"Is that all of them? That was too easy… Our journey from Magnolia to here was more difficult." Happy munched on some fish, as he watched Natsu beat the living daylights of the only drake who was still conscious.
The creature roared in pain, trying to lash out at the dragon slayer who was effortlessly dodging its attacks. Its anger didn't really help, which created an opening for the young man to exploit.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
ROARRR!
A clean hit to the chin stunned the beast, as it tried to hold on for dear life. Its blazing crimson eyes stared at the pink-haired young man who was standing there, as if he was waiting for it to slumber.
After a few moments, the drake finally fell. Knocked out cold due to the injuries all over its body. Natsu scanned the area, displaying some from the nest who were sprawled on the ground.
"Scaring them seems to be fine, since those who woke up flew away." He remarked, while stretching his muscles. The result was obvious from the get-go, considering he was a potential S-Class Mage.
This was merely a warm up for him, because of most of these beings were only A-Class in strength. However, fighting extreme heavyweights like Jellal, Laxus, or Zero improved his magic power to new heights. It was no surprise that he didn't find this quest challenging.
"You're not wrong." Happy arrived beside him, "But we still need to make sure that we also got the leader of the pack. They might come back for revenge if isn't defeated."
"The leader?" Natsu squinted his eyes as he observed the unconscious drakes one by one. Red body, scales, wings, and tail… He hummed in thought, trying to analyze their features. Well, thinking really hard was beyond his mental capabilities, so he felt dizzy from the mumbo-jumbo.
"Eh, they all look the same anyway. I'm sure its somewhere within the pack." The pink-haired young man nodded sagely, proudly displaying his mild intelligence.
Even the Exceed couldn't retort, since the pack was full of red. Size differences were a no-go, as most have similar builds. "It has to be the strongest one. Was there a drake that lasted longer than most?" Happy also tried to help search for a unique presence.
Natsu shook his head, "Nah. All of them went down after a few dodges and two to three hits." The dragon slayer actually expected more, considering that these creatures were a type of variant descended from dragons themselves.
Either his fire was that strong, or the pack was too weak. Well, the strong part checks out, as the cave and terrain around them were destroyed thank to yours truly. Heck, he was surprisingly in control of his destructive impulses this time. Which is weird, because such a personal feat didn't include any type of human structure…
Celebrating was out of the question.
"We're done, then. I can't wait to go back to the guild!" Happy sighed in relief, remembering the pain of literally just locating this place. It wasn't a great experience to see his partner consistently vomit during that three day road trip.
"Wanna walk on the way home?" Natsu hopefully asked.
"Are you seriously asking that, Natsu? My wings will literally fall off from exhaustion…" The blue cat glanced at him like he was insane. "Don't rope me in to your motion sickness problem! Convenience is an important factor in this world."
The pink-haired young man pursued his lips, "Stop saying complicated words! What's wrong with wanting to avoid those scary rides anyway!?" He huffed, as the blue cat responded in an annoyed hum.
"Hm?"
But before they could continue to bicker, Natsu sensed a sudden presence that quickly zoomed towards their direction. It was fast and strong, strong enough for him to take it seriously. Without warning, he protectively hugged Happy on his chest, jumping to avoid the blow in time.
BOOOOM!
Like a meteor that descended from the sky, huge cracks deformed the already destroyed nest into even more pieces. Dust clouds filled the area, as heat that felt like a boiling furnace engulfed the duo.
"Happy, get away from here! This type of heat might actually burn you alive!" He solemnly stated, activating his magic on instinct.
Natsu tensed at the new arrival as the dust settled. A pair of orange glowing orbs directed its focus on him, making him experience a familiar sensation like his previous encounters.
Encounters that pushed him to the limit, the looming threat of death.
Once the smoke has cleared, a bigger version of a drake appeared before the duo's eyes. Its color a mix of orange and red, while its scales glittered like impenetrable armor. Its claws dragged firmly on the ground, creating big gashes comparable to the sharpest of swords.
The creature glanced around the nest, observing the state of its fellow members. It growled in anger, followed by a spine-chilling roar that intimidated all livings beings within the vicinity. Trees were uprooted, as the force of the wind topple everything.
Natsu crossed his arms, trying to guard against such pressure. But he was still flung back towards a bunch of fallen trees. He coughed as he attempted to recover afterwards, his vision blurring due to it.
"Dodge, Natsu! Its dashing madly towards you!" He heard his partner's cries, instinctively responding as he felt the looming shadow getting closer. He jumped sideways, as another explosion of power rang loudly in his ears.
The dragon slayer recovered by boosting himself with his feet, while a burst of fire manifested on his right elbow. He clenched his fist, pouring all of his strength to damage the beast.
"Fire Dragon's Elbow!"
His attack made contact with its face, but it wasn't fazed in the slightest. Its eyes stared at Natsu with disdain, as if the force of it was a mosquito bite. Natsu felt his hair stand on end under such a gaze, desperately following up with another spell in his arsenal
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" He released a breath attack on its visage, as he retreated from the drake's face by stepping on it. Natsu screamed as he charged, empowering his fists with flames. He was ready to fight it until the end.
"Bring it on, pal! I'm all fired up!" The creature narrowed its eyes while easily enduring Natsu's roaring spell. It simply waited for his next moves, eager to punish the human who dared to invade its territory.
Once Natsu arrived near it, the drake lifted up its claws again for its next strike. Seeing this, the dragon slayer cocked his fist back, diving headfirst into its range. Recklessly powering up in an attempt to match it.
As soon as the claws targeted him, Natsu naively assumed that he could take the hit. But the moment he clashed with it, a sharp pain from his fist unconsciously made him tilt the angle of his posture.
That still didn't help, as one of its nails sliced open a wound on his right arm. Natsu screamed in pain, disrupting the momentum of his attack. The drake noticed this opening, and with an unexpected speed not matching its size, it spun around to whip its tail, perfectly hitting Natsu on his stomach.
Natsu gritted his teeth, doing his best to stay awake. He was flung back again with even more force this time, landing on a boulder while coughing up a mouthful. He held his arm that was dripping with blood, while he also endured unimaginable pain that stemmed from his chest.
"I definitely heard a few cracks…" He muttered, admiring the sky for a few seconds. Then, he noticed that a stream of fire was heading towards his way. Natsu slowly grinned at that, as it landed directly on him.
BOOM!
The drake calmly gazed at the burning human, or what it expected to see after being engulfed by its fire. It had a simple thought process, guessing that the pink-haired young man perished. It was so confident that it glanced at the floating blue cat watching from the sky.
Changing targets after finishing one of them is common sense, yet it had no knowledge about the complexities of magic… The beast was ready for the next hunt, but froze because it detected movement from the supposed dead human.
"Thanks for the meal, buddy. Your fire isn't bad to say the least." His mischievous voice echoed throughout the fire, as it was smoothly being absorbed by the dragon slayer. Once Natsu was done, he burped in satisfaction.
He bumped his fist with his palm after he recovered. "Time for round two! Come at me, you sneaky drake!" Displaying an excited smile. He actually felt a bit stronger after eating the flames, wondering if this drake was special in a way.
The beast was profoundly startled and confused as it looked at the human who somehow ate its flames. Although it didn't expect such a scenario, it composed itself quickly. Since fire was useless, it will slice this impudent human with its claws.
Natsu opted for the same strategy, which was to… charge head-on.
"Don't just recklessly rush in again! Your flames didn't work on it, remember!?" Happy shouted as his eyes widened.
"Ah, you're right!" Natsu replied in realization, stopping as he backed away. "But it's the same with this guy, so I only need to avoid his attacks!" He looked at the drake that had its claws facing him, narrowly sidestepping as he rolled away from the strike. Smoke and debris filled both the combatants vision, waiting for it to clear.
"That might be the case, but I don't think your physical might can compete with it!" The Exceed remarked with concern.
He paused as he knew Happy was right on the money. But before he could think of a strategy, the creature's wide maw covered his entire sight, intending to bite him to death.
Natsu blocked by instincts alone, holding up the top of the beast's mouth, while planting his right foot on the bottom side. Even though he successfully guarded against it, the drake pushed him back easily. It dragged him across the forest, as they went further and further from the nest.
"Damn… it." The dragon slayer used up every drop of his strength to resist. Grinding his teeth as veins appeared on his arms and face. They smashed through dozens of trees, as marks of their feet formed a trail.
"Get. Away. From. ME!!" He suddenly boosted both of his feet, as he went over the beast's bite by supporting himself using hands, landing atop its nose. Natsu crawled towards the back of the beast, as it tried to shake him off.
The drake roared in anger, not amused at the human who was on its being. It shook its body, smashed against large boulders and more trees. But Natsu made sure to not let go, even with his injuries piling up again.
"I can't do anything against this drake that feels like shitty iron! Did Gajeel spawn this thing out of his ass!?" He was lost within his own world, attempting to formulate ideas to knock this drake's teeth out.
Now that I think about it, this familiar heavy magic pressure… it's definitely as strong as his. Natsu remembered that crazy multiple personality wizard from Oracion Seis. Specifically, the more dangerous side of Brain: Their Guild Master, Zero.
Defeating him was beyond difficult, and it took the support of Jellal's golden flames that was created through the sins he's committed, which enabled him to go into that state. What did that Zero guy name it? Dragon Force? How the hell do I do that again? Do I just imagine Igneel in my head like that time for it to work?? Natsu's head was swamped with too many questions.
ROARRRR!
"Ahh, be quiet! Let me think for a while, you noisy bastard!" He scolded the beast who was thrashing around, still attempting to throw him off. His hands were like steel clamps that would never let go, although his tendency to be careless was indeed something, because pondering while a ravenous drake is trying to kill you is not normal.
Igneel… appear. Igneel, appear. APPEAR. C'mon imagination! Why the hell isn't it working!? The dragon slayer was now simply confused, wondering if he missed some steps.
"Focus, Natsu! You're literally being carried like a ragdoll from up here! Clinging on the drake like that isn't a bright idea, you know!" Happy remarked in worry as he witnessed the carnage below.
"Not helping, Happy! I've got an idea already, it's just not working for some reason!" Natsu closed his eyes, as if it could boost his thinking. However, it seems like a miracle occurred in that brain of his, managing to point towards the correct answer.
"Those flames I've eaten from Jellal…" He muttered in understanding. After finally figuring it out, he tried to search for that brilliant spark again. Although Natsu couldn't exactly see it, he knew that these flames were within him somewhere.
Concentrate.
Concentrate..
Concentrate…
He clenched his hands even more on the creature's back, as he slowly manifested a golden flame that incinerated Zero's magic into ash. A golden flame that bore the sins of that man who made Erza cry.
It was now his golden flame.
Natsu grinned, opening his eyes as he fully covered himself in flames that effortlessly took down a Dark Guild Master of the Baram Alliance. And like a power keg that was ready to explode, he circulated its firepower into his fingers. Then, he whispered a spell that felt like a dragon's sigh.
"Fire Dragon's Grip Strike."
BOOMMMMM!
An explosion from an ocean's worth of flames descended onto the drake's back, making it wail in agony. Streams of it caused chaos to the surroundings, even burning the heat emitted by the drake itself.
Natsu leaped upwards following his attack, still covered in that golden hue. After gaining a certain altitude, he glanced at the drake below that was going insane from the pain. Golden flames appeared under the soles of his sandals, as he braced himself for impact.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Only a sonic boom sounded throughout the air, as he mustered speed that was comparable to Jellal's Meteor Spell. The pitiful beast sensed the incoming attack due to the intimidating pressure coming from those flames.
But the dragon slayer didn't give it any window to react, as he hit the drake cleanly on its back again. Another explosion occurred, and it was with even more force this time. The force of it drowned a helpless dying scream.
Everything around the fire mage and beast was simply gone, creating a crater that was fifty-meters in diameter. A big dust cloud covered the entire area, while Happy shielded his eyes from the aftermath. He could only watch in awe as Natsu transformed into an unrivaled flame of destruction.
Countless cracks spread out further into the distance, as this section of the forest was wiped clean. Only desolation remained, along with golden flames that looked harmless yet deadly.
After a few more moments, the smoke cleared. Showing a dragon slayer panting as he stood atop the motionless drake. His sleeveless black waistcoat was gone, as only his scarf and trousers remained.
The orange dye of the late afternoon shined on him, making it a beautiful sight that can make for a story illustration. Natsu had no energy after all of that, as he looked at Happy who descended.
The Exceed was still speechless, but noticed his friend's trademark smile. The pink-haired young man made a thumbs-up, chuckling as if he didn't went on a rampage. Injuries covered his entire profile, yet it didn't faze him one bit.
"Whatcha ya think, Happy? Neat, right?"
"Heh… You're amazing, Natsu."
"You betcha! I'm hungry after doing all that."
The duo bantered under the setting sun, completing the quest in a grand fashion.