Initially, Ankh had thought Life God Power would only grant him near-immortal regenerative abilities.
But as he gradually developed this power over the recent weeks, he came to understand why Life God Power could rival Death God Power in the ancient pantheon.
Simply put, every life form is like a string of complex numbers and code, with each number representing certain meanings, capabilities, and genetic traits.
Life Divine Power functions like a pen and eraser, allowing modification of this numerical sequence's data.
It could change combinations, extend length, and even erase parts to rewrite them entirely.
In other words, it represents a perfect biological modification capability.
The difference between this and dark magic is that Life God Power has no side effects—it directly modifies life at its fundamental level, as if the subject had been born that way naturally.
In previous experiments, Ankh had secretly analyzed Natsu's life sequence, copied the portion representing his "Dragon Slayer constitution," and added it to himself.
The experimental results were perfect.
Ankh had acquired a series of physical traits unique to Dragon Slayer Mages without any rejection symptoms.
He could swallow fire, coat himself in flames, and even suffered from motion sickness like them.
However, due to his insufficient mastery of Life Divine Power at the time, Ankh couldn't yet perform precise physical modifications, making it difficult to eliminate the pesky motion sickness trait.
Moreover, this life sequence could only remain in his body for a limited time.
When Ankh stopped channeling Divine Power to control it, the sequence representing "Dragon Slayer Constitution" automatically vanished, returning him to normal.
But these were minor issues that would be resolved as Ankh further developed his Divine Power.
The current new experiment involved the Dragon Gem held by Natsu below.
The gem created by Life God Power was essentially a Lacrima infused with a concentrated "Dragon Constitution" life sequence.
It temporarily enabled those without Divine Power—but with compatible magic—to achieve near-racial transformation effects.
Ankh held his breath and focused intently on Natsu's subsequent actions through the skylight.
Crunch.
Natsu tossed the Dragon Gem into his mouth.
He chewed ferociously with powerful bite force, glaring at Laxus while roaring indistinctly through the mouthful:
"Laxus, you... ￥##!"
Laxus's veins bulged as raging lightning coiled around his arm.
He charged at Natsu like a thunderbolt!
"Speak clearly, you bastard!!"
As Natsu gradually swallowed the entire gem, the reaction was instantaneous.
BOOM!
Golden flames seemed to erupt from his pupils, replacing the whites of his eyes.
Towering Dragon Fire blazed around him, melting the stone floor beneath his feet.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Within the scorching inferno, vision appeared distorted as through a kaleidoscope.
Natsu unleashed a roar more astonishing than ever before—a sound that vibrated in the bones of everyone in the cathedral.
The shockwave was so powerful it left Ankh on the rooftop momentarily dazed.
That roar could probably be heard throughout the entire town, couldn't it? Ankh thought, impressed.
Amid the terrifying high temperatures, Laxus's lightning-wreathed fist arrived as expected.
Crack!
Yet, the previously unstoppable lightning was swallowed and blocked by the fiery waves upon contact. Natsu caught the fist with one hand, preventing even Laxus from advancing further.
Laxus's pupils contracted as he uncertainly registered the terrifying heat before him.
Suddenly, the surging flames parted to both sides, revealing the figure they surrounded to Laxus.
"Na... Natsu?!"
Laxus almost failed to recognize him.
What a fearsome and terrifying form it was...
Crimson vertical pupils. Cherry blossom hair transformed into flowing pink flames. Two ferocious dragon horns sprouting from his forehead. Golden-red Dragon Scales covering his original skin and spreading across his face. Dagger-sharp teeth, and a dramatically enlarged height and build.
"Hey Natsu... are you okay?"
Laxus instinctively held back slightly, given the creature's current appearance was far from human.
He wondered if Natsu had lost his mind.
Reassuringly, the dragonized Natsu flashed Laxus an unrecognizably sunny—yet terrifying—smile.
"After eating it, IM FIRED UPPPPPPPP!" Natsu roared, his voice sounding like a bell tolling.
"Come on Laxus! I'm going to defeat you!!"
WHOOSH!
Following the roar, a pair of wings composed of pure fire and magic gradually sprouted from Natsu's back, spanning half the hall.
With a powerful flap, Natsu's figure surged forth like an avalanche to appear before Laxus.
Fists wreathed in raging flames at least twice as powerful as before swung out with full force.
BAM!
Laxus jolted in surprise.
He barely managed to cross his arms in front of him to block, before being sent flying by a single punch.
"Guh!"
Laxus crashed into the wall behind the altar, burying himself in rubble.
Natsu, having forced Laxus back with a single strike, excitedly shook his arm and laughed heartily.
"Such incredible power, and it feels amazing! Let's call this move... 'Fire Dragon King's Collapsing Fist'!"
"Don't get too cocky, Natsu!"
Rubble exploded outward.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!!"
In an instant, the previously suppressed lightning surged to an even more violent level.
Accompanied by Laxus's equally furious roar, an unparalleled breath of the Lightning Dragon erupted.
BOOM!
Caught off guard, Natsu was blasted away by the concentrated beam of electricity.
He flew even faster than Laxus had moments before, smashing through pews.
Laxus stood up. He had now entered a serious state—his coat was torn off, his muscles seemingly swollen with magic power, with residual arcs of destructive lightning still flickering at the corners of his mouth.
Natsu quickly scrambled to his feet after taking the breath attack. He shook off the debris, uninjured thanks to the scales.
Laxus enlarge body now resembled a war god as he swung his arm through the air, causing the furious lightning to obediently form a lightning halberd in his palm.
"Die!"
Gripping the lightning halberd, Laxus charged forward again.
Not to be outdone, Natsu in Fire Dragon King Mode roared and rushed to meet him.
CLASH!
Fire and Lightning collided, shaking the foundation of the church.
Gajeel, who had long since retreated to the other side of the cathedral to avoid the blast zone, watched the scene with a click of his tongue.
'After consuming the gem, that guy actually possessed the strength to send that monster Laxus flying,' Gajeel analyzed.
What was even more terrifying was that the flames around Natsu grew increasingly turbulent, as if without limit.
Natsu was pushing himself to become stronger and stronger with every second.
Laxus must have noticed this too, which was why he was opting for a quick battle—trying to put Natsu down before the evolution became unmanageable.
Gajeel frowned.
He glanced down at the equally alluring Dragon Gem shimmering in his own hand.
'If Salamander can do it...'
Ankh watched intently from the skylight, mentally comparing Natsu's current and previous states.
'The Dragon Gem had truly doubled Natsu's strength,' Ankh noted.
'It even forced Laxus to get serious and clash with him head-on.'
It was important to remember that this wasn't the original Laxus from the story.
This was a Laxus who had grown up with Ankh as his rival, progressing far faster than his original counterpart due to constant competition.
And although Natsu was still being overpowered after Laxus entered his berserk mode, the effects of the Dragon Gem weren't over yet—Natsu was continuously growing stronger as his body adapted to the "Dragon Sequence."
However, with Laxus's superior combat awareness, he'd probably beat Natsu down before he could grow any stronger.
Unless...
BOOM!
Just as Ankh reached this thought, a surge of Magic Power erupted from a corner of the cathedral.
"Gihihihi!"
Dark green Dragon Scales covered his entire body, turning his skin into living iron.
Paired with crimson slit pupils, hair sharp as steel blades, Dragon Claw arms with muscles coiled like high-tensile steel, drill-like dragon horns sprouting from his head, and equally ferocious steel dragon wings.
Iron Dragon King Mode—Gajeel had arrived!
Gajeel grinned, emitting a laugh that sounded like countless blades grinding against each other.
He shook his Dragon Claw, which instantly transformed into a wildly spinning chainsaw blade!
"Iron Dragon Sword!"
With a flick of his steel wings, Gajeel swung the saw blade and charged at Laxus's exposed flank.
"You two bastards! Having all the fun without me?! Count me in!!"
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