"..."
"That's not exactly something to congratulate someone for, is it?" Natsu murmured softly, scratching the back of his neck: "Like, 'hey, you annoyed me so much that I'm going to torture you a little more.' What a weird prize…"
His expression was half-resigned, half-amused, as if he were dealing with a bad joke and not a death threat. He already knew very well that Irene was cruel. He remembered perfectly what she had done in the manga, so her words didn't truly surprise him.
Like when she coldly questioned Toma E. Fiore's love for his own daughter, Hisui, right after personally transforming her into a mouse. Or when, annoyed by his affectionate words toward the girl, her face took on that silent and empty expression… just before attacking them, making it clear how much she despised anything that didn't fit into her distorted worldview.
And there was also what she had done to Mirajane. The deliberate torture, accompanied by the diabolical promise that she wouldn't have a quick death, that in the end, she would be reduced to a piece of rotten meat. A perfect portrait of her malignant and brutal nature.
That's why he found it strange that she hadn't been so cruel to him.
Well… until now.
After all, she had just said she intended to extend his suffering for a little longer; her previous attacks had also served to test the waters and see how strong he was. She was probably curious. He had noticed that clearly through the [Universal Sense]: her gaze had changed the instant he used his own magic to incinerate the first attack.
Irene wanted to understand what magic he had used, probably. And that, more than the threat itself, was what made this situation really interesting...
On the other hand, Irene didn't even blink, her lips curving into a cold smile that didn't reach her brown eyes, now sparkling with icy determination. With a subtle wave of her staff, her [Enchantment Magic] came to life again, weaving the surroundings to her whim; the trees twisted into gigantic claws, the lake rose in waves sharp as glass blades, everything converging on Natsu like an inescapable trap. It was as if the entire world had turned against him, determined to crush him, tear him apart, erase him.
Natsu just snorted at the attack, his sharp eyes fixed on her, and advanced without a drop of magic. His clenched fists cut through the air with brute force, pure and simple, as if he were clearing away annoying underbrush. The tree claws shattered under casual punches that echoed like thunder, fragments flying everywhere; the lake waves split in half as he ran through them, the water splashing harmlessly; the attacks he didn't destroy with his own fists were deflected with lazy slaps, his body moving in a fluid rhythm that made everything seem like child's play.
His body was currently so powerful that he still didn't know his own limits.
Irene frowned for a fraction of a second, genuine surprise mixing with irritation. Who was this boy really? But dwelling on that was a total mistake, since she ended up getting distracted for a moment, and in that simple moment, before she could react, blink, or even process what was happening, Natsu was already right in front of her, the air hissing with the absurd speed that had propelled him like a pink blur. Her brown eyes widened for an instant. She, the Dragon Queen, caught off guard by some random kid? Unable to raise her staff in time, she could only watch as he smirked out of the corner of his mouth, his fist already closing for the impact.
"You know, I believe in equal rights between men and women…" Natsu murmured in a casual, almost conversational tone, as if he were commenting on the weather: "So if you try to kill me… don't expect me to go easy just because you're a woman."
The punch came with all the brute force his newly enhanced body could offer, a blow that could split a mountain range in half. At the last instant, Irene invoked her [Enchantment Magic], weaving an invisible defensive layer around her abdomen, reinforcing her flesh and bones as if they were enchanted steel. But even so, the fist sank in, bending the barrier and driving straight into her stomach with a dull thud that echoed through the devastated forest...
The impact was visceral, forcing the air out of her lungs, and a spurt of blood escaped her parted lips, staining the air scarlet.
Irene was launched backward like a bullet fired from a cannon, her body cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. She collided with the remaining trees, shattering thick trunks like twigs, toppling an entire swath of the forest in a trail of destruction; branches flying, earth being churned up, rocks splitting in half. The noise was deafening, a roar of chaos that extended for hundreds of meters until, finally, she dug her heels into the ground, sliding a few more steps before stopping on her feet, her witch's hat still miraculously in place, though crooked...
She wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her glove, the movement slow and deliberate, her brown eyes sparkling with a mixture of fury and reluctant respect? Her stomach ached as if it had been turned inside out, but the pain only fueled her thirst for retaliation.
"Interesting…" She murmured, assessing him as if cataloging a rare specimen. Assessing him as someone truly dangerous, worthy of greater effort.
The moment she raised her face, ready to counterattack, Natsu was already standing a few meters in front of her, his arms crossed and his scarf swaying lightly. His clothes were still torn, but he seemed unconcerned about it.
Irene spat a remnant of blood onto the ground, her lips curving into a sadistic smile that revealed sharp teeth.
"I admit you're strong to be able to catch me off guard so easily like that…" She hissed, her voice low and venomous, laden with dark promises: "But don't get arrogant. I wasn't even taking you seriously; that was just my own oversight, it won't happen again. I'll enchant you after your death, turning you into a fat, pink pig..."
Her magical power exploded out of her body like a volcanic eruption, terrifying in its magnitude; the air trembled, the ground cracked under her feet.
Natsu let out a long, tired sigh, shaking his head as if disappointed with a stubborn child.
"Man, that's not elegant at all, you know? Turning someone into a pig just because you lost your patience? We could resolve our situation just by talking, but then you attacked me. I might have offended you earlier with that somewhat bold suggestion, but it doesn't justify your cruelty."
As he spoke, his own magical power erupted from his body like an uncontrolled furnace, matching the magnitude of her explosion in pure intensity. The air around him hissed and distorted, but the real problem was the heat: a suffocating wave spread from his body. The entire forest began to melt around him, trees twisting in agony before turning into floating ashes, the ground bubbling like fresh lava, and the radius of destruction extending for dozens of kilometers in seconds.
The entire continent felt the impact, a horrible heat that dried distant rivers, withered crops, and made the air tremble as if the world were about to burst into spontaneous combustion, as if hell had leaked to the surface...
Irene blinked, her brown eyes widening again in genuine surprise. Her clothes began to smoke and melt at the edges, the enchanted fabric hissing as if touched by acid, and she reacted quickly, weaving a protective enchantment with a gesture of her staff to reinforce the material, preventing it from turning to dust. But then came the realization that shook her; her own magical power trembled, being burned at the edges, as if his flames didn't consume only matter, but the essence of magic itself. Her enchantments faltered, weakening under the heat, and for the first time in centuries, she felt a shiver of something close to fear? No, it was irritation mixed with cruel fascination.
"What kind of monster is this boy?" She thought for a moment, adjusting her posture while her hat swayed, sweat beading on her skin despite everything.
The ground exploded under their feet the next instant.
Natsu advanced first, without hesitation, his body leaning forward like an arrow released at point-blank range.
Irene stepped back half a step, and the world obeyed.
The [Enchantment Magic] spread like a second skin over the terrain. The ground hardened into irregular plates, then folded, trying to grab his legs like stone jaws. Spikes sprouted at impossible angles, the air thickened, heavy enough to slow movements.
None of it stopped him.
The spikes shattered on direct impact with his body, pulverized like cheap glass. He jumped, spun his body in the air, and came down with a kick that tore through the enchanted layer of the ground, the shockwave opening a crater that made Irene slide backward.
She smiled.
Not that cruel smile of someone who tortures for pleasure.
But a lively, sharp smile, of someone who had finally found someone who made her heart dance with joy in the midst of battle.
Irene raised her staff, and the ground around him simply rose, forming columns that tried to crush him from all sides. At the same time, she enchanted her own body, reinforcing muscles and bones, and advanced to meet him in direct combat. Although she was a master of [Enchantment Magic], that didn't mean she was a weak fighter in hand-to-hand combat.
They collided.
Fist against staff.
The impact made the air scream.
Natsu felt the shock run up his arm. Irene, in turn, felt something she hadn't felt in a long time: her own body being pushed back by pure physical force.
She spun the staff and struck his flank with an enchanted blow that should have torn flesh and bones.
The blow grazed.
Natsu slid a step to the side, the impact leaving only a superficial scratch on his arm. He responded with a short, dry elbow that hit her ribs with enough force to make her spit blood again.
She retreated in the air, floating for an instant, and then brought everything down.
The entire terrain folded, collapsing into a compact mass that tried to swallow him at once. Trees, rocks, mud, everything enchanted to crush, trap, grind.
Natsu dug his feet into the ground.
His body's muscles contracted like steel cables. He pushed.
The pile of enchanted matter exploded outward, hurled in all directions. Irene descended in the midst of the dust, spinning her body to avoid a punch that passed centimeters from her face.
Even so, the second blow hit.
A short, violent hook, straight to the chin.
Irene's head snapped with the impact, her hat almost flying off. She spun her body to dissipate part of the force, but still tasted metal in her mouth.
She responded with an enchanted kick to his abdomen.
This time, it hit dead on.
Natsu slid several meters backward, gouging furrows in the ground with his feet. The blow hurt, not much, but enough to be noticed. He raised his gaze… and smiled.
A wide, excited smile.
"Heh… now we're talking..."
A part of him even thought that this could be the influence of his enhanced magic. Another wondered if it might be a remnant of his predecessor… or even a side of himself he had never noticed before. In the end, it didn't matter.
He was loving all of it.
A fireball burned within him.
It was a thirst for battle.
The absolute desire for excitement.
The visceral need to feel something real.
Instead of a monotonous and boring life, he preferred to live on the edge, where he could fight freely, test his own limits, and lose himself in that overwhelming sensation that only true combat could offer...
That's what he felt in that moment.
Irene landed a few meters ahead, her staff resting on her shoulder, her eyes shining with controlled excitement. There were marks on her body now, real bruises appearing under her skin.
And yet, she seemed to be enjoying herself.
"It's been centuries…" She said, her voice firm, satisfied: "…since someone forced me to fight like this."
Natsu cracked his neck, his body vibrating with anticipation.
"Same here. So, let's have some fun!"
For an instant, they just stared at each other.
Then, both advanced at the same time with smiles on their faces.
____________________
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