Chapter 428: God-Steel Dragon
(Third Person POV)
Back to the fight between Gajeel and Bloodman, the Shield had pushed the Dragon Slayer to the outskirts of the main battle. His magicbane particles had affected the majority of the Alvarez Soldiers, much to his indifference and lack of care.
"Damn..." Gajeel said as he was sent flying back and crashed hard against a rock, "This guy is something else..."
Bloodman appeared in front of him, a stream of skulls swirling around him. He had released his Second Seal during the fight, overwhelming Gajeel with the combination of his magicbane particles and using other Curses such as the Bomb Curse and Tenga Goken. His sea of skulls were the ones that pushed Gajeel away, the outfit that Jason provided alongside his iron scales preventing any permanent damage.
"Thine power is commendable." Bloodman said as the skulls around him glowed, "Thou were able to release mine 2nd seal. And thy were also capable of resisting my other curses. Thou are formidable. But..."
He suddenly disappeared, the sea of skulls spreading outwards again, pushing against Gajeel as he was surrounded.
"Shit!!" Gajeel said as he braced himself, "If only Sting could dispel these!"
Sting was unable to join the fight due to the waves of Alvarez Soldiers coming to Bloodman's aid and separating the other two dragon slayers; leaving Gajeel to fight the Shield by himself.
Gajeel attempted to jump over the skulls but Bloodman appeared in front of him and grabbed his leg, flinging him straight down, slamming him on the ground. The force of the throw was powerful enough to cause a shockwave that cracked the earth. The skulls then homed in on Gajeel and began to shatter, causing damage to his iron scales.
"Aggh!!!" Gajeel shouted
"Thou art not fit to defeat me!!" Bloodman yelled, "Mine power is absolute!! The power of Death!! I am The Grim Reaper!!!"
Bloodman reached down and ripped Gajeel's mask off and with his other arm, slammed his palm straight down at his face while it glowed.
"Exploding Spiral!"
Suddenly, they were both engulfed in a spiraling explosion that shook the ground. The skulls that surrounded Bloodman were sent flying away.
As the flames and smoke disappeared, Bloodman stood over Gajeel whose iron scales were nearly completely shattered. There was blood coming out of the cracks in his scales.
"Shit..." Gajeel said covering his mouth
He did not want to inhale the magicbane particles that the skulls were made out of. But thanks to Bloodman's bomb attack, the skulls were cleared out momentarily.
Gajeel's body then turned dark and he slipped away, in shadow form.
"Huh?!" Bloodman said with surprise, "Shadows?"
Gajeel then appeared a couple of meters away from the Shield, shadows coming out of the cracks in his scales.
"Iron Shadow Dragon Mode"
Bloodman noticed that Gajeel's magic power had risen exponentially but he was well aware that his iron body would not be able to withstand more damage.
"Interesting." Bloodman said, "Thou art still full of surprises. No matter!!"
"Onimaru!"
He swung his arms sideways, sending a massive cross-shaped slash straight at the dragon slayer. Gajeel turned into his shadow form at the last second and avoided the attack, rushing at the Shield in that same instant.
He appeared in front of him and struck Bloodman in the face, reeling the Grim Reaper hard a couple of feet.
"Take that, asshole!!" Gajeel growled
Bloodman then slowed himself down and swung his arm vertically, sending a massive flying slice at Gajeel who was barely able to block it. The power of the slice was so great that even Gajeel's iron scales were not able to hold out much longer; his forearms cracking.
"Futile!" Bloodman shouted as he waved his hand
He sent another wave of his skulls that hit Gajeel hard, shattering and causing damage. Even in his Iron Shadow Dragon Mode, he was unable to defend the attacks for much longer. That and he didn't want to risk inhaling too much of the magicbane particles.
"Shit!!" Gajeel coughed, "My lungs are tougher than Iron, which is what making me last a bit longer against these stupid particles! But still, I can't hold out for much longer."
"Indeed." Bloodman said as he swung his arm
Suddenly, the entire wave of skulls was engulfed in massive explosion that dwarfed the Shield. He had used his Bomb Curse to attempt to finish Gajeel off, knowing his defenses have been whittled down over the damage accumulated.
Then, Gajeel appeared next to Bloodman, rearing his head back.
"Curses." Bloodman said as he braced himself, "Thou used the shadow form to avoid mine explosion!"
Gajeel then fired a breath attack.
"Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar!!!"
The breath attack hit Bloodman head-on, causing a massive explosion of shadows and iron shards. The explosion caused a shockwave that dispersed and cleared the skulls away.
Gajeel panted as he watched the cloud of dust dissipate, widening his eyes to see that Bloodman had deployed a makeshift barrier made out of thorns that were slowly crumbling.
"The curse of Mard Geer." Bloodman said, "To think I shall use such a despicable power. No matter."
Bloodman then rushed Gajeel, reaching him instantly and struck him in the chest hard, his fist covered in briars due to the Thorn curse. The blow shattered Gajeel's iron scales and sent him flying back, crashing against a tree that collapsed.
"Gahh!!" Gajeel yelled out in pain, "Shit!!!"
"Thou art not capable of defeating me." Bloodman said, "Thou art the only one that could resist mine particles, for a bit, but once I finish thee, the rest will fall."
Gajeel got on his knees, his face and forehead bleeding. The entire fight, he had been on the losing side. Only when he picked up a bit of momentum, did he manage to push Bloodman to the second seal but the Shield only increased his aggressiveness and use of other Curses.
"Damn..." Gajeel said, "I....shit.....I can't go on like-"
He noticed that something had fallen out of his pocket, something that resonated with an intense magic power.
He looked at it, it was a large obsidian black steel ingot. He looked at it with awe, completely bewildered by the fact that it was there.
"That's....." He said softly, "Jason's...."
He suddenly got a brief flashback, remembering the time that he was humiliated by Jason and was defeated brutally.
Start of Flashback:
Gajeel stood in front of a pond, holding a black piece of steel. This was the brand new God-Steel that Jason had produced via his Steel God Slayer Magic. The magic he had unlocked during his fight with Gajeel.
He had given Gajeel a piece of the metal as a token of peace. He knew that Gajeel would not be able to devour the superior element but considering that Dragon Slayers always surprise everyone, he still gifted it to the Iron Dragon.
Gajeel clutched the metal as he glared at it, his mind filled with nothing but shame and rage. He hadn't lost so easily to anyone before. Even in his fights against the likes of Natsu, Laxus, Rogue, and Sting, He had always put up a good fight. But Jason was completely different, and Gajeel knew it. He had won in such a dominating fashion that it brought shame to someone like Gajeel.
"Who the fuck does he think he is?!" He growled with anger, "Thinking something like this will make me feel any better!!! Fuck you, Jason!!!"
He flung the God-Steel right at the pond, causing a massive shockwave in the water.
"Shit.." Gajeel panted, "I swear it upon my father, Metalicana, I will get stronger. I don't need help from that prick to get stronger! Fuck!!!"
End of Flashback
As Bloodman slowly walked towards Gajeel, for some reason, the Iron Dragon grabbed the ingot.
"That fucker..." He said, "He must've snuck it in the coat.....He knew I didn't have the other one..."
He then looked up at Bloodman, who was being covered in a dark aura.
"Say thine last words." Bloodman said, "Thou will die!"
Gajeel then scowled, "Fuck this." He said
He then proceeded to devour the ingot, chomping through the metal with ease as he swallowed the pieces.
Suddenly, his body began to convulse as his magic power began to rise.
This prompted Bloodman to stop in his tracks, "Wait..." He said, "What is this? Thou....."
Suddenly, Gajeel's body was covered in obsidian black iron scales as he slowly got to his feet, his entire body releasing a powerful aura.
"Oi oi oi." Gajeel said as his eyes were completely white, "I didn't expect this kind of power! And my body was able to respond to it better than I thought!!"
Bloodman scowled, "What is this power!?"
Gajeel smirked as he swung his arm at the Shield, striking him with a powerful obsidian black pole that sent him flying.
Bloodman crashed against the ground hard as he immediately got up, clutching his chest.
"This power!!" He exclaimed
Gajeel chuckled, "I like this...." He said, "This is something alright!"
"God-Steel Dragon Mode!!"