Finally finding where his friends are being held by Vergil, Natsu does battle with the Devil Prince in an intense fight that sees Gray and Gajeel get involved as well.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Vergil, per usual, which he backs up given his trouncing of his opponents.
- Berserker Tears: Happy of all people has these after Vergil horrifically wounds Natsu, flying to attack the Son of Sparda in his Devil Trigger.
- Big Brother Instinct: Natsu leaps between Vergil and Wendy as the former goes to kill her with a Devil Trigger enhanced slash from Yamato, outright telling him not to hurt his sister.
- Break the Cutie: Happy and Wendy's sheer shock at seeing Natsu critically injured at Vergil's hand.
- Break Them by Talking: Vergil continues this trend against Natsu, both taunting him about the (lacking) strength of his flames and saying Igneel abandoned him. Naturally, this gets on Natsu's nerves.
- Bring It: Natsu gives a lovely start-up taunt before throwing hands with Vergil.Natsu: I hate the fact that you kidnapped my friends. I hate it, that you still have to nerve to call yourself Dante's brother after all you've done to him. And I really hate that cocky attitude of yours So I'm gonna have to take you down a few notches. Hear me Devil Boy?! LET'S DANCE!
Vergil: Well then, Salamander, show me the true destructive potential of your power. - The Cavalry: Three times over, with varying degrees of effectiveness.
- Lady and Trish show up, but sadly don't last a minute.
- Gray and Gajeel show up to assist Natsu in his fight against Vergil.
- Finally, Dante shows up just after Vergil has critically injured Natsu.
- Clothing Damage: What Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel's efforts against Vergil amount to, having little more than a scuffed coat to show for the beatdown he received.
- Combination Attack: Natsu and Gajeel unleash their respective Dragon Roars on Vergil at the same time... sadly, it doesn't work.
- Cool Versus Awesome: A fight between the Dragon Slayer Natsu and the half demon Vergil.
- Curb-Stomp Battle:
- It takes Vergil less than a minute to dispatch Lady and Trish, the two failing to land a single blow.
- Once he breaks out his Devil Trigger, he runs roughshod over Gray, Gajeel and Natsu, knocking all three out in quick succession.
- Darkest Hour: Of the arc, with all the members of Fairy Tail's rescue team being captured and/or defeated, and Natsu is critically injured.
- Dynamic Entry: How Dante makes his entrance, saving Happy via a boot to Devil Trigger Vergil's face.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Vergil is completely baffled by Natsu taking the sword swing meant for Wendy, calling it foolish even for him. He outright says he'll never understand the guild wizards.
- Forced to Watch: The captured members are unable to help Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel in their fight thanks to the magic-suppressing manacles.
- Good Colors, Evil Colors: Natsu (and later Dante's) red auras, Gray's blue and Gajeel's green against Vergil's dark blue.
- Heroic Resolve: Despite being scared out of her mind from witnessing Vergil wipe the floor with three of her guild's strongest members, Wendy still attempts to protect her new family by attacking him with a Sky Dragon's Roar. This sadly backfires since he easily dodges and decides that he needs to deal with her permanently, and would have done so if not for Natsu's intervention.
- Lack of Empathy: Vergil has no reaction to Natsu Taking the Bullet other than confusion as to why he'd do so, and even insults his intelligence in front of his distraught friends.
- Mama Bear: Once they find the others, Carla's first priority is to free Wendy from her manacles.
- Mythology Gag:
- Several parts of the dialogue from Natsu and Vergil's fight are lifted from the former's fight with Jellal.
- Vergil's insult to Natsu about the strength of his flames is a nod to his victory quote against Ghost Rider in Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
- Natsu's Shut Up, Hannibal! to Vergil is similar to his one against Byro, while Gray taunting his friend about losing is taken from Time Begins to Tick.
- Lucy admitting how glad she is to see Dante's arrival is taken from The Man Without An Emblem.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Even the likes of Lady and Gajeel are as openly horrified as the rest of Fairy Tail after Vergil critically injured Natsu, the latter even yelling "SALAMANDER!"
- Oh, Crap!: Fairy Tail's reaction when Vergil emerges from the beatdown Natsu, Gajeel, and Gray gave him with little more than a scuffed coat. It intensifies when he enters his Devil Trigger.
- Person of Mass Destruction: Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel all show this to some degree, though they're sadly outclassed by Vergil.
- Punch Catch: Natsu attempts a Fire Dragons Iron Fist against Devil Trigger Vergil, with this being the result. The Son of Sparda then begins to crush his opponent's hand.
- Shout-Out: The members of Fairy Tail's deadpan responses to Vergil's boasting of his own might are similar to Alexander Louis Armstrong's.
- Speed Blitz: Vergil switches from Yamato to Beowulf to overwhelm Natsu. It doesn't work thanks to the Dragon Slayer's senses and instincts letting him anticipate his opponent.
- Stating the Simple Solution: Both Sons of Sparda agree their father could have saved everyone a lot of hassle by simply hiding the two halves of the Perfect Amulet in some random volcanoes rather than giving them to the humans.
- Super Mode:
- Vergil once again breaks out his Devil Trigger, which lets him utterly thrash Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu in rapid succession.
- At the end of the chapter, Dante consciously uses his own for the first time, preparing for a showdown with his brother.
- Taking the Bullet: Natsu intercepts Vergil's slash aimed at Wendy.
- This Cannot Be!: The captured members of Fairy Tail's reaction to Vergil continuing to defeat their best.
- Wingding Eyes: Juvia develops hearts in her eyes upon seeing Gray arrive with Gajeel.
- Would Hurt a Child: After Wendy breaks free and attempts to attack him, Vergil backhands her into a wall and goes to kill her with Yamato. It's only thanks to Natsu's actions that she survives.
- You Monster!: Wendy and Happy's reaction to Vergil critically injuring Natsu, the latter flying at him in a rage... only to be casually caught and manhandled.
