Stage Two

NATSU!"

Kokabiel already bore the spear down. He watched as the Light Spear penetrated through the person's torso as their blood splattered all over his face marking his already dirty clothing.

"Hahaha. Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kokabiel laughed gleefully at the situation, "What a glorious sight! To see you finally succumbing to the misery you peasant! All that had to happen was for her to die in your place!"

"No." Natsu watched helplessly as the person in front of him fell lifeless on the ground. He felt his body shiver, feeling an actual coldness within his being, as he lost someone... someone precious to him. "Please. No." His voice was weak and shaky as the body fell right in front of his face. He saw the person's face; the person that saved his life by sacrificing their own. Then came another shudder of coldness. "No! This- it wasn't supposed to happen this way!" He only felt like this in the darkest times of his life. When he thought Igneel left him, he had played so many scenarios trying to come up with a reason why his father left him, but the only things that came to mind were that he was weak, not strong enough, a disappointment to his name. The worst one of all was... that he died somewhere else... alone, without anybody... not even his son.

"Hahahaha! Yes, that is what war is like! This is why I love it! To see weak maggots like you crawl on the floor!" Kokabiel continued to laughed hysterically as he watched Natsu's morose expression.

"Why'd you do that?" Natsu crawled over to the person who took the hit for him. Tears were streaming down his face endlessly just as the blood from his wound continued to bleed. "You were supposed to escape with the rest; call for help. Why did you come here!?" He yelled at the figure wanting a response but got nothing. Natsu used his functioning arm to sit himself up and pulled the last spear from his leg flinching from the pain.

He looked down at the lifeless face again while he quivered from the coldness he felt. He felt like this when he heard the news that Lisanna died. So badly, he just wanted to so badly go on a rampage and kill Elfman himself for doing that to his best friend. His only friend at the time. But he didn't. He knew that a loss of another life wasn't going to make things better, but just getting the satisfaction of avenging her death sounded good to Natsu, but then he realized again... that it was Elfman that did it. It was Elfman- the big, tough, mushy guy that only thought about protecting his sisters.

"I never thought I would see a person of her standards dying so... uh, what's the word? Ah, that's it. I never thought she would meet her demise so casually." Kokabiel jokingly said enjoying the moment to the fullest.

"You didn't deserve this." Natsu's tears lingered on his face as he caressed the face of the other person on the ground, moving her hair out of her face and wiping the blood that covered it. Natsu once again felt a freezing chill travel its way throughout his body as he shuddered tremendously not used to the chills that were inside of him. He experienced this when Erza tried to sacrifice herself to the lacrima in the Tower of Heaven. His heart sank when he saw her slowly and painfully get sucked in the blue orb saying her goodbyes. He watched helplessly just as he did now while someone gave their life to save his. Natsu hated it. He was supposed to be the giving his life, not her. His life was worthless compared to Erza's, so why did she do that? He felt weak, inferior, powerless against what life threw at him.

Natsu's continued to look at the person's face, as his mind went to dark places only thinking about how he would kill Kokabiel in the most painful way possible.

"What a pathetic worm you are. Can't even take a beating without someone taking it for you." Kokabiel spat his in Natsu face while he wiped it off along with his tears. "But it's not just your fault. Her family is renowned for caring for their servants. Eventually one of them would have died protecting them. Poor Rias Gremory."

Natsu bawled even more at hearing the name mentioned. The girl that saved his life; the one currently lying lifeless on his lap; the one that died by Kokabiel's hand was Rias Gremory.

"Oh, I like that." Kokabiel said grinning, "You present yourself as a strong willed person. But when it comes down to it, you're just a child treading in the grown-up territory." Kokabiel kicked Natsu in the face sending flying him away from Rias' body. "Maybe I have to kill more of your friends for you to beg for mercy, hmm?" He charged a giant Light Spear in his hand ready to throw it at the onlookers who were also crying at their loss.

"No!" Natsu screamed, attempting to get up. "I won't let you hurt them! Those are people that are precious to her! People that are important to me! I will not let you even graze them by their hair!" Natsu was on one knee using his functioning limbs to help him up. Then from his knee, he pushed himself up with his other arm to help as he was now standing but was shaking and wobbling from the pain experienced.

"Oh, it that so?" Kokabiel asked rhetorically. "Hahahaha! If that's the case how are you going to stop me?" He shot his spear towards Issei while he dodged just in time to avoid the hit.

"Stop it!" Natsu screamed raging at Kokabiel while he slowly limped towards his position. The man didn't even pay attention as he continued to play joyfully with the group while Xenovia and Kiba being the ones blocking the attacks with their swords.

"I said stop it Bastard!" Natsu inched closer and closer to Kokabiel but for him it felt like an eternity, watching his friends suffer at the hands of this maniac.

"I'll be safe 'nii-san'. We'll all be."

"She was supposed to leave. Leave me and go find help and be safe." Natsu said not giving up on his journey.

"Don't worry Zechs! I'll definitely get Princess back home safely!"

"I made a promise. A promise I was supposed to keep but failed at it." His hair shadowed the majority of his face but it could be seen clearly that he had a huge frown formed on his lips.

"You can thank me by getting Rias here back safely. Including her friends."

"If that's the case I'll add Cakibllit's burnt ass as an extra side!"

"I have to save them. I have to avenge her. I have to keep my promise by beating your ass!" Natsu yelled finally getting to Kokabiel's position as he decked him once again in the face with his good arm sending him staggering back.

Rubbing the cheek that was hit, Kokabiel turned to Natsu as he punched him in his right shoulder causing him to scream. "You peasant! You really think you can take me on!"

"Of course I do!" Natsu went through the pain and blocked Kokabiel's punch with his injured right arm while using his left to uppercut him in the jaw as he was flying in the air. Sprouting his wings again Kokabiel descended down to where Natsu was and summoned another Light Spear as he stabbed Natsu through the left side of his ribs.

"You are a naive child! You should know your place in this world!" Kokabiel screamed in Natsu face, twisting the Light Spear while Natsu didn't even flinch. Kokabiel pondered on this but couldn't any longer as Natsu tightly grabbed his hand that was holding the spear and crushed it in his palm. Kokabiel screamed in agony at feeling his hand get crushed as he felt every tiny bone break or dislocate in his fingers. He looked at Natsu's eyes only to see them turned to golden slits as he growled showing his elongated canine teeth.

"I know my place in this world Kokabiel..." Natsu's voice was deep and husky as he sounded like he was growling throughout the whole sentence, "And it is surely above yours." Gripping his hand even tighter Natsu managed to throw Kokabiel across the field as he skipped along the dirt like a pebble thrown across a lake.

"You hurt my friends... you threaten my life... and then take the life of a person dear to me... I just can't forgive that." Natsu took one step forward with his left leg as it was surprisingly healed and looked as though nothing happened to it. He began to walk towards Kokabiel as said person got up from the dirt and glared at Natsu.

Natsu didn't care as he continued walking and lifted up his right arm as it was in the same condition as his left leg: completely healed. He brought it over to his left hand and started cracking his knuckles, prepared for the fight that was going to take place.

Kokabiel looked perplexed at what he was seeing as he was sure he stabbed him in the right places where he shouldn't be moving, much less be alive and walking. What confused him, even more, was the fact that Natsu was steaming, with literal steam coming out of various places of his body. When he got even closer he saw that Natsu had scale-like lines forming around his face and arms.

"You don't scare me, boy. No one can stop me right now!" Kokabiel began walking towards Natsu as well while forming a sword made out of light that was exceptionally long.

Natsu didn't respond to that as he kept on walking towards his opponent. Kokabiel saw that along with his golden slit irises, and the scale-like lines, was that his hair was starting to stand up even more, becoming spikier and wilder with the sides of his hair having ridges. The scales also traveled further along his body as they were now covering the whole side of his face, the back of his hand and forearm, and the entirety of his back and torso excluding the parts of the chest and stomach.

As they both met each other in the middle, Kokabiel struck first with his sword in hand while Natsu simply blocked it with his forearm. Summoning another sword, Kokabiel tried to stab Natsu in the stomach but the sword was stopped by Natsu again, as he was holding the hilt of it. Making his next move, Natsu in turn, jumped up from his spot kneeing Kokabiel in the jaw as he stumbled backward.

"Light Hammer!" Kokabiel conjured a huge hammer of light, swinging it down on Natsu, wanting to smash his brains in. That didn't happen as Natsu used his arms and blocked the strike overhead. Once again he began steaming as the scales he had around his body were getting thicker and longer while also gaining a dark red color. Then, the steam was being replaced with fire. But this time it was a bright gold color as it was covering his whole body, seemingly dancing around limbs.

Throwing the hammer aside, Natsu got into a fighting stance while chanting something that was well heard by Kokabiel, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu dashed towards Kokabiel at unimaginable speeds as he punched him straight in the stomach as Kokabiel coughed, feeling as though all the air got knocked out of him. Natsu didn't stop, while the golden fire around his hand got bigger and his fist dug deeper into Kokabiel's stomach burning through his clothing and cauterizing his skin with him screaming in pain.

"Argh! You'll pay!" Kokabiel was able to speak through the pain while Natsu kept pushing his fist deeper into his abdomen almost reaching his spine. Natsu finished the attack with a burst of golden fire exploding from his fist sending Kokabiel flying in the air at fast speeds while he tried to use his wings to slow him down, as it did help, but not a lot.

Looking towards the sky, Natsu opened his legs further digging his feet into the ground while arching his back, "Fire Dragon's Roar!" Suddenly he recoiled his back and sent a massive stream of gold fire towards Kokabiel as he had could do nothing but take it head on. His muffled screams were heard by everyone in the barrier while Natsu kept the attack going until it caused an explosion, spitting Kokabiel out of its mist and onto the ground trembling.

Walking slowly towards Kokabiel. Natsu looked down at him glaring with full intensity. All Kokabiel saw was an angry Dragon who he pissed off very much. "Who... who are you? Really?" Kokabiel asked hatefully, also glaring at the boy above him.

"I am Natsu Dragneel! Son of the Fire Dragon King Igneel and friend of Rias Gremory... the person you killed." Natsu disclosed as he picked him up and threw him back on the ground, "Tell me! Who do you think the worm is now! Fire Dragon's Talon!" Natsu vigorously smashed his leg on the back of Kokabiel's head, nailing his face into the ground until he did one final kick causing the ground beneath his strike to crack sending ripples through the ground around him.

Taking him by the collar, Natsu brought him up from the ground to see his beaten, bloody and messed up face. He almost grimaced at the sight but didn't 'cause Kokabiel had something up his sleeve.

Raising his right arm, Kokabiel summoned a Light Spear aiming for Natsu's head. Seeing this, Natsu swiftly dodged the attack by moving his head to the side only getting a minor cut on the unprotected part of his face. Natsu looked at the desperate man with a loathing expression throwing him aside on the dirt as he left to go after Rias' body.

"I cannot be defeated. I need to create a war before that happens." Kokabiel got up from the ground while Natsu didn't even acknowledge it. "And I won't be stopped by a brat that says his father's a Dragon King!"

Hearing this, Natsu whipped his head back as his eyes started glowing bright gold again with fire bursting from his being.

"And especially not by a pink haired nuisance like you!" Kokabiel formed a large Light Spear the size of the former school as it kept growing and growing over Kokabiel. Natsu turned completely around as he face was morphing into a kind of anger that couldn't even be described in any dictionary.

"What'd you say!?" Natsu yelled with his golden flames increasing in height and width. The ground around him started melting into magma as his feet sunk into it but he didn't even feel it as he was to consumed by his anger. "First you hurt my friends, killed one of my first friends coming here and insulted me!" Natsu yelled as the temperature in the area was scorching like the whole place itself was an oven put to a high degree. He glared at Kokabiel dead in the eye as his magic just kept growing along with the size and temperature of his fire, "But worst of all... YOU FUCKING INSULTED MY FATHER!"

"You think I give a crap! Take this as an invitation to Hell!" Kokabiel threw the giant Light Spear towards Natsu's way putting everything he had into that attack.

"Yes! You've finally unlocked stage two of Dragon Force! Natsu, remember, your flames are a part of you now! So take this son of a bitch down like the badass son you are!" Igneel bellowed in Natsu's head, really wanting to get at Kokabiel himself.

"Fire Dragon's Crushing Fist!" All the fire that previously surrounded him all went to his right arm as he punched towards the giant Light Spear. The golden flames that wrapped around his arm were sent in the air as they formed a giant fist that matched the size of the spear shocking Kokabiel to no end. The giant flaming fist and spear of light clashed head on as shock waves went through the air.

"AAAAARRRRRRHHHHHH!" Natsu pushed even harder, sending more flames to power the punch as the flaming fist was starting to push back the giant Light Spear, "THIS IS FOR RIAS!"

Just as Natsu said this the giant fist demolished the spear into smithereens while it continued its path towards Kokabiel. Before it reached him, the barrier surrounding them was destroyed, as a bright blue light came crashing down in front of the humongous golden flaming fist.

"Divine Dividing!" Natsu heard this as his attack shrunk to half its size.

"What?" Natsu asked expecting no answer.

"Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide!" This is what Natsu heard over again until his attack was nonexistent.

"Damn it! Why has the Vanishing Dragon come here!?" Kokabiel screamed.

"Why... why can't I stop shivering?" Issei asked looking at the person in the sky.

He was wearing a white armor suit that resembled a Dragon's body while having multiple blue gems at each joint of the armor.

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu asked furiously, summoning his golden fire.