141A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here. Back again with another chapter.
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- He Who Slays Dragons -
Ais and Tiona traveled down to the dungeon at a fast pace. They dashed through multitudes of tunnels of the first floors of the dungeon as they scanned the surroundings of a possible Irregular activity. Once they found nothing of sort, they moved on to the next. Their speed made it easier for the long search as it took a few minutes for them to survey an entire floor.
Even though the Upper Floors aren't that much larger than the Middle or the Lower Floors, the intricate maze-like structure makes it challenging to pinpoint the Irregular presence. There are no signs of any noise that can help them lead towards it. Plus, the possibility of it moving from floor to floor is also a chance which they have to consider to make their search completely fool-proof.
The two stopped for a moment as they observed another section of the floor.
"This one's clear too. On to the next one, Ais." Tiona shouted. Ais nodded in unison as they finished the 9th floor and turned their direction towards the stairs leading to the 10th.
The Loki Familia duo also searched for any signs of survivors or adventurers who might've stumbled unto it but it seemed like they haven't found anyone around their search. Maybe it's because the Irregular usually made a lot of noise that any party, who might've caught a glimpse of it, decided to avoid it or that they may already have encountered it by misfortune and died in the process.
"Man, it looks like this is getting more serious than it should be. It's been a long time since an Irregular has spawned in this part of the dungeon." Tiona said, pondering about the current situation as she ran. "I mean, what are the chances? I guess you really shouldn't underestimate the dungeon at all times."
The Sword Princess merely stared at her direction, the question resonating back to her due to something similar that happened to her in the past.
She recalled her first days when she first tried out her adventure to the dungeon as a young adventurer of the Loki Familia. A young girl that should not be holding a sword at her age was something of an oddity for most people around her but for the ones who witnessed her beginnings as an adventurer, she was nothing like no other. The small child danced with the monsters with her weapon, cutting down that dared to go in her path. In just a year during that time, people became fearful of her.
It was because she wanted nothing but to kill monsters in the dungeon, leaving her almost bloodied every time she returned to the surface. And also the fact that she was the only adventurer who managed to level up from Level 1 to Level 2 in a year.
Leveling up as an adventurer in the Lower World is harder than one would imagine. Some would take years or even longer even with the help of Falna. The criteria for leveling up according to the gods is that one must go on an adventure.
While many would interpret that hint in different ways, Ais' leveling up was nothing more but a numerous slaughter of monsters that accumulated her experience and challenged stronger ones once she had little to improve on her previous ventures.
If a god would consider that as an adventure, then it would make sense that she would have the criteria to level up faster than anyone.
However, for Ais, her adventure was nothing like the ones that would appear in fairy tales. She did not see herself as the person that went on an adventure. Her young self at that time did not have time to delve on those dreams and aspirations. She had forced herself to take up the sword and fought the dungeon.
All for the sake of getting stronger.
It was different from her eyes. She knew that it wasn't anything to be proud of it. Venturing down into the dungeon had always been a dangerous hazard. It was the one side that carried along with fame and glory for all adventurers. A dark and tragic outcome for those that failed to seek theirs. So often that most of them tend to forget just what kind of dangerous occupation being an adventurer is in Orario.
It is a violent world of monsters and traps that will ensnare people to their deaths. And to be honest, the dungeon has no short of creativity of killing unwary adventurers.
Ais had her first impression of it. The brutality of the dungeon's nature towards adventurers. She faced it with her own eyes. The image that made her remember why she was there.
The black beast that haunted her.
She could never forget it. For it was the one reminder that took 'them' away. The one that took them away from her.
And in one incident, the dungeon showed it to her again as if it was mocking and reliving her of her helplessness by creating a spitting image of that monster to her.
Still, she never faltered or broke down.
No, she was already broken at that time. It was probably during that time when she looked at the black beast before they're taken away from her. Something broke inside her and another took its place and grew.
The black flame.
It grew inside her and continued to spread during that incident against an Irregular. She was young at that time but her feelings expressed nothing of an innocent child it had once been but a person who is filled with hatred and spite.
The spitting image of that Irregular reminded her of that monster.
At that point, it was her hatred for the monster that killed the Irregular. It was not an act of bravery or skillful art of swordsmanship that defeated it. No, it was the unrelenting rage that bested the monster.
She was never proud of it even as she grew but it didn't matter to her as a child since she was overwhelmed by the black flame, pushing her to do more.
All that mattered was getting stronger.
It was only by the teachings of Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Loki that made her realize the danger of her path. They would always scold her whenever she would follow it. They never left a single moment of straightening her out whenever she did something stupid. And it did help her a lot of ways. It helped her from recklessly putting herself in danger all the time. No one had the gall the stop her whenever she went down to the dungeon on her own. There's also her friends that she met over the years. The bonds she forged with them slowly changed her as a whole.
However, even though she started to look different from the girl she was back then, the desire for the black flame didn't change.
The obsession keeps pushing her to become stronger.
Stronger than anyone else.
Her thoughts soon finally came to a halt when she heard her fellow familia member calling out to her.
"Ais? Ais? Hello? Earth to Ais, are you there?"
"Tiona. What is it?" She muttered, her thoughts jumbled as her mind tried to stay back to the present.
"We've been searching around this floor and there's still no sign of the Irregular in sight. I was thinking that maybe it made its way to the Middle Floors. This should be the floor where it was seen, right?" Tiona stated.
According to the information they found from the wounded party, the 12th floor should be the last place that the Irregular should be sighted. However, there aren't even signs of it anywhere even after their careful search. If Tiona's assumption was right, it might've headed down to the Middle Floors instead of going up.
"We should still deal with it." Ais proposed, noting that the Irregular still shouldn't be left alone.
"Well, it's not like we're not going in either. We gotta earn back our money from the expedition. This might help our funds a little if we get the quest done." Tiona answered as carefree as she always has.
But before they could proceed, Ais quickly noticed a presence nearby and quickly changed her direction to her left towards a tunnel. Her hand hovering above Desperate as she stared at the approaching figure.
"Wait. Someone is coming." She muttered, earning the Amazoness' attention to shift into slight caution. The visibility of the tunnel from afar was difficult to visualize as the luminosity of the dungeon floor was low.
However, their cautioned gazes fell as soon as they sighted a petite person along with a wounded adventurer over her back.
"H-Hey! Are you alright?!" Tiona shouted and ran towards the limping girl with haste along with Ais.
Meanwhile, the girl was on her last legs after exhausting every strength she had to make it back to the Upper Floors along with the injured adventurer on her back. As soon as she heard voices in front of her already weary eyes, she could only muster a weak attempt to call for help.
"H-Help." Her body soon succumbed to its limits and was about to fall flat to the ground when a pair of slender arms managed to catch her just in time.
The man behind her was set aside by Tiona who proceeds to check his vitals.
"It looked like he suffered some major wounds but he seemed to have some first aid applied to them but he's going to need some further treatment from above if he's gonna survive. What about her?" The Amazoness looked over to the Sword Princess in question who had the struggling supporter at her arms.
Ais quickly scanned the girl's wounds. From scratches and slight cuts from parts of her body and clothes, gave her enough information to determine the girl's struggles.
"She got these injuries from different monsters on the next floor, particularly from Imps. She probably had run into some of them while escaping."
"It's quite a miracle she made it this long. A supporter no less while helping her party member. If we didn't catch her, she might've gotten surrounded by the monsters on this floor too. Still, it looks like something happened that got this party in this state. I don't think a party of two would have a hard time in these parts. Could it be that they're missing someone?" Tiona pondered in worry.
Ais wordlessly nodded in response as she began her treatment to the girl with her little healing magic. However, her attention soon glanced towards the blue-haired supporter who simply reached with her shaking arms towards her.
"P-P-Please help him. Natsu-san." Her voice was weak to Tiona who was attending to the other wounded adventurer but Ais managed to catch on to her plea.
"Natsu?" Ais muttered silently, hearing a foreign name.
"H-He stayed behind to help us… escape that monster. You must help him. P-Please." The girl's cries were soon noticed by Tiona. Ais looked with a serious gaze as soon as she pieced the clues together to understand the current situation.
She gently laid the girl down and glanced towards the direction leading to the next dungeon.
"I'll be going first, Tiona."
"Eh? You serious?"
"Take care of them." With that single statement, the Sword Princess dashed towards the stairs in quick succession, disappearing from the Amazoness' sight in seconds.
"Muoooo! I'm not a healer, you know!" Tiona peeved at the sudden departure of her fellow member, leaving her to the survivors.
…
The 12th Floor that once held its true essence to be a floor of mystery and silence due to the heavy mist and the dullish color that encapsulates its entirety was now being disrupted at the sounds of roaring monsters and shouts that reverberated around as streams of fire and explosions interrupted its majesty.
It was now an arena of two opponents fighting with extreme intensity. Both of them freed from their bounded rules of both monsters and adventurers. It was a fight that captured their will to slay one another in a test of strength, endurance, and stamina.
It is as if they are born rivals to battle on this fated day with no one as their witness except for themselves.
Natsu tossed himself to the side, avoiding rock debris being thrown in his way. His eyes caught wind of the Irregular roaring at him with ferocity. The way it had been doing so far was to sow fear towards its enemies by showing dominance in the form of a roar. A bunch of newbie adventurers would crap themselves on the spot if they witnessed it.
It's why it is such a dangerous monster on the Upper Floors that require parties in its vicinity to take down.
But an Irregular Infant Dragon? A mutated version of the original monster that would almost be in the category as a Monster Rex.
Yeah, no one should make eye-contact with it. Let alone challenge it in a one-on-one fight.
And yet here he was, doing exactly the opposite of what every adventurer should be doing when encountering such a situation that has a very minuscule chance as getting a free food pass from Mama Mia from the Hostess of Fertility.
If there is one silver lining to this dangerous situation is that the adventurer it is facing is fearless. Not to mention his magic seems to affect it. If there are any other monsters on the same level as this, he probably will be at a clear disadvantage. Even so, it's quite a feat to be even standing straight in front of an enemy that has every chance to break all your bones and rip you apart and then eat you alive in the process.
After all, it is still a monster by nature and one of its driving forces is to eat its prey.
Natsu almost forgot about that thought as he continued to face this Irregular on his own. Luckily, his constitution as a fire mage gave him a slight advantage in this battle. Being immune to heat and using them aside from potions as replenishment was a much-needed help on his side.
He shifted his thoughts as he found himself to the wall. He stopped and looked back at the charging Irregular behind him. He turned towards it and waited as the monster got near.
In a few seconds, he took a sprint to the wall, pushing himself upward with enough speed and distance to avoid the massive head charge. The Irregular smashed to the wall, unable to stop its momentum and simply straddled out like a stunned bull.
The pinkette took the chance for this opening and grabbed a shortsword from his back pocket and tried for a slash towards its scaly back as he descended. The weapon made contact with the hide and without even a second, the impact recoiled the adventurer away, earning a grunt afterward.
"Guh…"
He recomposed himself as the sword made a stinging sound after making contact with the scaly hide. He dashed back a few meters away and took a brief look at his weapon.
The tip of the shortsword was chipped hard and a few cracks were seen all the way to the hilt.
It's going to take a few thousand of them to be able to pierce that thick hide.
'I guess it's going back to fists again.' He thought.
It looks like the stabbing-it-with-sharp-tools plan is out of the question.
While he liked the idea, he didn't want to exhaust his magic too early. He had a limited pool of mana and his already sustained injuries that are only mitigated with potions suggested that he doesn't have much room to use this strategy in this situation all the time.
This is not your average dungeon battle where you can go out with a blast. He has no supporter beside him and things to help him fight at full capacity. He only has two recovery potions left to replenish his magic and heal his injuries.
The Irregular dragon seemed wary of his ability to absorb flames which is why it hadn't been using its flaming roar for quite a time and would resort in unrelenting physical attacks and air-pressured roars against him.
On the other hand, the pinkette knew that he could harm it with the use of his magic in his attacks. The only downside is that it's the only thing that could help him fight against it. The scaly hide made it extremely difficult for any weapon he had to pierce through. He had to possess some high-end weapon from an experienced blacksmith to be able to do so.
In this current state, the two are at a stalemate. However, Natsu isn't dumb enough to assume that he can hold out for too long.
He was holding on to the hope that Wendy could come back with some help from adventurers above but that was ruled out after that collapse from the upper floor and the barred entrance to this floor as well.
It's going to take a long while before help arrives at this point.
The Irregular roared once again and launched a massive swing from its huge claw towards the pinkette.
Natsu dived forward as the position he was previously in kicked up a huge crunch of debris and dust. Coming down from below its exposed belly where it has little protection, he took the chance as he surrounded himself in flames.
He conjured another spell as he concentrated his magic onto his head and feet.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
In a stunning fashion, he propelled himself at high speed as he used his head to slam against the dragon's belly. With such force, the Irregular made a gnarly roar in response to the pain it received from the blow. The attack also forced it to land on its back as the pinkette overwhelmed its weight and managed to push it.
Still, it was quick to get back on its footing.
The Irregular growled, lifting its tail once more and coiled around a group of monsters from its vicinity. It grabbed several monsters and started lobbing them towards him.
"YOU KIDDING ME?! THAT'S NOT FAIR!"
This was the first time he saw a monster using other monsters as projectiles. How does he suppose to react to that?
"Kh―screw it!" He cursed under his breath as he dodged the flung monsters in his way. Orcs with their large bodies and Hard Armored with their hard skin were dangerous enough to put him out of commission if he were to get hit.
He made his run to the side as the Irregular took another bunch of monsters from its tail and flung it straight to his position. The pinkette poured magic into his feet as he dashed away from the rain of monsters. A few seconds, he landed to the side of a tall rock formation and used it as a platform where he dug his feet and poured a burst of flames underneath to propel himself towards the Irregular. The rock cracked under the intense force as he leaped forward to meet the monster.
With such speed, he closed the distance he had with it and flared his right fist.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He shouted as he swung his fist against its head, slamming it hard enough as it recoiled back and stumbled once more.
However, in the last second, the Irregular somehow regained itself almost immediately, leaving only a fraction of a second of opportunity for the pinkette to mount an attack. It simply returned with a sound-piercing roar towards the adventurer to which he simply raised his arms in his face to guard himself against the intense shockwave sent his way.
The roar caused him to lose his footing in the process and was sent skidding a few meters away from where he was standing.
As soon as the roar died down, the ground patch was turned into a broken mess of rubble and debris. The air pressure generated by the roar was enough to tear a few inches of ground and would deal a lot of damage if caught by it.
The dust settled around the adventurer as he stood there unyielding with his arms raised, coupled with huge scratches due to the attack just now.
Natsu felt his ears ring from the shockwave. Still, he was standing and kicking. A wicked grin was plastered on his face as he turned his eyes towards the Irregular. Despite surviving that almost death-like attack, he never seemed to feel fear from it at all. In fact, he was more invigorated to take on this monster.
He didn't know why but it felt like he was drawn to this fight. No matter how much his instincts advised him to avoid these kinds of situations. This Irregular seemed to be fixated so much towards him as well. So much that he could feel its bloodlust and anger. Whether he realized that it was coming from his nature as its natural enemy, both of them are locked in their fight.
His battered fists balled in response. His body reacted almost immediately to its battle sense. His magic flared once more as flames surrounded his body, resonating with his feelings as they burst out wildly. In the face of fighting for his life, he could not find the feeling of fear as his words called him to continue fighting.
"I'M ALL FIRED UP!"
The two combatants clashed once again in unison as the Irregular charged using its head while the pinkette sprinted with his right flame fist.
"Come get some, you big bastard!"
Natsu jumped just before a few meters between the monster and descended to smash his own flame-clad fist against its head. The attack produced another blast around them as the monster was sent eating the ground.
With it being disoriented for a moment, he took the opportunity to climb up from its body and turned towards its eyes. With a knife in his pocket, he dashed onto its left eye and quickly buried it inside its socket. A splash of blood erupted for a moment but not before a sound-piercing shriek followed soon after as the Irregular roared in pain.
He wanted it completely blind so he tried to go for the next eye. Unfortunately, the monster shook him off from its head before he could do anything. Landing a few meters, the pinkette regained his footing.
ROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR!
The Irregular let out another shrieking roar. It was unlike its usual cry as it was loud enough to shake the entire dungeon around them.
Natsu could only cover his ears in response as the dragon continued roaring furiously. Seconds after, it died down. The dragon looked over to the adventurer with its remaining eye which had now started to glow red The stabbed eye bled down as trails of blood fell to the ground yet somehow, it didn't seem unperturbed by the pain.
It must be going berserk.
One of the rare traits of an Infant Dragon is when enraged, it lets out a cry that causes it to be more aggressive and dangerous. It is seen when it is threatened to its knees or approaches near-death.
Parties are usually tasked to bring it down before it could run amok which is why it is a rare sight to happen. With him alone, there is no way for him to subdue the monster on his own quickly.
Nevertheless, Natsu braced himself as the monster resumed its attack on him. His focus concentrated as the monster opened its mouth.
His eyes suddenly widened in shock as he tried leaning himself to the left, barely missing a pressurized vortex of air though it still managed to graze on his right shoulder. It tore a piece of his cloth in the same area as it had hit him.
"What the―" He couldn't react at the speed of that attack as he was forced to reposition himself as two more consecutive massive air-pressured attacks were sent towards him.
It was much faster than before.
The dragon continued firing from its mouth from the distance as if it shooting like a cannon. It followed the pinkette who dodged them at the with all his might to avoid getting hit.
One attack somehow managed to connect as Natsu felt pain from his chest despite having it blocked with his arms. He was sent flying a few meters away though he managed to regain himself from it as he downed another potion and healed him in the process.
"How about this?!"
In response, he planted his feet firmly and took a handful amount of air into his lungs as flames began billowing from his stomach.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A huge stream of fire exploded and went straight towards the Irregular.
The dragon simply planted its stance as it sat in all fours with its head facing the roar. In response, it opened its mouth to release a roar of its own.
The fire wave was quickly dispelled and caused another dust cloud between them. Despite its ferocity, it wasn't enough to overpower the monster roar.
However, it wasn't the pinkette's intention to fight on equal grounds with the monster.
As both roars dissipated, Natsu dashed from the smokescreen, closing on the unsuspecting dragon with a knife in his hand imbued with his flame. He approached its exposed neck as he raised his arms forward. The weapon pierced through thick flesh, causing it to reel back from the attack. The pain generated from the attack got it riled up more than ever.
Natsu gritted his teeth as he saw the weapon only managed to dig a few centimeters of its skin. He expected it to cut all the way through the back due to the speed of his attack. Even so, the Irregular seemed to have sustained damage from it. Judging from his first attempt at using it without his magic, this one had a different effect.
It quickly penetrated through its armored hide without so much of a problem. He always thought that his magic was effective against it but he could extend its effectiveness by channeling it to weapons.
However, his thoughts were interrupted as the Irregular smacked him away, leaving the knife from his hands in the process.
He crashed a few meters short, unable to recover this time. His eyes turned towards the dragon who is now about to do something.
Its wings, which had been kept from its back ever since its birth, now began to open. The dragon was attempting to fly. With just a few flaps, it managed to get to the air in just a few seconds. It hovered just a couple of meters from the ground, eliminating any possible means for any kind of attack.
Its sights looked down on the adventurer and roared in defiance as it tried to finish off its opponent from the skies.
Natsu would have no advantage against it. He was supposed to have his finishing chance on that last charge but it was not enough to down the beast before him. He already used his last potion and his weapon. His body was in tatters from the fight.
It seems that it had enough of playing around.
In a few seconds, it made a sudden dive towards him, leaving him no time to think about anything else but dodge the deadly descent.
He ducked just in time as the dragon dove before rising again into the air. A swarm of violent wind blades was left in its wake. He looked behind and saw some of the rock formations sliced cleanly. At that time, he knew that he couldn't afford himself to be caught by the gale. The huge and wide frame of its wings along with the air was enough to serve as a weapon to any opponent.
The strong gale emitted gives it enough time to confuse its attackers and catch off their guard as it prepares for another attack.
The Irregular did just that as it made another turn as it dove down towards the pinkette without a second to recompose himself.
Natsu saw this and immediately braced himself as the Irregular closed on him. He raised his arms as the dragon flew down on him in a desperate effort to protect himself. His arms made contact with the dragon's wings, causing a powerful shockwave.
"GUuuuaaaaaaAAA-!" A pained scream escaped his lips as he found himself unable to withstand the attack. The wind generated in its wings further amplified its attack as he easily lost his footing and crashed within a few meters away.
He ignored the numbing pain from his hands and quickly got up to his feet. His eyes tracked the hovering dragon making another pass towards him.
"Damn, is this guy not letting up?!" He wiped a streak of blood coming out from his mouth. His tone of voice contained nothing but discontentment at the current situation.
He can't afford to take any more hard hits or the wounds would take a toll on him and fall unconscious. He was out of potions and weapons and his enemy is at a range where he can't reach him. He needed a way to lure it close to him if he's going to be able to attack him with his magic.
The pinkette watched as the dragon moved into another nosedive towards him. An idea popped as soon as he observed its attack pattern. A smile curled its way onto his lips as he prepared himself to face the beast once more.
"Alright let's try this one."
The Irregular came down on him once again with its massive flaps ready to sweep him off. The adventurer quickly got up to his feet and poured magic as the flames thrust him up in the air to avoid the nosedive. However, the dragon merely circled as it rose again. This time, it had its snout open. It didn't think about killing the adventurer and simply went on eating him instead.
Natsu prepared himself as he stared at the approaching beast. Just a few meters between them, he raised his left hand on his side and released an exploding burst of fire that pushed his body to the side. The dragon bit nothing but the air as he slipped to the side but not before he flared his right fist and connected it straight onto its jaw.
A loud blast echoed around the floor as the blow rocked the monster. It crashed down to the ground just a few meters away from the adventurer.
Natsu landed safely and looked over to the downed monster. The heavy breaths now became more evident as the overuse of his magic was already reach its limit. Prolonging the fight was no longer a winning strategy for him at this point. He expected that the attack would at least knock out the beast even if it didn't manage to kill it.
However, his assumptions were erased as the flaps emerged from the crash, indicating that the attack didn't knock the dragon out cold.
The dragon slowly emerged from the wreckage, turning its berserk-ridden eye towards him. This time, it didn't need to fly as it noticed him becoming more tired than before. Instead, it stood there and roared in defiance with its wings flapped wide behind it to show dominance.
"Good grief, you really are one tough bastard…"
Natsu felt its call and for a moment, he thought about collapsing to his knees to accept his defeat. After all, he came this far and held out for as long as he could. There's no help to be heard around here even after this long. The injuries he sustained during their fight caught up to him and the effects of the potions began to wear off. In these conditions, it was already impossible for him to continue further.
He heard stories from other adventurers from time to time that this kind of situation happened to those who were unfortunate. Those who witnessed the dungeon's unwelcoming brutality from which the likes never saw before.
This whole ordeal was an example of that. This Irregular monster that was almost the same as a Monster Rex was something only the dungeon was capable of making. He was faced with such an overwhelming adversary. For someone like him, it was close to impossible to win against it. He and Wendy, unfortunately, seemed to have drawn the short end of the stick in all of this though it seemed he was somehow glad he got it all to himself and not Wendy.
He couldn't handle the thought of feeling helpless along with the girl. After all, he didn't want her to lose herself in despair in this kind of situation.
But… if this was to be his end of the line, he wondered about what Hestia would feel.
She would feel incredibly sad. He had broken their promise if that's the case.
And Igneel? What would he feel?
He would probably be ashamed of him for kicking the dust just like that. He is that kind of a parent after all.
Even after all the confidence that he built earlier, it looks like it wasn't enough, seeing that he was reduced to this state.
He didn't get strong enough.
Even so, at least he tried, right? That's the most redeeming thing that people would find if he died here, right? People would speak of his struggle against an opponent that would be impossible to defeat for a Level 1 like him.
They would speak of his act for at least trying to fight against his fate. That he didn't go down without a fight.
I'm sure that he would be remembered as an inspiration for those people trying to overcome their obstacles.
NO.
He didn't want that.
He didn't want to be remembered like that. He didn't want to be regarded as someone unfortunate. He didn't want them to remember him as a figure who would inspire them. He didn't care what people would view of him.
And most of all, he didn't want to leave anyone.
There's yet to be more adventures he wanted to go with Wendy. More friends he would meet along the way, more lessons he wanted to learn from Eina, and more days he wanted to enjoy along with Hestia.
He refused to accept this to be his last adventure. After all, he wanted to fight stronger opponents like the Sword Princess. Even other high-ranking adventurers as well despite how suicidal as it looked. But he would train more and more and fight them again until he could beat them.
He wanted to show the world the familia that he and Hestia created.
He wanted it to climb higher.
He wanted more…
There are so many more things… to do.
That is why.
He will not stop here.
Regardless of anyone, he will keep moving forward.
This is not just a fight to beat this monster. He is fighting to protect his future. The things he will yet to encounter, he will fight for them.
"Not yet."
That's right.
"I can't go down just yet. After all, there's a place above that I want to return to." He muttered.
Just a little more.
"And also… There's someone waiting for me. I can't make her wait for me for too long."
That is why―
"I'll keep going!"
He stood defiantly once more. His strained body refusing to go down. The symbols of his Falna from his goddess continued glowing in bright yellow in response to his feelings. The skill activated once more to heed his call, casting the remaining flames around his very figure.
However, the flames this time were different from usual. It had a golden-yellow hue much unlike its usual reddish color. The heat intensified and the light from the pinkette became brighter and. The flames also grew bigger as it slowly changed the temperature around it.
The Flames of Emotion skill was continuously strengthening it. To the point that the flames' brightness was clearing away the low visibility of the mist surrounding it.
At that moment, the stage was clear for both of them as the Irregular reacted to the bright flame in front of it. The majestic flame was for all denizens to see as they all looked in unison to its direction, in fear, and awe despite their monstrous variety.
The dragon had enough of seeing the rising flame and simply began to move in its stance to charge head-on.
Natsu noticed this and simply muttered under his breath.
"It looks like you're trying to finish this fight, huh?"
He pulled himself up from his feet as the remaining power he had began collecting into his hands. Golden flames danced around his body once more as he clad himself in a fiery fire while the Irregular surrounded itself with the wind.
"...What a coincidence, I was thinking the same thing! It's time we end this, monster!" He shouted, pouring every last bit of magical energy.
It's now or never.
A final standoff between them.
Natsu momentarily closed his eyes as the words of his father reemerged inside his mind.
Have faith in your own power, Natsu. For I, Igneel will always be with you.
That's right. The very same words that encouraged him to believe in himself and his power.
The power to overcome his adversaries. Even in the face of hopelessness, he must not lose his faith in it. After all, it is one of the things that he and his father can only show pride of.
He must not show disgrace, for it is the one thing that makes him proud of it. For being the kind of person he is, this is a symbol that he must not put to shame. For all its glory, he will continue to show it and never tarnish its reputation.
"Dragonslayer's Secret Art: Crimson Lotus―"
The dragon charged towards him at full speed, roaring as it rampaged and approached him in mere seconds.
Natsu opened his eyes, his once black onyx orbs now replaced with crimson shade. The surrounding flames clad themselves around his body, gathering around his arms as he spun them around. His voice calling out the final spell.
"―Exploding Flame Blade!"
Massive torrent of flames erupted within his hands as it condensed into tiny miniature explosions that were sent towards the dragon. The monster. having no idea of what's coming, continued in its charge, and was engulfed in the sea of fire.
The final clash ended between them as both sides were soon enveloped in a flash of light. The dungeon floor itself also succumbed to this phenomenon and then its silence returned.
…
Ais was always fond of stories.
From the time she was still a child, she would often hear and read stories from her mother about them; she would read it to her from the books in front of her, telling her of the great tales of old. Tales of heroes, legends, and perhaps even events that inspired multiple people and had left their mark on history.
Whether its legitimacy was validated is of no importance to her. As a child, she was always fascinated by them. Heroic feats of people who managed to turn the tides of conflict from their adversaries.
She was fond of them.
Even going as far as that she loved those stories. And she never lost her attachment in it as she grew up.
The scene before her reminded of one particular story.
It was a tale of a man who went on his quest to slay the evil dragon and save the world. The journey of this story is not met with roses and easy shortcuts. It was a bittersweet one. It is a journey full of strife and anguish. A story of the man who would go on different trials to gather the weapons to defeat the dragon. Tragedy and sorrow would come along on this man but so does hope and unwavering spirit.
She remembered it well about how that man would encounter many things in his life during his quest. And all the companions that followed before him until the day of the final battle.
He would lose some of his comrades and sometimes would be alone on his own. He would struggle but he would always continue forward.
Never losing himself to his hopelessness.
His spirit was his strongest trait aside from the weapons in that story. And it was the reason why she loved that particular story. Because that hero never gave up. He never turned his back on his destiny and even in the face of despair, he would find hope and rekindled his desire to overcome them.
It was his undying will to move forward that moved her.
She would watch further as the lone adventurer trudged his way towards the slain monster and finally delivered the finishing blow with the knife stuck on the monster's neck.
It was almost similar to that story.
The sight of the pinkette standing proudly on his victory against his mighty and sworn enemy was reminiscent of that last page of that story. It is as if she was looking at the same story that she read a long time ago.
The falling light particles around the dungeon floor added a surreal feeling to that scene. It was the aftermath of their final clash. The silence to which that followed feels as if it was a sign of a story drawing to a close.
She witnessed it firsthand. She was there. And she could only stand there speechless as the fight came to its conclusion.
She could've intervened between their fight early on but she didn't. Something in her told her to watch and observe.
To see this story through.
And she was enamored. She felt her heart tug at the slightest of its cold self. She always thought that she could not feel anything anymore after having herself consumed by the black flame. It was different from the feelings she had with her familia.
The golden flame that resonated within that dungeon. While it did not bear witness to people, she was able to see it for herself. It was a beautiful flame. A complete opposite of her black flame that burned inside her heart.
Flames are both a curse and a blessing to oneself. Ais would imagine hers and the golden flame to be similar in that aspect. Both started as a little ember but had different ways of attaining their splendor.
But there's one thing that makes hers different from the golden flame.
Its warmth.
It was not a flame that torched everything. It was a flame that provided comfort.
That warmth gave her a feeling of security from the black flame raging inside her.
It was a feeling that she lost from herself.
That innocent, happy, and comfortable feeling that she thought that was gone after taking up the sword. The one that she valued the most as it reminded of herself when she was still with her mother. Those times that gave her a life full hope and happiness before that incident.
This adventurer gave it back to her. It made her remember once again.
The flame that reminded one of family.
The flame that captures the spirit of all adventurers.
That bright golden flame of hope.
She felt her chest soothe as the black flame smoldering inside her vanish.
The black flame was no more.
She would never forget this battle. She would continue to remind it from her battles and to the next. In every struggle she would face, she will remember it.
Her lips curled to a smile as she would whisper the name of the man that she would remember all her life.
"Natsu."
…
A/N: And there you have it. Apologies for the other stories that needed to be updated than this. I have written and made progress with the other chapters over the past few days but this one had my motivation the most so this was the recent update. Rest assured, I'll be returning to them once I finished my 'farming' next week.
Anyways, what do you think of this chapter? It would make a great deal for me to hear your opinions so I can improve them as time passes.
That's about it. I'll see y'all in the next chapter!
- The wiErDos send their regards...
