[X784, Tower of Heaven]
— Jellal —
"Death Thrust!"
The darkness erupted like a cannon blast from the Dark Swordsman's blade, tearing through the throne in a thunderous explosion. Jellal's body blurred into motion, Meteor propelling him aside a split-second before impact.
He sensed the trap—too late. In his dodge, his body was angled straight to receive a lightning-charged fist, courtesy of Laxus.
The punch slammed into Jellal's crossed arms, shockwaves rippling through his frame. His body hurtled across the shattered dais and crashed into a wall, spiderwebbing the stone behind him. Dust billowed from the ceiling.
'They're fast', Jellal thought. 'Faster than they should be.'
Before he could reorient, darkness and lightning were already upon him again.
The Thunder God—apt to his name—moved like thunder given flesh—each blow backed with the weight of a Dragon Slayer's fury. The Dark Swordsman's fighting style was colder, more surgical. His blade carved arcs of condensed darkness that slashed through the air like guillotines, his every movement followed by flickering wraiths that lunged at weak points.
Jellal was a blur in their midst, dodging, parrying, and zipping between attacks with Meteor-enhanced speed. He was faster than them in this mode, though only slightly. He ducked under a double palm strike from Laxus, only to twist away from a sweeping crescent slash by Dannis.
He ducked and wove through their coordination, but he could see it—the rhythm. The years of camaraderie between them.
'Their movements are eerily synced. Like they knew what the other person would do before they did it.' Jellal grimaced. 'It's annoying.'
One of the ways to break someone's rhythm was through words and taunts, a skill that Jellal had in spades.
"You still cling to your old master's coat-tails, Laxus?" Jellal's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. "Every ounce of your power—given by Makarov. What does it feel to be the Titan's grandson, having access to the tutorship of a Wizard Saint must have made your life so easy."
Laxus didn't flinch. Didn't even blink. A roundhouse kick aimed at Jellal's temple nearly clipped him mid-taunt.
He smirked and twisted away, only to speak again as he dodged a cluster of wraiths and their sharpened claws.
"And you, Dannis Martell…" Jellal's tone dipped, more curious now. "Still harboring Zeref's little secret, aren't you? Do your friends even know what you are?"
Dannis didn't reply.
But the flicker of fury that crossed his crimson eyes spoke volumes.
'Ah', Jellal thought, 'I hit something.'
But that was the mistake—he originally assumed they cared about his words.
He should've known better that veteran mages such as them won't get distracted so easily.
Fists, blades, spells—the throne room became a blur of motion and force. Every step they took demolished stone. Every clash shook the tower's foundation. The stained-glass windows shattered into glittering rain. Wraiths and lightning bolts alike danced across the battlefield, colliding with his own Heavenly Body magic.
Jellal threw his hand outward. "Altairis!"
A gravitational sphere expanded, warping the battlefield. Dannis narrowly escaped, a shell of darkness protecting him from the worst of it. Laxus grunted, forcing through the pressure, lightning crackling around his frame to break free of the crushing weight.
Then he saw it. An opening.
Jellal zipped forward with Meteor, grabbed Dannis by the back of his shirt, and hurled him with ferocious strength right through the wall.
The stone exploded outward as Dannis shot through it like a comet.
Jellal turned toward Laxus—only for a bolt of raw electricity to surge toward his face. He used Meteor and followed the momentum outside.
Cool air blasted against his face as he soared above the broken tower. The ocean churned far below, the night sky cloaked in rolling clouds. He spotted Dannis, black wings erupting from his back as he righted himself mid-flight, already circling for a counterattack.
Laxus came next, body crackling, surfing across arcs of raw plasma as he hovered beside him.
The three of them formed a triangle in the air, drifting above the churning sea and the ruins of the Tower of Heaven, surrounded by drifting chunks of rubble suspended midair from their battle.
For a heartbeat, everything was still.
Then Jellal smiled.
"Shall we finally take this up a notch?"
No words from his opponents. Only silence. Then—yes. They understood.
Dannis' body rippled as dark, arcane tattoos coiled up his left side, pulsing with shadow. His sword darkened, bleeding black smoke.
Laxus let out a breath. Scales formed along his arms and neck, gleaming gold and crackling with voltage..
Jellal let his full aura surge. A corona of dark yellow light exploded around him as his eyes narrowed.
'Let's end this.'
"Be judged by the Seven Stars—GRAND CHARIOT!"
Seven pillars of celestial light rained down from the heavens like divine judgment.
The beams struck like comets. Laxus dodged two, barely blocking a third. Dannis spun through the air, cloak flaring out, his sword deflecting one and evading another before a glancing beam clipped his shoulder, only for a black hole to absorb before it found purchase on his skin.
The sky lit up in a cacophony of gold and black.
Then Laxus appeared behind Jellal in a flash—fists raised high.
"Lightning Dragon's Jaw!"
The hammerfist slammed down on Jellal's back, exploding with concussive force. Jellal's eyes widened as pain spiked down his spine. Before he could recover—
"Soul Rend!" came from below.
Dannis emerged from the shadow of the clouds, his blade glowing with a dreadful energy. Jellal twisted—too late. The edge of the strike grazed his side, raking pain across his ribs and he could feel his magic dipping from the strike.
He hissed in frustration, flipping backward through the air, the wind shrieking past him.
'They're stronger than I expected.'
Every spell, every technique—they were met unflinchingly and countered almost immediately. A feat one could only do after decades of experience in combat.
His eyes flicked toward the distant sky.
'Where is it? Etherion should be charging. Siegrain completed the override—why hasn't it fired?'
It took at least ten minutes for Etherion to charge. 'How long has it been? Two minutes ? Five?'
He truly lost all perception of time. For all he knew, Etherion could fire any second.
'I need to end this now.'
But every time he tried to pull away, they were already there—Laxus on his left, Dannis below or behind. Darkness, lightning, and celestial light interwove in a storm of power above the sea.
Magic danced across the skies like a symphony of war.
The heavens cracked open with each clash.
And Jellal—Wizard Saint, chosen vessel of a grand design—was starting to feel the pressure.
…
— Gray Fullbuster —
"This is crazy! Are these people even human anymore?!" Lucy's voice cracked with disbelief as she clutched the edge of the ice boat, her wide eyes locked on the aerial clash unfolding in the sky.
Gray exhaled through his nose and leaned back slightly, trying to keep his composure.
"It's Dannis and Laxus we're talking about," he muttered, arms crossed over his chest. "I'm more surprised that this Jellal guy could keep up with them."
The boat groaned under the collective weight of the ragtag crew crammed onto it—familiar voices murmured, gasped, and swore under their breaths, but no one looked away from the sky.
Gray, Natsu, Juvia, and Happy had reunited with the Thunder God Tribe, as well as Lucy, Levy, and Gajeel who were brought to them by Dannis' wraiths. They had quickly run out of the tower, with Freed and Evergreen casting worried looks to the injured Bickslow.
Once they were outside, Gray quickly made a boat large enough to accommodate them all.
Once they were in the clear, Levy began casting the word heal numerous times to Bickslow to stem the worst of his injuries. Freed and Evergreen had thanked her then.
To their surprise, Dannis' wraiths appeared around them once more carrying the bodies of Erza and all her companions. They were all injured beyond measure, with only Wally the block headed guy having remained conscious.
Gray quickly made another boat to fit the others, with Levy casting more heals. It drained her quickly, and Levy did say that her healing spells weren't all powerful since the amount of magic it would take to completely heal someone of all their wounds was beyond her at the moment.
All of them nodded in understanding, already thankful enough of her efforts.
That was when the top of the tower exploded, with three figures appearing in the sky.
The clouds parted when all three combatants ramped up their magic, it took every bit of Gray's self-control to not shiver at the amount of magic all three possessed.
And then it began.
Lightning arced in massive streaks of gold, splitting the heavens. Darkness poured like smoke across the sky, bending the clouds into nightmares. Seven beams of golden starlight slammed down like divine judgment.
Gray glanced sideways. Natsu sat cross-legged near the edge, though his face was pale with motion sickness, his eyes were another thing entirely. Gajeel, hunched over in a similar manner as Natsu, stared at the aerial battle, his hands digging into his thighs.
"Damn it all…" Gajeel growled, voice low.
They watched as Jellal flew through the air with uncanny speed, dark yellow aura spiralling around him. Laxus moved with speeds they could barely follow, a golden blur as he zipped across the sky. Dannis was the single outlier, cloaked in absolute darkness compared to the bright lights the other two had.
None of them spoke now.
Not Lucy, not Natsu, not Juvia or Gajeel.
Even Freed, who had been whispering to Evergreen only moments ago, stood rooted in place, mouth slightly agape as he watched the fight unfold.
Gray's hands trembled.
Not from fear. But from helplessness.
Every blow exchanged above reminded him of how far he still had to go. How far below that level he still was. How, even now, he could do nothing.
Gray clenched his fists, cursing his weakness. He could see Natsu and Gajeel, in their delirious state, feeling the same way.
No one mentioned Etherion. They all knew what it meant. What could fall from the sky at any moment and wipe them all from existence.
But not one of them moved to flee.
Not when Dannis and Laxus were still up there, fighting.
They stood rooted amongst the churning waters, watching and waiting.
…
— Dannis Martell —
Jellal's dark silhouette blurred between strikes, pushing the limits of Meteor as he weaved and twisted through air. But Dannis and Laxus were faster now—more in sync. Their instincts, despite spending years apart through different paths, had not dulled the slightest.
There was no need for words, no need to hesitate. For he knew exactly what Laxus would do and he him.
Dannis curved around a lightning burst from Laxus, a single point of black light already centered at the edge of his sword. His foot caught air, pushing off a summoned wraith's shoulder mid-flight to redirect his momentum, just as Jellal turned to block Laxus' follow-up punch.
Perfect.
He sent his wraiths forward. They were near invisible in the darkening sky, and he used that to his advantage as half a dozen of the ghostly creatures broke from formation and surrounded Jellal. Their arms locked onto his limbs, ethereal chains connecting them that formed a spectral cocoon as they began to drag him down from the air.
"Now!" Dannis shouted.
With twin sonic cracks, he and Laxus appeared on either side of the struggling mage, spells prepared.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Laxus bellowed.
"Void Burst!" Dannis screamed.
The twin attacks hit at the exact same time—one made of thunder and fury, the other darkness and decay.
But before it connected, a sudden burst of magic erupted from Jellal that tore apart the wraiths holding him down. A hexagonal barrier snapped into place around him in the blink of an eye.
The sky lit up in a halo of gold and black, a cross-shaped shockwave blasting through the clouds.
Dannis' eye glowed red, his future sight blaring a half-second before the blow came.
His body jerked left, and his sword was already up before Jellal's glowing fist tore through where his jaw had been.
Dannis' sword caught the second strike, but the angle was off. The edge slid towards his cheek.
Before the impact could land, Laxus barreled into Jellal like a cannonball, shoulder-first, knocking the man sideways with a crack of thunder.
Jellal grunted as he was sent spinning.
"I had that," Dannis muttered dryly, shaking his aching wrist.
"Sure you did," Laxus shot back, already repositioning.
They didn't say it out loud. They didn't need to.
But fighting together like this again—shoulder to shoulder, perfectly in tune—it stirred something old. Something real.
Memories came unbidden. Late-night missions, laughing after bruising sparring matches, dragging each other out of collapsing ruins and roaring with pride when they survived another insane job.
They had changed plenty throughout the years. But this, this would always remain the same.
The sky crackled once more. They turned just in time to see Jellal rising, a look of outrage on his face.
"I admit… you two are much stronger than I expected," Jellal said.
He floated higher, arms raised as he began to form a shape with his fingers. Both hands pointed down—thumb, ring, and pinkie closed, with only the index and middle fingers extended. Slowly, his right hand rotated upward until it pointed to the sky.
Dannis felt the shift immediately. A pulling sensation in the air.
The clouds above Jellal began circling, creating what appears to be a cyclone. From the center of the swirling formation, a glowing orb began to form, growing in size until a humongous meteor emerged, falling quickly to earth.
"You gotta be fucking kidding me." Dannis said wide eyed.
"This guy's magic power is fucking ridiculous," Laxus muttered beside him, jaw tight.
A sinister look appeared behind Jellal's eyes. "Die! Die and be sacrificed for the revival of Zeref! True Heavenly Body Magic: SEMA!"
The meteor was larger than the whole island the Tower of Heaven sat upon. Dannis watched resolutely as it continued falling from the skies.
"Oi, Laxus. You're thinking what I'm thinking?"
Laxus smirked. "Yep."
"You ready for this?"
"Always."
Standing beside one another in the air, they called upon the feeling they had once done a long time ago. Back when it was just the two of them as rookie mages against the world.
Their magics swirled around them as they mixed, matching each other point for point.
Lightning crackled around Laxus' palm, a bolt forming into a massive spear of magic that shimmered gold and sparked erratically. Dannis reached toward it, his magic threading into the bolt. Darkness consumed the lightning, refining it to become something more.
The bolt turned black as midnight, veined with infernal violet.
Dannis' tattoos flared with power. Laxus' scales glowed white-hot.
Blinding black light shined as the power of a dragon and a devil mixed into something the world had not seen before.
They roared into the heavens.
"Unison Raid: Lightning Dragon Devil's Destruction Halberd!"
The black lightning bolt launched into the sky, piercing through the air like the weapon of the gods.
It struck the meteor dead center.
For one frozen moment, there was silence. Then, the sky shattered.
The meteor imploded from within, crumbling into radiant dust and thunderous shockwaves that tore through the clouds like they were paper. Every fragment of rock was disintegrated in the blaze, reduced to harmless motes of ash that scattered harmlessly into the wind.
…
AN: Whoop whoop, Dannis and Laxus kicking Jellal's ass the way he deserves. Would you believe me if this chapter was the very first scene I've written when I started this fic. Everything I've done was for this chapter to come to fruition. Can't believe we actually got here.
The next chapter or two should wrap up this entire arc and saga. It should be pretty obvious but the Battle of Fairy Tail arc will go completely different than the one canon due to this.
There might not even be a battle of Fairy Tail. I haven't ironed out all the details, but it should nowhere be as long as the Tower of Heaven.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Cheers!