The moment Katsuki declared he was "done holding back," the nature of the spar shifted dramatically. The playful (if brutal) edge was gone, replaced by an intensity that was terrifying to behold. The orange aura of his Quirk and the azure glow of his 'Explode' magic swirled around him, no longer just augmenting his movements but coalescing into a palpable field of destructive potential.
What followed was not so much a spar as a controlled cataclysm.
Katsuki moved with a speed and ferocity that left Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel struggling to keep up. He wasn't just using his Quirk or his magic; he was seamlessly blending them, each attack a perfect, devastating synergy of both.
His "Explode: Incinerate – First Impact" became his go-to opener, a single, devastating blow that combined the concussive force of his Quirk with the searing heat of his azure magic. He'd use it to break through Natsu's fiery defenses, sending the Dragon Slayer flying with a yelp of surprised pain, his flames momentarily extinguished by the sheer force and unfamiliar magical heat.
Against Gray's intricate Ice-Make constructs, he unleashed his "Explode: Frictionless AP Shot: Machine Gun – Incinerator," the azure-trailed, armor-piercing projectiles not just shattering the ice but melting it into steam on contact, leaving Gray scrambling to avoid being scalded while simultaneously defending against a barrage that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
For Gajeel's nigh-indestructible iron defenses, Katsuki employed his "Point-Blank Kamikaze Howitzer," the one-handed version, but now imbued with an even greater concentration of both Quirk and magic. The impacts were like meteor strikes, sending shockwaves through Gajeel's iron body, denting his scales, and forcing the Iron Dragon Slayer to give ground, his metallic roars tinged with frustration and a grudging respect.
He didn't rely on just his new super moves. His Cluster Style kicks became terrifying blurs of orange and blue energy, each impact carrying both concussive force and searing heat. His aerial maneuvers, powered by the full integration of his tri-point thrusters and frictionless sheath, were almost impossible to track, allowing him to strike from unexpected angles, to disengage and re-engage at will.
Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel fought with everything they had. Natsu unleashed his most powerful Dragon Roars, Gray constructed colossal ice fortresses and summoned blizzards, Gajeel transformed into his full Iron Shadow Dragon mode, his attacks imbued with the properties of both iron and shadow. The sparring field became a hellscape of elemental fury, the ground torn asunder, the air thick with smoke, steam, and the ozone tang of raw power.
But Katsuki met their every assault with an escalating, terrifying response. He was a whirlwind of controlled destruction, his stamina seemingly limitless, his power output only increasing as the fight wore on. He wasn't just fighting them; he was analyzing them, adapting his tactics on the fly, exploiting their momentary weaknesses, countering their signature moves with an almost contemptuous ease.
The turning point came not from a single, devastating blow, but from a slow, inexorable war of attrition. Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel, for all their incredible power and resilience, were still bound by the limits of their magical energy. They poured everything they had into the fight, their most powerful spells, their secret arts, their Dragon Force modes flickering in and out of existence.
But Katsuki… Katsuki just kept coming. His Quirk provided an endless wellspring of explosive fuel, and his 'Explode' magic, while he was using it more intensely now, was still being managed with a terrifying efficiency, amplifying his Quirk rather than being his sole power source. He wasn't burning himself out; he was operating at a sustainable peak of synergistic destruction.
Slowly, inevitably, the three Fairy Tail powerhouses began to falter. Natsu's flames, while still potent, lacked their initial explosive ferocity. Gray's ice constructs became smaller, less intricate, his movements slower. Gajeel's iron scales began to show more and more dents, his roars becoming more labored. Their magical power, the Ethernano they drew upon, was running low.
Katsuki sensed it, his predatory instincts razor-sharp. He didn't let up. He pressed his advantage, his attacks becoming even more relentless, a final, overwhelming storm of orange and azure explosions.
Natsu was the first to truly break. After a particularly devastating "Explode: Incinerate - Howitzer Impact - Nitrous Turbo Cluster" that sent him crashing through three of Gray's already weakened ice walls, he lay in a smoking crater, his flames reduced to mere flickers, his body bruised and battered, completely out of magical energy. He tried to push himself up, a defiant growl still rumbling in his chest, but his limbs wouldn't obey.
Gray, seeing Natsu fall, made a last, desperate stand, attempting to encase Katsuki in a massive prison of ice. But Katsuki, with a final, contemptuous "Frictionless AP Shot: Machine Gun – Incinerator," simply melted his way through it and then, with a swift, precise Quirk-blast, sent Gray sprawling, his magical reserves utterly depleted, his body too exhausted to even form a basic ice shield.
Gajeel, the last one standing, roared in defiance, his body still clad in iron, but the metallic sheen was dull, his movements sluggish. He charged Katsuki one last time, his Iron Dragon's Roar a pathetic shadow of its usual destructive force. Katsuki met him with a final, brutal "Explode: Incinerate – First Impact," the focused blast shattering Gajeel's remaining iron defenses and sending the Iron Dragon Slayer crashing to the ground, his transformation flickering out, leaving him bruised, battered, and utterly spent.
The three of them lay scattered across the ravaged sparring field, panting, groaning, their magical power completely exhausted. They were defeated.
Katsuki stood amidst the smoking craters, his own chest heaving, his clothes in tatters, his body aching, but his crimson eyes blazed with an undeniable, triumphant light. He had done it. He had taken on three of Fairy Tail's strongest, weathered their full power, and he had emerged victorious.
He walked over to Natsu, who was already trying to push himself up, a stubborn, if weak, flame flickering in his eyes. Before Natsu could utter a word, Katsuki delivered a swift, precise, and surprisingly gentle (for him) knockout chop to the back of his neck. Natsu's eyes rolled up, and he collapsed, unconscious.
He did the same for Gray, who was groaning and trying to sit up, muttering something about his clothes (which were, miraculously, still mostly on). A quick chop, and Gray was out.
Finally, he approached Gajeel, who was glaring up at him with a mixture of fury, exhaustion, and a grudging, almost imperceptible, flicker of respect. "Not… bad… sparky…" Gajeel rasped, before Katsuki's knockout chop silenced him as well.
Katsuki Bakugo stood alone on the battlefield, the undisputed victor. He had pushed himself, yes, but he hadn't needed to resort to his truly self-destructive Kamikaze attacks. He had won through a combination of overwhelming power, tactical cunning, and sheer, indomitable stamina.
The crowd of Fairy Tail mages, who had been watching in stunned, awestruck silence as the titanic battle unfolded, finally erupted into a deafening roar of cheers, whistles, and applause. They had witnessed something legendary.
Katsuki just stood there, taking it all in, the roar of the crowd washing over him. He was tired. He was sore. But he was also… satisfied. Deeply, profoundly satisfied. He had proven his point. He had unleashed his power. And he had shown them all, unequivocally, just what the Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight was truly capable of.
He looked down at the orange Fairy Tail mark on his hand. Maybe… just maybe… this 'family' thing wasn't so bad after all. Especially if it meant he got to have fights like this on a regular basis. A slow, tired, but undeniably genuine grin spread across his face. Yeah. He could get used to this.
---
From her vantage point at the edge of the devastated sparring field, Mirajane Strauss watched the aftermath of the titanic battle with an expression that was a captivating blend of utter disbelief, profound shock, and an undeniable, almost giddy excitement. Her usual serene composure was, for once, visibly ruffled. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, her blue eyes wide and shining as she stared at the solitary, battle-worn figure of Katsuki Bakugo standing victorious amidst the smoking craters and the unconscious forms of Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel.
"He… he actually did it," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the roar of the crowd. "He beat them. All three of them." Her mind struggled to process the reality of what she had just witnessed. Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Gajeel Redfox – these were not just strong mages. These were S-Class level powerhouses, individuals who regularly took on and completed S-Class quests, often with a casual disregard for their own safety that bordered on the insane. They were the pillars of Fairy Tail's younger generation of fighters, renowned throughout Fiore for their strength, resilience, and sheer, indomitable spirit. And this newcomer, this… this firecracker…
Mirajane felt a faint blush creep up her neck, quickly suppressed. Her initial assessment of him as mere "eye candy" – a fleeting, unprofessional thought she'd immediately dismissed – was now laughably inadequate. He was a force of nature, a walking, talking catastrophe of power and will. He had taken on their best, weathered their storm, and then, through a combination of brutal efficiency and seemingly limitless stamina, he had systematically dismantled them. It was… breathtaking. Wow. Just… wow. She had seen many incredible battles in her time, had participated in her fair share, but this? This felt different. This felt like the arrival of something… new. Something terrifyingly potent.
Beside her, Makarov Dreyar was not so composed. Tears, actual tears of unadulterated pride and joy, were streaming down his wrinkled face, his small body practically vibrating with emotion. He wasn't just impressed; he was profoundly moved.
"Magnificent!" the Guild Master choked out, his voice thick with emotion as he dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief that seemed to appear from nowhere. "Absolutely magnificent! That boy, Katsuki Bakugo… he embodies the very soul of Fairy Tail!" He thumped his chest with a fist. "The indomitable spirit! The refusal to yield! The sheer, glorious, an unapologetic power! The willingness to take on impossible odds and laugh in the face of despair! And," he added, a mischievous twinkle returning to his tear-filled eyes as he watched Katsuki deliver the knockout chops, "a certain… pragmatic efficiency in ending a bout once victory is assured!"
He looked at Mirajane, his face beaming. "He understands, Mira! Perhaps not with his head yet, perhaps not with words, but with his fists, with his heart! He understands what it means to push beyond his limits, to fight for something, even if that something is just the sheer, unadulterated joy of battle and the desire to prove himself! He is one of us! He truly is!" Makarov's pride in his newest, most volatile guild member was palpable, a radiant warmth that seemed to momentarily dispel the lingering smoke and tension from the battlefield.
The rest of the Fairy Tail mages in the crowd were a cacophony of reactions. The majority were still cheering wildly, their voices hoarse, caught up in the sheer spectacle and the unbelievable upset they had just witnessed. The betting pools that had inevitably sprung up around the spar were now in utter chaos. Whispers of "Dynamight" were already spreading like wildfire, a new legend being forged in real-time.
However, amidst the general adulation, there were pockets of more subdued, concerned reactions, particularly from those closest to the three defeated warriors.
Lucy Heartfilia, her face pale, rushed towards the unconscious forms, her celestial spirit keys jingling. "Natsu! Gray! Are you alright?!" She looked up at Katsuki, her expression a mixture of awe and trepidation. "Bakugo-san… you… you were incredible! But… are they badly hurt?"
Levy McGarden, ever the pragmatist, was already by Gajeel's side, checking his pulse, her brow furrowed with concern. "He's just unconscious, Lucy. Exhausted, battered, and his pride is probably in tatters, but I don't think there are any life-threatening injuries. Bakugo… he seemed to hold back from truly crippling them." She looked towards Katsuki with a new, complex respect. For all his violent rhetoric, there had been a strange sort of control in his final, decisive blows.
Juvia Lockser was, of course, hovering over Gray, her expression a dramatic tableau of distress. "Gray-sama! Oh, my beloved Gray-sama! Defeated by that… that explosive ruffian! Juvia will… Juvia will make him pay! (But perhaps after Gray-sama has recovered and can assist Juvia in a glorious team-up battle!)" Her internal monologue was, as always, a unique blend of devotion and battle strategy.
Even Happy and Pantherlily, the Exceed companions, looked stunned. Happy was uncharacteristically silent, just staring at Natsu's prone form. Pantherlily, perched on Levy's shoulder, merely stroked his chin thoughtfully, his gaze fixed on Katsuki. "His control over his inherent abilities, and the seamless integration of this 'magic' he seems to possess… it is unlike anything I have encountered. A truly formidable opponent."
The shockwaves from Katsuki's victory were reverberating through the entire guild. He hadn't just won a spar; he had shaken the established hierarchy, proven himself a power to be reckoned with on par with their S-Class contenders, and he had done it with a style that was uniquely, terrifyingly, and undeniably his own. The name 'Dynamight' was no longer just a self-proclaimed title; it was a reality that Fairy Tail would have to acknowledge, respect, and perhaps, learn to survive.
---
Katsuki stood amidst the lingering smoke and the awed, stunned, or concerned gazes of the Fairy Tail mages, his chest still heaving from the exertion, his body aching, but a fierce, undeniable pride blazed in his crimson eyes. He had proven his point. He had unleashed his power. He had won.
He heard Makarov's tearful, prideful pronouncements about him embodying the "spirit of Fairy Tail," heard the cheers, saw the concern for his defeated opponents. He understood, on some level, their focus on bonds, on camaraderie, on fighting for one another. He'd seen it in their desperate, coordinated attacks against him, even when they were clearly outmatched individually by his escalating power.
But as he looked at them, at this chaotic, emotional, fiercely loyal guild he was now a part of, a different kind of fire ignited within him, a fire forged in a different crucible, a philosophy drilled into him from a world away.
He took a deep, steadying breath, his voice, though hoarse, cutting through the lingering noise of the crowd.
"Oi!" he called out, his gaze sweeping over them, challenging, intense. "You Fairy Tail freaks… you talk a lot about 'nakama,' about fighting for your friends, for your family." He gest шоуards the unconscious forms of Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel with a dismissive, yet not entirely disrespectful, flick of his hand. "Yeah, I saw it. You might go harder when your precious 'nakama' are on the line. You push yourselves for each other. Fine. Whatever."
He then straightened up, his posture radiating an almost incandescent pride, his orange Fairy Tail mark a stark contrast to the fierce, unwavering loyalty in his eyes – a loyalty to a different creed, a different call to arms.
"But in my world…" he declared, his voice ringing with a conviction that silenced even the most boisterous onlookers, "…in U.A., my school, the place that forged me into what I am… we don't just fight for something. We fight to go beyond it!"
His fist clenched, his Quirk flaring around it in a brief, intense burst of orange light, a visual punctuation to his words.
"We go Beyond… PLUS ULTRA!!!"
The two words, the motto of U.A. High School, the rallying cry of heroes who constantly strove to surpass their limits, to achieve the impossible, echoed across the devastated sparring field with a power and sincerity that was undeniable. It was a declaration of a different kind of spirit – not one rooted solely in communal bonds, but in the relentless, individual pursuit of excellence, of self-transcendence, of becoming something more, something greater, than you were before.
The Fairy Tail mages stared at him, momentarily confused by the foreign words, but captivated by the sheer, unadulterated passion in his voice, the burning intensity in his eyes. They didn't understand the specific meaning of "Plus Ultra," but they understood the spirit behind it. It was a warrior's creed, a declaration of limitless potential, and it resonated with the core of their own battle-loving souls, even if it came from a different philosophical wellspring.
Natsu, who had just been starting to stir, his eyes fluttering open, heard those final, powerful words. A slow, confused, but undeniably intrigued grin spread across his face. "Pluss… Oooltra…?" he mumbled, before succumbing to unconsciousness again.
Makarov's smile, if possible, grew even wider, tears still glistening in his eyes. "Plus Ultra…" he murmured, tasting the unfamiliar words. "To go Beyond… Yes… Yes, I see it. A different path to the same peak of indomitable spirit."
Erza nodded slowly, a look of profound understanding on her face. She recognized that fire, that relentless drive to surpass all limitations. It was a spirit she herself embodied.
Katsuki Bakugo stood there, his declaration hanging in the air, a bridge between two worlds, two philosophies of strength. He was a mage of Fairy Tail now, yes. But he was also, and always would be, a hero forged in the fires of U.A., a believer in the limitless potential of "Plus Ultra." And he would show this new world, this new family, exactly what that meant. The spar might be over, but his journey to go beyond, to become the undisputed Number One, in this world or any other, had only just begun. And he would drag Fairy Tail, kicking and screaming if necessary, along with him on that explosive, limitless journey.
---
After his passionate, world-bridging declaration of "Plus Ultra!" Katsuki let out a short, sharp chuckle. It wasn't his usual sneering, arrogant laugh, nor the manic cackle of battle ecstasy. This was different. It was a sound of grim satisfaction, of deeply ingrained conviction, perhaps even a touch of wistful pride for the ideals of a home he might never see again. The sound, quiet as it was amidst the lingering excitement, seemed to cut through the noise, carrying a different kind of weight.
For Mirajane Strauss, who had been observing Katsuki with an intensity that belied her usual serene smile, that chuckle landed with surprising impact. She had cataloged his various moods and expressions – the explosive rage, the arrogant smirks, the focused intensity of combat, even the rare, vulnerable pain he tried so desperately to hide. But this… this quiet, almost self-aware chuckle, following such a profound statement of personal philosophy… it was new. It hinted at a depth, a core of belief and self-understanding that went beyond his surface-level aggression.
She had initially been drawn to his raw power, his untamed energy, the sheer, unapologetic force of his personality (and yes, alright, perhaps there was a fleeting, purely aesthetic appreciation she'd quickly filed away under 'professional observation'). But this glimpse of the bedrock of his character, this "Plus Ultra" spirit that valued self-transcendence and the relentless pursuit of an ever-higher ceiling, it resonated with a different part of her. Mirajane, beneath her sweet exterior and her own past as the fearsome "She-Devil," understood the drive to overcome, to become more. His usual demeanor was often a defensive barrage, a wall of explosions. This felt… authentic. It was the warrior's spirit, stripped bare, and it was, in its own fierce way, incredibly compelling. The firecracker was more than just sparks and noise; there was a focused, burning core.
Erza Scarlet, too, found herself deeply affected, not just by his philosophy, but by the subtle shift in his demeanor that accompanied it. She had already been re-evaluating her perception of him after his awkward, almost accidental act of consideration at Heart Kreuz – his concern that the advancements for his armor might also benefit "Titania." That small, unexpected gesture had planted a seed of doubt about her initial assessment of him as purely self-serving and arrogant.
Now, hearing him articulate the driving principle of his former life, this relentless call to "go Beyond," it struck a profound chord within her. Erza, perhaps more than anyone in Fairy Tail, understood the relentless pursuit of strength, the constant drive to overcome limitations, to protect those she cared for by becoming ever stronger. Her entire life had been a testament to that ideal. His "Plus Ultra" was a different articulation of the same core truth she lived by.
She saw now that his arrogance wasn't just empty bluster; it was rooted in a fierce, unwavering belief in his own potential and a disdain for anything that fell short of that absolute, self-imposed standard. His anger wasn't just random rage; it was often the frustrated outcry of a spirit that demanded more, from himself and from the world around him. His earlier, seemingly brutal actions in the spar, his willingness to take on three powerful opponents, even his seemingly insane Super Moves – they weren't just about showing off. They were about pushing his own boundaries, about embodying that very creed he had just proclaimed.
The Katsuki Bakugo who had stormed into their guild demanding jobs and blowing up stools was a caricature, a defense mechanism. The Katsuki Bakugo who had fought with such terrifying synergy, who had then declared his allegiance to a philosophy of endless self-improvement, and who had punctuated it with that quiet, knowing chuckle… he was someone far more complex, far more formidable, and perhaps, Erza realized with a jolt, far more relatable than she had ever imagined. He wasn't just a rival or a chaotic new guildmate. He was, in his own explosive, infuriating way, a kindred spirit. The simple act of kindness had opened a door; his declaration of philosophy had walked right through it, reshaping her understanding of the whirlwind named Dynamight.