"You were really beaten up, Ordo. How the hell can you even still move?" Happy looked at the sound wizard that was sitting down.
Ordo tried to flex his arm, but hissed because of the unbearable pain. "Maybe it's the adrenaline… The healing paste also added to that." He glanced at the colorless substance that he applied to both of his upper limbs.
"Do you still have some? Natsu-san also received a decent amount of injuries." Kagura joined in the conversation, softly rubbing the hair of the dragon slayer who laid down on her lap.
He nodded. "Sure, few were thankfully still intact. It was a miracle that they didn't get destroyed when I was near the larcima's explosion." Reaching for his pockets, then he remembered how hurt he was. "Ow! Ow! Uh, can you help me get them, blue cat friend?"
"Aye!" Happy assisted Ordo as he got the last few, passing them to the woman near them. Kagura thanked the both of them and swiftly opened their caps, holding a tissue while gently smearing its contents on it.
Then, she rubbed the tissue on Natsu's wounds, which made him wince from time to time. Unconsciously, her stoic features adorned a small blush. It was her first time doing something like this, her actions were a bit intimate… for a healing procedure that is.
Unfortunately, the Exceed was surprisingly sharp in this regard. He stared at her with an amused expression, covering his mouth as if trying not to laugh.
"The emotions on your face are too obvious, Kagura." Happy teased her, then glanced at his partner who looked out of sorts. "Hey, Natsu! She loooveess---!"
"Cease your chatter, Happy. I will extinguish your precious fishes on the daily if you continue your words." She stared at the feline with a darkened visage.
Happy could only gasped at the horror of such a threat. "That's a violation to all cats! I now understand my position, Ma'am." He saluted while sweating, not wanting to have a future with no fish.
"Good." Kagura hummed in satisfaction, returning her focus on the dragon slayer who slowly felt more energized.
"What were you gonna say, Happy?"
"Nothing, just focus on recovering."
Natsu looked at his Exceed with a weird expression, before finally sitting up as he checked his condition. "I feel much better!" He stretched as he stood up afterwards, mildly bouncing up and down.
The dragon slayer gazed at the woman who healed him. "Thanks, Kagura!" He brightly smiled at her.
Kagura also smiled. "No problem, Natsu-san." Although that oblivious yet charming grin of his really breaks her composure every single day.
Natsu shifted his attention to the main contributor in this mission. "Your stuff really came in handy! It's a good thing you arrived at the perfect time, pal! I should also thank you, you know." The healing paste let him recover up to at least seventy percent of his magical power.
Ordo waved his hand gently, enduring his weakened condition. "No need to get so chummy, Salamander. Although we still have one last opponent to consider, if it weren't for all of you, I would have been stuck in a rut." He tried to laugh, but coughed instead.
Those two weeks were ridiculously slow for him. He didn't even have time to grieve for his hometown before being ordered around. It was extremely difficult to navigate under the blight's probing eyes.
But for now? The opportunity finally arrived… His mind was in a state of tranquility, and the constant mental torment subsided.
However, in the next moment, a cat remarked without reading the harmonious atmosphere. Although it still lightened the mood immensely.
"It's not his, Natsu. He stole a lot of things, remember?" Happy interjected as if the man in question wasn't with them.
"Ah. Right, I forgot." He slammed his fist on his palm with understanding. "D-Does that mean we have to pay for compensation since we used it." The dragon slayer shivered at the possibility of any type of payment.
During his efforts at stabilizing the guild, his hold habits never vanished. Additionally, Natsu was way too eager and determined that his reimbursements became so high it shocked Macao into speechlessness.
"We simply don't need to say anything! No one will know if we hide it from prying eyes, fufu~"
"That's a good idea, Happy! As expected of my partner---! Ouch!"
"Gehk!"
Kagura bonked the duo on their heads. "Stop fooling around, you two. Let's think about that later after we accomplish our objective." She glanced at the sealed metallic door in front of them.
Ordo was quite amused at their boundless energy, a contradiction compared to his present state. It wasn't really a bad thing, because having spare strength will help them for this final ordeal.
"Miss Kagura is right. Who knows what will happen after Argonia discovers his so-called grand plan failed miserably. That prideful man can potentially become desperate if his expectations won't go his way." He stated in worry as he also looked at the sealed door.
"Then He'll receive a knuckle sandwich from me!" Natsu grinned in excitement, his magic power being emitted outwardly in relation to his emotions. "We've already made it this far anyway, so don't get cold feet now." He replied to Ordo.
The sound wizard froze for a moment, before he chuckled loudly. "You're right! There's no point in over thinking such scenarios." Being influenced by optimism and confidence definitely lessens the stress.
"I also agree, but we still need to go over your hypothesis that you shared before we entered the hideout, Ordo." Kagura's stoic expression was mellowed out, already going along with her dragon slayer's antics.
Ordo nodded as he turned serious. "I'm very sure about it. Even with Argonia's strength, destroying all of those lacrimas should be enough to make the crystal go haywire. Either he would be completely unconscious, or weakened as he attempts to control it."
A logical assumption he formulated after entering the room once. But, he still couldn't comprehend as to why he was allowed to hear the intricacies of the process. He was only a member for two weeks at the minimum, a huge gap compared to the blights who were with him that time.
The Dark Sky Guild Master was unpredictable on many fronts, and his seemingly spontaneous decisions were just one of them.
Kagura was about to respond, but before she could, she saw Natsu suddenly adopt a serious expression. An eerie pressure exited from the sealed door, which made the group feel tense.
"Weakened…? Ordo, you didn't just pull that reasoning out of your ass, did you?" Happy trembled in slight fear.
"No." Ordo took a deep breath to not lose consciousness right there and then. "I apologize, everyone. But it seems I miscalculated Argonia's capability" The pressure spread further out, already engulfing a portion of the sixth layer.
Natsu shook his head as his eyes never left the incoming threat. "Nah, you already did your best." He then motioned to his Exceed. "Happy, carry him and get out of here. Me and Kagura will handle him." Conjuring his golden flames as it enveloped his body.
He was gonna go all out from the get-go. The swordswoman beside him positioned herself into drawing stance, her magical power ready to be released.
"Aye, Sir!" The blue cat activated his magic and went towards Ordo. As soon as he picked up the sound wizard, they zoomed upwards through the opened-up layers.
Ordo glanced down at the fairies who didn't have any fear against fighting a guild master. "I wish I could have assisted them more… I was the one who began this whole operation, but I became a burden in the end." He gritted his teeth in helplessness.
"Don't worry about it! Natsu said what was on all our minds." Happy's expression didn't have a trace of panic, he even smiled afterwards.
"Believe in them until the very end, because Fairy Tail Wizards never back down from anything!"
The sound wizard was startled at the cat's surging confidence, but chuckled softly after listening to that response. "It's no wonder why you guys were considered as the most prominent light guild in Fiore."
Ordo mentally gave his blessings for the brave young wizards' victory against the evil who awakened from his slumber.
…
Click!
The sealed door hummed as it glowed in activity, slowly showing the interior behind it. A foot stepped forward as the pressure converged on Natsu and Kagura, prompting them to counter it with their own.
Then, transparent solidified purple pillars shot towards them in an instant. Their sizes enough to dwarf the average human height. Natsu tried to stop one with his left hand, getting pushed back effortlessly. Kagura blocked the other pillar with the surface of her scabbard, also skidding backwards.
Natsu gave a little oomph as he strengthened his grip, stopping the momentum altogether. He followed up with a flame infused punch, creating a golden trail that traveled across its surface.
Kagura delayed the other one's movement with her gravity, making it slow down afterwards. She angled her weapon into an upwards swing, causing it to raise itself in the air, transitioning into a singular downwards slice, splitting the pillar into two.
"Destroying my pillars that easily… You two can be considered as genuine S-Classes for any guild with standard requirements." The man who was responsible for everything finally revealed himself while they were preoccupied with his initiative.
He had purple lines pulsing all over his body, wearing a opened-collared blue jacket and pants. His eyes displayed small cubes that floated about as he observed the culprits who made a mess to his plans.
"So young! So talented! Just like that that damn Wizard Saint!" Argonia remarked in anger, his voice ringing across the crumbling layer. Rampaging magical power continued emit from him, the atmosphere becoming even heavier.
Rumble!
"Natsu-san, please be careful. He is currently not in the right state of mind." Kagura analyzed the mutated being in front of her.
Natsu circulated his flames in response. "Yeah. This weirdo has the ickiest feeling out of all of them." He powered up even more, his magic streaming around him as he looked at the man with caution. "He's bad news."
After their brief conversation, they saw Argonia clasped his hands together, making them put their guard up.
"Barrier Magic: Crush."
KRRRMMM!
A vast transparent screen manifested right above the pair, swiftly descending towards them like a falling mountain. Natsu quickly took a deep breath, aiming at the screen in no time.
"Golden Version: Fire Dragon's Roar!"
BOOOOOOM!
The clash between the spells could be felt all across the hideout. Those who were still conscious could only retreat in shock and confusion as the Soundless Domain was no more.
Kagura leaped up towards the screen to assist the dragon slayer in blocking the entire thing. She swung her sword towards it, hitting with all of her might. Their combined effort actually stopped the looming screen for a moment, which gave her an opportunity.
She invoked her gravity to the maximum, making the screen as light as it could be. Natsu saw this and applied more magical power to his roar, producing numerous cracks across its surface.
Argonia narrowed his eyes at that and motioned his arms with a few gestures. He smoothly separated the screen, giving the cluster of golden flames a path towards the top.
Natsu and Kagura slightly widened their eyes at the sudden change, catching them off-guard for but a moment. But as an experienced wizard, that was enough for Argonia to invoke another spell.
"Barrier Magic: Contain."
The now individual screens chose their targets, encasing both of the fairies at the same time. He chuckled as he controlled the newly formed purple cubes, aligning them on the ground.
Argonia slowly walked towards them with an amused expression, arriving in front of the two instantly.
Natsu didn't like his condescending look as he tried to punch the cube. "You're way too relaxed, pal! I'll get out of this thing easily!" But the moment he made contact with it, only ripples appeared, as if it absorbed his attack.
"What!? Nothing happened?" The dragon slayer was surprised on how sturdy the cube was.
"It is useless, light wizard. My containment spell can digest any type of magic as long as I increase its output." Argonia tapped the temporary prison with his knuckle.
"That sounds way too unfair! Why not just open it and fight us directly!" Natsu complained in an exasperated manner, pointing at him comically.
Argonia simply raised an eyebrow at his remark. "Fight? I'm not here to fight the both of you." He spread his arms in a mocking display, satisfied while observing their trapped figures.
"Think of it as a… prolonged execution."