Ace returned to the Fairy Tail guild in high spirits.
The main hall was as boisterous as ever, a chaotic symphony of laughter and fighting, as if time hadn't passed at all while he was away.
He walked straight to the bar, where Master Makarov was sitting on the counter, happily sipping his ale.
"Master, I'm back." Ace placed a heavy portion of his reward money on the wooden surface with a distinct clink.
"This is from the quest payment. A partial repayment for the... repair fees."
Makarov glanced at the money pouch, his small mustache twitching as he mentally counted the coins.
He grunted in acknowledgment.
Ace then casually mentioned, "Oh, and on the way back, I ran into some people from Blue Pegasus. We... sparred a little."
The Master lifted his heavy eyelids, his tone flat and utterly unsurprised.
"Oh? People from Bob's guild, huh? You didn't break them, did you? It's normal for mages from different guilds to get into fight when they meet."
He took a long sip of his ale before continuing, his voice rising in volume. "Just don't be like certain damn brats and demolish an entire street, leaving this old man to foot the bill again!"
As he spoke, he shot a fierce glare at Natsu and Gray, who were once again wrestling in the distance, oblivious to the lecture.
Clearly, as long as these "minor frictions" didn't result in bankruptcy, the Master had a completely hands-off attitude.
Ace smiled, relieved.
Just as he was about to say something more, two figures rushed toward him like a gust of wind.
"Yo! Ace! You're back!" Natsu was burning with fighting spirit, sparks flying as he slammed his fists together.
"This time, I'm gonna settle the score with you properly!"
"Hmph, don't get ahead of yourself, you fired-up bastard!" Gray shoved Natsu aside—his shirt had vanished into the ether yet again—and spoke coolly to Ace.
"I heard you just fought someone from Blue Pegasus? What's the fun in fighting those peacocks? Why don't we have a match right now!"
Ace looked at the pair of clowns before him and helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Why is it always you two... Can't you just rest for five minutes? I just got back."
"No way!" the two shouted in unison, their voices echoing in the hall.
Knowing he couldn't escape this fate, Ace sighed deeply.
"Fine. But let's not fight in the guild. I can't afford any more repair fees. Let's go to the back mountain."
"Alright! A showdown on the back mountain!" Natsu yelled excitedly, fire already leaking from his mouth.
Gray snorted in agreement. "Let's go."
The three of them headed out, one after another—with Natsu and Gray tripping over each other and arguing the whole way—to the training cliff behind the guild building.
The area was open, rocky, and far from town, a common spot for guild members to practice their destructive magic and settle "personal grudges."
"Alright, let's start! I'm definitely winning this time!" Natsu eagerly got into his fighting stance, flames igniting on his fists.
"Stop talking big, droopy eyes. I'll be the one who wins!" Gray began to gather a cold mist around his hands.
Ace looked at the two uncompromising rivals, and an idea came to him.
He raised a hand to stop their bickering.
"Wait. You both want to fight me, but going one by one is a waste of time. How about this..." A cunning smile appeared on Ace's face.
"I'll summon my partner and you two can take him on together. We'll see who can defeat him first, or... who can last longer against him. How about it?"
"What? Two-on-one? Are you looking down on us?" Natsu said, clearly dissatisfied with the perceived handicap.
"Who wants to team up with this fire-breathing idiot!" Gray also objected, crossing his arms.
"It's not teaming up," Ace explained smoothly. "It's a competition. You can each fight on your own, with the goal of defeating my partner. This way, we can determine which of you is stronger and also test your limits. Of course, if you're scared..."
"Who's scared!"
Taunting was always effective against these two simple-minded guys.
They fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
"Alright! It's settled then!"
Without another word, Ace focused his mind, and his magic power surged.
"Answer my call and descend! King of Beasts of Justice—Leomon!"
A golden light of evolution flashed, and the magnificent, imposing Leomon appeared, holding his famed blade, the Lion King Sword.
He stood like a mountain in the center of the field, his powerful Champion-level pressure instantly blanketing the area.
His golden mane shone brilliantly in the sunlight, exuding an intimidating aura without a hint of malice.
"Whoa! It's that big lion again!"
"What powerful pressure!"
The guild members who had gathered to watch the spectacle from a safe distance exclaimed in amazement.
"Hmph, I've been wanting to fight him for a while! Take this! Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Natsu was the first to attack.
He took a deep breath, and a torrent of scorching flames roared toward Leomon like a dragon's breath!
"Ice-Make: Lance!"
Gray struck at almost the same time, condensing his cold energy into countless sharp lances of ice that shot toward Leomon like a deadly rainstorm!
Facing the pincer attack, Leomon's eyes were calm and fearless.
He let out a deafening roar as the Lion King Sword in his hand drew a perfect arc in front of him!
The blade's edge, wrapped in a powerful aura, formed an indestructible barrier!
Boom!
Sssshhh—!
The torrent of fire was split down the middle by the blade's energy, scattering harmlessly to the sides.
The dense barrage of ice lances shattered into glistening crystals upon impact with the sword's curtain.
Natsu and Gray's first wave of attacks was easily neutralized by Leomon with a single stroke.
"What?!" Both of them were stunned.
"Don't get distracted in battle!" Leomon's deep voice rang out.
He moved as fast as lightning, lunging forward the instant he blocked.
A heavy kick swept toward the slightly closer Gray like a battle-axe.
Gray hastily conjured a thick ice shield in front of him.
Bang!
The ice shield shattered on impact!
The immense kinetic force sent Gray flying backward, and he slammed heavily into the cliff face, sending rock and ice shards flying everywhere.
"Gray!" Seeing this, Natsu was both shocked and enraged, his entire body flaring with intense flames.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
His burning right fist shot toward Leomon like a meteor!
"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon didn't dodge, he planted his feet and clenched his right fist.
A vast amount of energy instantly condensed into a massive, golden, lion-headed energy wave.
With the roar of the king of beasts, it met Natsu's iron fist head-on!
BOOM—!!!
The violent collision of the dragon fist and the lion fist produced a world-shaking explosion!
Flames and golden energy raged wildly, tearing up the ground.
The stalemate lasted only an instant before Leomon's superior physical strength and incredibly ferocious power overwhelmed Natsu's flames.
Natsu let out a pained grunt and was sent flying by the blast wave.
He tumbled several times on the ground before skidding to a stop, his arms trembling slightly from the impact.
"Damn it... Such incredible power!" Natsu gritted his teeth and stood up, wiping soot from his face.
Gray also walked out from the base of the cliff, clutching his chest.
Both of their expressions were incredibly grim.
They realized that fighting alone, they were probably no match for this lion.
The flames on Natsu's hands ignited again, brighter than before.
He slammed his left and right hands together as a stronger surge of magic power erupted!
"Fire Dragon's... Brilliant Flame!"
The flames from both hands merged and expanded, forming a massive fireball that fanned toward Leomon with incredible explosive power!
"Ice-Make: Battle Axe!"
Gray also pushed his magic to its limit as a massive, intricate battle-axe of ice formed in his hands.
With the force to split mountains, he swung it down fiercely at Leomon.
It was a strike of highly concentrated cutting power!
Facing their full-powered simultaneous attack, Leomon finally showed a serious expression.
An unparalleled aura emanated from his body as a powerful fighting spirit erupted from within him like a surging torrent, instantly enveloping his entire blade.
At that moment, the chilling battle-axe, glinting with a cold light, chopped down, carrying a peerlessly sharp wind.
At the same time, the blazing fireball streaked through the air like a meteor, its scorching heat promising destruction!
Boom! Bang!
The sound of colliding energy rang out again!
Leomon successfully neutralized the attacks with a cross-block, but his sturdy body was knocked back a single step by the combined force, leaving deep footprints in the rock.
However, that was all.
Leomon shook his slightly numb arm, the fighting spirit in his eyes growing even stronger.
"A good effort! But it's not enough to defeat me!"
Natsu and Gray stared at the unscathed Leomon, whose aura had only grown more immense.
Their faces were filled with disbelief.
They had used almost all their strength, yet they still couldn't pose a threat to this powerful Summoned Beast.
"Shall we continue?" Leomon asked in a deep voice, pointing his blade at the two of them.
Natsu and Gray looked at each other, panting.
They saw the unwillingness in each other's eyes, and... a hint of excitement.
A stronger opponent meant a more challenging fight!
"Of course we'll continue!" they shouted in unison, once again channeling their magic and charging forward into the fray.