They advanced toward each other.
The impact that followed was so violent that the ground collapsed as if struck by a meteor. The air exploded in a ring of pressure that swept across kilometers of forest, uprooting roots, toppling smaller mountains, vaporizing everything that was too close. The earth trembled as if trying to flee the battlefield.
After recoiling a few meters while being launched into the air, Irene descended with her staff spinning, the [Enchantment Magic] reinforcing every joint, every fiber of her body. She struck the ground, and a spiral of stone columns erupted, trying to pierce Natsu's torso from all angles. He lunged forward, shattering each column with his body that seemed as hard as diamond, as if they were mere dry branches.
Seeing that it was useless, she moved toward him, spinning her body in the air, a perfect arc of refined technique that ended with the staff descending like a magical axe.
Natsu raised his forearm and blocked the blow.
The staff cracked slightly.
He smiled.
Irene recoiled with an elegant impulse, landing on a field newly formed by her magic that spread like a glowing web. The forest around her rose like an army. Trunks twisted into gigantic serpents, branches turned into blades, roots rose like magical whips.
Everything advanced at once.
Natsu advanced as well.
The rain of attacks collided with him like a living storm. He pierced through the first enchanted tree with his fist, which shattered into incandescent splinters. The second he kicked, the trunk exploding in a shockwave. The third pierced him or tried to. The tip created only pressure against his hardened skin before being crushed between his fingers.
Irene wove new enchantments in the air, her finger movements tracing like luminous serpents. She snapped her fingers, and the entire field folded, a collapsed sphere trying to contain him in absolute pressure. Natsu pushed with his arms open, and the sphere exploded from within, a white flash that swept away trees, rocks, and the air itself, creating a silent void around them for a moment.
Irene appeared above him, her staff raised downward.
Natsu raised his fist upward.
The impact between the two released an explosion so colossal that the nearest mountain split in half.
The Dragon Queen was launched backward into the air. She stabilized her body with an elegant twist, her hair and hat swirling like red flames, and then descended with an enchanted kick that generated a two-hundred-meter crater on impact, but Natsu was no longer there.
He appeared behind her.
She spun.
The two struck each other at the same time.
His fist met her ribs.
Her staff met his jaw.
Both flew in opposite directions, carving two parallel furrows in the earth that glowed in shades of red and gold from the absurd heat radiating from Natsu's body, while the chaos of residual magic shimmered behind Irene like the trail of a crimson comet.
She rose first, spinning her staff. The ground responded, rising in gigantic pillars that curved like colossal serpents ready to tear him apart. Natsu ran through them, dodging some, destroying others with shoulders and elbows, leaping from one pillar to another until advancing like an arrow toward her face.
She intercepted him in the air, the impact so fierce that the atmosphere ruptured around them, releasing a sad, high-pitched boom. The two were hurled backward in opposite directions, only to launch themselves again, like two stars colliding repeatedly.
The ground could no longer withstand it.
Rocks melted under his feet, enchantments evaporated in the heat.
Irene noticed this.
For an instant, her gaze narrowed, not from fear, but from scientific fascination. She wove her magic around her own body to reinforce it against the heat that increased more and more during the fight, enchantments that should last hours... lasted seconds.
The heat emanating from his body devoured everything.
Natsu advanced, too fast, and she moved to intercept. He passed under the staff, rising with an ascending hook that grazed her chin, force enough to displace her center of gravity for an instant. She reacted with an impeccable body spin, her enchanted heel trying to shatter his temple, but Natsu blocked with his forearm and responded with a headbutt that made her staff vibrate like struck metal.
Irene slid a few meters backward.
Natsu advanced again.
And again.
And again.
Without rest.
Without hesitation.
His body was a perfectly calibrated killing machine honed by battle.
And it was in the midst of this exchange of brutal blows that Irene finally spoke, her voice low, firm, cutting through the noise of destruction:
"Boy... what is your name?"
Natsu paused just enough to lift his chin and respond, with a smile full of flame:
"Natsu Dragneel. Son of the proud Fire Dragon King, Igneel. And mage of Fairy Tail."
Irene's hand trembled for a single instant.
The staff almost slipped.
Her gaze changed.
"...Dragneel?" She murmured, almost to herself. "So you are... Igneel's son, the one His Majesty mentioned..."
And that strange gleam in her gaze, too hot, too intense to be just surprise, blossomed fully....
On the other hand, Natsu wiped some dirt from his face with his hand while his eyes looked at Irene with burning emotions. He didn't avert his gaze from Irene for even a fraction of a second.
"Your name...." He replied, his voice hoarse, forced by the heartbeats that still echoed like war drums. ".... What is your name? I want to know the name of the woman who made these emotions bloom in my heart. I think... for the first time in my life... I've fallen in love with someone so strong and so... incredibly beautiful...."
Although he knew her name, he had that general feeling of wanting to hear it from her own mouth, so he asked that question....
Surprised by the sincerity of his words, her heart was moved for the first time in a long time, Irene lifted her chin, her brown eyes now sparkling with emotions she shared with him. How many centuries had it been since she felt that? That which made her feel "human" again.... She wanted more!
"...Natsu Dragneel," She murmured, her deep voice reverberating through the warm distance that existed between them, "Son of the Fire Dragon King, Igneel...
...is that what you feel?"
"Yes," He responded without hesitation, the flames on his fists forming living spirals, reflecting in his eyes.
Irene froze for a second, her scarlet hair swaying lightly in the hot breeze. Her brown eyes widened in surprise that quickly turned into a slow smile, with a touch of cruel amusement. She straightened her posture, her witch's hat adjusting magically, as if the surrounding destruction was just a backdrop for her imposing presence.
"Ara ara... What a bold declaration, Natsu Dragneel. My name is Irene Belserion, I am one of the Spriggan 12 of the Alvarez Empire. And... I confess that you awaken something in me as well. It's been centuries since I felt this fire for someone who can truly challenge me...."
She lowered her staff slightly, but not enough to drop her guard. Her lips curved into a smile that mixed arrogance and a rare genuine warmth, her eyes scanning his body with an assessment that went beyond the fight.
Natsu laughed loudly, the sound echoing across the devastated field.
"Seriously? Then if I win, I'll take you out on a date!"
Without further words, he burst forward, but now it wasn't just brute force. His magical power ignited, and the Dragon Slayer flames erupted around his fists, red like fresh blood...
"Gokuen no Ryūō Tekken (Iron Fist of the Infernal Fire Dragon Emperor)!" He shouted, the punch flying toward her chest.
Irene reacted instantly, spinning her staff to weave a defensive enchantment. The air around her solidified into a translucent dome, reinforced by scarlet runes that glowed.
Natsu's fist collided with the barrier, and the impact released a colossal pillar of flames that engulfed the sky, a blood-red vortex that rose like an infernal tower, melting clouds, vaporizing the air, and incinerating the entire horizon. The surrounding earth turned into a bubbling sea of lava, distant forests writhing in agony before turning into floating ashes that rained like black snow.
.... The heat was so intense that the ground cracked in fissures extending for kilometers, rivers evaporating into clouds of steam that rose like souls fleeing hell.
Irene's barrier cracked, sparks of magic dissipating like dust, and the impact threw her backward, her arm trembling with the residue of fire that licked her skin, leaving severe burns that smoked.
"Tsk... This fire... it's not common, even Igneel could barely reach this level..." She murmured, the pain only fueling her determination. She raised her staff high, invoking her magic on a large scale.
"Enchantment: Universe One — Local Scale!"
It wasn't her full spell that would affect the entire continent, but a smaller-scale version. The ground rewrote itself, mountains rose like living walls, the air condensed into portals that spat pure energy beams, and the entire environment transformed into an enchanted labyrinth, trees turning into roaring wooden dragons, the sky darkening with clouds that rained sharp wind blades.
Natsu laughed, his eyes shining with excitement. He leaped, his feet now enveloped in the same liquid red flames like blood.
"Gokuen no Ryūō Sōga (Claw of the Infernal Fire Dragon Emperor)!"
The descending kick struck one of the enchanted wooden dragons, exploding it into fragments that ignited instantly. The pillar of flames that followed engulfed half the labyrinth, a flaming column that extended to infinity, melting the walls raised by Irene, vaporizing the portals, and leaving the horizon a blur of red and black, as if the sun had fallen to earth. The heat devoured everything: rocks liquefied into rivers of magma, the air itself burned with a constant crackle, and the wind carried ashes that obscured the sky.
Irene moved like a shadow, enchanting her own body to increase her speed.
Her movements became blurs, her staff spinning to create scarlet magic orbs that detonated like bombs, distorting space and trying to hit Natsu. She landed a side blow on his shoulder, the explosion throwing him sideways, but he recovered in the air, spinning to counterattack....
The air filled with enchanted specters, false souls launching like missiles.
Natsu roared, the flames spreading across his entire body.
"Gokuen no Ryūō Yokugeki (Wing of the Infernal Fire Dragon Emperor)!"
He flew toward her, with double fists enveloped in liquid fire that dripped like molten blood. The double punch hit her abdomen, despite the enchanted defense she raised at the last second. The impact released another infernal pillar, red flames rising like a divine spear, consuming the specters in the air, melting the artificial mountains, and leaving the horizon a smoking void where nothing remained but ashes and lava. Irene spat blood, severe burns spreading across her torso, her skin smoking and cracking, but she smiled, her brown eyes shining with a mix of pain and ecstasy.
"More... show me more of that fire!"
She retaliated with everything, invoking a massive enchantment while rising into the skies floating.
The entire region trembled, fissures opening like mouths spewing enchanted lava that molded into giant golems, each the size of a hill, dozens of them attacking Natsu, while she wove more, transforming the air into corrosive poison that tried to melt his skin, or enchanting clouds to rain magical stone meteors that exploded on contact....
Natsu smiled savagely, his eyes fixed on what Irene had altered through her [Enchantment Magic].
The enchanted lava golems advanced like enraged titans, each step making the ground tremble and crack, while the air around him filled with a corrosive poison that hissed like acid, eroding everything it touched. The clouds above spat magical stone meteors, flaming balls falling like shooting stars, exploding into craters on impact. But for Natsu, that was just another obstacle in the path to her.
He inhaled deeply, his chest expanding as the inner flames bubbled like a volcano about to erupt.
"Gokuen no Ryūō Hōkō (Roar of the Infernal Fire Dragon Emperor)!"
The breath exploded from his mouth like a river of boiling blood, a colossal beam of liquid red flames that spread in a devastating cone. The golems were the first to fall, dozens of them vaporized the instant the fire touched them, their lava bodies melting into scalding vapor, leaving only smoking pools on the cracked ground. Yes, the heat of his fire breath was so terrifying that it vaporized the lava itself!
The roar continued, engulfing the horizon, transforming the land into a desert of ashes where nothing remained standing....
The poison in the air? It didn't even touch him. His [Abnormal Condition Nullification] made him immune to toxins like that...
As for the magical stone meteors, Natsu didn't waste time. His body flickered, disappearing in a blur with [Koku Shundō], the instantaneous movement that carried him through space as if the air were water. He dodged the flaming rocks, leaping behind them in fractions of a second, using the meteors' own trajectories as cover. In an instant, he was above Irene, his right fist enveloped in red flames like blood.
"Take this!"
The blow descended like a divine hammer, the fist colliding with her shoulder despite the defensive enchantment she raised at the last moment. The impact released another pillar of flames, a red tower that rose to the sky, devouring the remaining clouds and leaving the horizon a smoking void, where distant mountains melted like wax. Irene grunted amid the flames enveloping her, her arm trembling with the severe burn spreading across her skin, smoking and cracking like dry earth. She was thrown downward, creating a crater upon landing, but recovered with feline grace, her brown eyes shining with a mix of pain and excitement.
"You... are relentless..." She murmured, the sadistic smile returning to her lips as she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. But there was no time for words; Natsu was already upon her again, forcing the combat back to close quarters, where he shone. He hit her with a sequence of flaming punches, each enveloped in liquid flames that dripped like molten blood, forcing her to block with her enchanted staff. The first blow grazed her ribs, leaving a smoking burn; the second hit her forearm, making the staff crack a bit more.
Irene didn't lag behind. She spun her body, enchanting her gloves to become claws sharp as diamond, slashing the air toward his chest. The blow landed superficially, leaving a scratch that barely bled on Natsu's hardened skin, but enough to make him grunt. He retaliated with a low kick, his leg enveloped in red flames that licked the air, hitting her thigh and forcing her to recoil, the burn spreading like wildfire despite her magical defense.
They collided repeatedly, bodies moving in a brutal and intimate dance. Natsu pressed her, his fists and feet always flaming, each hit releasing smaller pillars of flames that incinerated what remained of the environment, the ground bubbling into lava. Irene used her [Enchantment Magic] to reinforce her body, making bones and muscles more resistant, but Natsu's overwhelming heat devoured the enchantments little by little, forcing her to weave new ones every second. She landed a staff blow to his stomach, the enchanted impact throwing him back a few meters, but he laughed and returned...
The fight continued, bodies colliding in impacts that echoed like thunder.
Natsu advanced without mercy, each punch releasing waves of heat that made the ground bubble and crack. Irene blocked and counterattacked with lethal grace, her staff spinning in enchanted arcs that distorted space, creating energy explosions that forced him to dodge. One of her blows hit his flank, the enchanted impact leaving a superficial burn that smoked, but Natsu just grunted and retaliated with a flaming knee that grazed her ribs, making her recoil with a hiss of pain.
"You don't get tired, huh?" Natsu taunted, sweat running down his face, but his eyes still shining with that wild excitement.
How could this be so fun!?
Irene laughed lowly, the cruel and melodious sound echoing across the battlefield.
"And you think I'm going to stop? This is just the beginning, Natsu..."
They clashed again, fist against staff, the impact creating a shockwave that opened a hundred-meter crater around them. Irene landed an enchanted kick to his leg, forcing him to stumble for an instant, but he recovered with a spin, his flaming elbow hitting her shoulder and leaving a sizzling burn. The pain made her grit her teeth, but the smile didn't leave her lips — it had been centuries since she felt so alive, so challenged.
"Harder... hit me harder!" She murmured, her brown eyes sparkling with a mix of sadism and desire.
Natsu blinked, surprised by the words, but laughed.
"If that's what you want!"
He pressed on, a sequence of quick punches, forcing her to retreat step by step. Irene counterattacked with enchanted claws, scratching his chest superficially, but Natsu's heat evaporated her enchantments faster and faster, leaving her panting, the burns accumulating on her impeccable body.
There wasn't much to do.... Her skin began to crack subtly, scales emerging at the edges, her eyes gaining a reptilian gleam. She was about to revert to her true dragon form, wings forming on her back.
Natsu knew at that moment that unfortunately the battle would have to end. He concentrated his power, invoking [Gravity Magic], controlling his weight to equal a mountain of billions of kilograms. Combining that with [Busoshoku no Haki] that hardened his skin like black steel, and infusing everything with his [Hellfire Emperor Dragon Slayer Magic], he quickly moved as fast as light, his fist colliding with her stomach, the gravity crushing the enchanted defense like paper, the Haki penetrating like a blade, and the flames devouring what remained.
Irene's eyes widened, the air escaping in a silent scream as all the bones in her body creaked and shattered, ribs breaking, internal organs being crushed by the visceral shock. The spray of blood that came from her mouth was like a scarlet mist, and she was launched backward like a shooting star, her body dragged for dozens of kilometers through the devastated region.
Irene collided with a distant hill, destroying it completely, and rolled a few more meters before stopping, motionless, her body twisted in a broken pose. Her partial scales regressed, her witch's hat flying far away, her scarlet hair spread like spilled blood. She was unconscious, her chest rising and falling weakly, in a grave state. Blood trickled from her lips, nostrils, and she barely breathed, on the brink of death if she didn't receive help.
Natsu landed on the ground, the gravity weight dissipating, his fist still smoking, his eyes widening at the sight of the trail of destruction and her state.
"Irene... hey, wait! Did I overdo it?" He ran toward her, vanishing and appearing like a ghost in front of her through his [Koku Shundō], his heart tight; this wasn't what he wanted. The fight had been intense, but now, seeing her like this, something inside him stirred with genuine concern.
"Damn... are you alive? Talk to me!"
Hearing his voice, Irene felt the world spin in a blur of pain and darkness, her body a heap of pulsing agony, bones shattered like broken glass, internal organs throbbing as if being crushed by invisible hands. The air left her lungs in shallow, irregular gasps, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. It had been centuries since she felt like this... weak.
Her eyes opened slowly, her eyelids heavy as lead. Her blurred vision focused on his face — Natsu, his eyes full of genuine concern that caught her by surprise. He was kneeling beside her, one hand supporting her head with unexpected care, the other holding something small: "Hey, Irene! Hold on! Eat this, it'll help!"
He placed it in her mouth, and she bit weakly, swallowing, her eyes fixed on his face, on that worried look that didn't match the fierce warrior who had taken her down. Concern... for her? No one had worried about her in... how many years? Centuries?
A strange emotion, hot and unexpected, flowed from the depths of her chest. It was as if, for the first time in ages, someone saw her not as a monster. Her heart, which had long turned to stone, stirred, a solitary tear escaping the corner of her eye, mixing with the blood.
"Natsu..." She murmured, her voice weak, hoarse, but laden with a vulnerability she herself would hate to admit. Her body relaxed completely, the tension of the fight dissipating like smoke, her muscles surrendering to exhaustion.
Before she could say more, the darkness claimed her again, her eyes closing as she fainted in his arms, her chest rising and falling in more stable breaths. Natsu blinked, sighing, relieved to see her wounds being healed by the Senzu Bean he had fed her.
He looked around; the destruction from the fight with her must have caught the attention of the other Spriggan, it was better to get out of there first.
His figure and Irene in his arms disappeared in a yellow flash.
____________________
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