Fairy Tail - Twilight Empire

Chapter 133 - Digging Deeper

The sky was brought asunder by the rays of scarlet and gold light clashing with the thunderous flames laced with lightning. Clouds evaporated, and buildings quaked and shattered at the mere mention of the combat raging all around the desolate area, wrought down by the now-meager-looking STAR weapon.

Spells, nameless but no less passionate or powerful, collided in midair before they could even be fully completed as both combatants anticipated one another's moves and planned counters far before an attack could land. Neutralized blast after neutralized blast. Fire spun around a vortex of golden light that exploded red, only to collapse in on itself by a swirl of lightning.

Digging deeper, and deeper, into the foundations of the city, threatening to break through below to that rumored graveyard Natsu heard about, but didn't have time to think about at all as Larcade refused to let up, refused to back down, refused to give Natsu an inch to consider what the next best attack would be.

Worst of it all was that this, Natsu knew, was just a warmup for the guy as he flexed his Etherious form, moving at a speed greater than Natsu ever could've known, or thought possible. It was like he'd become light itself, darting around the battlefield and only by his keen senses, awoken by Dragon Force, was he able to properly track Larcade. However, Larcade's innate and trained battle sense, honed after four hundred years of meditation, allowed him incredible amounts of clarity into Natsu's movements and possible attacks.

Larcade spent his entire life under E.N.D.'s shadow and longed for the day to prove himself over the demon. While Natsu trained specifically for the chance to ensure his base spells, those attacking some of his primal needs and urges, weren't going to be a factor, there was something more to this Etheirous form than a power boost. It was like Larcade was somehow feeding off of Natsu; not stealing Natsu's power, necessarily, but perhaps had figured out a way to maintain his magic power, granting his attacks no real cost, as he was given energy from Natsu.

He'd mentioned pride, greed, and sin before, but Natsu couldn't figure out what that meant. If he wanted to get a bit of separation from Larcade, he'd need time to charge a proper attack, and to get that time, he'd need to create space. But Larcade refused.

Even when they weren't up in one another's business, Larcade coated the battlefield in layers of light-based attacks: exploding swords, swirling magic circles that appeared out of nowhere. Always, where Natsu should have been blind, and always, Natsu got out at just the last second as he registered what was going on.

It was the worst cat-and-mouse game Natsu had ever played, but thankfully, he, the mouse, was able to get in a few attacks of his own. Were they effective? Hard to say. Larcade was able to block them, but the sheer force always seemed to get through, somehow, and impact the other Etherious.

Larcade flourished his hands into another new formation, with two magic circles appearing on either side of him while Natsu wheeled more fire and lightning around his arms until it coalesced into a single point with which he could attack. Larcade moved the magic circles to act as a shield that Natsu blasted through, but couldn't hit Larcade. However, the impact of his incredible force meeting the immovable object knocked them both out of the sky and finally to the ground.

Natsu landed on his back but rolled up immediately, swiveling into his offensive stance that most certainly resembled a draconic one, while Larcade landed on both feet. He opened both hands and slammed them together, summoning a mighty red light to both hands. He spread them, a crackling orb of light appearing until it melded with the red light.

"Thank you, Natsu, for all that you have given me," Larcade said. "I see now the extent of your power, and I am, indeed, disappointed. But there was never a world in which you stood a good chance against me in this form. There is but one, and only one, who can surpass the limits of my power, and it is he who created both of us!"