Recap: One promise was the end of them all.
"You. Will. Pay."
—
The Eternalis, the Fateium, and those still conscious could only watch as the city exploded.
Literally.
—
In his rage, Natsu Dragneel had engulfed the city in flames within seconds, razed the arena to the ground in approximately the same amount of time. His fiery rage scorched the skies and burnt the Earth, all in a desperate attempt to save his mate. Aurora — Lucy, whatever you want to call her — laid limply on the ground beside the furious god, encased in a protective cocoon of glowing flames. These flames were gentle and loving, but even a blind person could sense the undeniable pain that was barely veiled. Starkly contrasting was the roaring inferno that was threatening to kill them all. It was fueled by his emotions, like his magic back before his mate "died".
"Retreat!" A dragon — commander, Natsu's subconscious assumed — yelled. They could speak?
Some dragons turned to flee, but were stopped by a powerful roar.
"Cowards! How dare you retreat?" Acnologia was furious. "Look at the situation, you idiots! We clearly have the upper hand; we should take this opportunity and crush these pesks once and for all!"
And just as he described, the situation was dire. For the mages, at least. Though the dragons weren't any better off in terms of casualties, they still had dragons in top shape and of course, Acnologia himself. On the other hand, Sabertooth and Fairy Tail were completely out of the game. The four masters all looked exhausted and two — Makarov and Jiemma — were unconscious. The only thing that was keeping them safe was the forcefield-barrier Natsu and Aurora had set up at the very beginning of the battle. Each member of the Eternalis and the Fateium were encased in a small barrier of their own, all barely maintaining consciousness. They watched the scene with hopelessness, being unable to fight anymore.
And then there was Lucy. Whether she was dead or not, no one knew. Though she'd still been breathing when she'd collapsed into the arms of her mate, her breathing had stilled and her powerful aura was no more. As the dragons' eyes drifted over her battered and broken body, Natsu snarled.
"Don't you dare defile her with your filthy eyes."
"Or what, little slayer?" Acnologia smirked, though his soul shook out of fear for the look in his opponent's eyes. "You'll slay me?"
Hatred bordering insanity spread across Natsu's features. It struck the dragon with fear, but he continued his gloating.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot. You're a god now, aren't you? Gonna torture me in heaven?"
A smirk took over the aforementioned god's features. "Oh, I'll show you what this god can do."
"Welcome to hell."