Chapter 10: Hunter and Prey

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail

"Sir, what are your orders?" a demon asked Sif as they stared down their target from a top a mountain side. While they were ordered to capture their target, the young demon was the last thing Sif was focusing on. The target of his focus was the equally young pinkette standing at his target's side.

He recognized the pink haired boy. Back when he was still human, when he was still Serov, that damn brat was the first person to show him just how weak he was. Just how fragile and delicate his existence. After their encounter, there was nothing more he wanted than to make that boy suffer for what he did.

After being arrested, his anger only grew and became an obsession. That obsession is what led to him escaping his imprisonment while leaving many bodies in his wake. The few followers that managed to follow him were still determined to help him.

What useless idiots they were. All his followers could do were stroke his ego. They couldn't help him get stronger, much less fight the pinkette. At the time, he didn't have any of his gear, he was still missing an arm, and all he had to protect himself was whatever makeshift weapon he could get his hands on. At least his followers could pull off stealing clothes without raising to much suspicion.

He didn't know when or how it happened but at some point, him and his group were captured by demons. Not just any demons but etherious demons that served Tartaros. For weeks, him and his group were experimented on. They were treated as playthings. Most of his followers died horrible agonizing deaths. Their screams and pleadings permeated his mind, for a time at least. A short time that is.

Eventually the experiments showed results. With each passing day Serov could feel himself change. It started off slow but eventually the changes became more apparent. With each day he felt as though he was losing himself, it was like he was becoming something else entirely. Good. He was weak enough as he was. Anything else would be an improvement.

He became stronger, his senses stronger, his physique became more defined. His hair changed from black to white and became wilder in appearance. Though the biggest change came in the form of a new arm. The pain was like nothing he felt before. The pain was far worse than when it was ripped off. The feeling of an arm growing from his stump was indescribable. Damn was the pain worth it. It felt good to have two arms again.

One of the last changes was his name. At no point when he was still human had the demons ever asked what his name was. What would be the point? At any point in the experiments he could've died. The effort in learning his name would have been a waste. What was the point in caring for an expendable guinea pig? The demons gave him his new name once he started showing more prominent changes.

The name didn't have any significance to it. It was just some random name some demon thought up on the spot. Oh well, his old name didn't matter anymore. What's the point in maintaining his old name when he became something else? Something better in his opinion.

In his time with Tartaros, he learned what true power was. The Demon Gates were something beyond what he could imagine. Each one of them could kill him without so much as batting an eyelash if they wanted. Then there was that monster of a master. If the Demon Gates were monsters than Mard Geer was something far worse. He didn't even need to hold their reigns to keep them in line. It was their fear and respect for their master that kept the demon gates in check.

Even being in Mard Geer's presence was terrifying. So long as he did as he was told and didn't say or do anything stupid, he would be fine. Easy enough since the jobs he was given were usually simple and required him doing what he did best, indiscriminately kill everyone in his way. The only difference was that now he had to be a more discreet at times.

And now he has a chance to fulfil his own personal goal while also appeasing his new master. Two birds, one stone.

He could only imagine all the ways that pink haired little shit is going to suffer. He's had months to fantasize about his revenge. The thoughts of that damn child laying on the ground, bleeding as he begs for his life serving to only make this a more pleasant experience. Maybe he'll hand the kid over to the demons that experimented on him. Oh, so many options. How disappointed he would be if the little shit just ups and dies before he has his fun.

"Save the pink haired one for last, capture the demon and kill the rest." Sif ordered, never breaking his gaze from the pinkette. He could tell the others with him are obviously important to the boy. How unfortunate for them.

With the others

"Yes! A total success for our first job!" Sting exclaims happily.

"Yes!" both Rogue and Wendy cheer in unison.

Today was the day that Sting, Rogue, and Wendy took their first job. Ever since they started training together, they knew they worked well together, and their teamwork only grew from there. After Natsu formed a team with Sayla and Mystogan, which they finally agreed on the name Team Fallen Fairy, the younger dragon slayers agreed to form their own team which they named Team Dragon Slayer.

Under the supervision of Natsu, Sayla, and Cana; the three took their first real job. It was nothing special. Their job was to help a doctor by finding important ingredients. With their enhanced senses this job would practically be a cake walk. The only real danger they had to worry about were some forest Vulcans and other wild animals, none of which would be a threat to the three of them.

The younger Dragon Slayers really wanted to bring their exceeds but they stayed back at the guild so they can start training with Panther Lily.

The only reason why Natsu and Sayla were both there was because the younger dragon slayers wanted to show them how much they improved since they started training with them. Mystogan was supposed to be there with them but he was busy with an experiment he was working on. And if Mystogan was working on an experiment then Natsu, Sting, and Rogue wanted to be as far away as possible since they were the masked mage's preferred test subjects. Mystogan would experiment on Wendy too but he couldn't bring himself to subject her to such experiments(tortures). That and the girls from the guild would skin him alive if he so much as harmed a hair on Wendy's innocent little head. The boys were a different story. They would be fine… probably… hopefully…. eventually.

As for Cana, she came along much to Wendy's insistence. Not that the brunette minded, she had a soft spot for the Sky Dragon Slayer. Plus seeing Natsu be all protective over the younger Slayers would give her some good teasing material.

As far as first jobs went, Team Dragon Slayer's job went off the hitch. The ingredients have been found and turned in, they've been paid, and most importantly they didn't cause any unnecessary damage. To anything important at least.

While the others were talking about the job and which one they should take next, Natsu was absent from the conversation. There was just something that was bugging him. Something that's telling him that things are about to go bad.

This went unnoticed by most of their group with Sayla being the only one to take notice. She's been on enough jobs with the pinkette to know when something is bothering him. She knew that his instincts are second to none. If he's expecting trouble, then they need to be ready.

As if justifying Natsu's instincts, three daggers came flying from some nearby bushes. Each one aimed to kill each of the younger three dragon slayers. Each one stopping midair just before they could make contact.

"Fire Fist" Natsu yelled as he launched a pillar of flames towards where the daggers came from. He didn't waste time to process what happened, he trusted Sayla to stop the others from getting hurt.

What bothered him though was the aftermath of his attack. The tree line his attack encountered was burned to ashes. The trees and bushes covering it had evaporated from the heat and the ground beneath it had been charred black. The smell of burning Earth permeated the air. What was troubling Natsu is that he doesn't smell anything else. Whoever threw those daggers managed to avoid his attack without giving away their position.

Standing protectively in front of the others, Natsu and Sayla quickly examined the immediate area to find any immediate threat. This immediately put the demon on edge since this implied that the older slayer didn't know where the threat was.

Seeing the danger, the others got in a defensive position as well. The younger dragon slayers tried to find whatever it was that was threatening them to no avail while Cana kept an eye on the tree line behind them.

'It seems we're up against someone that knows what they're doing,' Natsu thought to himself. He couldn't help but feel conflicted in this situation. On one hand, it's not often that he gets to fight someone that has shown this much skill. On the other hand, the others, minus Sayla, aren't ready for a fight of this caliber yet.

For someone to be able to hide from the pinkette's senses, attack them without Natsu and Sayla being aware of their presence, and effortlessly dodge Natsu's attack without giving away their position means that this person is very capable.

Sayla was on the same line of thought as her pink haired partner. Under normal circumstances, anyone or thing that posed a threat to her would immediately be detected as soon as they come within range of her Macro. Given just how wide her range is, whoever threw that blade had to have done so from quite a distance. That's still not mentioning just how fast the blade was traveling for it to nearly slip by the two more experienced mages unnoticed.

"Sayla, Cana," Natsu said as he readied himself for a fight. His instincts were telling him this was going to be a serious fight. One that he wouldn't be walking away from unscathed if he were to hold back. "Take the others and run" he finished as he focused on the tree line in front of him, shocking those around him.

"What are you saying Natsu?!" Cana asked, being the first to voice her thoughts. If Natsu, someone who jumped at the chance to fight her father knowing he didn't stand a chance of winning, was telling them to run, what were they up against?

"But Natsu!" Sting nearly yelled in frustration. He wasn't the only one feeling that way. Him and the other dragon slayers have spent everyday training not only their magic but their bodies as well. Here they are; a chance to finally show how much they have grown, and they were being told to run.

Before anyone could reply, I figure bolted out of the tree line. a moment, that's all it took for it to be upon them. In that moment its arm was cocked back and ready to strike Cana. Before it could make contact, Natsu was already in front of it, kicking the figure in its mid-section which sent it flying back towards the tree line.

Using the tree to stop its momentum, the figure took a second to prepare to attack again. In that second it gave everyone a visual of what they were up against. If someone wasn't paying attention, the figure could almost pass for human. Almost. The figures appendages looked mismatched, almost as if someone had removed its original limbs and replaced it. Its appendages were discolored from the rest of the body and contorted in ways that aren't natural. The face was a confusing enigma. It looked as though it was in pain, yet the eyes were completely devoid of any emotion. Even the eyes seemed wrong. They had a feral look in them/

What ever this creature is, it isn't human. At least, not anymore.

As soon as the moment came for it to recompose itself, the figure had launched itself towards the group once again, ready to strike them down.

Not giving the figure a chance to do what it wants, Natsu punches in the figure in its midsection with enough force to send the creature flying back to the edge of the tree line once again.

Without missing a beat, the creature recovered almost immediately and prepared to launch itself back at the group. However, as soon as it readied itself, the creature was suddenly impaled by multiple branches. Hitting the ground with a meaty smack, the group of mages had a variety of thoughts going through their heads. Natsu and Sayla were trying search their immediate surrounds searching for other threats.

The others, in their own state of shock were trying to figure out what was happening. None of them had seen the creature that had attacked them. If it wasn't for Natsu and Sayla, one of them would have seriously injured if they were lucky.

"It's good to see that your still so fast," exclaimed person as they came out from behind the tree line. flanking either side of the person was a group of people all of which were grinning at the group of younger mages. "None of us would want our revenge to come too easily." The glare he shot towards the pinkette made it clear who the focus of his attention was.

"Natsu, what did you do this time?" Sayla asked as she assessed their situation. From what she can tell, there are at least ten mages before them, while Natsu and herself could easily dispatch this threat if they were by themselves, they had the others to think about. She didn't know if they had back up hidden in the trees, or how many more of those creatures were lurking about. She had a good hunch that they were created by one of the members of the group before them. She just couldn't tell who was making them.

While the younger Dragon Slayers can move fast enough to avoid the creatures, that endurance will last only so long. Additionally they only know of a few spells that would be able to put down a few of the creatures. However, if these mages can continuously make these creatures, it's possible they could become overwhelmed.

Additionally, there's Cana to worry about, she doesn't have the magic reserves or the speed the younger Dragon Slayers have. The creatures seem like it is only capable of simple task. She'll be able to outmaneuver them. But that will only work for so long. All it would take is one good hit and she's done for.

"Don't know, I don't remember ever seeing them before." Natsu was trained to never forget a scent, meaning if he doesn't remember their scent then they weren't worth remembering in the first place.

"Tch, how frustrating. You humiliated us and our boss and you can't even remember us." The mages glare intensified. Did their accomplishments mean nothing? Did the fact that their boss was humiliated and mutilated at the hand of the pinkette mean so little that he had forgot about it? "You'll pay for what you did."

"Is that so?" as far as Natsu was concerned; these people, whoever they are, are a threat. Judging by their scent, all of them are at least part demon.

"Natsu" Sayla began to say, the last thing they needed right now was for the pinkette to antagonize the group that wants him dead.

"Sayla, take the others and run." Natsu said with a serious tone that the demon has only hears on very rare occasions. If Natsu of all people wants them to run, whatever happens next isn't going to be pretty.

"Natsu, what are you saying?!" Cana almost yelled having finally found her voice. The other Dragon Slayers were also voicing their thoughts, none of them wanting to leave the pinkette to fight by himself.

"Go!" Natsu yelled. He knew this fight is going to get ugly and he didn't want to expose the younger dragon slayers to kind of violence yet if he can avoid it.

"You heard him. Let's go," Sayla said while using her Macro to ensure they actually listened.

"It's good to know that your still so cocky," one of the opposing mages said as he smirked at the pinkette. "though don't think your friends are safe." He warned with an overly confident grin plastered across his face.

"they'll be fine," Natsu said with his own confident grin.

With Sayla and the others

"Sayla, how could you just force us to leave Natsu behind like that?!" Cana nearly yelled out.

"Yeah! How can you just do something like that?!" Sting yelled out, glaring daggers at demon.

"Even if we're outnumbered, we could have done something to help." Rogue tried to argue.

"Yeah, Rogue and I are much better with providing support," Wendy also threw in her two scents as she looked back to where they ran from. Feeling concerned for the pinkette that had saved her all those months ago.

"Quiet," Sayla said sternly. The others aren't the only ones that are concerned about the pinkette. Sayla trusted her teammate more than most. She had a gut feeling that the mages that approached them aren't the only threat they'll encounter. If she had a gut feeling about that then she could guarantee that Natsu has a similar feeling.

If they were by themselves, the two mages would have taken care of them easily. That isn't the case now.

"Look, I don't like it either. But there are too many unknowns for us to deal with safely." Sayla tried to explain while focusing on their surroundings. It would be foolish to think those mages didn't have backup.

"Then why run?! What have you guys been training us for?!" Sting didn't like standing back and letting other people fight. During practice matches, the blonde would always try to jump in and help Rogue and Wendy when they needed it. Leaving behind Natsu of all people behind was just too much for him. "If we work together…" he tried to stop moving so he can persuade the others to turn back

"Keep moving," Sayla nearly yelled out. She had to cut off the blonde early before he does something stupid. "I don't like, but this is the best move for us." If Sayla was confident in anything, it's figuring out what goes through Natsu's head. It's why there such an effective team.

Just like before, more daggers came flying towards them and yet the demon effortlessly deflected them.

"Keep going and listen to Cana," Sayla ordered as she came to a stop, ready to face off against the assailants. Ignoring the others as they continued to run into the thick tree line, she began to scan the area. Sayla could sense them. Four mages were coming her way. 'Only four, I'm actually insulted that they're taking me so lightly.'

"So, it looks as though you wish to stand and fight." The same mage who addressed them before spoke up as him and his allies approached her. Just like before, he wore a confident smirk, almost as if he knew things will go his way.

"How curious, I assumed you would have preferred to take on Natsu yourself." There were a few things Sayla was trying to figure out. The mage before her seems as though he is the one in charge. If Natsu is their target and they're after revenge, then why is he here with her.

"As much as I would love to see that little shit get what he deserves, the job comes first." It's all coming together, just like how the boss planned. "Besides, boss wants that little shit for himself"

'So Natsu isn't their target, interesting.' That one statement answered a few of Sayla's questions. If the mage before her isn't the one in charge, their boss will be more qualified to answer her questions. "Thank you for answering my questions. For that, I'll be sure to end your lives quickly." These mages have outlived their usefulness. They're her enemy and not only did they threaten her but attempted to harm people she cares about. And the final nail in their coffin, they're within range of her Macro.

Holding her hand out towards, Sayla prepares to end their lives. With the simple wave of her fist their necks should snap like twigs. Only to her surprise, nothing happened. Ordinarily, this move always worked and was her way of providing a mercy killing so her victims didn't suffer. This was a little concerning. The only person that Sayla has met that was able to resist her Macro was Natsu. These mages are clearly no where near as powerful as the pinkette, meaning they had a trick to void her curse's effect on them.

"Oh, were you expecting something to happen. Boss had a reason for having us go after you." The lead mage said tauntingly. They were warned about what the demon before them is capable of. Thankfully because of the things they went through, they didn't have to worry about the demon's abilities.

'How annoying,' Sayla thought bitterly as she glared at the mages. To make matters worse, she could hear rustling in the bushes. Looking towards the source of the noise, Sayla could see more of the creatures from before running past her towards the others. Unfortunately, she couldn't focus on the creatures. That would leaver open to the mages. 'Looks like the others are in for fight too.'

"So, how about you make this easy for us." The mage once again spoke up. "After all, you're at such a disadvantage."

"And what makes you think that," Sayla said evenly. Sure, her Macro doesn't have any direct effect on them. That didn't matter though. As she raised her hand once again, she had to keep herself from smirking.

"Oh, what's this?" the mage asked once again asked tauntingly. "Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?"

"You know, if you paid attention as much as you talked you would have had a chance at surviving." As the saying goes there's more than one way to skin a cat. When Sayla raised her hand, it wasn't to control the mages.

"Sid, grab her. We still have a job to do."

"Got it," their target was robbed of her advantage. The others with her are preoccupied with fighting for their lives.

One step. Sid had managed to move all of one step before he felt various item pierce his body. Looking down he could see knives stabbed through his both of his kneecaps, his wrists, elbows, longs, and heart. Looking up at his target, he saw Sayla lazily twirling her finger around with a knife floating above following the same path.

"You should be careful about where you leave such dangerous toys." There wasn't any heat in voice to be found. Only boredom and disappointment with slight underlays of annoyance. Sure, these mages found some way to avoid suffering any kind of direct affects her curse would have. Because of that, they completely overlooked any other way she can use her Macro. As if to provide one final demonstration, Sayla flicked her finger, sending the knife hurling towards Sid.

Faster than the mages could see, the knife imbedded itself in the mages skull. Killing him instantly, the others looked towards their fallen comrade. These mages were kind enough to provide weapons for her to hide for later. It would be a shame not to capitalize on their negligence.

"THAT BITCH!" one of the mages yelled out. He was the one who created the knives that killed his friend. "Volo, she used my own knives to kill Sid."

"I see that," Volo said plainly as he took a watch from his pocket. "We still have a few minutes to spare. Get your revenge, just don't kill her."

"Sir!" both mages said as one of them rushed their target while materializing more knives while the other brought his hands together.

Sayla only raised an eyebrow out of curiosity of their actions. "Why blame me for your friends death. Wasn't it I who warned you the dangers of leaving your toys laying around." As far as the demoness is concerned, throwing around blame should be the least of their concerns. They should be focused on how they're going to survive instead.

As soon as the knife wielding mage came within range, he raised his knife ready to strike Sayla. However, something felt off as he brought his blade down. It felt as though his knife was ripped from his hand. As if to prove his point, he noticed that his knife was floating in place right at the apex of his downward thrust.

"Oh good, it seems you have a sharp memory," Sayla said tauntingly. Sure, the mage in front may be able to create the object. However, that will only do him so much good when she has the power to manipulate his object in any way she desires.

"Shit," the mage cursed as he crushed the blade as it came for his jugular. Unlike Requip mages, whatever items he makes becomes a tangible object. The things he creates don't disappear or dissipate. If he hadn't broken the knife, he would be dead.

Sayla would have finished him off if something hadn't caught her attention. The ground beneath had started to move. Encircling her like a predator, the ground seemed to come alive.

"Ha, good luck escaping my trap," the other mage yelled out as the ground wrapped around the demon. "Oli, get her."

"I got you now," Oli yelled as he once again rushed Sayla with brass knuckles forming around his hands.

"You really are slow on the uptake," Sayla said without the slightest hint concern in her voice. From her time training with Mystogan, she had learned the value of deceiving her opponents. When the other mage had restrained her, he intentionally restricted her from using her hands.

What they didn't know was that Sayla had intentionally been putting on a show of using her hands.

'How boring,' it seems these two won't be a challenge. To prove her point, Oli had dropped to ground, clutching his hands as he let out a pain filled scream.

Looking at his hands, Oli saw that his brass knuckles had broken his fingers at the knuckles. Unfortunately for him, that was only the start of his pain. His were forcefully brought out in front of him and started twisting. First it was his wrist that gave way and snapped like twigs then the twisting continued up his arms until his elbows suffered the same treatment. It wasn't long until the same thing happened to his elbows. By this point, Oli had been brought to the ground, screaming in agony. "You bitch!" he screamed out.

The other mage was thinking the same thing. He tried to increase the force behind the ground that was binding the demon. No matter how much he tried, Sayla didn't seemed to be bother by this in the slightest. To him, it seemed like she wasn't concerned in the first place.

"Do you really want to insult someone who could prolong your suffering." The ice in Sayla's voice was enough to send a chill up their spines. "You're lucky I'm in a hurry, otherwise this would have hurt a lot more." Concern started to surge through Oli. That wouldn't last long though as something burst through his neck, resulting in blood spraying out like a hose.

When Oli had broken one of his knives earlier, Sayla used her Macro to hide a shard of it on him.

"How?" the other mage silently asked himself. Neither of them could get an advantage. Sayla has just been toying with them and in only a matter of a couple of minutes one of them was dead and the other was trying and failing at doing anything to his target. To make matters more aggravating, they couldn't even get her to move from her spot.

"How boring," Sayla said off handedly as she looked down at her restraints. "I have to give you credit though, your control over objects is more thorough my own." She was almost jealous. Her Macro has very few limitations. One of which is that she cannot manipulate an object in way that's unnatural for the object. For example, having rocks act like ropes is outside the realm of possibility for her. "Unfortunately for you, my control is more absolute." To demonstrate her point she raised her hand, the rocks around her moving to clear a path. One by one, each rock that broke off started to take shape of spikes with the excess pieces breaking off and falling to the ground.

Making an object do something that wasn't natural to it may be out of Sayla's limits, but reshaping said objects into smaller ones is a simple task.

With each part of his attack that was being taken from him, the other mage tried to regain control. He needed something to regain the advantage.

After only a few scant moments the situation managed to go from bad to worse for the mage as Sayla had well over a dozen spikes surrounding her. All of which were not only spinning rapidly and pointed right at him.

"Let's see if you can figure out how I'm going to end your story," these mages were only good at to things, wasting her time and running out her patience.

Seeing the spikes, the mage quickly brought up a wall of rocks to give himself some cover. He needed to act quick, there's not telling how long this wall will last. To make matters worse the wall acts as a double edge sword. It may protect him from immediate threats, but it blocks his line of sight of with the demon. He'll have less time to react to anything thrown at him.

"How futile," Sayla said as the spikes started firing off towards their target. One by one each of the spikes effortlessly blasted straight through the wall. The mage behind it trying his best to survive did his best. A few of the spikes missed their target while some were successfully blocked. That's where his luck came to an end. The ones that grazed him tore off chunks of flesh. The spikes that pierced his body threatened to rip off whatever body part they connected with.

The barrage would only go on for thirty seconds, in that time the mage's wall had been completely shattered and the mage behind it is on death's door. He was covered in blood and holes. He couldn't help but curse whatever force had kept him alive.

"Have you figured it out yet? How I'm going to kill you?" Sayla's expression hadn't changed in the slightest. If anything, she was a little surprised that the mage had survived this long. Then again, she isn't taking him to seriously.

"What…" the mage barely managed to say before he felt something moving around beneath the skin. Looking down at his arms he could loosely see the outlines of something jagged worming around beneath his skin. It just in his arms either, he could feel the movements across his body.

"You know, ordinarily I'm not that cruel to whatever poor idiot I'm going to kill." Sayla said while glaring coldly at the soon to be dead mage. "But you and your friends made the mistake of endangering people I care about." with that said an object blasted itself out of his side.

For only an instant, the mage caught a glimpse of what shot out of him. It was brief but the mage managed to catch a glimpse of a rock shard. The realization of what was to come came only a moment before it happened. Sayla had split up some of the spikes in his body and spread the shards throughout him. One after another, the shards of various rocks were shooting out him. Chunks of his body were being violently ripped out of him with each passing second. By the time the attack had stopped the mage was already dead, his body had dropped to the ground in a bloody heap and his face was stuck in a state of fear and agony.

"How annoying, though I shouldn't be surprised." In all honesty, Volo fully expected these two to not be enough to handle capturing their target by themselves. If Master Mard Geer is interested in this girl, then there must be something special about her to warrant such interest. "After all, you were created by Zeref himself"

If Sayla needed anymore reason to kill these men, she found it. Though this tidbit of information did pique her curiosity. To her knowledge, there are only seven people that know the truth of what she is. Unless one of them let that information slip, which she doubts, someone had to tell these mages after her. These mages are nothing more than expendable muscle. Their only job is to bite whenever their master tells them two.

Whoever this Mard Geer is, he's well informed. Unfortunately, this revelation came with a few realizations that Sayla hopes is just her overthinking things.

"Since it's fairly obvious that you're not just going to come with us willingly, I would like to find something out," with that, Volo's eyes lit up and six more of the creatures from before on both sides of him. "Just how good are you at multi-tasking." From what he has gathered, Sayla can effortlessly keep track of two targets. But where are her limits. Half a dozen, a dozen. How long can she hold out before being overwhelmed?

"What a pity, it seems you share your friends idiocy." After seeing just how violently his friends died at her hands, this idiot still thinks he has a chance. 'At least killing him will help the others.'

With the Others

The creatures that Volo created were in hot pursuit of the other mages that were trying to get away. They are simple minded creatures that are only capable of carrying out simple task. While simple, these creatures are very effective at what they do.

They have their scents. There hot on the trail of their targets. While their opposition is strong, they have them outnumbered three to one.

The only thing slowing them down are the trees. The farther into the forest they get, the thicker the trees are getting. It's been minutes since they last laid eyes on their prey. To make matters worse, their scents were starting to fade.

Slowing down, the creatures started searching for anything that could aid in their search. Unbeknownst to them, a shadow began following them. As the creatures kept moving, the shadow crept forward. As soon as the shadow was below the creature in the back it was pulled in. Everything happened faster than the creature could react. A moment later another portal opened on a tree with the creature being blasted out by a powerful shadow.

Hearing the commotion, the creatures turned to see one of their own blasted through a tree.

With their focus on the downed creature, the didn't notice that two more of their own were captured into cards that came flying from the tree line and disappeared into another shadow that appeared on a separate tree.

Once again, another shadow opened, this time at the top of a tree with both cards launched high into the sky by a strong wind current. When the cards reached a suitable height, both creatures were released only to plummet back towards the ground.

"Cana, why aren't we fighting them head on?" Sting asked in a hushed voice as he watched the falling creatures hit the ground hard.

"Simple, for now it's just us. We don't know how long it will take for Natsu and Sayla to catch up to us and we're out numbered." Their situation is far from ideal. They only have a rough idea by how much they are outnumbered by and they don't know what else is coming their way. Additionally, when it comes to speed these creatures have them beat. "For now, let's fight smart and keep up with the hit and run plan."

"But…"

"Sting, Cana's right. If we're not careful those things will rip us apart." Rogue cut in. He knows just how much Sting wants to prove himself to Natsu as thanks for all that he's done for them. He and Wendy feel the same way.

"Rogue's right Sting, for now let's listen to Cana," If Wendy was confidant in one thing in their situations it's Cana's talent for strategizing. Thanks to the brunette's card magic she does have a degree of clairvoyance. That couple with their superior power gives them at least some advantage.

"Thanks guys," Cana said as she turned her attention back to the creatures. To an extent, Cana can sympathize with Sting. But now is not the time for sentiment. "Ok; Sting, Wendy, get ready."

The creatures were becoming more aware of their situation. They began scanning their surroundings. They needed a trail to follow otherwise they were just wandering in circle. As it stands, they are surrounded by trees on all sides. The only thing to see are shadows that seem to be creeping towards them and some sunlight that shined through the leaves. The only thing to hear was a gentle breeze that flowed through the trees. There's nothing for them to track.

As they were looking for something to track, the sight of two cards flying from within the tree line was missed by them.

In only a moment both Sting and Wendy appeared from their cards. The creatures bellow them were caught off guard by what they were seeing.

"White Dragon's"

"Sky Dragon's"

"Roar!" Both Sting and Wendy yelled as they released torrents of their elements. There attacks had devastated the creatures below. Any creature that wasn't obliterated by the attack had been launched to opposite ends of the tree line.

Just as quickly as they had appeared, Sting had gone back into his card with Wendy following shortly after she created a gust of wind to change their course.

What few of the creatures that were still standing saw the cards flying towards the trees and quickly pursued them. They were not going to let their targets disappear from them again. As they drew closer, they witnessed both cards disappear into a shadow on a tree. They did not change their own course. They knew where to go now, soon they will have their prey.

As soon as the creatures closed in on the shadow, another torrent of dark energy was fired from energy, wiping out the pursuing creatures. As soon as the attack had let up, the shadow had disappeared.

Having a general direction of where their targets were, the remaining creatures dashed into the trees. One way or another they will find their prey.

"Sky Dragon's Claw," Wendy yells as she appears out of shadow. Her attack had enough force to easily crush the creature's skull. Just as suddenly as Wendy had appeared, she disappeared into a nearby shadow.

Seeing the bluenette getting away, one of the creatures takes a swing at the escaping Dragon Slayer. So focused on its target, the creature failed to notice the shadow moving below it.

The moment the creature's attack had missed its mark, a blonde blur came rocketing from below it.

"White Dragon's Iron Fist," Sting yells as the creature he attacked was sent into the air.

Seeing this, the rest of the creatures made a bee line towards the blonde mage, making him smirk at what he is seeing.

'Man, these things are dumb' Sting thought as he brought his hands together with a white ball of energy building up. "White Dragon's Holy Ray!" he yells as the ball of energy doubled in size. Just as easily as he charged up his attack, Sting had launched the towards his pursuing targets.

By the time the creatures had realized what was happening, it was too late to turn back. As the attack drew closer, it broke apart into dozens of smaller light rays. The creatures tried to dodge the attacks but did not expect the rays of light to curve into the them.

One by one, each ray had ripped the creatures apart. They could not dodge it, they could not block it, there was nothing to do except to wait for their deaths. As fate would have it, they only had to wait a few seconds.

Not waiting to see the results of his attack, Sting kept to the plan and jumped back into a nearby shadow.

The remaining creatures huddled around each other, now aware that they are in the middle of a trap. They are surrounded by shadows and trees. They could be attacked at any angle and never see it coming. There prey can attack at a moment notice and disappear just as fast.

The creatures tried to focus on the shadows, hoping to find their prey. But every moment they spent in this forest it seemed as though the shadows crept towards them. Unfortunately for them, they were so focused on the shadows in front of them, they didn't notice the shadows subtlety moving below them.

"Shadow Dragon's Piercing Scales" Rouge shouts as a volley of black scales fired from the beneath the creatures. Most managed to dodge the attack, but the ones that didn't were mercilessly ripped to shreds.

"Sky Dragon's Relentless Squall" Wendy yelled. The creatures were scanning their surroundings trying to find where the bluenette's voice came from. There was a sudden gust of wind that picked up. The creatures took this as a sign as to where the girl was and started running in that direction.

They wouldn't make it far. Within seconds, everything the gust of wind was hitting was being sliced apart. Within the squall were gust of wind shaped as razor sharp blades.

"Sky Dragon's"

"White Dragon's"

"Shadow Dragon's"

The three Dragon Slayers yell in unison, ready to finish off more of the creatures. They were caught off guard as each one of them were caught by the throat.

While the creatures are not very smart to begin with, they are capable of learning. Every time their prey attacked them; it was from behind. Every attack was quickly followed up by another attack to keep the creatures off guard. It was only a matter of time before they figured it out.

With their prey captured, the rest of the creatures rushed towards the Dragon Slayers eager to rip them limb from limb.

"So, all of you finally caught on. Took you long enough." The three Slayers said in unison with the same sounding voice. The creatures didn't catch on to the change. They had no idea what their prey sounded like. The kept up with what they were ordered to do.

With their focus on the Dragon Slayers, they didn't see various being thrown into the ground.

"You know, we almost feel bad for you" the three "Slayers" said as each of the cards began glowing and their forms changed into even more cards. In the next moment, each card exploded into flames. The heat itself was almost comparable to Natsu's flames.

When the flames died down, not a single creature was left standing. Only their charred corpses remained.

The Dragon Slayers and Cana stepped out of a shadow to witness the devastation.

"Cana, where did you get those cards?" Rogue asked as him, Sting and Wendy could only stare in awestruck of what the Card Mage could do.

"Those were just some cards Mystogan and I have been working on," Cana doesn't have the strength that can compare to the rest of her generation of the guild. She doesn't have their speed or reflexes. But what she lacks, she more than makes up for in ingenuity and creativity. Both qualities she happens to share with a certain masked mage who likes to tinker and experiment with new gear.

Both Sting and Rogue made mental notes not to piss of Cana. Wendy on the other hand could only stare in pure admiration.

Unfortunately, their moment of victory was abruptly cut short as a few more creatures jumped out of the trees.

Each Dragon Slayer stood protectively in front of Cana. As each creature brought their arms back ready to strike, they suddenly disappeared.

Each creature, alive and dead had vanished in an instant. The group of mages were confused by the sudden turn of events.

"Well, that was certainly annoying," Sayla said casually as she emerged from the tree line only a few mere moments after the creatures vanished.

"Sayla!" they all shouted as they rushed towards the demon.

"It's good to see that all of you are well," Sayla said gently. Seeing them safe, though understandably tired, filled her with a sense of relief. "All of you have performed remarkable. You should all feel proud of what you were able to do."

The Dragon Slayers were smiling at the praise given to them. Cana on the other hand, while appreciative of the praise, had something on her mind.

"Hey Sayla, do you know what happened to those creatures?" she couldn't help it, something about them suddenly vanishing didn't seem right.

"Simple, they vanished after I had killed the one who created them." Sayla stated simply.

Hearing what Sayla had done had shocked the others. Sure, they had killed a lot of those creatures. But the person that created them was a person. Killing dangerous creatures was one thing but killing people. With all the emotions they were feeling in that moment, none of them could tell what stood out the most.

They always thought that killing people was wrong. They always thought that such a deed was a line that they could never cross.

"You killed him," Cana asked with her eyes wide and her pupils small. She was simple the first one to get over the shock.

"Of course. If I hadn't, then he would have had all of you killed instead." Sayla said as though it completely normal. She had a choice. The life of people she cares about or the life of someone who was willing to take them from her.

They didn't know how to respond. What could they have said in this situation?

There moment of shock ended as Sayla stood protectively in front of them. Her expression serious as glared at the trees in front of them.

"You know, I should be surprised that my men were killed by mere children." Sif said as he approached the group. His expression held no emotion. He only looked at them with calculating eyes. Taking in what he saw that each one of them were capable of. "But I doubt Lord Mard Geer would be interested in you if you were that weak."

"What do you want?" Sayla was glaring at the approaching man. She could tell that he's dangerous. His very presence was enough to tell her such a thing.

"What I want and what I need are two different things," Sif said evenly, never taking his eyes off his target. "what I want is to see each one of you die. For each one of you to beg for mercy and plea for that pink haired little shit to come and save you. For him to watch all of you to suffer." His voice gained more anger with each word he spoke. Memories of what Natsu had done to him coming to the forefront of his memory.

"What I need is for you to come with me" Sif said as he glared at Sayla. "Though, the rest of you can give me what I want."

"And what, pray tell, do you need me for?" Sayla asked as started using her Macro to get ready to kill the lunatic before her.

"Simple, Lord Mard Geer doesn't like seeing one of Zeref's creations living amongst humans. He's worried you might go soft"

Hearing that Sayla was a demon created by Zeref shocked Cana. What shocked her more was that the Dragon Slayers didn't seem surprised by this piece of information.

With Natsu

The mages that had stayed to fight Natsu were in a sorry state. More than half of them are dead. What remained were injured. Only six of them were left. However, they had managed to complete what they had set out to do.

They captured Natsu.

Chained up in between two trees, lied the pinkette. He was bruised, he was covered in blood though no one knew how much of the blood was his own and how much of it belonged to the mages he killed.

"We did it, we finally caught that little monster," one of the mages spoke with trepidation in his voice. He couldn't believe what they were facing. They had seen the pinkette effortlessly beat their boss once before. They knew he was strong. Hell, such a statement didn't seem like it fit.

Even after being enhanced by Tartaros they barely stood a chance.

"Hahaha," another one of the mages began to laugh. "When Boss is done with you, you'll be begging to die," they were finally close to achieving their revenge. "especially when you see what he's going to do those little friends of yours." This piece of information gained Natsu's interest.

"Come one, we need to get this little shit ready for Boss." Another of the mages yelled. They began to move before they heard something that scared them.

They heard laughter. All of them looked to the source and saw that it was the pinkette that was laughing to himself. They've all heard various types of laughter from those they were about to kill. They've heard the maddening laughter of those who are in denial of what is about to happen. They've heard the laughter of those in denial of what is about to happen.

This was a new experience for them. What they heard was laughter of a kind of madness they have not heard before now. They would learn that it was the laughter of someone who heard an insultingly amusing joke. They were about to see what kind of monster they were to face.

What was funny to the pinkette was that these mages had no idea of what they had done. "Hahahaha, you're all going to die." This was the laughter of someone who has decided that now is a time where there is no reason to show mercy.

All of the mages could hear a disturbing creaking sound of two trees that are being pulled apart. The mage that had made the chains was visibly struggling by now. He could only barely hold the pinkette down. With each second that passed, such a task was becoming even harder for him.

Before he knew it, his own chains had begun to glow a bright orange color. "Ahhh" he screamed in pained as he was being burned by his own chains.

The trees had finally broken under the immense pressure. Seeing this, Natsu smirked as he sent both trees flying towards the mage that had chained him up, killing him instantly as he was squished between the two tree trunks.

As the chains disappear, Natsu rushes another mage. Not wanting to give him the chance to react, the pinkette grabs the mage by the skull and slams him into ground, creating a small crater on impact.

The mages punches and scratches at the appendage holding him. He feels the pinkette increasing the pressure of his grip. The mage screams out in pain as head burst from the pinkette's grip.

"So, who's next?" Natsu ask tauntingly as he sees the scare expression of the remaining mages.

In an act of defiance, two of the mages created a weapon and rushed the pinkette. One created a sword and the other a spear.

Smirking at this, Natsu rushes past the two of them. With his hand turned into a claw, he thrust it into the chest of the mage who didn't rush to his death and ripped out his heart.

Turning his attention back to the mages he rushed past, Natsu tosses the heart in his hand to the side.

Both mages look at the child in fear. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. They couldn't believe that the boy in front of them was a human. No, that little bastard was a monster. A literal wolf in sheep's clothing. It was in that moment they caught a glimpse of his eyes. The pinkette's irises had turned into sclera. The look they were receiving scared them in a way they have never experienced.

The look they were receiving told them they were about to die horrible.

Not having the patience for this faux standoff, Natsu rushes the duo. Not wanting to die just standing around, both mages follow suit and rush the pinkette. If they're going to die, it will be after helping the boss get his revenge.

The mage with a sword lifts his weapon above his head and brings it down on the pinkette only for Natsu to catch it in his hand.

Not being one to waste an opportunity made present for him, Natsu disarms the mage of his weapon and uses it to remove the mage's arm.

Screaming in pain, the mage grasps the bloody stump where his arm used to be. He looks back at the pinkette and sees him toss the sword to the side. He watches what was once his prey turn his hand into a claw once again. He steps back as he sees the claw being brought down on his face.

In that moment he sees his life flash before his eyes as he falls to ground as he feels unimaginable pain. His fall wasn't caused by the pinkette but a rock he happened to trip over. While that rock saves his life, it did little to save him from having half of his face ripped off.

The mage didn't know how to describe the pain of having half of his face degloved. He could almost guarantee that he had lost one of his eyes.

"Die!" Natsu yells as he rushes the down mage only to dodge at the last second to avoid being ran through by a spear.

"Run!" the remaining mages yells towards his downed comrade as he rushes the pinkette. He knew he was going to die. By now, death was a guarantee. The least he could do was let his friend het away to warn their boss.

Being aware of his friend's sacrifice, the downed mage struggles to his feet and runs towards where his boss is. him and his friends stood no chance, but their boss is different. There is no way he would accept defeat a second time.

Seeing the spearman run towards him, Natsu disappears from the mage's sight.

Fear fills the mage's mind for what is about to come. To jolt of pain shoots through his body his he feels his leg break. Falling to the ground, the mage tries to stab the pinkette in the vain attempt to harm the child in front of him.

Natsu grabs the mage's wrist, stopping the oncoming attack in an instance. "You know, under any other circumstance I would respect you for sacrificing yourself to save a friend," Natsu says as he stares down the fearful mage beneath him." But you're pissing me off." With that said, Natsu swings his fist to the side and breaks the mages arm at the elbow.

The mage yells in pain and once again as he feels his remaining leg being broken. He looks on in fear as stares at his target. Realizing that him and his friends are nothing more then prey facing down a superior hunter playing with its food. The mage didn't have time to think any more on this a hand was thrusted into his chest. Looking to see where the hand comes from, he finds himself staring down the pinkette

Igneel taught Natsu make his opponent's death quick and painless. The Dragon King taught his son about performing a mercy killing. It was one of Natsu's other teachers that taught him how to be ruthless.

The mage could feel his body becoming hotter in an instant as his chest begins glowing a bright orange. He screams in agony at the feeling of his body being cooked from the inside out. He yells for a few more seconds before his body explodes from the heat.

Seeing the mage dead, the pinkette turns towards the direction that other mage ran off towards. Natsu isn't the type to leave something unfinished.

With the others

The others were struggling in their fight against Sif. Cana's cards weren't doing enough damage to the dark mage. At most they could only slow him down for a few scant seconds.

The Dragon Slayers couldn't do any serious harm to the mage. The mage merely brushed off each attack as he pressed his own advantage.

Even Sayla struggled against him. Her attacks would rip into him, tearing off chunks of flesh with each of her attacks. No matter how much her and the others managed to harm Sif, he kept up his attack.

Every wound he sustained would heal within seconds of it happening. Every time they attacked him, he would shrug it off and counterattack.

Cana had a bloodied lip and a few scrapes.

Each of the Dragon Slayers had their own wounds. Sif had caught them multiple times and only let go of the Slayer he caught to protect himself from another one that was attacking him.

As far as injuries went, Sayla faired the best. Though it was her Macro that was wearing her down. She was focused on controlling so many things at once that it was giving her an annoying migraine. She could continue fighting for as long as she needs but they are going to need a new plan if they are going to survive.

"Boss! Help!" one of Sif's lackeys yelled as he emerged from the tree line.

Sif turned his attention to his follower, who's name escaped him, at looked at his sorry state. Sif wasn't surprised the state his follower was in. He had sent those worthless idiots to stall that little shit. His followers had no chance and he knew it. He would not have it any other way.

The others turned to the new arrival and all of them, except for Sayla, were shocked at what they were seeing. They recognized the mage as of the ones that was fighting Natsu. Seeing the mage in such a sorry state meant one thing to them.

It meant that Natsu was the one responsible for the mages condition. They knew Natsu was capable of a lot of things. But seeing that Natsu is capable of such cruelty left them dumbstruck.

As the mage stumbled forward looking for some semblance of safety, a spear came from behind him and pierced his knee cap.

Falling to the ground, the mage screams in pain.

Everyone reacts in their own way at what they are seeing. The most prominent reaction came from Sif as he glared at the tree line while grasping at his arm. He knew what was coming. It's the person that's been the focal point of his thoughts. It's the person that has been fueling his desire for revenge.

As the pinkette emerges from the tree line the two glares at each other. Without saying a word, Natsu walks forward towards the downed mage and pulls the spear from his knee cap. As the mage screams in pain, Natsu plunges the spear into the back of his skull.

Seeing this, Cana and the Dragon Slayers are shocked to see Natsu kill someone in cold blood with giving said action a second thought. They've always known the pinkette to be a kind and caring person that goes out of his way for other people. The pinkette they're seeing now, while the same person, seems like a complete stranger to them. This is a side of Natsu they have never seen before.

"So, you're the one these idiots are following" Natsu says coldly as he glares at Sif.

"Tch, after everything you've done to me, you act like you don't even remember me," Sif was seething at the reunion he's been wanting. He's been imagining how he would kill this little monster. He's been planning on how he would make him suffer for everything that he has caused him to go through.

"Oh, should I know who you are," Natsu said as he sniffs the air before smirking at the mage. "Haha, I got to hand it to you, I didn't think I would see you again so soon," he said as he gestured towards the arm that he had ripped off. "You definitely look different; did you get a haircut?" he taunted.

He didn't know how it was possible, but somehow Sif had found an all new hatred for the pinkette. "You know, I was going to torture and kill your little friends before you got here. Now, I want them to see you suffer by my hands. They're going to watch as I beat you within an inch of your life. Then I'll make you watch as I kill them in front of you."

Natsu really didn't need anymore reason to kill this man. Ever since they first met, Natsu has been wanting to kill this bastard that holds no regard for life. Hearing what this sadistic bastard wants to do to his friends gave him even more reason to do what he wanted all that time ago. "How unlucky, you don't have the council to save your ass this time."

In the next instant, both mages rushed towards each other. Their fist collided with each other. Stuck in a stalemate, the two broke apart as Sif's hand was destroyed from the force of the punch.

"You know, I would be disappointed if you had become weaker since we last saw each other." Sif took his attention off Natsu as he focused on his missing hand, watching as it rapidly grew back. "I wouldn't want this to be too easy"

"Looks like you're not some one-trick pony anymore," seeing the appendage grow back gained some interest. "Let's see what kind of limits this new skill of yours has." Natsu says as his fist are engulfed in purple flames.

Natsu's nose has never failed him. The bastard's scent has changed since the two of them last saw each other. He someone how gained a more demonic scent. His very presence gave off a strong feeling of malice. Since this idiot made the mistake of pissing off multiple times. There's no reason for him to take it easy on the bastard.

"Natsu!" the Dragon Slayers yell in concern.

"Good job guys, all of you did great," they were exhausted, anyone could see it. "Just take it easy, this won't take long." Natsu's gaze turned back to the mage. The pinkette has a variety of emotions running through his mind. Remorse for seeing his friends in such a state. Knowing that he was responsible for this enraged him. Out of all the emotions he is feeling, there was a sense of excitement. Excitement to finally kill this bastard after being forced to spare him.

"Arrogant little shit!" Sif yells as he rushes Natsu. He catches the pinkette off guard with his improved speed. That little distraction gives him the opportunity to land an uppercut, launching the child into the air.

Sif doesn't give up his pursuit. Jumping into the air, he successfully lands an axe kick on the pinkette's mid-section. Natsu hit the ground hard enough to crater the ground slightly. Before Natsu has the chance to react, Sif grabs the pinkette by his head and throws him threw a tree.

Sif couldn't afford to give Natsu a chance to react. Such a thing will lead to his death. He knows this. He's prepared himself for this. The humiliation he's suffered by Natsu's hands gave him something to work towards. The pain he was forced to endure from Tartaros gave him the strength he needs for the revenge he deserves.

Requiping a revolver, Sif fires a barrage of bullets in Natsu's direction. The bullets he was using were magically enhanced. They were design to create as much devastation as possible. Trees, rocks, the very ground were being destroyed in the barrage. Every time Sif's revolver would run out, he would requip another in its place. As the attack continued, a dust cloud blocked his view of the pinkette.

Fear took over Sif's mind. He should have thought this through more. Losing sight of his target is the biggest mistake he could have made. Not having a clear line of sight on Natsu made think back to when they had met.

In that moment of hesitation, Sif heard laughter.

"I have to say, I thought you would pack more of a punch," Natsu said as he emerged from the dust cloud completely unharmed. Sif's eyes widened as he saw most of the bullets, he fired floating around the pinkette. While the others were tired; Sayla catching so many small targets were a trivial matter, especially when Sif's focus was on Natsu and not her.

Silently though, Natsu was impressed. Sif's speed and strength are far greater than when they saw each other. If Natsu was an ordinary mage, he would have been dead a dozen times over by now.

The pinkette's arms are engulfed in purple flames. The heat so great that the bullets floating around him started to melt. Natsu can smell the demonic presence coming from Sif. He knows that the mage before him can heal almost instantly. He's curious to see just how much the mage can take before that healing factor is burnt out.

"Die!" one of Sif's followers yells from the tree line behind the pinkette. When Natsu had initially escaped their grasp, he hid and waited for an opening. With his weapon raised and ready to strike the pinkette. He knows he will not be able to kill Natsu, but his attack should give Sif an edge.

Natsu didn't bother to turn his attention to the last of Sif's followers. He casually waved it off to the side. In that moment, his flames briefly disappeared. In the next instant, the area behind Natsu exploded into a violent wave of purple flames. The heat was so great that everyone that witnessed the attack had to cover their eyes.

When the flames had died down, the area that had been affected had been destroyed. The trees in the immediate vicinity had been evaporated. The ground was cratered and completely scorched. The mage himself was gone. The Dragon Slayers tried to find his scent, but it was completely gone. Nothing remained of the foolish mage.

"You bastard!" Sif screams as he rushes the pinkette. Natsu smirks as he copies his opponents actions with his flame covered fists. When their fist collided, the same action as before occurred. Sif's hand had been destroyed again.

Sif grasped the bleeding nub. It burns. The heat burned him like he has never felt before. His hand was growing back, but it was at a much slower pace than before.

"Fire Devil's Raging Halberd," Natsu yells as a dozen purple flaming halberds materialized around the pinkette. One by one each of the halberds flew towards Sif.

One by one, Sif knocked each of the weapons away from him. Every time he would do so, he would be horrible burned. The pain was immense, but it was nothing he could not bear.

"Fire Devil's Hellfire Chains," Natsu yells as purple flaming chains appeared and coiled around his arms. Throwing them towards Sif, wrapping around one of the dark mage's arms. Smirking at this, Natsu pulls on the chain as hard as he could. With Sif flying towards the pinkette "Fire Devil's Raging Fist" Natsu says as he punches Sif in the face. Spitting out some blood, Sif was sent flying threw some trees.

With little effort, Sif struggles to get to his feet. He could tell that his jaw was broken. Even as it was being healed, he still felt as though he was hit by a tree. He didn't have the time ponder on his injuries as he felt a tugging on his ensnared arm. Looking towards the source, he saw the pinkette with a maniacal grin on his face.

Natsu began using his chains to throw Sif around. The dark mage was thrown tree after tree, slammed into the ground. Minutes went by of Sif being treated as a ragdoll.

Sif was becoming desperate. He tried pulling the chains off, but every time he did, the chains would tear more into his arm. 'Fuck, this is going to hurt,' Sif thought as he requiped one of his pistols. Every chance he could get, in between being slammed into various objects, he would shoot his ensnared appendage.

He shot as many bullets as could in a short span of time. He had to destroy the bones in his arms and shred the muscles that were in the way. Fortunately, in a sadistic kind of way, with each struggling motion the chains would tear into his arm more. Unfortunately, his own healing factor was working against him. Every time he failed to sever his arm fast enough between being swung around, his wounds would heal. The downside of his curse was that it worked on its own accord. According the demon that had worked, his curse was more of an experiment than anything else.

Hearing his pistol click multiple times, signaling that it was empty, Sif became desperate. He needed to get out of these chains. Dismissing his gun away, the mage begins pulling at his arm. He screams in pain as he feels the muscles and tendons tear. He punches his appendage as hard as he could to break the bones. With much effort, Sif finally tears his arm off and the frees himself of the chains.

Dropping to the ground, Sif tries to catch his breath. He looks at what was left of his arm and notices just how slow it was healing. He could see that the pinkette's flames had effectively cauterized his wound. He didn't know how to describe the pain feeling his regenerating arm force itself through it closed off wound. The regeneration was now harming him as it was healing him.

Looking towards the pinkette, Sif felt rage like he never felt before. He could not lose now. He will not lose after everything he has been through. Sif can not let his suffering be for nothing. "You little shit!" Sif said as he struggled to his feet. "I'll kill you; I'll kill you; I'll fucking kill you," he screamed as he rushed the pinkette.

Natsu only smirked at the fool, he was just too easy to read.

The two closed the distant between each other. One after another, their punches collided with each other. Natsu only obtained minor scrapes and bruises. Sif was becoming more and more injured with each attack. He didn't care if he is injured. No matter what, the pink haired little monster must die.

During their barrage of punches, their fists connect with each other. Effectively reaching a stalemate, an intense surrounded the two. Within only a few seconds a crater began to form beneath the two. Natsu maintained a calm demeanor while Sif was losing himself to his desire for revenge.

Sif's arm began to buckle under the pressure. The force of the attack would eventually result him in his arm breaking from his hand to past his elbow. Using the broken limb as an opening, Sif gets in close and lands a punch on Natsu's jaw. Recoiling slightly, Sif uses this as opportunity to get behind the pinkette and wraps his broken limb around his throat. He doesn't care how much it hurts; this little shit has to die.

Struggling to breath raises his fiery fist into the air and slams into the ground. A large explosion of purple flames separates the two. More than half of Sif's body had been burnt to a crisp. Breathing was becoming more difficult by the minute. His healing factor was working on overcharge, but Sif had his doubts on its effectiveness after that last attack.

"Haha, hahaha. I don't think I gave you enough credit," Natsu said as he got back to his feet. "Since your so much stronger than last time, I think I'll stop taking it easy on you." For as amusing as this fight has been, its time for things to come to an end. Besides, Sayla had more than enough time to get things in place. "For your sake, you better hope that healing factor of yours gives out sooner than later."

"What?" Sif asked quietly, the trepidation in clear to those that heard him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Despite himself being stronger, the pinkette still didn't feel it necessary to take things seriously. He wouldn't get the chance to think on this any further.

"Fire Devil's Secret Arts," Natsu began to say as energy began to build up around him. The heat was so intense that Sif was brought to his knees in shock of what he is seeing. This child really isn't a child.

He is a monster.

Sif had to run; he couldn't stay here. If he does, he'll die horrible. Before he could get to his feet, to flaming halberds pierced his knees. Flaming chains wrapped around his wrists with more halberds kept the chains in place. Hesitantly, Sif turned his head slightly to the side and saw his true target smirking at him. The demoness was facing him and had her hand stretched out towards him.

Sayla may not be able to control Natsu and his flames are his own. But that doesn't mean she can't work with the pinkette to change the course of his attacks. The attacks from earlier were nothing more than distractions, an opportunity for Sayla to get his attacks in place. The downside of the spell Natsu is about to use is that it requires his target to stay in one place. A task that is much easier with Sayla's help.

The energy around Natsu began to shrink to the size of a small ball. "Eternal Damnation," the ball of energy was sent towards Sif. The moment the attack had made contact, a giant pillar of flames surrounded him. The pain was like nothing he has felt before. Piece by piece, Sif was being burned. He could feel his very being burned away. His healing factor attempted to heal him faster than he was being destroyed but the attack was far too powerful.

When the pillar of flames faded away, all that remained of Sif was his corpse frozen in a state of screaming agony. In only a matter of seconds his corpse withered away to nothing but cremated ash.

Elsewhere

"Lord Mard Geer, informed that Sif has failed his mission." A lone human said, trembling in fear as he kneeled before the master of Tartaros. Him and his comrades had drawn straws to see who would deliver the bad news. And he drew the short straw. "He was beaten by a group of children from the Fairy Tail guild."

The cold glare Mard was sending towards the human could have killed him a dozen times over. There have been many times where the messenger has felt scared for his own life and this is easily the most fear he has felt while in the guild.

"Has he now," Mard Geer words word cold and left the messenger even more fearful for his life. "To think some our experiments were bested by mere children; how disappointing." Mard has never had high expectations for humans. Often enough, he compares them to insects. But to hear that one of his experiments lost to some human children was a new low for the dark guild master.

Oh well, he'll savor punishing the humans beneath them for another time. there are far more pressing matters to deal with. "Tempester," Mard turned his attention to one of the few Demon Gates that were present. "Go and find this Fairy Tail guild and kill them all starting. Start with the children that interfered with our plans."

Unlike the pathetic humans that served him, the Demon Gates are reliable and competent. They were created by Lord Zeref himself. They are the pinnacle of power. Superior to humans in every way. Eliminating some humans is nothing more than a trivial task.

Tempester didn't get a chance to reply as a malevolent presence has made itself known. Footsteps could be heard coming from the hallway leading to the throne room. With each step they heard, the presence became more intense. The intensity of the presence was enough to leave the etherious demons struggling to breath.

"It seems you're still the same human hating zealot Mard," a voice coming from the darkness said tauntingly. They could make out the silhouette of a lone figure making his way towards them. A single shined through the darkness. Just the sight was enough to scare the demons.

Each of the etherious, except for Mard, never felt fear like this before. Mard on the other hand has met the person coming his way. He knows exactly who this monster is, and he is not someone he wishes to fight unless the etherious is fighting alongside Lord Zeref and Master END.

After all, there are very few creatures in this world that can fight a Devil King. Especially one as cruel as the Nobunaga, the Sixth Devil King.

"What is your business here?" Mard Geer asked. He hated having this surprise guest. Nobunaga has a reputation of being whimsical, unpredictable and patient. Having the Devil King here can only lead to disaster for the etherious.

"Straight to the point, eh? Tell me, what has you on edge?" Nobunaga asked tauntingly as he entered the throne room. To those who ever never seen him he seemed as though he was nothing more than a middle-aged man with an eyepatch.

Mard didn't respond, he could tell that the Devil King was trying to provoke a response.

"Is it because some your underlings, men renowned for being skilled killers, were beaten by children?" Nobunaga's gaze intensified on Mard. "Oh, I'm sorry; I meant human children."

"Enough! State your business and leave!" Mard Geer demanded. He will not accept being taunted within his own guild hall. Devil King or not, he will not put up with this insult.

In one moment Mard Geer, stood tall and proud. The next, he was on all fours, choking at the intensity of the malice coming off Nobunaga. The members of Demon Gates that were present were in similar states. None of them could stand before this monster. The messenger was writhing on the floor, grasping at his throat, desperate to breathe.

Chuckling at Mard Geer's response, Nobunaga was pleased that he hit a sore spot. "It seems after becoming the self-proclaimed King of the Underworld, you think you're free to talk to me however you wish. Tell me, do I need to remind you what your title means to me." Oh, how the Devil King wishes this fool would take the bait. He just loves idiots with more hubris than common sense. Seeing them suffer is so much fun.

Mard Geer wants this bastard dead. He really wants this bastard dead. The presence they're feeling isn't Nobunaga's power. What they are feeling is nothing more than the result of being around him. If Nobunaga were showing his power, they would be in a far worse shape. Mard knows what that feels like. He has made that mistake before.

"That girl you're after. You are to leave her and the guild she is a part of alone." Nobunaga ordered, smirking as he sees Mard's expression become even more irate.

"You would ask us to abandon reclaiming one of Lord Zeref's creations!" Mard yelled as he struggled to his feet only to be brought back down to his feet, grasping his throat as he found it impossible to breathe. He looked up at the Devil King only to see his smirk become more vicious and his lone eye began to glow.

"Who said anything about asking?" the Devil King warned as he walked closer to downed guild master. With each step, his presence became more intense. "You see one of those children that killed your minions just so happens to be a student of mine." He said, enjoying the sight of the guild master being in such a pitiful state. "Knowing that hot head; if you take the girl, he'll come for you. As much as I would see him tear apart you and your little demons. He isn't ready for an opponent of your stature yet."

Mard Geer wants to protest. He wants to defy this monster. All of it would be futile. They don't have enough manpower to give them a chance. All they could do is kneel before this monster and do as they're told. Glaring at the Devil King was all they could accomplish. Nobunaga knew this and enjoyed it.

"What's with that look. You might have a chance to reclaim your prize in the future." Nobunaga said as he disappeared from the etherious's sight. With the Devil Kings disappearing, so did his presence.

"That damned…" Mard Geer began to say as he got back on his feet. To be humiliated like that in his own guild like that. Damn that monster. "Keyes, bring Mard Geer the corpse of useless mongrel at once!" He ordered one of the Demon Gates. Right now, the guild master wants nothing more than to take his rage out on some one and that damned failed experiment is the perfect candidate.

With Natsu and the others

Things have been uncomfortable and tense for Natsu and his group. They never made it back to the guild. After all that fighting, they decided to head back to the town they were just at and stay the night in a hotel.

Natsu and Sayla were able to continue as if nothing had happened. Why wouldn't they. For them, this is what they are good at.

The others though. Seeing such displays of violence, of other humans being so viciously killed was a lot for them to take in.

"Natsu," Sting was the first to find his voice amongst them. It had been hours and none of them could talk, they were all still in shock. "How could you kill those guys."

"Simple," Natsu began to say as he caught the attention of the other Dragon Slayers. "If I didn't, they would have killed all of you."

"But you didn't even hesitate, you didn't even try to spare them." Rogue was the next to speak up. This wasn't a side of Natsu that any of them had seen. They never knew he was capable of that kind of cruelty.

"That's because that's what I was trained to do" Natsu answered as he took in the sight of the shocked expressions the Dragon Slayers were giving him. He knew that one day they were going to have this conversation. He still wasn't looking forward to it. "We're Dragon Slayers. We're trained to kill. That's the main purpose of our magic. There isn't much difference between killing a human and killing a dragon. Either way someone is losing their life."

An uncomfortable silence came over the younger Dragon Slayers. Sting and Rogue knew what Natsu was saying was true. Their respective parents told them as much before asking them to end their lives. Wendy didn't want to believe what Natsu said was true. Grandeeney trained her to help people. That's why she specializes in healing magic. But she knows Natsu wouldn't be saying this unless he believed it was true.

"Those mages told me they were going to kill you guys. When they said that, I made a choice to do what I needed to protect you guys." The younger Dragon Slayers didn't know how to feel about what Natsu had said. They felt guilty that it was because of them that Natsu kill those people. They felt weak. They wondered if they were stronger, would things have turned out differently.

Natsu recognized the looks on their faces. He has a hunch he knew what they are feeling. He went through the same thing when he learned how to take a life. "Don't blame yourselves. I know what choice I made and so did those people I killed." His words snapped the younger Dragon Slayers out of their stupor. "Sting, Rogue; when you two ended your parents lives, that wasn't the same as killing them. They were in pain and were dying. What you two did was an act mercy to end their suffering." Natsu ran a hand through his hair as memories of that day came back to him.

The day when Igneel told him what he was training him to do. The day when Nobunaga showed what those actions caused. No, those memories are his to deal with for another time. "To kill someone, is vastly different. One day, I will ask you guys if you want me to teach you how to do what I do." Natsu could see the worried looks on their faces. He knows exactly what they're thinking at this moment. "No matter what you chose, nothing will change between us. I'll still be there for you three no matter your choice." Natsu said reassuringly. "We're still a long way away from that point. So, I want you three to promise me two things. First, think this through and don't make your choice based on what you think I want your answer to be. Second, no what you guys chose, don't judge the others for what they choose."

Natsu knows how close him and the other Dragon Slayers are. The last thing he wants is for something to ruin that bond of theirs. "Get some sleep. You three had a long day." Natsu said as he got up and made his way to leave the room. He was only stopped when he felt a body crash into him. Turning his head slightly, he could see that it was Wendy hugging him

"Thank you Natsu," Wendy said quietly, her voice was just barely above a whisper but Natsu heard her. "We didn't thank you for saving us earlier. It would be wrong to not say anything." With that said, both Sting and Rogue followed suit and gave their thanks. Natsu could only smile at their thanks as he returned Wendy's hug. He didn't know what to say.

"Alright guys get some sleep. We're leaving early in the morning." Natsu said he left the room.

"It seems they are taking things well enough." Sayla said, leaning against the wall next to the Dragon Slayer's room. Natsu could tell she had a lot on her mind, the demoness not having a book in her hand was a dead giveaway.

"As well they can at least." Natsu said as the two began walking down the hall with Sayla following. "How's Cana taking this?"

"About as well as the others." Sayla was concerned for their friend. Sayla and Cana grew close. With them both having laid back personalities it only makes sense. The Card mage learned a lot of things today. Things she wasn't ready to learn. While Sayla wouldn't say it out loud, she was worried how her friend would take this. What's more, she is worried if Cana still wants to be friends with her even though she's a demon.

She brought out of her musings as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking towards its source she was comforted by Natsu's reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll go talk with her" Natsu said he took off to speak with Cana.

"Thank you, Natsu," Sayla said silently as she smiled at the departing pinkette. This isn't the first time she has been thankful that she came with Natsu to join Fairy Tail. This is just one of the many instances where she has been shown that this was the right choice.

With Cana

Cana didn't know what to think. Not too long ago her and the younger Dragon Slayers were nearly killed. She learned that Sayla is a demon created by Zeref and that her and Natsu are killers. It didn't make sense to her. They seemed like the nicest people that would go out of their ways for others.

"You know, you really have a knack for finding nice places to think." Natsu said as he appeared next to the brunette. They are on a small hill that overlooked a gentle stream. Add in the moon light that was reflecting off the stream and it is quite the view.

"Natsu!" Cana eeped as she nearly fell into the stream only for the pinkette to catch her wrist. "Don't scare me like that!" she screeched. She really didn't like being scared like that.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," Natsu apologized while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "So, how are handling this?"

Taking her spot on the hill, she tried to figure out how she felt. She should feel fear because the person next to her could very easily kill and leave no trace. She does not. One of her closest friends in the guild was created by THE Dark Mage. Cana should fear Sayla. She does not. "I don't know," she said quietly as she held her legs closer to herself.

"Well, that's good I guess," Natsu said as he lied down on the hill. It was a warm night and there was light breeze. Under any other circumstance, this would be a great spot to relax at. "I'd be worried if you figured everything out so fast."

Cana didn't know why but she found some comfort in that poor joke. At least she could tell that he isn't an entirely a different person. "How so?"

"Well, since you're not running in fear away from me, I just figured that we're still friends."

"You were worried that we wouldn't be friends?" Cana asked, shocked at that is what the pinkette is worried about.

"Well yeah?" Natsu said as he looked away to hide his embarrassment. "Some people get freaked out when you kill people so easily."

Unbeknownst to him, Cana could see that he was blushing, and it brought a smile to her face. "What do you expect? How often do you see kids just killing people left and right?"

"Well… that was kind of what it was like for me before I joined Fairy Tail. So quite often actually." That earned a chuckle from them both. Though that did make Cana think of a few questions really didn't want to know the answer to. How many people has Natsu killed? How often does he kill people? Does he enjoy it?

"Why do you do it? Kill people I mean." Out of all the questions she has, that was the only one she could stomach asking.

"I was given a choice. If it wasn't for that choice, I wouldn't be here." Natsu's expression became sullener.

Cana could tell that she had touched on a sore subject. At least she knew that it wasn't a choice that was made freely. "Come on, let's head back to the hotel. Just give me some time to process everything and I'm sure I'll be fine." Cana said as she helped the pinkette to his feet.

Natsu was happy that Cana didn't press too far into his answer. That topic has been a sore subject for Natsu. Especially since he wasn't the one that made that choice.

And there you have. THANK CHRIST THIS CHAPTER IS DONE. Sorry about the long delay everyone. I had so many things going on since the last update that I had to put things on hold just so I could get time to figure things out. I don't want to use this as a place to vent so all I'm going to say is that the end of last year and this year so far fucking sucks.

And with that delay I wanted to give all of you an extra-long chapter as an apology for the wait. This might be my longest chapter so far. If not, then it's damn close.

A lot of things happened in this chapter. We got a return of Natsu viciously killing people. One fight after another. And the introduction of Nobunaga. For anyone curious as to what he looks like, look up Nobunaga from Drifters because since he's the inspiration for the Nobunaga I'm using.

So what do all of you think of this chapter. There were a lot of either new things I'm not used to writing or things that I was trying to improve on here that I feel like were weaker in previous chapters. Mostly the quality of the fights and handling a lot of characters in a single scene. If you can, let me know what was done well and what I can improve on.

For the people who like stats, currently this story has 648 Favorites and 754 Follows. Jesus Christ that's a ridiculous number. Thank you everyone who has favorited and followed, I'm pretty sure my mind stopped working briefly when I saw that number.

Anyways, onto the reviews.

Lucys Demon: END will make an appearance eventually, I just haven't figured out when. Though I doubt it will be before I eventually get to cannon.

ZaydenNightShade: The point of Natsu trying to give people a chance to redeem themselves is mainly a setup for a few characters you'll see in the future. In the case of Sif (Serov) that was mainly to introduce someone that has a grudge against Natsu. Don't worry though, there aren't going to be many people Natsu will show mercy to.

erasenpai946: Ultear is in the harem, glad you like the list.

Vaporizer: Without getting into spoilers for what I have planned I guess you can say END is kind of in Natsu

That's it for the reviews. As always, if you have a question either leave a review and I'll answer your question in the next update or send a PM and I'll answer as soon as possible.

I can't wait for the next chapter, since I'll finally be introducing someone who can fight on par with Natsu.

Anyways, till next time.

Mreh