Chapter 100: The First Victory and the Next Test
Whoosh—!
Natsu's entire body was engulfed in blazing, golden-red flames. His magic power, his will, and his rage were all focused.
Boom!
Flames erupted from his feet, and he charged rapidly, not at Totomaru, but through his defenses.
"Purple Flames!"
Totomaru, seeing the charge, quickly unleashed a wall of purple fire to defend himself, expecting Natsu to be blocked or his attack to be controlled.
Bang!
The flames had no effect. Natsu, his will now overriding Totomaru's control, punched through the purple fire as if it were a curtain. The next moment, he appeared directly before the shocked Totomaru.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Bang!!
"Ugh!"
Totomaru felt a terrifying, raw physical force strike him in the chest. He was sent flying back, skidding across the arena floor.
'This punch... what's going on?!' Totomaru thought, coughing. 'It's not a Mage's punch at all! It's pure, brutal strength! This is completely different from what Master Jose said! Fairy Tail actually has such a powerful guy?!'
Natsu didn't give him time to recover. He landed, planted his feet, and took a deep breath, his chest swelling as he gathered all his magic power in his throat.
Seeing Natsu's iconic posture, Totomaru immediately understood what magic he was about to use. He scrambled to his feet, panicking slightly. He quickly extended seven fingers, each releasing a different, bizarrely colored flame from its tip.
The seven colors of flame—orange, blue, purple, green, yellow, pink, and white—began to twist and combine, forming Totomaru's strongest magic.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!!!"
A violent, massive storm of pure fire erupted from Natsu's mouth, rushing directly towards Totomaru.
"My strongest magic! Seven-Colored Flames!!"
Totomaru also unleashed his own ultimate attack, a swirling, chaotic vortex of multi-colored fire, meeting the incoming Roar.
The two streams of flame collided in the center of the arena.
"Boom—!!!"
A terrifying impact burst outwards, a concussive, multi-colored explosion of heat and pressure that washed over the entire stadium.
"He... he's matching him!" Totomaru gasped, his arms shaking as he poured all his magic into the blast.
But Natsu's fire wasn't just fire. It was a Dragon's fire. It was stronger.
"Break through!!!" Natsu roared in his heart.
Boom—!
The Fire Dragon's Roar, pure and focused, shattered the opponent's chaotic Seven-Colored Flames. It punched through the defense and struck Totomaru's body head-on.
"Ugh ah ah ah ah ah!!"
Totomaru let out a painful, high-pitched scream as he was engulfed in the inferno.
After the flames dissipated, Totomaru stood in place for a single second, his body charred black, his samurai robes vaporized.
"This... and the Master... said... it's... different!"
Thud!
After speaking his last, shocked words, Totomaru collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Natsu, panting heavily but triumphant, raised his fist.
The arena was silent for a beat. Then...
"The match is decided!!" Chapati Lola's voice screamed over the speakers.
"Winner: Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail!"
"OH OH OH OH OH OH!!"
All the spectators in the stands erupted in cheers.
"That was amazing!"
"Yeah! He can even eat flames and breathe them out!"
"Although the beginning was a bit rough, his magic at the end was incredible!"
"Splendid! Truly splendid! COOOOL!" Chapati roared. "Is this the power of a top-tier Mage?! So, Natsu Dragneel is the legendary 'Salamander' of Fairy Tail!"
"Fire Dragon!!!"
Hearing the announcer's broadcast, the crowd in the stands finally realized that Natsu was the famous Fire Dragon.
The Fire Dragon's reputation was extremely high, all stemming from his knack for causing trouble, which was constantly reported in Weekly Sorcerer. However, causing trouble itself represented a certain skill, so Natsu had gained quite a few fans.
"FIRE DRAGON!"
"FIRE DRAGON!"
"FIRE DRAGON!"
Listening to the cheers from the stands, Natsu felt an immense satisfaction. He finally, finally felt like he had vented the resentment and humiliation caused by Phantom Lord's destruction of the guild.
At the same time, Natsu's confidence soared. He turned to the Phantom Lord dugout, his fist still smoking.
"Who's next from Phantom Lord?! Get out here!!! I'm all fired up!" Natsu raised a flaming middle finger, a gesture of pure, unadulterated defiance.
The Phantom Lord members were furious at Natsu's arrogance. Before they could curse him out...
"Huh?! Fairy Tail is making a substitution! That means Natsu will have to leave the arena!" Chapati announced, surprised.
"What?!!"
Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief. He had just gotten fired up, but now he was being told to leave.
"I'm not going down! I can still fight!"
He didn't want to leave. He turned to his guild's lounge, and then he saw Erza glaring at him with cold, "don't-you-dare-disobey-the-plan" eyes, which immediately sent a shiver down his spine.
"Tch..." He reluctantly walked off the arena and into the lounge area, his anger returning.
"Ren, what are you doing?! I just got fired up! I can still take on five more!"
Ren, who was sitting with his arms crossed, just smiled. "I know you can still fight, Natsu. But what I want is not just to win. I want a complete, overwhelming victory. I want everyone in Fiore to know how big the gap is between our Fairy Tail... and their Phantom Lord."
"You did your part," Ren continued. "You beat their fire specialist. Now, it's someone else's turn to show them what real strength is."
Natsu was startled by Ren's cold, calculating gaze. He suddenly realized that it wasn't just him who was angry. Ren... Ren was even angrier. And his anger was cold, sharp, and terrifying.
If Ren was provoked... Phantom Lord was in deep, deep trouble.
Phantom Lord Lounge Area
"Useless!"
Master Jose Porla was furious, his face contorted in rage as he watched his men drag Totomaru's unconscious body back. "To actually be defeated by a mere Fairy Tail member, and not even an S-Class Mage at that! This guy is truly useless!"
His carefully trained Element 4... one of his pillars of strength... had been defeated by a kid who wasn't even S-Class. Wasn't that saying his Element 4 was inferior to Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages?
"Gihi. There's nothing we can do about it," Gajeel said, his expression indifferent as he nonchalantly chewed on a piece of scrap iron. "It's his bad luck. He ran into the Fire Dragon Slayer."
Jose also calmed down slightly, his magical aura receding. Indeed, a Dragon Slayer was the bane of all Mages who used their element. Fire would not only not harm the Fire Dragon, but it would also become his food.
However, that brat... he had actually learned how to dispel Totomaru's control over fire during the battle. That brat's talent...
Jose's gaze hardened. "Sol. You're up."
He sent out Sol of the Great Earth, another of the Element 4.
[Akarin's Note: Sol of the Great Earth (Daichi no Soru) is a member of the Element 4. His magic allows him to manipulate earth and stone.]
"This time, you must win. No losing!" Jose commanded. "Go. And thoroughly defeat those useless Fairy Tail members!"
"Understood, oui!" Sol said, with a strange, lilting accent.
"Oh oh! Phantom Lord has sent out Sol of the Great Earth, another member of the Element 4!" Chapati announced. "Who will Fairy Tail send out to fight this time?"
"I'll go!"
Natsu had already made his appearance, and Gray, who had been itching for a fight, was also getting impatient. He immediately prepared to enter the arena.
"No," Ren said, his voice quiet but firm. He didn't even look at Gray. His eyes were on someone else.
"Elfman. You go."
The lounge went silent.
"Wait! No! Ren!" Mira was the first to speak, her voice tight with panic. "You... you don't know... Elfman... he can't fight. Not really. If it were just ordinary Mages from Phantom Lord, it would be fine, but if the opponent is one of the Element 4... he's not ready!"
Ren didn't speak. He just looked at Elfman.
Elfman was standing frozen, his body trembling slightly. He heard his sister's words. He knew she was right. He was afraid. He was afraid of his own Take Over... afraid of what had happened to Lisanna.
"I'll go!!"
Elfman stood up, his fists clenched. He looked at Mira, and then at Ren, and his eyes were firm. "I... I will fight. For the guild. A man must fight!"
"Fairy Tail's chosen fighter is Elfman! Known as 'Beast Arm' Elfman!" Chapati announced.
In the Phantom lounge, Gajeel scoffed. "Hmph! Is Fairy Tail out of people? First a snot-nosed kid, now this small-fry oaf. They're not even sending in Gildarts, Laxus, or Mystogan. How arrogant."
Gajeel said this with a displeased expression. Just as Fairy Tail understood Phantom Lord, Phantom Lord also understood Fairy Tail's real S-Class Mages. They knew that Gildarts was known as the guild's strongest.
"But this is good too," Gajeel said with a cruel grin. "Then let Fairy Tail taste what it's like to be completely and utterly crushed."
In the Arena
"Hello! Bonjour!" Sol said, his body twisting in an odd pose. "I am Sol. Please call me Monsieur Sol."
"Hmph!" Elfman roared, trying to push down his fear. "I don't care who you are. Since you've provoked Fairy Tail, you're my enemy!"
"Fairy Tail VS Phantom Lord, Round Two!"
"Start—!!!"
Clang—!
"Beast Arm: Black Bull!"
Elfman didn't hesitate. His right arm was instantly enveloped in magic, transforming into a massive, powerful, black-furred bull's arm. It was an arm with the powerful strength of a black ox and formidable defensive capabilities.
"Oh my?! Non, non... Is that rumor true?" Sol said, his playful expression not changing, though his eyes were sharp. "I know about you... Elfman. No, I know all the... sad... information about Fairy Tail."
"Blah, blah, blah!" Elfman roared, charging. "You're annoying!"
[Akarin Note:
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