveiled with a burst of magic from Natsu covered with fire from head to toe and Ougon’s hammer clasped in his hand. His armor blew off his body with only his fireproof clothing remaining, allowing more of his skin to be observed. Ougon found it strange with the slight change in appearance Natsu went through as scale lines littered his body and covered his face along with his nails and teeth being sharpened and elongated. Natsu’s pink hair became more wild and spikier and from what Ougon felt, a shift was happening in his Magic. Only now, it was visible with the red-orange flames that surrounded him before slowly turning pure gold.

“I’m not going to forgive you,” Natsu muttered only for Ougon to hear, “I’ll make you regret crossing me withDragon Force.”

“Huh, let’s see if you can make that happen,” Ougon tugged his Warhammer off from Natsu’s hands and struck the ground with it, “YourDragon Forceis going to be interesting.”

Before he could say another word, Natsu made the first move, “Fire Dragon’s Crushing Fist!”