The Iron Dragon Slayer

Happy and Lucy are surprised beyond belief at this transformation, never even guessing that Gajeel could do this.

"His body!" she gasps out in fear, the normally intimidating man is now even scarier looking.

"Scales of the Dragon." Happy guesses correctly.

His transformation finished, Gajeel rushes towards Natsu even faster than before while shouting, "Hard Fist of the Iron Dragon!" He then punches Natsu who is able to get his forearm up in time to block the attack. Another magic circle is activated as Gajeel's fist made contact and as a result, Natsu is sent flying backward.

He flies through the group of Phantom Lord mages that he was in front of and is buried in the wall behind them as the mages dodge the flying wizard as they complain about being part of the fight. Gajeel's eyes seem to glow red with his immense pleasure of giving his enemy such a hard blow.

He laughs at Natsu's plight as in Gajeel's mind, the battle is about to be over. Getting out of the wall, Natsu lands on the ground in a crouched position while clutching the arm he used to block. It is already bruised and swelling from the hit, which says something about Gajeel's strength since no other attack from any other Phantom mage has caused that much damage to the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"That made a nice sound," Gajeel says, quite pleased with himself.

"Natsu was bruised with just one hit?" Lucy almost whimpers, as one of her hands covers her mouth as she starts to shake in fear.

"Those scales are made of the hardest iron." Happy informs Lucy with a serious tone. He watches the battle closely, waiting for a chance where he might be able to help Natsu. Impatient, Gajeel uses his increased speed to get close to Natsu and catch him off-guard. Just as he reaches the Fairy Tail mage, he gives Natsu an uppercut right to the chin which causes Natsu to fly across the room in another direction.

Following close behind, the dark-haired male gives Natsu a right hook to send him in another direction before he could recover from the uppercut. With a crazed smile and laugh, Gajeel goes for a devastating kick which Natsu was just able to duck under.

The pressure wave alone from the kick raises up a line of dust and cracks the floor. It hits where Happy and Lucy are and almost sweeps Happy away with it if he didn't catch a hold of Lucy's shirt at the last moment.

"No way! That's the air pressure from his kick?" she cries out in awe and disbelief as she has to use both hands to keep her short skirt from showing her underwear.

"Those iron scales have doubled the strength of his attacks!" Happy cries out while trying to keep from being blown away. In retaliation, Natsu lights his fist up and goes to punch Gajeel right in the face. The Phantom mage doesn't even try to dodge the attack and takes it square on the chin. He chuckles at Natsu's shocked and angry face.

"These iron scales render all your attacks to be powerless!" Gajeel gloats. Gritting his teeth for a moment, Natsu can't hold back anymore and throws himself backward with a cry of pain. With the dust and wind settled, Lucy and Happy can watch the battle better. They can't help but notice how Natsu's attacks don't affect Gajeel anymore.

"Oh no! His defense is upped?" Lucy questions herself in worry. Also worried, Happy cries out Natsu's name. The Fire Dragon Slayer in question starts rolling on the ground in pain from how much it hurt to hit Gajeel's scale covered face.

In a poor attempt to keep some of his dignity intact, Natsu cries out, "It doesn't hurt! It doesn't hurt, damn it!" even as he is rolling on the ground and screaming out in pain. This display causes Lucy and Happy to feel partly embarrassed at their friend's antics in the middle of an important battle. Annoyed by the rather childish screaming, Gajeel appears in front of Natsu as the pink-haired man stood back up.

"Shut up already!" Gajeel angrily shouts at Natsu before head butting him back to the ground. The floor cracks under the pressure of the blow.

"That's enough pretending you're okay!" the larger male yells out before driving a newly clawed hand into Natsu's back. Or so it would have been if Natsu didn't quickly dodge the attack. Although he wasn't quite quick enough and he lost a part of his vest with that last attack.

Sliding to a stop nearby Natsu shouts back, "You clanky bastard! I'll blow you away!" With that, Natsu pounds his fists together in the beginning of his signature breath attack. At the same time, Gajeel also starts up a breath attack which shocks Lucy and Happy, who didn't realize that Gajeel could also use a breath attack just like Natsu since the two had quite different attacks until now.

The fire and metal breath attacks meet in the middle and cause another explosion-like pressure wave to fill the entire room. Happy is barely able to catch Lucy's hair in time to be kept from being swept away and it takes all of his strength just to hold on. Lucy doesn't even pay attention to her skirt, she is too focused on keeping upright throughout the blast which doesn't happen and she gets blown away.

Some of the male Phantom mages still in the room notice Lucy's skirt flying up and showing off her underwear. Being the perverts that they are, they become completely entranced at the sight and then promptly get blown away as well.

The wave was so strong that it tore a giant hole in the outside wall so the guild and town can be seen clearly. The sudden intrusion of sunlight brightens the dim room considerably and more of the actual damage that the been dealt in the room can be seen. Gajeel stands with his back facing the opening, so mainly his outline could be seen by the other dragon slayer.

"It looks like the difference in the two dragons is obvious now, Salamander." Gajeel proclaims calmly and confidently, quite different than he was just a moment ago. As the dust settles again, it can be seen that Gajeel's clothing has taken a hit, and is missing a large chunk of the torso.

"Even if your flaming breath can wipe out enemies," Gajeel continues almost magnanimously with his arms outstretched, "against iron, it doesn't even make a scratch. But my breath of iron blades has torn your body to shreds." Hearing this, Lucy and Happy turn to look at Natsu as they were watching Gajeel as he spoke. The sight that met their eyes caused both of them to gasp and almost start crying.

There Natsu stands, legs spread wide and clutching onto his left arm as it hangs as if broken. But that isn't what causes the two to be so upset. It's the fact that Natsu's body is covered in metal shrapnel that is embedded in his body and he is bleeding from a multitude of places. Faith in his surrogate father courses through Happy as he makes his way to stand protectively in front of Lucy who landed against a wall during the blast.

"He's… Strong!" Happy declares, completely confident in Natsu's ability to prevail despite how the situation looks currently.

Natsu lets out a bit of a laugh and smiles at Gajeel in a cocky manner as he retorts, "Not a scratch, you say? Sure you're not a bit groggy?" Just a bit after saying that, a visible crack appears in the scales along Gajeel's face. The Iron Dragon Slayer is astonished, never before has his scales even been slightly damaged, and here this weak piece of trash was able to crack it. Hope surges through Lucy as she also notices the crack in the armor.

"My flames aren't just any fire! The flames of the Fire Dragon destroy everything!" Natsu states with a shout. He takes off his very tattered vest since it is almost completely destroyed. So besides the scarf, he is basically topless. Activating his magic, Natsu is suddenly engulfed in flames.

"If you don't get serious, I'll crush you to pieces, Gajeel the Iron Dragon! Enough with feeling each other out!" Natsu proclaims in a lower, gravelly voice.

"Sounds good to me!" Gajeel crows out in delight as he also activates his magic. The force of his magic surrounding him completely destroys what was left of his coat, so he too is bare-chested. The other Phantom wizards that are still conscious can only gape in disbelief that the heated battle so far has yet to turn serious between the two slayers.

"They're Dragon Slayers." Happy proclaims, still full of unwavering faith.

"Incredible…" Lucy first says, full of awe at their power. She trails off as she notices something. "and wait, why did they strip?" she questions more to herself than anything while feeling awkward.

"Come'ere, Gajeel the Iron Dragon!" Natsu says calmly even though his expression is anything but calm while his magic still swirls around him.

"There isn't enough room in the sky for two dragons! I'll drop you, Natsu the Salamander." Gajeel declares with a manic grin. With a nonmagical roar, the two hurdle towards the other with their fists extended. The power of the collision breaks the already weakened room down even more as more and more cracks appear all over. With a sudden blast of magic, the two launch themselves high into the air like missiles.

They flew up so high that they looked like small dots in the sky. Natsu was so focused on beating Gajeel that he doesn't even notice the combined forces of José's Shades attacking the guild hall. All the wizards left in the partly destroyed room follow the progress of the two slayers as they still continue to go up higher into the sky.

They both use their magic to propel themselves high into the air for a proper sky battle between dragons. They trade blow for blow, each not wanting to give an inch to the other. Powerful strike after powerful strike, they pummel each other. The force of the pressure waves from the attacks alone is almost enough to keep them airborne. All the others below could make out were flashes of light as magically enhanced punches made contact.

After what seems like minutes, the two finally fall down and they land on top of the roof of the disabled giant. They rush towards each other as soon as they touch down and engage in a massive head butt. They push against the other, trying to make the other give way. They jump back, before jumping forwards again to continue attacking.

More flashes can be seen, but the fight can be seen clearly now and it leaves the audience below in silent awe. Kicks and punches are still being traded with neither side wanting to give ground. They land on top of the massive stone spike that adorns the head of the guildhall giant.

So much power was put into the attacks the slayers used, that the spike breaks off from the pressure wave alone. Unluckily for the spectators, that spike just so happens to be right above them. They scurry around trying to find a safe place to be at in the room.

Luckily for them, this room was huge so even with the section destroyed by the spike, there is still more than enough space that hasn't been completely destroyed. The two slayers land in the room with the others along with the spike. They survey each other and gauge how well their attacks damaged the enemy. Breathing heavy, the two males work on recovering their strength and magic so the fight can continue.

"Gajeel's getting beaten down!" says the only female Phantom mage in the room with great surprise. Never has anyone from Phantom Lord seen someone who could fight evenly with Gajeel. Much less someone who could possibly be even stronger than their Dragon Slayer.

"No, but look! Salamander's also out of breath!" replies one of the remaining male Phantom mages. And indeed it was true. Natsu is breathing much heavier than Gajeel, the fight with Aria and Totomaru drained a lot out of the Fire Dragon Slayer. An odd clanking sound is heard and quickly Natsu notices that Gajeel is eating metal! Understanding what is happening immediately, Natsu grows angry and starts hopping in his anger.

"That's so not fair!" He shouts out, extremely frustrated. "Don't eat by yourself!" Natsu commands, wishing there was some fire around that he could eat as well. Gajeel just stays kneeling on the floor and continues chewing up the iron scraps on the floor.

"Shubab!" Gajeel says with a mouthful of metal. Lucy and Happy look on while feeling flabbergasted that the Iron Dragon Slayer actually does eat metal like how Natsu eats fire to regain his magic and stamina. After a couple of mouthfuls, Gajeel finishes eating.

"Now that I've eaten, I'm all revved up!" the dark-haired slayer cries out victoriously.

Still feeling cheated that Gajeel got to eat and he didn't, Natsu almost screeches out, "Don't copy me!" It seems like an insult that Gajeel even talks about getting energized after eating just like Natsu does. Just as if he has to prove how much magic he recovered, Gajeel throws back his head and roars as he unleashes a lot of magic to power himself up.

"What? He's suddenly full of energy?!" Lucy gasps out, not quite understanding what is going on.

"Dragon Slayers can restore their energy and power up by eating their respective element!" Happy explains seriously. Hearing this, everything clicks with Lucy why Natsu is always wanting to eat fire. Before she thought it was just some odd thing he did since fire doesn't hurt him at all.

"Then Natsu needs to eat fire!" Lucy cries out with hope, but sudden realization hits and despair falls on the two. "That's right…" she trails off, as the hope disappears just as quickly as it came.

"Natsu can't eat his own magic flames!" Happy finishes the thought that they both are sharing.

"But… What should he do?" Lucy asks of Happy, hoping that maybe he has an idea. Finished powering up, Gajeel turns so his side is facing Natsu and he raises his right arm high into the air.

"I'll tear you to shreds!" Gajeel promises, all excited that he is about to end this battle and be the victor. He lowers his arm so his hand is pointing straight at Natsu before calling out his next attack.

"Spears of the Iron Dragon! Demon Poles!" He shouts out as the magic circle activates and dozens upon dozens of spear-like metal poles are shot out at Natsu. The attack was so fast that Natsu wasn't able to dodge and so he takes the attack head on. Too tired to even block, Natsu screams out in pain as he gets hit with the spears.

"Fire, fire… Did I have a fire spirit?" Lucy mumbles to herself as she goes searching for her keys. A memory comes back which causes her to gasp. Her keys were back at the street where she was kidnapped and Krysti was so mercilessly beaten up.

"Oh yeah, I lost my keys," she says sadly, feeling helpless without her Spirits to be there to help her. The attack finally ending, Natsu falls down to the ground and lays there prone and unmoving.

"The only one I have on hand is the new one Sagittarius. I haven't made a contract yet since I promised Krysti that I wouldn't make one without her to be there to see it." Lucy says softly.

"I'm sorry Krysti, I know you will understand, but this is the only chance we got!" Lucy's voice grows in volume and strength as the determination to help Natsu floods through her. As Lucy's resolve is solidifying, Natsu slowly and painfully pushes himself upright to continue the fight despite how the odds are against him.

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits! Now! O Spirit, answer my call and pass through the Gate!" Lucy calls out strongly as her magic activates in a golden halo around her. "Gate of the Archer, I open thee! Sagittarius!" A cloud of smoke appears and a tall figure can be seen within. The snorting head of a horse bursts through the smoke and a male voice can be heard.

"Horse!" the figure cries out as he emerges from the smoke. A grave looking male with dark hair wearing a horse costume appears. Over the costume, a white shirt, green vest, red bolo tie, and yellow and black vertical striped puffy pants are seen. Sagittarius is carrying a shiny silver bow and a quiver of red-fletched arrows on his back.

He salutes in the direction that he is facing and announces, "I am here! Moshimoshi." Not what she was expecting at all, Lucy tries not to be rude and let the spirit see her disappointment by putting on a fake happy face.

"Look, he's here!" she says stiffly. Happy, on the other hand, has no qualms and immediately points out the most noticeable feature.

"And wearing a horse suit!" he shouts out in surprise.

Pushing aside her feelings about how he looks, Lucy addressed the Spirit, "I'll explain the details later! Can you shoot fire?" she asks of him quickly.

Happy, who like his surrogate father is almost always hungry, looks at Sagittarius with a slightly dreamy expression and mummers out, "Horsemeat…"

Sagittarius turns to the side and looks up towards the ceiling as he answers, "No. For I am an archer, as it were!" He then salutes while not taking his eyes away from the ceiling as he says, "Moshimoshi!"

"R-Right…" Lucy agrees, feeling deflated at the fact that her only chance to be of help has gone down the drain.

"Where are you saluting to?" Happy asks, feeling kind of awkward with the strange Spirit's actions. Despite focusing on the battle with Gajeel, Natsu is able to hear everything that Lucy and Happy are doing.

"Lucy! It's dangerous, so get back!" he cries out, not wanting her to be hurt any more than she already has. Lucy looks over at Natsu in surprise as he called her name.

"A-Aye!" she shouts back as she quickly grabs a hold of Sagittarius and proceeds to pull him away from the fight.

"Moshimoshi!" the horse-suit wearing Spirit calls out as he gets dragged further away from the action. When far enough away, Lucy lets go and fall down onto her hands and knees in woe.

"I'm so useless!" she cries out to herself, feeling upset and powerless to do anything to help. Happy reaches a paw out in her direction and tries to encourage her.

"Now now, look on the bright side." he starts off. Lucy feels even more dejected as Happy has nothing else to add.

"As it were!" Sagittarius interrupts as he looks off to a random direction and salutes again.

Crouching down, Natsu engulfs himself in his flames as he shouts out, "Here I go!" before pushing off from that position to fly towards the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Edge of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu shouts out as he goes on the attack again. He rams into the other man's stomach with his head while still on fire. Gajeel barely even moves an inch from that attack which leaves Natsu feeling shocked and dismayed.

"Don't have any power on an empty stomach?" Gajeel taunts the pink-haired man before swinging one of his arms to knock Natsu into the ground by his feet. The blow was strong enough to make Natsu bounce back up into the air. Changing his other arm into a metal pole, Gajeel drives it into the back of Natsu's head and breaks the floor where it landed.