"Huh?!"
"Hand Lucy over to Phantom Lord?!"
"No way! I won't allow it!"
After quietly listening to Hope's plan to deal with Phantom Lord, Natsu was a hundred percent against it; letting Lucy walk into danger on purpose was something he simply couldn't accept.
The moment Natsu finished, Lucy's voice rang out, "I agree."
"Lucy! How could you…" Natsu spun around, eyes wide, hardly believing those words of consent had come from the usually timid Lucy.
But the resolve in Lucy's eyes was unmistakably real.
When she learned her father had hired Phantom Lord to bring her back, Lucy realized she'd dragged the guild into this mess.
To a Mage Guild, using force against another guild to fulfill a request is excessive, yet barely justifiable—after all, completing commissions is how they survive.
And her father had handed Phantom Lord the perfect excuse; otherwise they'd have had no legitimate reason to attack Fairy Tail.
Thinking of how Phantom Lord had destroyed the guild and even attacked Levy—who'd promised to help her write her novel—along with Droy and Salamander, kind-hearted Lucy felt overwhelmed with guilt.
So when she heard Hope planned to repay them in their own coin, Lucy agreed without hesitation.
Hand her over to Phantom Lord, then use the "kidnapping of a Fairy Tail member" as grounds to strike first.
Turning Phantom's own tactics against them—Hope's move was undeniably brilliant.
Only one thing puzzled Lucy: "Given how our guilds are like fire and water, who could hand me over to Phantom Lord without raising their suspicion?"
"I'll do it."
Still petting the cat, Hope stroked Happy's soft fur. "As for why me, that's not something I can explain just yet."
Hope's nested identities as a Council agent were tricky to reveal; once he'd sorted out Mest—who'd gone from undercover to genuine—he'd explain everything.
Seeing Natsu still uneasy, Erza said, "Relax. Hope can keep Lucy safe; he's very strong."
At that, Natsu's eyes lit up.
If even Erza acknowledged Hope's strength, he no longer needed to worry about Lucy's safety in Phantom Lord. "I'm fired up!"
"Hope! Let's fight!"
As Natsu clenched flaming fists, eager for battle, Hope simply nodded and raised his right hand. "Bring it."
That the ever-dependable Hope accepted without hesitation stunned Lucy—this was her dorm! "Hey! Don't fight in my house!"
Erza hadn't expected it either, but before she could intervene Hope's fist met Natsu's flame-wreathed one.
What happened next left them all slack-jawed.
Hope's fist opened into a palm that seized Natsu's, and a jade-green circle blossomed beneath Natsu's feet, emerald light swallowing him whole.
"Wood Shaping: Baby Walker."
Before he could react, Natsu found himself trapped inside an oversized baby walker; the motion-sickness debuff kicked in instantly and he slumped over the rail, limp.
Erza, Lucy and Happy stared at the instantaneous finish, dumbstruck.
Using vehicles against a Dragon Slayer Mage—wasn't that a bit cheap? Lucy and Happy thought.
But Erza knew this was already the second time tonight Hope had exploited a Dragon Slayer's weakness to win.
Now that she herself wielded Dragon Slaying Magic, Erza eyed Hope warily—would he pull that trick on her next? Not that Hope noticed; he was in excellent spirits.
[Ding~]
[Host has encountered a Lost Magic: Fire Dragon Slayer.]
[Analyzing—]
[Analysis complete. Estimated decryption time: 40 days.]
The System prompt popped up in his mind—the second magic logged tonight.
The first had been during his fight with Gajeel, when the System successfully recorded Iron Dragon Slayer Magic—also needing 40 days to crack.
After setting the operation time with Erza and Lucy, Hope released the Construct and left.
A minute later he was back at the guild, using Gods Foot.
But seeing the hall riddled with iron rods and rubble, Hope smacked his forehead—he'd forgotten all about it.
With Arc of Time in hand, restoring the guild would be child's play.
Yet until the counterattack on Phantom Lord was complete, the building would stay wrecked—giving Fairy Tail a stronger casus belli.
Hope took eighty magic crystals from his room and headed to the empty back yard.
Under the moonlight the crystals dimmed as the System's accelerated decryption granted him both Fire and Iron Dragon Slayer Magic.
Sensing the new power, Hope channeled mana and his left hand ignited; besides the usual Dragon-Slayer perks, Fire Dragon allowed fine control of flame—temperature and shape at will.
No wonder Natsu never burned friends during guild brawls; he must lower the heat.
Did that mean Natsu had never gone all-out against comrades?
After toying with dragon-fire, he tested Iron Dragon Slayer—and found it unlike any other.
It coated skin in tough iron scales and let the body morph into iron weapons and tools, boasting solid physical defense and offense.
Yet it offered almost no pure magic attacks; against foes with high physical defense, Iron Dragon Slayer struggled to deal real damage.
But that was Gajeel's problem, not his.
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