The moonlight was dim, the street lamps along the road illuminating only small patches of ground.
In the distance, the four companions could already make out the looming silhouette of the guild. Its massive outline was unmistakable, even under the night sky.
The building was a mixture of wood and stone, with a strange blend of European and Eastern architecture. Eaves curled upward at sharp angles, spires stacked in a tower-like design, with even a hint of a Japanese garden woven into its structure. It was unique and impressive in its way.
Natsu was the first to sense something was off. He sniffed the air, frowning.
"There's a weird smell."
Suddenly, Erza's sharp voice rang out from ahead. Everyone instinctively looked up.
Atop the massive shadow of the guild, a figure was leaping back and forth across the roof.
"Hey!" Natsu shouted, waving his arms furiously. "You bastard! Are you a thief or something? Don't go jumping around on our guild roof!!"
The shadow turned toward them at the sound of his voice. Instead of fleeing, he grinned arrogantly, raised both hands, and slammed them down on the roof of the Fairy Tail guildhall.
"Iron Dragon Club!!!"
Magic power surged, bursting forth in a blinding emerald light. Dozens of iron rods, each as thick as a bowl, shot outward in all directions like a deadly rain.
BOOM!
The rods tore through the guildhall walls. Wood splintered, stone shattered, and debris rained down, scattering even onto Natsu's head.
The group's expressions darkened at once, eyes blazing with fury. Natsu in particular looked downright monstrous—veins bulging, his face twisting with rage. Fire magic spilled uncontrollably from his body, the searing heat making the very air ripple. Shadows flickered across his face, his voice erupting in a roar:
"You bastard—what the hell are you doing?!!!"
"What do you think? Isn't it obvious?" the man sneered. "This is an attack on Fairy Tail. I don't even get why the Master insisted we come at night. We could've just charged in during the day—it'd be the same result anyway."
He leapt down from the roof, swaggering with arrogance. His outfit was all black, decorated with studs and piercings on his eyebrows, lips, and ears. Even his hands were covered in metallic adornments. His appearance screamed "delinquent," yet his cold, hard aura somehow made the look suit him.
Cracking his neck, he grinned wickedly and curled a hand in challenge.
"Perfect. I'll start with you lot. You're the Fire Dragon, huh? Come on—show me what you've got."
"I'll never forgive you… I'll NEVER forgive you!" Natsu's veins pulsed like writhing snakes, crimson flames surging around him, rolling waves of heat scorching the moisture straight out of the air. Even Erza had to back away slightly from the intensity.
"Oi, oi… is that all you've got? Just big words?" the man taunted, his skin hardening like steel. In a flash, he closed the distance, his uppercut slamming into Natsu with the force of a cannon. The air cracked from the impact. He smirked crookedly, his expression mocking.
"Natsu!! That idiot—" Gray cursed, panic rising as he quickly gathered magic power, ready to jump in.
But a slender hand stopped him. "Wait."
"Erza?!! Why?"
"Look closely. Natsu isn't hurt at all."
"What? Impossible! An attack like that—if it were me, I'd have to dodge. He and I are about the same, but he took it head-on!" Gray's shock was palpable.
Erza's eyes stayed sharp. "Think about it. Today, Natsu's… different. That kind of attack won't work on him now."
Gray froze. "…Different? He's still just the same idiot, except—wait. You mean the Master…?"
The realization hit him. Today, Natsu's recovery has been beyond abnormal. Sure, he was usually tireless, thick-skinned like a beast…
But today, he was especially thick-skinned.
At the center of the battlefield—
"I said… I will never forgive you." Natsu straightened, his face twisted even deeper in fury.
The iron man's eyes widened. He leapt back instantly, stunned. "Impossible. My Iron Fist had no effect?!"
A column of crimson fire erupted, splitting the night sky in two, as if an unseen gate had been thrown wide open.
"Fire Dragon's… CRUSHING FIST!!!"
Natsu vanished from sight, reappearing behind his foe like a phantom. His fist exploded with blazing fire, lighting up all of Magnolia. The iron man barely had time to cross his arms in defense before the blow smashed into him, sending him flying.
CRACK!
Even with skin hardened like steel, his body within was still human. Both arms broke instantly under the impact. The roaring flames burned away the magic shielding his skin, even scorching their way toward his core source of magic.
Midair, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, forced to cancel his Iron Dragon transformation. His mind reeled in horror.
"What… what kind of monster is this?! Fire Dragon—he isn't even S-Class yet! How can he be this strong?!"
"It's not over yet!!" a demonic voice growled behind him. Natsu's feet blasted with fire, propelling him skyward. He struck the iron man like a battering ram, flames like horns launching him higher.
Natsu twisted in midair, joints bursting with fire, hands clasped together as he smashed down—ready to drive his enemy straight into the ground.
But at the last instant, his fire flickered out. His body faltered, all strength suddenly drained.
His eyes rolled back as he collapsed midair.
"So hungry!!"
The raging dragon vanished in an instant. Both combatants plummeted helplessly toward the ground.
On the ground, Lucy was dumbstruck. "Wh-what was that? Why did Natsu suddenly—"
"It must be the Master's magic wearing off," Erza said firmly. "After fighting Gray, then pushing himself that hard… without eating, his body finally gave out."
"Wait—you're telling me he fainted from hunger?!" Lucy's face twisted in disbelief. "Seriously?!"
Erza ignored her incredulity and issued an order.
"Gray. Catch him."
Gray clicked his tongue. "Tch, what a pain."
But he obeyed. Narrowing his eyes, he locked onto Natsu's falling body, hands clapping together.
"Ice-Make: Slide!"
A massive U-shaped ice slide materialized, perfectly angled. Natsu's thick hide would keep him from being injured in the landing.
But the slide caught two bodies—Natsu and the Iron Man—sending them both crashing down. Though Natsu would be fine, his opponent suffered far more from the fall.
Gray turned his attention to the intruder. "Now then…"
Suddenly—a chill of danger, his instincts screaming.
"Ice-Make: Shield!!"
An enormous ice shield formed around him just as blades of high-pressure water sliced through the air, nearly cleaving him in two.
Drip. Drip.
Rain began to fall softly over Magnolia.
Out of the shadows stepped a blue-haired woman. Her expression was blank, an umbrella in her hand, a fur coat draped over her shoulders, and a teru teru bozu doll embroidered on her chest.
"You can't take Gajeel away."
"Another one?!" Gray growled. His fighting spirit surged. "Perfect. Watching that idiot fight got me itching for a battle, too. I don't like hitting women… but if you're an enemy of Fairy Tail, then come on!"
He shrugged off his coat, raindrops sliding down his bare muscles, his stance full of battle intent.
At the sight, the blue-haired woman's cheeks suddenly flushed. She pressed her hands together shyly.
"Juvia… feels so embarrassed…"
"Oi oi oi oi!!" Gray's face warped comically, jaw elongating, teeth jagged with rage as he roared. "What the hell's with that look?! Are we fighting or not?!"
Just as Gray was about to attack regardless, the ground shook with a massive thud.
A towering giant dropped from the sky—Makarov, drawn by the towering flames from earlier. His colossal form slammed into the ground, carving a crater, his wrinkled face dark with anger as he stared at the damaged guild.
Gray. Stop.
Master!! Gray blurted.
Guild Master! Erza and Lucy cried together.