The audience burst into excited cheers.
The Fairy Tail members looked at Qi Yan.
Qi Yan spread his hands, "That wasn't me; he added all that drama himself."
"The rules of the competition are as follows: both sides will each send out one Mage for a one-on-one battle. There will be a total of six rounds in a wheel battle, until one side's six Mages are eliminated first. That side will then be declared the loser."
"Besides becoming Fiore's strongest Mage guild, the victor will also take half of this competition's ticket sales, 20 million J!!!"
"20 million J?!"
Makarov's eyes immediately lit up. This money was almost enough for him to rebuild his guild.
"You brats! Beat them up fiercely for me! We must get that 20 million J!"
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"
"The first match is about to begin! Please, both Mages, step onto the stage!!!"
"I'm going—!!!"
Almost as soon as the announcer's words fell, Natsu immediately charged out.
"Natsu!!!"
"That idiot! He's still so impulsive! He should at least see who his opponent is before restraining himself!"
Gray couldn't stand Natsu's impulsive nature; he never stuck to the plan.
Natsu, however, couldn't hold back. He had wanted to act earlier when provoked by Phantom Lord, so now that he could, he naturally rushed out first.
"Phantom Lord bastards! Get out here!!!"
Natsu roared furiously, flames erupting from his head.
"Fairy Tail has sent out Mage Natsu! How will Phantom Lord respond?"
"Since he's a Fire Mage, I'll step up!"
Jose sat in his chair, a cold smirk on his lips, "Hit him hard. It doesn't matter if you kill him. I want all the uninformed spectators to understand the enormous gap between Fairy Tail and our Phantom Lord."
"Yes, sir!"
"Oh, oh, oh! Phantom Lord has sent out Totomaru, one of the Four Elements of Fire!!!"
A man dressed like a samurai, with a katana at his waist, black and white hair tied high at the back of his head, walked from the Phantom Lord side into the arena.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"
Compared to Natsu, who the announcer hadn't introduced with a title, the Phantom Lord's Four Elements were more famous among the citizens.
"They actually sent out a Fire Mage. It looks like we've definitely won this round!"
The Fairy Tail members, hearing that their opponent had sent out a Fire Mage, all became excited. After all, Natsu was a Fire Dragon Slayer Mage, the bane of all Fire Mages.
"It looks like both sides are ready!"
"Fairy Tail VS Phantom Lord, first match!"
"Begin—!!!"
Clang—!!!
With the sound of a gong, the match officially began.
"Oh ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"
As soon as the gong finished, Natsu, with flames swirling around his fists, immediately charged at Totomaru.
Bang!
"Whoa!!!"
Before Natsu could reach Totomaru, his fist slammed into his own face.
"Wah wah wah wah wah?!"
Natsu rolled horizontally on the ground several times before stopping.
"Natsu!!!"
The Fairy Tail members were all a bit stunned by what they saw.
"What's going on?! Why is Natsu hitting himself?"
"It must be the opponent's trick."
"Bastard!!!"
Natsu, though still unclear about the situation, immediately charged forward with flames wrapped around his fists.
"Whoa!!!"
Immediately after, the flames became uncontrollable, actually surrounding Natsu himself and spinning him in circles.
Totomaru seized the opportunity to rush over and strike Natsu with a knee.
"Ugh!"
Natsu was sent flying again.
"I am Totomaru, who manipulates the fire element. I can control all flames, whether they are the enemy's or natural flames, they are all mine!"
"What did you say?! My flames are mine!!!"
"It's your bad luck to encounter me, Fire Mage! Blue Flames!!!"
Totomaru waved his hand, and a stream of blue flames rushed towards Natsu.
Seeing the flames, Natsu immediately opened his mouth wide and began to eat them heartily.
"He actually..."
...ate the flames?!"
The audience all gasped at this scene.
"Whoa! So cool! I've never eaten this kind of flame before!" Although it was fire, Natsu felt like he was eating ice cream.
"I see, so you are the legendary Fire Dragon Slayer Mage. It seems we are not compatible."
Seeing Natsu eat flames, Totomaru immediately guessed Natsu's 'Fire Dragon' identity. After all, his guild also had a Dragon Slayer Mage, so he wasn't surprised that Natsu could eat flames.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Because fire has no effect on either of us."
"Don't jump to conclusions so early. You haven't tasted my flames yet."
"I told you fire can't hurt me. No matter what magic, as long as it's fire, I can control it."
"Then what about this magic, Fire Dragon's..."
Natsu puffed out his cheeks. Totomaru raised his hands, preparing to control it. He knew Natsu's magic perfectly well; wasn't it just magic that spat fire from his mouth?
"It's useless."
"Saliva!!!"
Natsu spat a mouthful of saliva directly onto Totomaru's face.
"Hahahahaha!"
Seeing his prank succeed, Natsu immediately burst into triumphant laughter.
"How dirty!!! You bastard, you tricked me!!! Orange Flames!!!"
Totomaru released orange flames from his hand. Natsu saw the flames and immediately prepared to enjoy them.
"Fire magic is a piece of cake. What flavor is it this time?"
But as soon as he was surrounded by the flames, a terrible stench assailed him from all directions.
"What... what is this!!! It stinks!!! Ow ow ow ow!!! My nose is going to break!!!" Natsu wailed, clutching his nose.
"Hahahaha, these are incredibly stinky flames."
"Your taste is terrible!!!"
"You started it!!!"
"Bastard!!! I won't let you get away with this!!!"
This time, Natsu clenched his fists and charged straight at him.
"Giving up magic and going straight for hand-to-hand combat? In that case, am I, with a sword, at an even greater advantage?"
Totomaru immediately drew his sword and continuously attacked Natsu, putting Natsu on the defensive for a while.
Seeing Natsu at a disadvantage, Gray couldn't help but say, "Natsu, that idiot! I told him not to be impulsive! Now look what happened!"
Constantly pursued by Totomaru, Natsu couldn't help but use magic again.
Totomaru scoffed, "What a brainless idiot!"
Natsu's fist was about to strike his own face again.
"These are my flames!!! You're not allowed to touch them casually!!!"
Natsu roared, and the flames that were about to hit him immediately stopped.
"What?! I can't control these flames! Did this guy learn this during the battle?" Totomaru was somewhat disbelieving; his opponent had actually broken free of his control over his flames so quickly.
"I see, I've figured out your magic. Now, brace yourself."