The two weren't knocked out by the blow. After sliding back several meters, both of them stabilized.
Sting came to a halt by digging his heels into the ground. Rogue flipped backward and steadied himself with one hand.
Sting burst forward again, driving a punch straight toward Gajeel's chest.
Rogue followed from the flank, swinging a fist at Gajeel's jaw.
"Mr. Gajeel really is strong," Rogue said, tone respectful but words defiant.
"But the two of us aren't so easy to handle!"
Rhodes couldn't help thinking that Rogue was twisted.
He clearly respected Gajeel, yet insisted on acting aloof and dismissive.
Gajeel met the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth head-on, two against one.
Fists blurred. Kicks snapped.
Three sets of blows collided in a rapid-fire storm of close-quarters combat.
The audience was completely absorbed, tension rising as they watched the three men trade explosive strikes.
After a long exchange, Gajeel finally adapted to the rhythm of the duo's teamwork.
Bit by bit, he regained the advantage and forced them back.
He found an opening, slammed his fist into Rogue's stomach, and immediately followed by shoulder-checking Sting with full force.
Rogue gagged and went flying.
Sting caught the impact with both hands, skidding back, then inhaled sharply;
"White Dragon's Roar!"
Gajeel didn't dodge.
He crossed his arms in front of him and tanked the blast head-on.
A brilliant white beam struck him, erupting in a violent explosion.Flames and smoke swallowed Gajeel completely.
Rogue pushed himself up, gritted his teeth, and opened his mouth wide.
"Shadow Dragon's Roar!"
Behind Gajeel, Wendy raised her palms.
A blue magic circle appeared in front of him, her Sky Dragon magic gathering at full force.
She pushed forward desperately, trying to block the incoming wave of black breath.
"Well done, little one!"
Gajeel's voice boomed from inside the smoke.
The next instant, Gajeel burst out of the inferno, tore through Wendy's magic circle, endured the rest of Rogue's attack, and launched forward at maximum speed.
He reeled back his arm.
"Iron Dragon's Rod!"
His fist transformed into an iron rod that suddenly extended dozens, then hundreds of meters.
It slammed directly into Sting's chest.
The force pushed Sting backward, then all the way across the arena, and finally smashed him through the thick stadium wall.
"Sting!!" Rogue shouted.
He lunged, his arm elongating into a blade-like shadow.
"Shadow Dragon's Slash!"
But before he could get close, the massive Iron Dragon Rod had already begun retracting, and its sweeping return path smashed straight toward him.
Rogue's shadow scythe collided with the Iron Rod.
A metallic clang rang out, their hardness nearly equal.
But Rogue lacked the raw strength to match Gajeel.
After a brief struggle, the rod smashed through his guard, struck him full force, and sent him hurtling into the opposite arena wall like a pitch-black cannonball.
This time the wall didn't break through, but the impact cracked the stone, and Rogue slid down to the ground.
In the booth, Chapati shouted:
"Unbelievable! The legendary Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, the strongest duo in Grand Magic Games history, are being overwhelmed by Gajeel alone!"
"Hmm… that's not quite right," Yajima corrected calmly.
"Sky Dragon Magic is support-type. The audience can't see it clearly, but as an opponent, if you don't account for Wendy's power, you'll pay dearly."
Chapati gasped.
"That adorable girl is that strong!?"
Lahar finally spoke more than one sentence.
"Yes. She and her cat once performed at my theater, together with the Fairy Queen. They were extremely popular. Thank you very much."
Rhodes blinked in surprise and asked Laxus and Juvia,
"Did that really happen?"
Juvia nodded earnestly.
"It happened while you and Mira were on your honeymoon."
Rhodes felt a bit regretful for missing something so amusing, then shot Juvia a teasing look.
"I'm shocked you remember something that isn't related to Gray."
"That's because Juvia bought couple tickets and wanted Gray-sama to go with her…"
A small raincloud formed above her head,"but Gray-sama refused."
Rhodes didn't need to hear the rest.
He knew exactly how that ended, Gray probably had zero interest in any play Erza performed in, especially after his own, less-than-pleasant acting experience.
On the battlefield
"It won't be that easy," Sting said, climbing out of the rubble.
"But now, we're done holding back."
"Mm. It's time to get serious." Rogue rose beside him.
A white radiance erupted from Sting. A dark shadow surged from Rogue.
But neither showed signs of Dragon Force.
"Holy White Dragon Mode!"
"Shadow Dragon Mode!"
Gajeel rolled his neck, unimpressed.
"No Dragon Force? Tch. I wanted to see how strong that power really was."
"That depends on whether you're worth using it on." Sting vanished, and reappeared in front of Gajeel in the blink of an eye.
A glowing white claw raked across Gajeel's chest.
Gajeel didn't react in time and staggered back several steps. His shirt tore open, revealing dense, metallic scales beneath.
This wasn't Dragon Force. Just his usual Iron Dragon body defense.
Rogue surged across the ground like a living shadow, slipping behind Gajeel.
He sprang upward, his hand shaped into a claw, slashing Gajeel's back.
Another tearing sound, more steel scales exposed.
Sting didn't let up.
He swung his arm again, knocking Gajeel back and firing a sphere of white light straight into his abdomen.
Rogue didn't chase for another hit.
Instead, he flickered back to Sting's side, shadows trailing behind him.
Gajeel steadied himself after the flurry of blows, and a mocking grin curled his lips.
"That all you got? Your hits feel like warm-up taps."
Rhodes sighed from the viewing area.
"That idiot… he never lets himself get beaten enough. Why can't he knock someone down first before trash-talking?"
As if on cue, Gajeel suddenly felt heat sear across his abdomen.The white magic circle Sting placed there glowed fiercely.
His body froze.
"What the?"
Sting gave a confident smirk.
"White Dragon's Claw carries holy-attribute power. That holy mark steals your freedom of movement."
He shifted into a forward stance, arm pulled back.
"The match is over."
Rogue added with a faint, regretful tone,
"It's a shame, Mr. Gajeel. You're simply outdated compared to us."
Sting thrust his fist forward.
"Return to dust, White Dragon's Holy Nova!"
A meteor-like blast of white light shot out, detonating into an enormous explosion.
A brilliant sphere of holy radiance swallowed Gajeel's entire position.Winds blasted outward violently.
If judged by sight alone, the attack was decisive, utterly overwhelming.
But Sting's face didn't show triumph.
Because, when the white glow faded…
Gajeel stood unharmed, long black hair billowing wildly in the backlash wind.
And with one hand, he held Sting's punch firmly in place.
Only his already-ruined shirt had completely disintegrated.
"Wh...why?! How can you still move?!"
Sting couldn't comprehend it.
The Iron Dragon shouldn't have been able to break the holy binding of the White Dragon.
...
Stones Plzz
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