These Blood-Soaked Pages (Fairy Tail) [Book 1 of Reaper's Scythe]

XXIII - END

Sorry in advance if this chapter is a little... gruesome? Well, you'll see.

Anyway, the song is what I was listening to while writing this chapter. I mean, it's by one of my favorite bands and it just happens to be called END... hehe.

DAITE KONO KARADA WO ATATAKUNA NUKUMORI DE
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Natsu's PoV

What do you mean, you can't?! Nen cries.

I mean I can't control it well. If I try burning off the chains, I might hurt you guys. Or bring the entire tower crashing down, but what do I care if a building gets damaged?

Do it anyway! Even if we get a little hurt, it's better than being trapped here! Right?

Nauro grunts.

See? He agrees! Please break everyone out, END-sama!

Alright. I'm all fired up now!

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Outside

Lucy's PoV

The fire is a different color than Natsu's Dragon Slayer magic. Instead of a mix of red, orange, and yellow; these flames are mostly blue, white, and orange. If I remember correctly, that simply means they are hotter.

Actually, I can feel the heat from here.

Everyone watches in stunned silence as the tower starts to melt. Stone drips like candle-wax as the entire structure collapses. It's like when Natsu melted the coliseum in Crocus, but far more intense.

The tower burns for what feels like half an eternity. When the flames finally die out, all that's left is a pile of smoking rubble.

I run over as soon as the fire goes out. "Natsu!"

The others are right on my heels. I try to move some of the stone aside, but it burns my hands badly enough that Wendy has to heal me.

"He'd better not have been crushed, chikusho!"

Zeref looks at me. "Don't worry, Lucy-san. Natsu's alive. I can sense that much." But worry is still written across his face.

Erza requips into her Flame Empress Armor and begins to move aside the large pieces of rubble. It's not long before she finds a hand, covered with burns.

She pulls the person out of the rubble. They're wearing an outfit similar to what the green-haired woman was wearing. But the most noticeable thing is the burns that cover their body. They're most certainly dead.

Suddenly, the rubble shifts away from where Erza is standing. A badly burnt person rises up, clutching a half-melted dagger. I can barely make out that it's the green-haired kidnapper.

"E...N...D..." she growls. "You may... have done me in... but you're going down with me!" She shambles over to a large piece of rock, kicking it aside to reveal an unconscious form - Natsu.

Just as she brings her dagger down to his chest, a scream rends the air. "Don't you dare touch him!" Zeref yells. A concentrated wave of black energy shoots out from him. When it reaches the woman, she immediately freezes. Falls over. And crumbles to ash.